Men give up effort to row around LI

In the end, the Bada Bing crew's safety -- and, maybe, sanity -- outweighed their bravado.

Six days and 156 miles into what was to be a 300-mile voyage circumnavigating Long Island, massive damage to their catamaran forced the five men to abandon the trip yesterday afternoon.

"You have to put egos to the side, and that's really hard," captain Chris Cuddihy said. "Every time we wanted to quit when something else went wrong, we said, 'What are we doing it for?' "

Cuddihy, 57, of Riverhead, and his crew were doing the Long Island Row for charity, raising money for the Suffolk County United Veterans Project.

The trip was just as much about doing what wasn't accomplished last year. Cuddihy and others had to cut short an attempt last year after some succumbed to seasickness four days and 140 miles into the journey. Still, they raised nearly $2,500 for the Wounded Warrior Project.

The crew faced similar straits Thursday as they sat in Cuddihy's home debating whether to continue. A broken outrigger meant the Bada Bing had to be towed ashore through Shinnecock Inlet -- a process that damaged the 20-foot vessel.

The Bada Bing was about halfway back to Mount Sinai, where they launched Saturday. Cuddihy feared the catamaran couldn't handle the treacherous currents and waves near Montauk, which also could pull them out to sea.

Though disappointed, crew members were proud of their accomplishments -- both on the water and for the Suffolk County United Veterans, raising money for the Riverhead-based foundation that helps homeless veterans struggling with drug and alcohol addiction.

John Lynch, the organization's acting chief executive, congratulated the crew.

"They did a beautiful job, an excellent effort," Lynch said. "I'm just happy that everyone's OK."

Crew member Brian Fiasconaro, 27, of Riverhead, called the experience "an adventure."

"It just takes so much out of you, but at the end, it's just so gratifying."