Palm Island

Some days the best thing to do is to go to the nice high end resort place. First thing in the morning we motored a couple miles to Palm Island Marina. A 70 foot boat pulled out just before we came in. The staff treated us like we were the people from the big boat. Very nice staff.


My main reason for stopping was to replace my inverter. They had a parts and service department so I thought they could help me. They didn't have it in stock, but got it to me by the afternoon. Nice guys.

They have a $2/foot rate plus a 26 foot minimum. The nice lady felt that was way too much for a first time visitor with a small boat. They charged me the condo rate of $1.50/foot and no minimum. We ended up blowing the savings at lunch, but what the heck, we had a nice meal. A captain has to keep the crew happy, especially if the crew is one's wife.

Tomorrow we plan on doing some actual sailing. All this motoring around has made me feel like I'm captain of a goofy looking powerboat.

One thing that struck me as I crawled along the coast is how much energy is used along the water. The boats, power and sail alike, use a lot of gasoline and diesel. That's only the start. The whole infrastructure is energy intensive. The maintenance of the waterways, the operation of the bridges, everything uses energy. Many boats don't just sit in the water anymore. They rest in big parking garages and are moved around with giant forklifts. If the energy system goes down, that's where they'll stay. Not a good place for a bug out vehicle. I'd rather have a kayak that I could carry on my shoulder.

We stayed here to get some boat projects done, but we made sure to enjoy some of the amenities. Maybe I'll have to take my lovely wife for a drink when the no see ums come out. The marina bar might be a good place to hide from them.

-Sixbears