Ever been Locked IN your marina?

[Stillraining]

I finally got some time to work on my boat yesterday...I was so engrossed in what I was doing I failed to keep track of the time...

Deciding to call it quits I emerged from my boat to discover the yard workers had all gone home for the night and the gates all locked up...I was trapped...

To make matters worse my cell phone was dead and I didnt have a charger with me... After sitting in my truck for 30 minutes I saw a guy get out of his boat on the dock...I went and introduced myself and ask if he had a cell phone I could use to call my wife and let her know I would be spending the night on the boat and not to worrie why I wasent home...

As it turns out this Guy was the Owner of The Sea Wolf Boat company who builds 30' Aluminum boats...He excepted my offer of a beer back aboard my boat ( on the Hard ) and we had a great time chatting for an hour or so..He was genuwinely friendly and really a great guy...

In talking it came around to me needing a slip befor I launch...He wiped out a name of a guy for me to call of a slip availibal right next to his boat on a privet dock...

Get lock in your marina sometime..you never know what will happen..

[Giulietta]

When I was younger, for a while I used to keep the 470 at home and trail it to the club to sail. For a few months.

I was just 18 then..I went sailing with someone, so we launched the boat and left the car and trailer, as per regulations outside the club's property...
when I returned it was already 7pm. The club had closed the doors at 18:30...so the car was outside the gate and fence...and our clothes, keys etc..inside the closed and locked locker rooms...including our clothes, money shoes etc..we were only dressed in swiming shorts...and back then there were no cell phones, and with no money we couldn't call anyone...we didn't even had the number to call...and so that no one at home laughed of me...we walked home.

So we left the boat in the club's ramp, jumped the fence and went home walking barefooted dressing nothing but shorts and bright orange life vests...

People looked at us in a weird manner....we walked almost 6 kilometers barefoot.

[Stillraining]

I was dressed a littel better...however home is 30 miles away and the boat has plenty of cold beer in it at all times....I wasent going anywhere...

[PBzeer]

I would think being locked in was a good thing

[Quickstep192]

Wait a minute!!!!

What if the guy returning on the boat, or other people returning had plans to hop in their car and go home? A marina that provides no way out after hours seems like it would be highly undesirable for customers.

[Giulietta]

I think he is talking about the yard, in his marina..

The yard in my marina, that even during the day is restricted, closes at 6 pm, but the marina is open 24/7.

[Stillraining]

The portion I was in was the working portion of the Marina not the Public Port controlled portion..The port owns the property but not the businesses..The guy I met was able to leave out a card keyed man door from the dock on the other side of the marina but not unlock the main gate to where i was at...It was OK I had a good night sleep..we have heat on the boat and Down comforters on our bed...

The only down fall is I tore into more stuff then I fixed...now I have more nights to spend....HEeeHeee!!

[CharlieCobra]

tain't nothin wrong with sleepin on the boat.

[sailingdog]

My marina has a remote controlled gate, and most of the customers have a remote for it, so staying after hours isn't a problem.

Also, the gate can be triggered by the owner from his home, since the gate has a relay controlled by the security system that will also open it, so if your clicker isn't working for it, you can call the owner and he'll open it remotely... That's how the EMTs got by the gate when I called a couple years ago.