Wednesday November 19 –Eastern Shore Marina to The Wharf

Very cold this morning, 29 degrees, frost on the docks. This is soooo wrong.  Departed at 0845, very skinny water coming out of harbor, told to “hug the reds”.  1.9 ft. under keel as we left.  The ride to the ICW was smooth, followed course on chart plotter, the bay is shallow, and 9 ft. of water is the norm.  We realized we left without paying the dockage fee to we called and they noticed too.  $120 for 4 days – good deal.  Entered the ICW (Intercoastal Water Way) at daymark 118 at the southern end of Mobile Bay and headed east toward Florida.  Had planned to stop at Lulu’s for lunch (Jimmy Buffetts’ sisters restaurant) but the dock was full so continued on to The Wharf marina.  Arrived at 1330, got a pump out and a slip for the night.  The slip necessitated that the captain stern in and he did a perfect job of docking the vessel.  The marina is a modern entertainment complex – the docks are just one of their features.   The Complex included a hotel, a waterpark, an amphitheater, a playground, a cinema,  and high ropes challenge center as well as many shops and restaurants.   We walked the grounds and enjoyed stretching our legs a little.  After some socializing, we snuggled into the boat for the night.  Cable TV was available so we took advantage of it.  Tom installed a new sending unit that Dog Marina dropped off.  That’s service.