Moving South

[Bolo]

Last March was a big month for my "first mate" Beverly and I. We sold our house 25 years and moved into a newer, bigger and nicer one. But that's not all, we also decided to move our Ericson 32-3 to a new marina too! No we did't plan it that way it just worked out that it all happened at the same time. It was quite a time.

Why did we move out of our Annapolis, Maryland marina where we had docked since 2005? First of all Annapolis is a great place to visit and live in, especially on board a boat (which we din't) because there is always something interesting going on. That said, after over 20 years there we kind got bored with the place. We also felt that the marina wan't really there that much for the slip holders. It was more of an attitude if anything although the yard services we good, not great, just good. We also wanted to be closer to the southern part of the Chesapeake Bay. The move to Herrington Harbour South gave us that opportunity by knocking off about four hours of sailing (going south) with just an additional 20 minutes of driving time form our home in Pennsylvania.

But the "last straw" as they say, came with the marina being sold to the "Safe Harbor" group which is buying up large marinas all over the bay. New ownership isn't always a bad thing but after the sale they raised our annual slip fee by $1,000! Safe Harbour says that is has "other benefits to it's members" like a concierge service. (What?! Can they get me theater tickets?) I asked the dock manager about that and he said if we wanted to travel to another Safe Harbor marina on the bay they (our home port Safe Harbor marina) could arrange for us to stay free of charge - IF....the other marina agrees to not charging us. Hmm, no thanks...I can use Dockwa and paying will get me a slip for sure. So, those are some of the reasons we've moved. I'd like to hear some of your stories about marinas in your areas and your experiences with them so please share. In the meantime here's a video about our move.

 

[mjsouleman]

Last March was a big month for my "first mate" Beverly and I. We sold our house 25 years and moved into a newer, bigger and nicer one. But that's not all, we also decided to move our Ericson 32-3 to a new marina too! No we did't plan it that way it just worked out that it all happened at the same time. It was quite a time.

Why did we move out of our Annapolis, Maryland marina where we had docked since 2005? First of all Annapolis is a great place to visit and live in, especially on board a boat (which we din't) because there is always something interesting going on. That said, after over 20 years there we kind got bored with the place. We also felt that the marina wan't really there that much for the slip holders. It was more of an attitude if anything although the yard services we good, not great, just good. We also wanted to be closer to the southern part of the Chesapeake Bay. The move to Herrington Harbour South gave us that opportunity by knocking off about four hours of sailing (going south) with just an additional 20 minutes of driving time form our home in Pennsylvania.

But the "last straw" as they say, came with the marina being sold to the "Safe Harbor" group which is buying up large marinas all over the bay. New ownership isn't always a bad thing but after the sale they raised our annual slip fee by $1,000! Safe Harbour says that is has "other benefits to it's members" like a concierge service. (What?! Can they get me theater tickets?) I asked the dock manager about that and he said if we wanted to travel to another Safe Harbor marina on the bay they (our home port Safe Harbor marina) could arrange for us to stay free of charge - IF....the other marina agrees to not charging us. Hmm, no thanks...I can use Dockwa and paying will get me a slip for sure. So, those are some of the reasons we've moved. I'd like to hear some of your stories about marinas in your areas and your experiences with them so please share. In the meantime here's a video about our move.

Hi Bob,

I stayed at Herrington Harbor North for about 7 years and loved the marina, the services, and the owners. The grounds as you know are beautiful and clean as are the bathrooms and meeting areas.
When it comes to wintering the boats, I found easy access to water and electrical within easy reach. When I sanded the bottom, the marina supplied vacuums sanders, and sandpaper.

Of course, those of us in the North marina looked at the South as the party marina so you will fit right in.

 

[Loren Beach]

Nice day. Uneventful trip. Pretty girl to greet you.
Was there also a drink waiting with a little umbrella in it ??

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Bolo]

Hi Bob,

I stayed at Herrington Harbor North for about 7 years and loved the marina, the services, and the owners. The grounds as you know are beautiful and clean as are the bathrooms and meeting areas.
When it comes to wintering the boats, I found easy access to water and electrical within easy reach. When I sanded the bottom, the marina supplied vacuums sanders, and sandpaper.

Of course, those of us in the North marina looked at the South as the party marina so you will fit right in.

