On being a cheap cruiser...

Just one link this morning as it's quite a chunk of very worthwhile reading...

Here in St Croix we have one of the worst chandlers and marinas I've had the displeasure of coming across in more than four decades of dealing with some pretty awful marine business concerns... Which, when you come to think of it, is actually pretty impressive.

It's not just the overly surly verging on openly hostile attitude, the heart attack inducing pricing structure, the overpriced fuel, or water that comes out of the hose looking like strong tea that keeps folks away because, sadly, that just seems the norm in the marine trades down here these days.

When they give you water that's brown you don't even bother to complain, we simply buy a better filter... Cruisers are, if anything, adaptive.

Nope, the reason we don't shop or spend our dollars there is simply that they don't want our business and as there are any number of folks who do, it's an easy decision as there are non-marine businesses, as well as West and Defender that actually care about keeping our business and have a clue.

One of the local bars on the waterfront sells water (for less) that actually comes out of the hose looking like water as opposed to industrial waste. While you are filling up the folks who work there are friendly, chat with you, and when you've filled up with water the general ambiance is just the sort that sitting down at the bar to have a beer or a slice of pizza seems like a good idea.

Of course, the clueless marina in question just thinks we are "cheap" cruisers and "boat scum" so simply do not have a clue as to why we no longer bother to spend our money with them. Which is really too bad as St Croix and the USVI just took a death dealing hit to the economy with the local refinery shutting down with a loss of nearly 2000 jobs. For those aware of what happens to a company town when the company shuts its gates you just know the blow back to every business on island is going to get hit hard...

The thing is, next time we come to St Croix I expect to find the marina in question either closed or under new ownership as its near the end of its downward spiral. On the other hand, I expect to be able to buy water and get a beer or pizza (maybe even all three) at a thriving business on the boardwalk... But, what the hell do I know? I'm just a cheap cruiser.

Listening to Renaud

So it Goes...