THINGS CAN HAPPEN TO NEW BOATS TOO. The delivery from Florida to New York went flawlessly. A group of us took turns running the boat north, and I had the wheel on the North Carolina-to-Virginia leg. Shortly after getting the boat settled in New York, I planned a long weekend in Cape May, New Jersey. Two friends and I left on a Friday morning in mid-June. Exiting New York Harbor and heading south, there were 2- to 3-footers on the nose. Our vessel cruised smoothly at about 25 knots. One of my buddies, Dave, headed to the salon for a nap. A second friend, also named Dave, stretched out on the flybridge seat forward of the helm. I plotted our next waypoint and kept watch. About 90 minutes later, the boat came to a screeching halt. The starboard motor shut down. Alarms screamed, and the smell of burning wires wafted about. I thought, What the hell just happened? Putting the boat into neutral, I assessed our situation. There was no obvious fire. Good. The port engine was operating in get-home mode. OK. The hydraulic power-assist steeringwas gone. After listening for noise and checking for heat, I opened.
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