Rollin on the river – Progress Index

The Social Butterfly shares her floating and boating weekend getaway

Preparing myself for any overnight stay equals the same as packing for an African safari. I despise packing with a passion!

Ive trained myself to make a list about a week prior and to start placing the items on my spare bed to make it easier. What a joke! I end up overpacking and have to decide which items I can do without. Inadvertently, I seem to always forget at least one thing or I end up sacrificing the wrong thing.

Where was the butterfly headed?

My good buddy Diane Holland provided me with an opportunity to cover an event riding on her son Bryans 28-foot Nordic Heat Powerboat Sweet Emoceans on a Fun Run in a Trumptilla parade at Norfolks Waterside District. I dove all in! Bryans girlfriend Caleigh Atkins of Dinwiddie and neighbor/childhood friend Alex Brown of Chesterfield rode with Bryan, Diane and me also.

When I was just about to arrive at the Hopewell Marina where our journey began, Diane asked me if I packed hair clips to keep my long hair from ending up like a rats nest. Of course...that was the one thing I had not wanted to forget and I did. So...my chauffeur zipped me back home quickly to retrieve one.

It was a perfect boating day in the high 80s. I had gotten scorched recently, so I was diligent about keeping sunscreen on myself. Diane took it upon herself to slather me up when she noticed I was turning beet red. I appreciated her doing so since I was busy snapping parade footage.

I understand why dogs love to hang out car windows so much. Feeling the breeze is soothing. We boated by Dianes boss Jim Daniels Charles City home along the James River and waved to Jim and his guests.

The first song Bryan played was "This is Gods Country" which was the same exact song I heard while riding a motorcycle on a poker run I had covered. Bryan also played a selection of Latin tunes which Diane and I loved.

"This boat parade is in support of President Trump," said Alex. "Were going to have fun enjoying time with our friends and family."

"This is as much a social gathering as it is an opportunity to express ourselves peacefully," said Diane. "The boating community is a loving community. If another boater breaks down, Bryan always waits it out until they fix it or hell escort them back."

"No man or boat left behind," added Alex.

The procession took a short break at the James River Bridge in Newport News to enjoy a snack, take a dip, dance upon their decks, and more. The James River Powerboaters tied their vessels together so they could party together.

The break gave late departures the chance to catch up with the processional. Truckers for Trump crossing the bridge honked their horns showing their support.

The journey from the Hopewell Marina where we to Norfolks Waterside District took approximately 90 minutes not counting the time spent at our pitstop.

I hit the cabin to grab a bottle of pop and some blueberries when all of a sudden my head hit the ceiling. I looked over at Alex seated across from me who was bouncing around like a lead bingo ball.

Alex began whipping packages of crackers at Bryan trying to get his attention, but it didnt work. So, we tossed around like rag dolls for quite some time. It was worse than my craziest horseback riding experience.

Caleigh noticed the flying crackers and shot me a thumbs up to check on me. My inner Warrior Princess of course smiled and gave her a thumbs up back.

When we stopped being blizzard ingredients, the cabin looked like a hurricane had whipped through it! Diane sat in the cabin electric doorway to check on us when it began to shut on her. It was a series of unfortunate events that had me rolling!

"Ive had some rough rides in my life," said Alex. "But, that one takes the cake!"

How many boats participated in the Trumptilla in Norfolk?

The U.S. Coast Guard estimates 800 vessels were in the parade procession on the Elizabeth River. Boats of all types and sizes were all around us. It was quite the sight! As I was standing on the back deck recording on Facebook live, both Diane and Alex grabbed a hold of me to keep me from taking a plunge.

"This is better than I ever imagined. It gives you some sort of Im proud to be an American vibe," said Diane.

"Ive never worn a tutu in my life," shared a Trump fan from Gloucestor while dressed in patriotic attire. "Im doing it for Merica."

"You had to be there to witness the magnitude of the participation that was involved," said Alex. "The photos we took dont do it justice at all."

"Ive been watching all the rallies on TV, and now, I know exactly how they felt," said Diane. "The excitement and enthusiasm...oh my...thats what they were feeling."

After the parade, we traveled to Bennetts Creek Marina in Suffolk where Bryan docked for the night. We discovered Mike and Dana Cole from Prince George lounging in their boat enjoying life.

"We were here last weekend and stayed at one of their awesome cottages," said Dana. "This was a monumental event; it was our first time being in a boat parade showing our patriotism."

"The last time I was with you at an event was at The Highlands," said Mike. "You interviewed Trump, and here we are today."

Mike and Dana took me on a tour of their friend Bob Livengoods 48-foot Sea Ray which was pretty sweet...as it should be for costing over a million smackaroos.

