From lemons to lemonade

[rgranger]

Hey All

Starting in August I'm going to "live aboard" two nights/week.

The "higher-ups" where I work announced that we are closing so I got laid off... and I took a job in Richmond VA starting in the fall. As it works out, I will only need to stay in Richmond two nights/week and apartments in Richmond are very expen$ive... but I found a nice marina that will lease a slip for $100/month and let me plug in to run a microwave and a space heater. Heated bath house and my phone will serve as a "hot spot" so I can have internet and can work on my computer.

So I'm going to live the dream ...yeah buddy...

Don't think I'll actually sail that much this winter but I will get a chance to see how I would do on board for more than a week at a time and can tweak things on board over a longer time frame.

 

[justsomeguy]

$100.00/month! Remarkably inexpensive!

Ooh, if you get a roommate...

 

[rgranger]

$100.00/month! Remarkably inexpensive!

Ooh, if you get a roommate...

A roomate would be the opposite of inexpensive.... once the divorce lawyers were done with me...

 

[woodster]

man ya gotta stop dating those damn divorce lawyers

 

[bawlmer]

Absolutely Awesome! I can't believe you got a monthly slip for 100 per month.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

I found a nice marina that will lease a slip for $100/month and let me plug in to run a microwave and a space heater.

$100.00 / month .

Clear a space. I leave tonight for your marina.

Below gives you an idea what the outside world pays.

 

[jsalley]

Is the marina in Richmond? Not much sailing to be done in the upper James River. Nearest reasonable access to the Chesapeake and its larger tributaries is about an hour away. Also, be aware that the area froze solid this past winter.

 

[Jalepeno]

I've been at Thunderbird for 19 years. Coal Harbour area must be a lot more.

 

[CloudDiver]

$100 a month!!!! I believe I just soiled myself. Another reason to get out of southern California... then again, the weather is just so darn nice!

Congratulations on not only the affordable slip, but also turning a 180 on a bad situation. Good luck in the new job.

 

[rgranger]

Is the marina in Richmond? Not much sailing to be done in the upper James River. Nearest reasonable access to the Chesapeake and its larger tributaries is about an hour away. Also, be aware that the area froze solid this past winter.

Not much sailing indeed....

It is called the Richmond Yacht Basin Marina ... I drove there yesterday to check it out. It is well kept. It is a working man's marina with a lot of boats in various stages of "restoration". But the bath house was very clean and the marina has very tight security adn the folk seem very nice... so ... as a floating condo it will work for me.

It is 30 minutes outside of Richmond and according to Active Captain it would take me 13 hours to get to the mouth of the James traveling at 6 kts avg. So unless the wind is just right.... I won't be doing much sailing from there. But I got a trailer sailboat so...

 

[jsalley]

Yeah - I meant an hour by car! But for a hundred bucks a month, you sure can't rent anything around here (or anywhere else for that matter).

 

[Allan12210]

Not much sailing indeed....

It is called the Richmond Yacht Basin Marina ... I drove there yesterday to check it out. It is well kept. It is a working man's marina with a lot of boats in various stages of "restoration". But the bath house was very clean and the marina has very tight security adn the folk seem very nice... so ... as a floating condo it will work for me.

It is 30 minutes outside of Richmond and according to Active Captain it would take me 13 hours to get to the mouth of the James traveling at 6 kts avg. So unless the wind is just right.... I won't be doing much sailing from there. But I got a trailer sailboat so...

55 mph hard to weather will get you to the good parts pretty fast.

Sorry to hear that your other job closed down. Not very Sweet was it? The same thing happened to me back in '92 when the company relocated me from California to Alabama. My wife had a good career, so I took the layoff package. Turns out those kinds of changes can work out for the best. New opportunities can break you out of the comfort zone and pay off big time.

Consider an oil radiator type heater. My experience with those fan driven ceramic ones is that they only keep you warm when you are in a direct line with the air flow.

Best of luck.

Allan

 

[rgranger]

55 mph hard to weather will get you to the good parts pretty fast.

Sorry to hear that your other job closed down. Not very Sweet was it? The same thing happened to me back in '92 when the company relocated me from California to Alabama. My wife had a good career, so I took the layoff package. Turns out those kinds of changes can work out for the best. New opportunities can break you out of the comfort zone and pay off big time.

Consider an oil radiator type heater. My experience with those fan driven ceramic ones is that they only keep you warm when you are in a direct line with the air flow.

Best of luck.

Allan

Thanks Allen

Yes I have the radiator type... I keep one in my office at work and another in my basement at home. I agree with you, they work better than the fan driven types. And I have a small microwave oven that will fit nicely in my galley cabinet. That will be enough for my morning coffee and oatmeal. Grab a shower and go to work. It is only two days a week so.. sounds like fun.

And you are correct about the comfort zone thing. I'm trying hard to look at it that way. I already found another job so... and I've always wanted to live on a boat... so... I figure I'll either cement that boat-life fantasy down for good this winter or get it out of my system once and for all. Bitter Sweet

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Yipes .........

I've been at Thunderbird for 19 years. Coal Harbour area must be a lot more.

................ turns out Coal Harbour is cheaper. Mind you, an extra two hours getting to the Gulf Islands.

http://coalharbourmarina.retrix.com/annual.htm

 

[Bill Roosa]

You will want to check out your AC electrical to make sure it is in good shape. Heaters really task the AC. Try opening up all the panels that have AC running through them and then turning on the heater for a 15 minutes or so. Then disconnecting from shore and feeling all the wires. Anything that is overly warm to the touch is suspect.