Fernandina Beach, FL

Took the boat into the Fernandina Beach Marina for a few hours today. I paid for one of their moorings for the night. Not because I wanted the mooring, but because I wanted to use their facilities. I dumped my garbage, pumped out my poo, filled my water tanks, took a shower, did my laundry and went shopping.

A note about laundry. This is the second marina I've been to where the washing machine is fed with cold water only. Please. Is hot water really so expensive? Pulling this move marks the marina as nothing more than a cheap ass, second rate marina. And trust me, you aren't saving any money off of me. I just go to the shower next door, fill a five gallon bucket with hot water, and pour it into the washer. If I weren't so environmentally conscious, I have half a mind to turn on all the showers and leave, the next time I'm at some lame ass marina that pulls this stunt.

Fernandina is an interesting place. Coming in the inlet, Amelia Island is really pretty. There are sand dunes and a nineteenth century fort. Old town Fernandina, where the city marina is located, is a few blocks of old buildings filled with touristy shops. The streets are filled with senior citizens. You're unlikely to see more than a few people under 60. On the waterfront flanking old town, are two factories. When I arrived, they were emitting an ungodly amount of smoke, noise and stink. They've calmed down now. But earlier in the week I was in awe of the amount of pollution they were spewing. And I'm from Baltimore, for Christ's sake.

I biked out to a convenience store and saw the truck in the picture for sale. I was tempted to buy it, but I don't know where it would fit on the boat. Besides, the salt water would probably corrode it.