Mike shared a harrowing tale of getting caught in a tropical storm as they sailed back from Daytona after picking up Bobs new ride. "The waves were crashing over the roof when we were near Hilton Head running up the East Coast," said Mike.

What did the post-parade peeps do while parked at the marina?

Some folks stayed on or near their boats and others enjoyed Decoys Seafood Restaurant and the Blind Duck Tiki Bar. Both overlook the marina, and the tiki bar includes the only swim-up pool bar in the Hampton Roads area.

It was hotter than Hades, and my heart went out to the servers who were trying their damndest to comply with Governor Northams face mask policy. The reggae rock country band Show Cause performed.

While waiting for my burger, the voice in a conversation directly behind me sounded mighty familiar. My thought was confirmed when the individual replied to a Show Cause band members question asking if he plays an instrument.

"Im behind the mike...Tony Jackson," said country star Jackson. Yep, my head whipped around, and I became the giddy fan and asked for a photo with him. After seeing him perform at both The Beacon and The National...I felt as if I had earned it.

"Just hanging out with Michelle," said Jackson. "She likes this band." Michelle Peterson of Chesapeake confirmed she is Jacksons girlfriend.

According to Decoys general manager Walter Scott, Fun Runs provide them with a lot of business.

"Something like this...everyones coming," said Scott. "They come out also when we host an event."

How was Virginias Phase 2 Reopening going?

"Were at half occupancy on the inside finally," said Scott. "We have a lot of repeat diners, so we have a lot of happy customers right now.

All of The Progress-Indexs coverage of coronavirus is being provided for free to our readers. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to The Progress-Index at progress-index.com/subscribe.

"Its nice getting the opportunity to get our guests back," added Scott. "We are looking forward to fully opening up the operation to everybody."

Speaking of the pandemic, Im pretty sure most people partaking in the pool area were not concerned a wee bit about contracting COVID-19 which has caused a deadly uproar throughout the world.

Boating is all about friendship and family.

"Were a tight knit group," said Jeremy Collins of Chesterfield at the tiki bar. "We travel together and plan together. Its almost like a little boat culture. When it comes to boating, everyone is like family."

According to Collins, they travel in pairs just in case something happens.

"100 or 200 people...we dont leave anyone behind," added Collins. "We had a boat problem today, and Barry and Cathy Adkins made sure we wouldnt be stranded."

At that precise moment, John Hope the Boat Whisperer walked by. "He fixes everybodys boats," said Collins.

There was a short snippet of time during the adventure that was a wee bit dicey as my son Forrest would say.

Diane and I along with numerous others could not get an Uber to our hotel. The reception was shoddy and/or nothing was available. And, while our phone batteries wore down, we had to endure this not-so-happy couple...well, lets say...not getting along. Thats putting it rather nicely.

Finally, Diane scored a taxi and was going to share it with a oh-so-happy couple, however her son suggested we ride with a local man headed that way. So, we hopped in his mammoth truck and it turns out...Bryan didnt know him at all. Good grief!

One of the three couples was the negative-Nelly pair which ended up right next to me. I admired the restraint the man displayed. My inner Warrior Princess was chomping at the bit to say something in hopes to tame the sparring pair. Dianes ribs are probably still aching from the amount of times I jarred them with my elbow. It was unbelievable!

The kind and generous driver Steven Wright of Suffolk who had ridden in the parade in his Cigarette 38-foot Top Gun boat thought he was only taking one couple. He was a good sport when he realized there were three.

"Ubers just dont come out here much," Wright said. "Im local and try to help out when I can."

Wright dropped the other couples off at their hotel and us at ours. We thanked him immensely, and he headed back to Decoys. Diane and I discovered a sign on the door of The Courtyard by Marriott Suffolk/Chesapeake that instructed us to check-in at the hotel next door since the lobby was closed due to COVID-19. Good heavens!

After a good laugh and showers, we rested up for another day of sun and fun at the Clay Banks located in Surry County.

On the way there, we docked at Captain Chuck a Mucks in Carrollton and had a delicious lunch.

A blond moment took place that Im still laughing at myself about. I had to powder my nose so I hit the lavatory. A rope was attached to the door and a cleat was on the wall. I had no idea how to tie it securely, but I did my best.

While pissing like a racehorse before someone entered, I noticed there actually was a regular door knob lock available. Ha!

At the Clay Banks which is across from where the Chickahominy River meets the James River, we ran into some familiar faces and basked in the sun for a short spell. Diane and I watched fools climbing the cliffs while the others either waded in the water or hopped in friends boats.

On the whole, the weekend was a blast; I for sure would love to go on another pleasantly wild Fun Run ride in the future!

Kristi K. Higgins, aka The Social Butterfly, can be reached at khiggins@progress-index.com. On Twitter: @KristiHigginsPI

See the original post:

Rollin on the river - Progress Index