The Marina at Ortega Landing - Going Upscale

As those of you who follow my blog know I tend to be on the cheap end of things.  I anchor out rather than paying for an overnight slip.  I find the free docks provided  by municipalities for transient boaters.  I frequent military marinas not only for the company of my fellow comrades-in-arms but also so I can use the commissary and post exchange.

This weekend was a major change of pace.  Gypsysails and Reboot left Jacksonville Landing where we had gone to wait out strong south winds and headed for the Ortega River and The Marina at Ortega Landing.  This is a very beautiful high end condominium complex and a beautiful high service level marina.  It is the first facility on the north side of the Ortega River just beyond the Ortega River bridge.

The pampering started even before we arrived.  Rather than the normal procedure of calling a marina several times in order to get them to respond they called me as I was clearing the bridge!  Again, instead of the normal "count this many docks and then turn and count ..."  the instructions were clear - "Do you see the dock hand in the yellow slicker?" "Yes."  Like an airplane coming into the terminal there was a dock hand at each spot directing us into our slips.  Backing an 11 ton (Gypsysails is 24 tons) sailboat into a slip is alway an adventure.  With three knowledgeable dock hands handing our lines it was a non-event.

The facility itself is modern, beautiful, and immaculately kept.  It boasts clean modern rest rooms, a free laundry room, free ice and a helpful and a knowledgeable staff.  There is a swimming pool that we have not been able to use due to rain and very cold temperatures.   A real treat for me is the cable TV hookups, I have not had cable either in my old apartment or Reboot for over a year and a half.  There is a modern mall which has a West Marine store and a large variety of other stores a short walk away.  All in all a great place to stop to visit Jacksonville FL and the surrounding area.  Now if we could just get some of the Florida sunshine!