I am re-entering the world of cruising. It has been a number of years. My
base is New England.

In the last few days I have been brought to the point of absolute insanity
by two of the local marina's near me.

Today, I called a marina to inquire how much it charged to step a mast. I
explained to the woman on the phone that a boat hauling truck would be
bringing my boat [ I don't own the boat yet, I was seeking the info so that
if I make an offer I would know what the charges would be ] to the marina
where it would be launched.

At first she seemed evasive. She didn't seem to want to answer my question.
She kept saying she was looking for her "paper". Finally, she said it would
be $6 per foot of the boat when the boat was dropped off and another $6 per
foot of the boat when the boat was put in the water. I asked, why are you
charging twice. The truck is bringing the boat, it will go right in the
water. She then said "you are upset by how much it cost". I tried to
explain "I can't be upset since I never knew what the cost was to begin
with".

After she started telling me how I feel about issues I never asked her
about, I asked what was the charge to step the mast. She said around $400
dollars. I almost fell over backwards.

Then, I hung up the phone.

Is this the way of the world in cruising? Have all the marina's become
thieves?