Half the fun of owning a boat is naming it . After all , if you ’ re going to do all of the work associated with ownership , then it ’ s mandatory to squeeze every ounce of fun out of it during the limited weeks of New England ’ s mild weather when you can actually be out on the water .
The other half of the fun of owning a boat is planning a yearly outing to Aquapalooza . The boating extravaganza is held annually in Potter ’ s Cove off the coast of Prudence Island , an otherwise tranquil spot — at least until the boaters in search of bacchanalia arrive for a wild day spent on the water . It usually takes place the last Saturday in July , this year , on July 31 , but some like to extend it into an entire weekend . After last year ’ s COVID-19 hiatus , many are looking forward to bringing back Aquapalooza , some in a socially distant fashion . So am I .
My husband and I bought a boat back in fall of 2017 . Andre spent about nine months renovating it after work and on weekends , at night and into the early morning hours , just trying to get it ready in time for that summer ’ s Aquapalooza outing in July of 2018 . That was the lofty goal . He rebuilt some of the hull , reconstructed the fiberglass , repaired the seat cushions with new upholstery , bought and installed a new windshield and kicked in new carpeting ( good thing he owns a flooring business ). | | CONTINUED ON PAGE 116
50 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l JUNE 2021
NOTE : The photography is from the 2019 event .