Deltaville Marina
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Fri 5 Aug 2011 21:47
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Deltaville
Marina
  We
are woken each morning to the sound of the osprey
chicks demanding breakfast which makes us laugh, the nearest nest is just
a row away from Beez   Obviously no swimming in
the marina.........
 .........however,
the lovely pool makes up for the 'itch-arses' as I have come
to refer to the swarms of jelly fish
  We
have settled in really well to this smashing marina. Jobs in the morning, late
lunch and then a dip in the pool before a game or two, supper and a DVD. Much
thought has gone into the comfort of the yachties who arrive here; many like us
to shelter in a hurricane hidey-hole and do the end of season chores. This is
our last big overhaul before the Pacific Ocean crossing, so the research
begins and quotes arrive. To our surprise Hunda is at anchor, we see Duncan and
Dorothy at the pool; just as in Trinidad where we met them. Apparently we
missed Anthony on Wild Fox by a few days but he is due back mid-August.
The marina has a car for our use, $1
goes toward fuel and we can have it for an hour at a time, very handy for us to
get the sails to launder and repair, nip out to the local supermarket and book
Dennis to come and measure for our new mattress. There are two West Marine
Chandlers and Bear is finding his way around them quite well. There is a
hardware store called Hurds, which the locals call "The Mall", it is one of
those treasure troves that sells just about everything and the girls are
knowledgeable, know where to find everything and are really happy in their
work.
The marina also lets yachties use the
Huffy bikes, "No Brakes" I was heard to say with alarm. No, these are the ones
you pedal backwards if you want to stop. I have already measured Hurds to be a
mile away; on the flat, but our first venture will be Saturday night when we go
to the Crab Feast - all you can eat from 5-10 and a band called Arrowheart from
8-12 all for $25. No bets as to whether it will get a blog of its
own.
  The bright marina
lounge, is air-conditioned, water machine, microwave and
coffee machine, TV, book swop and notice board. On the desk is a hard wire
for fast internet, although we get good wi-fi on the dock (all included). There
is also a telephone where we can make all local calls free of charge. The
information folder is a font of knowledge when it comes to finding local marine
trades. Bear thinks the fan in the garden is a bit
over the top.
   Dorothy found the number for the Dollar Bus - a non-profit bus to
the nearest Wal Mart (which happens to be massive), you have to give twenty four hours
notice to get a seat on the bus. Game for that, Bear and I joined them at twenty
past ten for the forty minute ride to Kilmarnock. The surrounding area is flat,
green, with some pretty 'southern style' churches and great names. The health
centre at Northern Neck caught our eye. The surrounding towns and counties
make us laugh, Kent, Sussex, Gloucester, Essex, I must find a map and put it in
a blog. We were dropped by the bus at eleven and picked up at one thirty,
perfect. We did a full shop and had time for a snack in Subway at the front of
the store. The bus is paid half by the County and half by the Government, the
one dollar each - each way - is a token payment. Well all we could say was where
in the UK can you get a bus for that price over that distance, door to door,
we'll be doing this again. Apparently many people in the area depend on this
service to get to and from work.
  Was that Bear posing by a Harley
Davidson, no he was really by the marina cart going back to Beez with our
shopping
   Bear was highly entertained when the non
mechanised dredger pulled himself in and began
work
We
came in through the tight buoyed channel to the marina with very little water
below us. When the dredging is finished it will be nine feet deep. The cost is
$97,000, a thousand dollars per local business, the rest made up by a Central
Government grant and a local Council grant. Many creeks are offended as they
have not been treated in the same way.
     Just like all good policemen and buses, Dennis
and Jim arrived together. Dennis to make a template for our new mattress
(the old one was last seen jumping into his truck) and Jim replacing the
frazzled fuse to the bow thruster and reconnected one of the control wires, it
now sounds like a throaty beast and the front swings both ways.........beware
jelly fish.............
We have had Clifton down to take
pictures of the standing rigging, quote to follow. I have ordered new plastic to
put in the pram hood. Bear has changed the engine oil and filter and Shaun is
on the case sourcing the new batteries.
 So with all that and feeling the job
list is getting a tiny bit a small dent; it was time for a couple of Bear's superb boiled eggs - although one of his was trying
to escape.
We have chatted to John about our
haul out on Monday, we will be at the back of the yard with an electric supply.
The yard and the marina are actually run as separate businesses by brothers, but
for the princely sum of one pound thirty a day each, we can use the showers
(best I have seen for extras - paper toilet covers, hair dryer with mousse,
ladies products, ear buds, bug spray even a weighing scales - must stay away
from that at all costs), use of the car, use the swimming pool, laundry
(complete with iron, ironing board and spray starch, spare buttons, needle and
thread), lounge, wi-fi internet on Beez, BBQ, all local phone calls and
marina bikes. Bargain.
ALL IN ALL A
GREAT LITTLE MARINA
PEACEFUL AND
FRIENDLY
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