great-loop@lists.trawlering.com
Cruising America's Great Loop and other inland routes
View all threadsRe: GL: Live aboard is a bad phrase
Unfortunately, you can visit Midway Marina on
the Tenn-Tom at Fulton, MS and be smacked
in the face by the realization that the negative
connotations of "liveaboards" have basis in fact!!!
Multiple reports of friendliness of the hosts and
pictures on website led me to make a trip there
in May to check it out. Marina is basically okay,
but many of the "residents" make it a slum.
I guess I need to look some more for a "home"
marina for retirement in a couple of years.
D C "Mac" Macdonald
m/v Another Adventure
Grand Lake of Oklahoma
----Original Message Follows----
From: Wade Ehlen wehlen@yahoo.com
To: Milt Ohlsen ohlsen@attglobal.net, great-loop@lists.samurai.com
Subject: Re: GL: Live aboard is a bad phrase
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2005 07:26:57 -0700 (PDT)
"Cruisers with disposable income who tend to spend a
lot of it where they are able to dock and go into
town." I'm giving this some thought, and hope to come
up with something shorter and more "user friendly."
Wade Ehlen
Albin 36 Miss Happ
Greetings,
All Manifestation is relative in Nature.........(belief number 21).
I spent a night or two also at this marina.(Midway). Right smack Between
two locks. Nowhere to go. Defiantly not for the "anal retentive", That's for
sure, However, some of the most accommodating folks I have ever met in my
life!. Need a car? Ok fine. Food? Friendship? A Mechanic? When your coming
into the marina, they are right there, extending a hand, and I'm sure you
found that out?
Please excuse! Being a five year liveaboard, I have to defend these folks a
little. With all due respect Mac, take another look! Mississippi? As a
Yankee, its a prefect place to "throw one out".Keep looking. Good Luck!
Respectfully,
Ken and Edi Williams
----- Original Message -----
From: "D C Mac Macdonald" k2gkk@hotmail.com
To: great-loop@lists.samurai.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 10:13 AM
Subject: Re: GL: Live aboard is a bad phrase
Unfortunately, you can visit Midway Marina on
the Tenn-Tom at Fulton, MS and be smacked
in the face by the realization that the negative
connotations of "liveaboards" have basis in fact!!!
Multiple reports of friendliness of the hosts and
pictures on website led me to make a trip there
in May to check it out. Marina is basically okay,
but many of the "residents" make it a slum.
I guess I need to look some more for a "home"
marina for retirement in a couple of years.
D C "Mac" Macdonald
m/v Another Adventure
Grand Lake of Oklahoma
----Original Message Follows----
From: Wade Ehlen wehlen@yahoo.com
To: Milt Ohlsen ohlsen@attglobal.net, great-loop@lists.samurai.com
Subject: Re: GL: Live aboard is a bad phrase
Date: Wed, 22 Jun 2005 07:26:57 -0700 (PDT)
"Cruisers with disposable income who tend to spend a
lot of it where they are able to dock and go into
town." I'm giving this some thought, and hope to come
up with something shorter and more "user friendly."
Wade Ehlen
Albin 36 Miss Happ
As I said, reports have been almost universally
positive regarding owner/operators of the marina.
However, I stand by my comments as to the
appearance of the marina and its desirability for
a permanent "home" base. We visited by road,
not boat, nobody was around that we could see.
I didn't make an actual count, but many of the
boats were almost in the derelict category. A few
had already arrived at that unenviable description.
We were really hoping that it would suit our needs,
but we will keep looking.
D C "Mac" Macdonald
----Original Message Follows----
From: "Ken Williams" matrix8@mindspring.com
To: "D C Mac Macdonald" k2gkk@hotmail.com,
great-loop@lists.samurai.com
Subject: Re: GL: Live aboard is a bad phrase
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 01:32:46 -0500
Greetings,
All Manifestation is relative in Nature.........(belief number 21).
I spent a night or two also at this marina.(Midway). Right smack Between
two locks. Nowhere to go. Defiantly not for the "anal retentive", That's for
sure, However, some of the most accommodating folks I have ever met in my
life!. Need a car? Ok fine. Food? Friendship? A Mechanic? When your coming
into the marina, they are right there, extending a hand, and I'm sure you
found that out?
Please excuse! Being a five year liveaboard, I have to defend these folks a
little. With all due respect Mac, take another look! Mississippi? As a
Yankee, its a prefect place to "throw one out".Keep looking. Good Luck!
