"2000, December 16-17 Frenchman's Marina " a Juno Beach Travel Page by grandmaR

We got to the Frenchman's Marina by 4:15 after 45 mile at 5.5 mph. When I called Friday night, they did tell me that they would have to put us on the fuel dock before they took my credit card number.

The early weekend dock person (until 4:30 - female) doesn't monitor the radio. I had to call on the cell phone to get her to give us directions. She didn't know what the depth at the fuel dock was at low tide, or the depth in the channel. She seemed a nice person, just inefficient and clueless.

The late weekend dock person (male) was very uptight about giving us fuel and ice at 4:15 pm even tho the fuel dock is supposed to be open until 5 - he didn't want to have anything to do with boats after 5 - he wanted to be in the office to do his paperwork - even tho the office is supposed to be open until 6. Very grumpy and abrupt.

They have a restroom key ($1 deposit) which has the gate combination on it - but it is incomplete. (The combination is *0915* and the key tag leaves off the first star - if a nice person in the office hadn't told us, we wouldn't have been able to get back to the boat.)

We had called Chuck and Diana and they came down to see us. We had already gotten fuel and moved the boat back on the fuel dock, so they went aboard and looked, and then took us over to their boat and then out to dinner. When we got back, the gate into the marina was locked, so it was important to have the right combination. There were a bad infestation of no-see-ums by the dock, and under the dock, and screens don't help to keep them out,
because they are smaller than the holes in the screen, so we turned off all the lights and turned in.

We saw a CSY named AURORA from Miami in the marina. [We later saw this same boat for sale in Ft. Pierce and it has now been sold.]

I got a shower and downloaded pocketmail at the pay phone. The floor in the showers is very slippery tile (no I didn't fall). I was going to use the marina office to do e-mail, but we wanted to get underway. Bob steered and I pushed off. The clueless early person observed.

When the curtains are wet, but we want the breeze, we put them out to dry on the lifelines. Bob has started to refer to this as 'like anhinga wings'.

We were passed by a tiny tug called OKECHOBEE - about 20 feet long. Saw a yellow submarine in Lake Worth. Mile 1025 after 15 miles at 10:55.

Approached the Lantana Bridge. I think we could have (and the bridge tender hinted that we should try to) make the 11:40 opening, but we waited until 12.

LUCKY TOUCH from Marblehead (lady with a Brit accent) caught us at the bridge. It is a ketch, but has the staysail up and not the mizzen. They have a US flag on the stern and are flying courtesy flags from Canada, Germany, South Carolina and a red and white one from the spreaders. You aren't supposed to fly courtesy flags unless you are in the country of the flag.

Next Lighthouse Point