Dowery Creek Marina

Saturday 10-11-08
We remained at Dowry Creek because the WX continued to be rainy and quite windy. Between showers, we spent time tidying up the boat and organizing pictures etc. We used Michelle & Brent’s car to drive to Belhaven, about 6 miles away, to pick up a few things at Food Lion and also had great fresh fish sandwiches for lunch, at Fishhooks Café. We washed the sandwiches down with big glasses of iced tea that the waitress insisted on topping off after every two or three sips. Fishhooks had a real hometown feel, as we walked into the dining area we got “hellos” from folks seated at several of tables as we walked by. Just nice southern hospitality, y’all. On the road to Belhaven we passed some very large fields of cotton, with the white blooms making a visual sea of hazy white across the hundreds of acres.
Some of the things we needed from the super market were ingredients for Polly to make her spinach-cheese squares to take to the evening social. She also whipped out a small pan of chocolate brownies – both were well received. Five additional boats arrived at the marina during the day so there were 18-20 people that showed up at the clubhouse for hors d’oeuvres and drinks.
This kind of get together usually includes a varied group of interesting individuals from a wide range of back grounds and means. This one was no different. There were several fellows who were delivering (for hire) a 60 ft. motor yacht to Florida, for the owner, a couple who own and crew their 58’ Krogen trawler and were returning to their home in Vero Beach, FL after spending the summer in the Chesapeake, several sail boats out for a one week cruise also came in. Brad and his wife Joyce were also there – they have been staying here at the marina since last winter to help out the owner. They have been living aboard their 45’ sailboat for the past 10 years and normally spend winters in the Bahamas and Florida Keys. Brad told me that once they had spent 11 months on their boat without tying it to a dock even once, during that period. They have a water maker, generator, solar collection panels to help keep their batteries charged and fairly large fuel tanks. That is really independent living.
There was another interesting boat that came into the marina, named “Big Mama”. She is a wooden 1960’s vintage cabin cruiser about 31’ long. The owner bought her on Ebay for ($2500.) TWENTY FIVE HUNDRED dollars! They were bringing her from Avalon, New Jersey to a marina in NC, about 100 miles south of here. She had not been used for the prior 10 years and looked like she had been used HARD and put away wet. Since the owner “didn’t know much about motors”, he has the help of a couple friends to bring her home. Fortunately, one of the friends owns a small marina near Jacksonville, NC and has been working on Big Mama’s problems daily, since leaving New Jersey last week. Most of the trouble has been related to the two gasoline engines. When they arrived at Dowry Creek, they needed to go to Belhaven to get new spark plugs and fuel filters. They had previously replaced an alternator, cooling water risers, both carburetors and a battery. The good friend had also removed about 100 gallons of dirty, gelled gasoline from the tanks (that was at least 10 years old) before even getting the engines started before they left Avalon. The other work has been ongoing as they progressed southward. One night, they worked on the engines until 3 AM - this guy adds new meaning to the term “good friend”. “Big Mama” also bears out a saying I have – there is a boat for everyone who wants one.