The Things People Do...

Aquapalooza & Fairlee Creek
July 16th & 17th, 2011

If I were a better writer, you readers would have quite a field day reading about Aquapalooza.  I'll do my best.  It's everything you envision it to be and more.  Imagine a thousand boats converging on the protected side of an island in the middle of summer with dogs, kids, beer, music and rafts.  And then multiply it by a hundred later in the day when everything gains momentum and the beer is flowing and the heat is steaming and the music is beating...  It's craziness and zaniness and wow - what an event!  Kudos to Marine Max for organizing it. 

Aquapalooza

After spotting the blue hull, we managed to maneuver our way through the obstacle course of boats & bodies to the All In and Premier Ride, who were rafting together along with a few other boats we didn't know.  Once tied up, I took a good look around-  and WOW again, what an event.  We guessed over a thousand boats were there.  I spent some quality time on the bow with Barbie, my old hairdresser, and met some new friends.  Just when things started to get a little out of control (beer bongs and old ladies sandwiched between young boys on a jet ski (she appeared to be either napping, drunk or god-forbid, dead -all I could think of was Weekend at Bernie's), we made our way out of there.  For those that made a day of it, it sounded as if a great time was had by all, hanging out in the water, mingling and meeting new people, listening to music and especially people watching!

I'm such a nervous nelly that it's really difficult for me to enjoy myself watching mayhem unfold.  Plus, I couldn't hear the band because one of the boats tied up with us brought his own generator and speakers and had his dance music blasting off the bow of his boat. 

Generator & Subwoofer on Bow!

And I like live bands, so it wasn't hard for me to leave the scene once the captain gave the signal, except for the getting out part, which is like slolom boating with boats and swimming people and dogs and PWC's (back to the nervous nelly part).  At least I wasn't the captain and all I had to do was bring in the lines...  Thanks captain, for bobbing & weaving us out of there.  

Off we went towards Fairlee to meet some friends of ours that were coming back from a cruise up to Atlantic City and Manhattan (talk about a boat trip!).  I took a nap on the back of the boat and enjoyed the breeze until I felt us slow down at the cut.  It's such an interesting approach in to Fairlee that I hate to miss it.  I like watching us turn the corner and feeling the current under us and seeing Jelly Fish Joel's and the palm trees and babies on the beach.  We found a nice open spot, set the anchor and then INXS was pulling in. 

The Stifflers show purple pride!


 We took the dog to shore and then the four of us went to Jelly Fish Joel's on the dinghy to listen to some music and enjoy a kooky drink.  The frozen drinks are refreshing and the band was playing crowd favorites.  The new bikini crush station and ice luge are a nice addition (I don't remember that from last year), and the attendant was a perpetually happy person that danced non-stop and aimed to please.  I got in to the band (or maybe the kooky drink got in to me) and danced in the sand next to the mermaid, before heading back to start dinner.

Dancing!

We had a combo meal (INXS and us) with steak and sausages, crispy potatoes and grilled peppers painted with olive oil, along with corn on the cob and a nice bottle of wine.  For many years we've been preparing the crispy potatoes, and they're always a big hit.  See below for the recipe.  We had a nice time, enjoyed watching the sunset and quiet conversation. 

Capt Buddy on the grill

The wind was blowing a bit and the sound of the waves hitting the hull and the anchor chain tugging were a little much for me so I wound up sleeping in the aft cabin for some quiet.  This also made for a bit of a chop on the ride home Sunday.  Nothing the shark can't handle!  It actually rocked me to sleep on the back deck, while getting some sun.  Perfect for rejuvenating for Monday morning. 

       Another spectacular summer weekend on the Chesapeake...

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Crispy Potatoes Recipe

• 1 whole baking potato cut in to small squares
• 1/3 of a vidalia sweet onion chopped
• generous portion of butter
• generous sprinkling of old bay
• fresh pepper to taste

Wrap the ingredients in aluminum foil and place directly on the grill for 15-20 minutes (until potatoes are soft and crispy on the bottom).  Enjoy!

Throwing Caution to the Wind

Rock Hall
Saturday, July 9th on board the All In


We had no plans for the weekend and even spent Friday night at home, but headed down early Saturday for boat chores.  Of course once you get there things have a way of evolving... and it wasn't long before we threw caution to the wind and boarded the All In with Captain Kevin and crew members Crystal, Roy, Lynette, Buddy, me and Lexi-dog). 


Bay Watch on the Chesapeake



We drifted near the bridge to wait for Premier Ride and his crew who had been at the Hard Yacht, and then headed past brown rocks in Stoney Creek to Nabbs Creek so they could check out the Nabbs Creek Cafe.  We ascended upon the place, taking over much of the outside deck.  We were a little early for the music - he was still setting up, but once again had friendly service and cold drinks (no meals this time).  The Dreamsicle Crush sounded delicious - I'm trying that next time for sure!  Premier Ride was planning to cruise to Rock Hall for crabs and an overnight stay, and crazy Captain Kevin said why not ?  So we headed out along side them. 


Premier Ride Cruising



Waterman's at Rock Hall

 The Royal Caribbean cruise ship "Enchantment of the Seas" was leaving at the same time, so we cruised with her for a bit before pulling ahead.  She's a beautiful ship. and one on which we'll be on board shortly (we've been watching these cruise ships come and go with wanderlust so often we finally booked ourselves a 5-day cruise to Bermuda!).  The bay was gorgeous, not a lot of traffic, and Waterman's had slips waiting for us upon arrival.  We were front & center, while Premier Ride was tucked in for an overnight stay.  We sat at the high top in front of the bar to accommodate our large party.  Roy was first to sit down, and he knows the owner (or a friend of the owner), so he took it upon himself to order lots of food for the table which was perfect since it took everyone varying amounts of time to get there.  One of the crew members aboard Premier Ride had dropped her sunglasses overboard, and after several unsuccessful attempts with a hook, finally jumped in and retrieved them - FIRST TRY.  Way to go Angel!  By the time we sat down we had ribs and corn and soup waiting and crabs on the way.  Fantastic!  Good food, crazy conversation, lots of laughs and a couple of pops before the sun started to set and we needed to start thinking about making our way back across the bay.  First, I had to walk the dog (of course), where I found an interesting jalopy. 

I think it's either from the set of Water World or left over/in preparation for Pirate Weekend (always an experience!).  The band was setting up, Buddy tried out his first "plank" to submit to BMC Plank Wars on Facebook, and then we headed out toward the sun.

Years ago we did a lot of day boating and would see the most incredible sunsets.  This day was just like that.  The inner harbor is directly west of Rock Hall and sets up an unbelievable ride home.   It's mesmerizing to watch the sun go down on a warm summer day from the water.  It was cloudy as the sun was setting and we didn't think we'd get a sunset, but the last few minutes, she dropped down out of the clouds.  It's quite an experience, and if you've been boating at sunset, you know what I mean. 



Setting Sun on the Chesapeake