Respectfully,
Ken and Edi Williams
----- Original Message -----
From: "D C Mac Macdonald" k2gkk@hotmail.com
To: great-loop@lists.samurai.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 10:13 AM
Subject: Re: GL: Live aboard is a bad phrase
Unfortunately, you can visit Midway Marina on
the Tenn-Tom at Fulton, MS and be smacked
in the face by the realization that the negative
connotations of "liveaboards" have basis in fact!!!
Multiple reports of friendliness of the hosts and
pictures on website led me to make a trip there
in May to check it out. Marina is basically okay,
but many of the "residents" make it a slum.
I guess I need to look some more for a "home"
marina for retirement in a couple of years.
D C "Mac" Macdonald
m/v Another Adventure
Grand Lake of Oklahoma
Sorry guys - just can't jump on this bandwagon. We were live aboards for 13
years. Much of that time we were in New England, which is notoriously
unfriendly and prohibitive to live aboards. We just lived our lives, minded
our own business and kept things as neat as possible around the boat.
Now and then someone would ask if we paid taxes. I would explain that we
pay nearly $10,000 a year for a few cleats and a plug, and that I would
imagine that at least part of that went to property tax. I made no
apologies on that score.
Normally I only want to talk about boats, but I have been writing a column
for Living Aboard Magazine for 10 years now and have met some absolutely
great folks who call themselves live aboards.
Don and Louise
Caper
(only wish we could be living aboard her now, but work calls, so we are
"live aboards" in our motorhome.
The behavior cited in the excerpted sentence are
THE point.
They are not the situation in the location about
which I commented.
D C "Mac" Macdonald
----Original Message Follows----
From: "L. Coulson" caper@highstream.net
Reply-To: "L. Coulson" caper@highstream.net
To: great-loop@lists.samurai.com
Subject: Re: GL: Live aboard is a bad phrase
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 10:22:52 -0400
We just lived our lives, minded our own business and
kept things as neat as possible around the boat.
Don and Louise
Caper
(only wish we could be living aboard her now, but work calls, so we are
"live aboards" in our motorhome.
Louise & Don,
I can't agree with you more. We too have been livaboards for 15
years. We have lived on a permanent basis in five different marinas in
four different areas - Baltimore, MD, New Bern, NC, Portsmouth, VA and
Bradenton, FL. Each of those locations have marinas which are
extremely nice, with all amenities such as swimming pools, laundry
facilities, nice air conditioned heads and showers, and are within
walking distance of town with stores, restaurants, etc. .We have always
let it be known that we ARE livaboards and have never had a problem.
All of the marinas have asked us for proof of insurance on the boat,
which we have and have no problem with producing. Proof of insurance
does tend to keep out the problem boats, which people seem to park at a
marina, let sit, often without using or taking care of them. Each of
the marinas we have lived in have been reasonably priced, and we, like
Louise & Don have answered the real estate tax question the same way.
Furthermore, our dollars are going into the community, as we do buy
groceries, eat in restaurants, purchase clothing, boating gear, and all
the other necessities we would purchase if we lived in a house or
apartment. Keep in mind, apartment dwellers do not pay real estate
taxes directly either.
I have read on various lists or in magazine articles about marinas or
states, i.e. Gerogia, who prohibit livaboards. As far as I am
concerned that is their perogative, but the marinas we have chosen
have felt that livaboards tend to take better care of their vessels, as
they are their homes. Further, they seem to take pride in the marina,
as it also is their home, and there is better security at the marina,
as the livaboards tend to keep on eye on things around them, and
question if something seems amiss. So, in my opinion, I see no reason
to disguise the fact that you are a livaboard. If they don't want you
at that particular place, there are plenty that will take you.
With regard to areas or states prohibiting livaboards who wish to drop
anchor, I can understand their reasoning. We have known livaboards who
are proud of the fact that they do not pay slip fees, but will sneak
into shore at night or whenever and make use of private marina
facilities, such as showers, trash drop and fill jerry jugs with water.
They are then dumping or pumping their heads overboard and trying
their best to not use the economy. We know one couple that even
sneaked their car onto a marina parking lot at night, after the marina
staff went home for the evening, and would move it in the morning.
They ran their engine for several hours at night to charge the
batteries and had to take the dinghy back and forth with five gallons
jugs of fuel. A lot of work to get out of paying slip fees when there
are reasonable marinas to be found just about everywhere.
"Mac" - If the marina you were looking at was not up to the standards
you had hoped for, keep looking. You will find one that meets your
needs. Remember, that is the reason there is chocolate AND vanilla.
