OneWater Maryland Riviera Rendezvous: A weekend to remember
by Riviera Australia 15 Feb 07:50 PST
Gary and Jody Epstein's Beloved Riviera 6000 Sport Yacht Eppytome © Riviera Australia
No matter the weather, you can show up in style in a Riviera. So say Jeff and Meg Taylor aboard their Riviera 5400 Sport Yacht Platinum Edition. Which is just as well as they blew in on the back of a gale to St. Michaels for OneWater's Riviera Rendezvous in September, hosted by Ned and Lorrie Dozier.
"We had a fabulous weekend," sums up Meg. Rather than getting out and about all day long to see the sights of the quaint and historic town in Maryland, US, the families from a dozen Riviera motor yachts enjoyed boat hopping and story swapping instead.
It's hard not to be happy in a beautiful place, on a beautiful boat and in beautiful company.
"The comradery with the other Riviera owners, whether their boats were large or small, was a lot of fun," says Jeff. Certainly, it helps that this sailor has a Side Bar 6000 set up in the cockpit serving rum, vodka and bourbon by the half gallon; the Taylor's Riviera, Megnificent, holding true to its name.
"The food was great - Ned and Lorrie invited us to a delicious dinner at Foxy's in the marina. We enjoyed every minute," says Meg. The 5400 SY's spacious interior accommodated plenty of guests aboard Megnificent and when the rain let up the cockpit area was fit for a party.
On their luxurious Riviera 6000 Sport Yacht Platinum Edition, for Gary and Jody Epstein the experience was somewhat of a whirlwind. In the process of leaving for the weekend, they'd decided to put their house up for sale. "We immediately got a full cash offer for the house, which was really nice, but we didn't have another place to live," explains Gary. "So, during our time in St Michaels, while trying not to party too much, we sold our house and bought a town house in New Jersey and another in Florida. Then again, maybe it was all the merriment that caused us to buy two houses!" Or maybe it was the Side Bar 6000.
The Riviera family is one that is continually growing, strengthened by new friendships forged on the water, experiences that only other boat owners can truly appreciate.
"When you bring together people that own similar products, they usually have a lot bad things to say, complaints, it can be dangerous. But people just love Riviera, and Riviera and OneWater are comfortable and confident enough to bring everyone together knowing that the owners will have a great time. Truthfully, it's a real complement to the Riviera product. And truthfully, we laughed a lot, drank a lot, ate a lot and met amazing fun people. We had a nice time sharing our boating adventures."
It was the first Riviera Experience for the couple and they've got their sights set on the next. "It was extremely enjoyable and we're still in contact with the people we met," says Gary. "We can't wait to do it again, whether its Maryland or in Florida or the Bahamas. Ned and Lorrie did a terrific job; they're great hosts."
The Epsteins have had their 6000 SY Eppytome for nearly two years and say it's perfect for them. "We really do love the boat," says Jody. "When we went to the Annapolis Boat Show - we've been to so many boat shows but this was the first since owning a Riviera - I looked at Gary and said I can't believe how lucky we are, how amazing this boat is. We're humbled and fortunate to have what we have and so try to enjoy every minute of it."