Walkin’ down C dock
By Mike Jastrzebski
We’ve been here at Harbortown Marina for about six weeks now, and I must admit I’m enjoying our new home. We spent six years in Ft. Lauderdale and I never did feel at home. I don’t have that problem here. The other boaters have gone out of their way to make us feel at home.
Rough Draft’s slip on C dock
There are about thirty liveaboard boats in the Marina, but things don’t really get hopping until the weekend when the part-timers show up. The weekend boaters are a mix of power boaters and sail boaters, and they have one thing in common with the liveaboards, they love the water and they love their boats.
Since the dock is long, and we’re near the end, we have to pass the gauntlet of boaters when we go to the head, the car, or the pool. It’s a rare weekend day that we aren’t offered a drink or a humorous comment as we make our way along the dock, and it’s easy to make friends. I could easily stay here for a long time.
The problem with marina life is that it’s a little like I imagine listening to a siren’s song. It’s seductive, calls to you, and when you get close, it grabs you and won’t let you go. It’s why so many people never leave the docks. It’s why I’m pushing hard to get the boat ready to leave, and it’s why we’ve set a tentative early November date for leaving. We were trapped in Fort Lauderdale for six years and I won’t let it happen again.
So if you find yourself stuck at the dock put in some earplugs to block out that seductive song, set a date, and go no matter what. You won’t regret it. I know we haven’t.