And, you may find a few prunes along the way.
Millie Rose
Living Aboard "Rosewind II"
at Tidewater Yacht Marina
Mile Marker "0" on the ICW
Portsmouth, VA
On Jun 23, 2005, at 10:22 AM, L. Coulson wrote:
Sorry guys - just can't jump on this bandwagon. We were live aboards
for 13
years. Much of that time we were in New England, which is notoriously
unfriendly and prohibitive to live aboards. We just lived our lives,
minded
our own business and kept things as neat as possible around the boat.
Now and then someone would ask if we paid taxes. I would explain that
we
pay nearly $10,000 a year for a few cleats and a plug, and that I
would
imagine that at least part of that went to property tax. I made no
apologies on that score.
Normally I only want to talk about boats, but I have been writing a
column
for Living Aboard Magazine for 10 years now and have met some
absolutely
great folks who call themselves live aboards.
Don and Louise
Caper
(only wish we could be living aboard her now, but work calls, so we are
"live aboards" in our motorhome.
I/we will continue to search. There are some dumpy marinas
on our lake here in Oklahoma also. Ours is not four-star by any
means, but there are worse here, as well as some better.
I guess I was just disappointed in what we actually found as
opposed to what we expected from literature, etc.
Ya pays yer money an' takes yer chances, right?
D C "Mac" Macdonald
Another Adventure
Grand Lake of Oklahoma
USCGAux, USPS, AGLCA
p.s. I guess we found a prune! (;-p)
----Original Message Follows----
From: Millie Rose milliejill@earthlink.net
To: "L. Coulson" caper@highstream.net
CC: great-loop@lists.samurai.com
Subject: Re: GL: Live aboard is a bad phrase
Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2005 12:32:35 -0400
Louise & Don,
I can't agree with you more. We too have been livaboards for 15
years. We have lived on a permanent basis in five different marinas in
four different areas - Baltimore, MD, New Bern, NC, Portsmouth, VA and
Bradenton, FL. Each of those locations have marinas which are
extremely nice, with all amenities such as swimming pools, laundry
facilities, nice air conditioned heads and showers, and are within
walking distance of town with stores, restaurants, etc. .We have always
let it be known that we ARE livaboards and have never had a problem.
All of the marinas have asked us for proof of insurance on the boat,
which we have and have no problem with producing. Proof of insurance
does tend to keep out the problem boats, which people seem to park at a
marina, let sit, often without using or taking care of them. Each of
the marinas we have lived in have been reasonably priced, and we, like
Louise & Don have answered the real estate tax question the same way.
Furthermore, our dollars are going into the community, as we do buy
groceries, eat in restaurants, purchase clothing, boating gear, and all
the other necessities we would purchase if we lived in a house or
apartment. Keep in mind, apartment dwellers do not pay real estate
taxes directly either.
I have read on various lists or in magazine articles about marinas or
states, i.e. Gerogia, who prohibit livaboards. As far as I am
concerned that is their perogative, but the marinas we have chosen
have felt that livaboards tend to take better care of their vessels, as
they are their homes. Further, they seem to take pride in the marina,
as it also is their home, and there is better security at the marina,
as the livaboards tend to keep on eye on things around them, and
question if something seems amiss. So, in my opinion, I see no reason
to disguise the fact that you are a livaboard. If they don't want you
at that particular place, there are plenty that will take you.
With regard to areas or states prohibiting livaboards who wish to drop
anchor, I can understand their reasoning. We have known livaboards who
are proud of the fact that they do not pay slip fees, but will sneak
into shore at night or whenever and make use of private marina
facilities, such as showers, trash drop and fill jerry jugs with water.
They are then dumping or pumping their heads overboard and trying
their best to not use the economy. We know one couple that even
sneaked their car onto a marina parking lot at night, after the marina
staff went home for the evening, and would move it in the morning.
They ran their engine for several hours at night to charge the
batteries and had to take the dinghy back and forth with five gallons
jugs of fuel. A lot of work to get out of paying slip fees when there
are reasonable marinas to be found just about everywhere.
"Mac" - If the marina you were looking at was not up to the standards
you had hoped for, keep looking. You will find one that meets your
needs. Remember, that is the reason there is chocolate AND vanilla.
And, you may find a few prunes along the way.
Millie Rose
Living Aboard "Rosewind II"
at Tidewater Yacht Marina
Mile Marker "0" on the ICW
Portsmouth, VA