On February 21 we entered the marina.  We were a little nervous about going into the marina because we had heard that the entrance was narrow and shallow.  It turns out that this was all true, but Steve didn’t have any issue maneuvering the boat through.  We were all set to tie up on our starboard side (right).  However, when we arrived the dockmaster asked us to tie up to the fuel dock, on our port (left) side.  So, I quickly moved lines and fenders to the other side of the boat and we tied up.  We had to wait for another boat to exit our slip.  After a couple of hours, the boat tried to move and then returned to where it was originally.  Apparently the captain (Mike) had difficulty getting into the windward side slip. 

Entering our slip was quite a challenge.  Steve had to back the boat into the slip, which he has done many times before.  This slip, however, required that we tie the bow (front) of our boat to pilings in the water.  In other marinas where we have done this, dock hands have helped.  Unfortunately, this marina only has the dockmaster and not dock hands.  Both Steve and I thought this might be more than we could manage.  So, the dock master solicited the assistance of some other captains in the marina.  Matthew hopped on board and helped me.  Mike had set up some lines on the pilings for us to pick up with a hook.  The dock master grabbed the rope that I threw to him from the back and then I went forward to assist Matthew.  With everyone’s help, we docked our boat without any mishap.  As we finished tying up, we noticed that a party was taking place on the boat next to ours and everyone was sipping their beers while watching us.  “Yachtsmen’s entertainment.”   Everyone was incredibly nice and helpful.