Slip #C52

Last summer during our hunt for a sail boat, we toured marinas in and surrounding Annapolis. Picking a marina is a practical decision for us. We don't have a bottomless pit of money and, because we are just getting back into sailing after many years as land lubbers, we want a place that won't be totally stress inducing every time we set sail.

We chose a marina in Deal, about 20 miles south of Annapolis. Deal is a bit less expensive than Annapolis, has a full service boat yard, and provides direct access to the bay across from St. Micheal's and the Choptank River. The grand kids will like it because of the pool. We'll like it because of it's lay back attitude and friendly service folks. It would be nice to be in Annapolis with all its city creature features, but, if you're sailing on weekends, the water traffic is akin to driving interstate 95 between DC and New York city. If you're sailing during the week, it's the ideal location.

So we woke to a steady drizzle and foggy gray skies this Sunday morning. But the rain didn't deter us from what we had to do -- procure slip for our new sail boat. The good slips go fast and since we're newbies, it takes some effort not to end up in too little water or with very little protection from the weather that whips across the bay.

A good slip is a slip that's not too wide, is deep enough so the keel doesn't drag in the mud, has a decent size finger pier so getting yourself and belongings aboard is not a major balancing act, and is easy to "slip" into and out of without banging into the neighbors.

This is pre-contract time for getting a slip. It is time to act. So with rain and wind a blowing, feeling like Goldie Locks in the house of the Three Bears, we walked the piers, list in hand, looking at available slips. One slip was too close to the shore for our liking. In a big storm enough water can be drawn away from the shore to leave a boat hard aground. Another slip was too wide. Our slim 11.6' bean could be difficult to tie up in its 18' width. Two other slips had short finger piers and we envisioned Fred and JoeJoe having panic attacks trying to get on and get off the boat. Then, we shuffled down to to slip #C52 splashing through puddles. C pier slips face out to the bay, but are protected with a bulkhead. It was just right! We will sit on deck with an unobstructed view, looking out across the creek out into the bay. We have a full length finger pier and an angled access with loads of free water behind it to make maneuvering easy. Our boat will have a lovely home starting this spring. We celebrated our find with a beer and crab cake lunch while we watched the Vikings - Dallas play off game. Today proves that a dreary day can have a silver lining.