This retreat from the strong winds that have blown all week is now high on my list of favorite places. Although much of the waterfront has the ambiance of what you see from a train window at the outskirts of towns and cities, it is a refreshing relief from the relentless display of outrageous wealth that dominates this part of the world. I love these out of the way places and, as a professional work boat person, I feel right at home.
I was trying to decide where to go for a change of scenery the other day and realized that the basin here is larger than most places I have set the hook on this trip. There is a sand and gravel barge operation just up the creek so the water is deep for this part of the world, especially along the wharf. The bottom also feels firm and not covered with the jello I have encountered in other Tred Avon anchorages.
I’ve spent a couple days here resting, doing boat chores, and working on my 2011 taxes. Although it’s a bit more difficult on a boat, TurboTax and the surroundings are making this the most pleasant tax preparation of my life. This is where having Internet on a boat is indispensable.
The Easton Point Marina is run down and closed but now under new ownership and will open in a couple weeks. I met owner Lee Denny who plans to fully restore it with a ship’s store and all services. Both ethanol free gas and diesel will be available.
Easton has everything a cruiser could ever need, supermarkets, Walmart, Target, West Marine, and numerous restaurants in a charming little town not as changed by tourism as those on the water. The marina will have bikes and provide rides. If they were to get a station wagon courtesy or rental car that was available for more than the usual hour, this could be the best resupply point I have found south of Maine.
The entrance channel was dredged for the sand and gravel operation but has shoaled in spots. The chart isn’t much use but, with a few private buoys put out by the marina, Easton Point will be accessible to nearly every cruiser. Every afternoon, a whole fleet of rowing shells comes down the creek and a long and unspoiled wooded shoreline across from the industry makes it as visually pleasant as any place I’ve anchored in the bay.
