Reserved Parking

I finally got over to the St. Pete municipal marina last week to get on the waiting list for a more moderately priced slip. I need a 28' slip for Blue Bear and conveniently that is their shortest list... current estimated wait is only 2.5 years. The other lists are all estimated at 5-6 years. Given the timeframes and uncertaintly about the exact sizes of my future boats, I figured I'd go ahead and get on a few other lists while I was there. I'm signed up for 28', 34', 44', 55', and 65' (the 65-footer can accomodate a catamaran). The girl running the marina office thought I was nuts. Most she'd ever had anyone sign up for before is three, but she'd happily put me on as many lists as I wanted to pay deposits for.

I've heard horror stories about marinas clamping down on liveaboards, but neither the Harborage nor the municipal marina are against it. Municipal charges an extra fee, and won't allow it on boats against the seawall for security purposes, but otherwise doesn't care.

She also suggested that I just look at their listing board and just buy a boat that is already in a slip. I didn't, but if the boat is cheap enough (like the one I just bought), I suppose I could just donate it and stick my boat in the slip. Come to think of it, that's a pretty good way to a) sell your crappy boat, and b) capitalize off your forethought of getting on five different lists. I bet you could sell a 1978 O'Day 25 for about $15k if it's sitting in a 65' pier end.

As consolation for my large expenditure and bleak prospects of actually getting a slip anytime soon, she gave me some tickets to the St. Pete Grand Prix next week. This looks very cool and I had been completely clueless about what all the downtown construction was about. They're going to run Formula race cars through downtown St. Petersburg and on the municipal airport's runways. Maybe I'll take the boys.