It was a beautiful day so we decided to take our children out for a short cruise up the Delaware. Maneuvering the boat seems to be getting a little easier each time we take it out, however, today we needed to get gas and that was a whole new experience.
Our Marina does not sell gas, so we decided to go to Curtin Marina in Burlngton. It would be my first time docking anywhere besides my own slip and I was happy to have the extra deck hands. Thankfully, there were no other boats at the gas dock, so all I had to do was pull up slowly, bow first. Seemed easy – it wasn’t.
Our home slip is nestled in the corner of our marina, next to a tree line, and is largely protected from wind and currents. The gas slip at Curtin is behind Burlington Island, but still subject to tides, current and wind. My approach would have been fine in still water but I came in way too fast. Fortunately, I had several deck hands to cushion the blow by pushing against the dock’s pilings and roof as we came in. New lesson learned.
I guess because it is still early in the season, and a weekday, there was no one to assist at the gas pumps, so we walked up to the office to make the purchase. Gas prices were great at $3.05 per gallon. We had heard there was a nice restaurant and bar at Curtin’s but they do not open until mid-May. Perhaps next time we will try it out.
After gassing up, we headed north on the River, past Bristol and Tullytown, up to the Steel Mill area before turning around and heading home.
All in all, it was a great “3 hour tour” and fun to have the family out for the first time.