The Lucky Ones

John Mathew and Andie ubered to the airport early that morning. We felt badly their time with us was so short although the way the day went they turned out to be the lucky ones.  We set off from Tom's River along the NJ Intercoastal Waterway with a plan to dock at Atlantic City, NJ.  Although John was following the chart exactly, he made the mistake of choosing the chart over one the daymarks and in a second we found ourselves grounded on a sandy shoal. Before we even had time to radio for help, there was a BoatUS tow boat by our side. Rick the towboat captain was asking if we needed help. Apparently we were not the first to find ourselves stuck in this particular spot. Fortunately John had purchased the Gold Towing membership (thinking a grounding was a possibility in the ICWs we would be traveling) so the tow was free.  Rick hooked a line to us and after about ten minutes of gently pulling this way and that, he had us off the shoal. We followed him slowly in to Beach Haven, a surprisingly lovely town for one to be 'stuck' in. While the tow was free, the ensuing repairs to the propellers would not be. We stayed the night on the boat, feeling a bit humbled, but still managed to enjoy a very nice dinner at Tucker's Tavern.