2016 07 30 Hampton Bays, LI
Swimming off of Shinnecock Inlet
It is time for the annual Sixth Annual Maguire cruise! In addition to Mary, Brigid, Tim and Mariah, we also have Jack Maguire, Joe and Pat Downey, and Joanne Taylor. Nine and a half people! We have no intention of going through the canal again, particularly because there are so many of us on the boat, and we don’t want to take any risk with the baby on board. This is a swimming crowd, no doubt about it. Once anchored in Shinnecock, everyone (except Joe, of course) goes in for a dip, even Mariah……although the cold water of the bay startles her a bit.
As always the currents are running strong, too strong for even the strongest swimmers. However, we are in fairly shallow water so if you can manage to swim 20 feet from the boat toward shore, you can stand and almost walk in. Of course, captain Bert hoists his camera high, gets to ground and starts snapping his pictures. For the rest of us, there are noodles and the long boat lines running from the stern with seat cushions attached. We hang on to the lines to keep from being swept away by the currents!
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| Cute little beach cottage with ocean and bay frontage |
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| Interested in newer construction? |
Brigid’s teacher skills show as she unpacks all the sandwiches she’s made, all labeled, all with name tags on them. Plenty of beer, wine and MER-mades to go around. My sister Mary Ellen claims to have invented and named the “MERmade”….. a take-off on her initials (MER) and the fact that she is the first person in human history to have ever “made” one. For those who care, it is diet tonic, diet cranberry, a splash of orange juice and gin or vodka.
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| The think I'm going to sleep in here,... NOT A CHANCE! |
We have a beautiful afternoon to chat and laugh. Bert and I recount the start of our trip where Bert cracked his head on the fiberglass. Both Pat and Joanne are nurses. Each in turn asks: “So, you took him to the Emergency Room, right?” I guiltily explain that I, with no nursing skills whatsoever, determined he was fine. For the remainder of the trip, I silently admonish myself for taking such a chance.
Back to Mary’s in the late afternoon after showering and changing. The weather has changed but who can object to nighttime rainfall when the days have been so good. Once again, Tim to the rescue. He orders and picks up two outrageous pizzas, one with chicken, and ranch dressing. One piece was a meal in itself.
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CLICK HERE for all the photos from the trip. Warning: There are almost 300 pictures on the photo site. Click on any picture to enlarge, and look for the slideshow option for best viewing.