Merry Mariner?

February 12, 2020—Ah, what could be better than feeling the wind in your face, watching pelicans dive for their supper, dipping a fishing line in hopes to catch your own dinner, and watching dolphins dive “up close and personal?” Not much.

Jim and I decided that life is much too short not to enjoy it to the fullest. This week we joined a boat club, and now we can feel that wind, watch those birds, dip our lines, and seek out dolphins just about any time we want—from the bow of a boat on local waters.

 We have toyed with the idea of purchasing a boat (more than the 14’ Port-a-Bote that we own) for some time. But, like an RV, boats require a lot of tender loving care. TLC translates into a lot of expenses. It is said that the two happiest days for boat owners are the day they buy a boat and the day they sell their boat. That is because in addition to the purchase price of a boat, there are costs to maintain in, fix it, store it, and equip it. Plus, you have to figure in the time it takes to launch, take it out of the water, and clean it.

A membership into a boat club eliminates all of the negatives of boat ownership. It’s like joining a country club: There is one-time “initiation fee,” then monthly dues. Not inexpensive, but not too bad, either. We make a reservation for the boat we want, drive down to the marina (only about three miles from our house), and climb aboard. A club employee meets us, helps load our gear, and when we return, greets us at the fuel station and unloads the boat into a waiting cart. Our only additional cost is gas.

View from the boat to the marina

Out on the San Pablo River

In a creek off the San Pablo River. Gorgeous day.

Our particular membership is for weekday use, for any boat 25’ and under, including both fishing and pleasure boats. And if we have guests who would prefer to tube rather than fish? The club provides the recreational equipment. Nice.

We took out a 16’ fishing boat this afternoon. Before we could do that, however, we each had to complete an online boat safety training program. (We probably didn’t have to do this, since we already had certification from the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary for a different boat safety program, but we decided a safety refresher of our knowledge couldn’t hurt.) 

Then, yesterday, we went out with Captain Randy, another club employee, who trained us in navigation, as well as how to drive and dock the boat. (I docked it perfectly three times:]) Incidentally, it was during that training that a large pod of dolphins decided to accompany our boat. So exciting! We've often seen dolphins cavorting in the waters of the St. Johns River, but they were never so close to us as they were when we were in the boat. 

I hope that having a boat will allow us to go where the fish are, instead of waiting for them to swim by our lines at the end of a pier. (Today, when we found some fish according to the fish-finder, but they weren’t hungry. We had a great time, anyway, since our goal was mainly to get comfortable with navigating a boat.)

What all of this means is that the Reluctant RoVer may have to get a new moniker. How does the Merry Mariner sound?

Until later,

Your Reluctant RoVer Merry Mariner,

Linda