A long walk down a short pier, 11-16-2014 thro 11-22-2014

Sunday, 11-16-2014

Our first day at Turner's Marine, and it is time to figure out the lay of the land. We straightened up the boat, and stowed things away.  We had been away from a marina for six nights.  Time to do some clean up fix up. As we knew we were going to be at Turner's for awhile, we put away the GPS, stowed the hand held radio, nestled the binoculars.

We headed for the showers, because we could, with laundry next on our agenda. The laundry has only two washers and two dryers, so you use it as soon as it is free. The weather was still brisk, so we were dressed in fleece sweatshirts and pants.    Got our laundry started, talked to our friends about the marina.  Apparently the neighborhood around the marina is not the best, so every night there is an announcement at 4:50 that the gates are being locked and closed.

Turner’s Marine and Supply is a rustic marina, with their primary purpose boat supply and maintenance. The folks are quite friendly, but the bathroom/ shower facilities are small.  The women’s room sports one toilet and one shower, both in the same room. 

The other interesting thing about this marina is their finger docks…or as Kathy calls them, knuckle docks.  They come off from the main dock in a rounded triangular fashion, and on our assigned slip, the end of the dock didn’t even come as far as the cabin top.  The only thing to hold onto are the boat lifelines, or the piling.  It also requires boarding the boat at one of its narrowest parts.

Kathy boarding Sea Fever at Turners

We went back to the boat, and in about ½ an hour, Kathy started up to move the laundry to the dryer.  She didn’t quite make it.  She did take the proverbial long walk on a short pier.

Tim heard the thunk, and then the splash.  And heard Kathy screaming for someone to help her.  Her boat shoe had slipped off the knuckle dock, and into the drink she went, between the boat and the knuckle dock.  All the way in.  All the heavy clothes.  Two dock mates heard her screams, and between Tim and them, and a swim ladder, she was finally wrestled onto the boat, scared almost to death. All the while she was in the water, holding on to one of the dock lines, she hoped the alligator population did not hear the splash.

And wondered if Johnny Weissmuller was alive to fight the alligators.

One more shower.  One more load of clothes. 

There was an impromptu dock party that evening.  We think we had the best story of the day…albeit one that we wished we didn’t have to tell!

There is a tradition at many marinas whereby there is a table set aside for extras...extra parts, extra line, extra shoes...stuff that is in good condition, but no longer needed by the current owner.  It is a marina version of a paperback library.  Someone had no longer needed some handles, and so one of our kind neighbors decided to install it on our piling.  Made it much easier to get on and off.


Kathy and her handle
 (and her Coach purse adorning her Walmart T-shirt)

The rest of the week went without consequence or results.  No work on the boat, Ordered parts.  Waited for parts. Went to Walmart, of course.
Until Saturday, November 22.  Kathy caught her shoe on a nail on the dock, and fell on the knuckle dock. but kept herself from another dive into the alligator invested waters by breaking the fall with her lips and chin.  Upon the advice of two friends who were nurses, and one EMT (all of whom were boaters in the marina), we hustled to an urgent care, and Kathy’s face earned 4 stitches.  Enough with falling! She steadfastly refused to have her picture taken with the stitches! It was enough that her nickname was now Crash.