Let’s recap the week so far:
- Sunday - Arrive in Pensacola
- Monday - Sneak peek at our new boat!
- Tuesday & Wednesday - Orientation
- Thursday, Orientation and our first overnight
- Friday - First solo cruise to Orange Beach, AL
After we made it safely to The Wharf Marina, it was time to figure out marina life. We have dreamed about having a boat we can live on for a long time. We had a lot of time to think about what we needed on the boat while we were waiting about 5 months for her delivery. We made a trip to IKEA for galley items like silverware, plates, etc. We brought a mattress topper with us that we used on vacation the previous year. We had provisioned some food (we had to remind ourselves that we had a refrigerator on board) on Thursday, and we had packed a cooler with some soft drinks and tea. So, before heading to Alabama on our first cruise, we had unloaded the truck and ”moved in” to the boat. It was now time to see if we got it right.
There‘s a ”mid-berth” area on the boat (it’s commonly called ”the cave” in the TugNuts community) which we use for storage. It runs under the table on the port side and, while an adult could sleep there, it could bring on a bit of claustrophobia. For us, as a cruising couple, it’s the perfect storage space for food, larger galley equipment, and one of the first things we bought for the boat was a Keurig Mini. This little wonder may be worth it‘s own post later.
Over the years, we've been to marinas hundreds of times, usually as a pit stop for fuel and a bathroom break. This was our first trip to a marina to spend the night... on our boat!! While staying at a marina is akin to camping at a campground, there are some important differences. Water is the most obvious one. There's something about the gentle rocking of our boat at night that is just completely awesome. But it also means that you always have to be mindful that you’re in a relatively harsh environment - especially in coastal salt water.
The Cave (Mid-berth)
Another is how they charge you. Most marinas charge by the foot. Elvin Ray has a 30' length over all (LOA), and the rates range from around $1.50 to $4.00 per foot, depending on the marina. The Wharf Marina is part of an entertainment and shopping complex, so we had a variety of restaurants and other amenities available. We walked around the complex, exploring the dining and shopping options. Then it was time to relax and get settled in for a good night’s sleep. We had only reserved one night at the marina, but enjoyed the location so much we booked another night. On Saturday, we decided to cruise back to Pensacola to get a few more things from the truck, so we headed out of the marina just after breakfast and got underway. Practice makes perfect, and cruising was just a little more comfortable than the day before. We saw some dolphins, had to negotiate our way past a tow pushing a few barges, and enjoyed the great weather. We got what we needed out of the truck and headed back to Alabama. We enjoyed the rest of the day and planned out a new adventure for Sunday. It would be a trip that would test our skills for sure.
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