Although I’m always up for a party I don’t party as hard as I use to at my age. We have been to HHS before and even did a video about it so I’m well aware of the amenities there. The other plus that I forgot to mention is that the annual slip rental is $400 less then what we were paying BEFORE Safe Harbor raised our rate. We also toured HHN and I’ll certainly be taking the boat over there for service. It’s also a very impressive marina but in a different way than HHS.

 

[Bolo]

Nice day. Uneventful trip. Pretty girl to greet you.
Was there also a drink waiting with a little umbrella in it ??

Thanks for sharing!

No drink with little umbrellas but we did stay the night in the on ground hotel which was very nice and had a great dinner and drinks at the on site outdoor bar (with indoor restaurant) called “Ketch 22” where I imbibed with my favorite drink, Belvedere on the rocks, without a twist and one olive.

 

[Dave G.]

with the marina being sold to the "Safe Harbor" group which is buying up large marinas all over the bay.

They are buying marinas all over the country. Lots on the Great Lakes. No one is happy about it, and I'm guessing the more of them they buy the higher the rates will go everywhere.

 

[mjsouleman]

No drink with little umbrellas but we did stay the night in the on ground hotel which was very nice and had a great dinner and drinks at the on site outdoor bar (with indoor restaurant) called “Ketch 22” where I imbibed with my favorite drink, Belvedere on the rocks, without a twist and one olive.
View attachment 55169

Ketch 22 was one of those places I "sailed" to when my wife and her girl friends wanted to get on the boat. It's an easy "sail" from the North marina but the girls loved the restaurant. Try the cucumber salad, it is great on a hot day.

 

[Bolo]

So while having my morning coffee and looking over the daily YouTube offerings I found this video from Practical Sailor about how some marinas are now forcing people with “older” boats out. It’s all about the money, of course it always is, but it’s also about the mindset of the new management when a marina is taken over by a business conglomerate. Worth viewing.

 

[bsangs]

Our marina in Jersey City, directly across from lower NYC, has never been cheap, but this year it upped the MINIMUM liability insurance to $1 million - from its previous $300k. Luckily for us, a quick phone call to Geico was able to take care of it and the expense isn't too significant, but it sent a lot of others scrambling. New surveys were required, older boats were getting denied, others were being saddled with ridiculous bills for the new coverage. Never really got a sufficient answer for such a steep increase - and I asked - though I assume between the 250 Year Celebration and the World Cup, there is going to be a tremendous influx of huge, pricy yachts in our marina this season, so they'll be catering to their needs and concerns more than us 36-foot sailboat losers. Suntex owns our marina, and like Safe Harbor, they've been expanding their footprint.

 

[CeeJay]

Our marina in Jersey City, directly across from lower NYC, has never been cheap, but this year it upped the MINIMUM liability insurance to $1 million - from its previous $300k. Luckily for us, a quick phone call to Geico was able to take care of it and the expense isn't too significant, but it sent a lot of others scrambling. New surveys were required, older boats were getting denied, others were being saddled with ridiculous bills for the new coverage. Never really got a sufficient answer for such a steep increase - and I asked - though I assume between the 250 Year Celebration and the World Cup, there is going to be a tremendous influx of huge, pricy yachts in our marina this season, so they'll be catering to their needs and concerns more than us 36-foot sailboat losers. Suntex owns our marina, and like Safe Harbor, they've been expanding their footprint.

I'm on an inland lake in TN that's no bigger than 10K acres. My liability insurance requirement is also $1M, so it's not about anything other than the marina covering themselves for the unexpected catastrophe on land or in the water.

Slip fees at a marina across the lake went up 50% in the past 2 years when new, corporate owners came in. They bought themselves a nice new truck, put in fountains, a new gate on the entrance, etc. Nothing that actually benefits the boat owners.

 

[ky ed]

I truly miss the old ways. Mom and pops places were so quaint, helpful and friendly. Way cheaper, no crazy insurance requirements, old and new were welcome, courtesy cars, no waiting lists. Corporate greed and safe harbors have really put a lot of classic older Ericsons heading to landfills and scrap yards. Its a shame for all. No new sailors can afford what has happened, no new sailors will put all of us in jeopardy of being phased out and replaced by shiny mega yachts and boring pontoon boats. We tale pride in our Ericsons. My solution is max out towing capability of 3/4 ton truck, find a older e-27 put her on a good trailer, find a cheap storage lot where you do repairs and up grades then take any person you can find interested to take sailing. Show them the joy of wind power and hopefully they decide to pick up the hobby of sailing and continue the tradition of sailing. I have about a dozen friends who are looking forward to this years outings with me. So if we all did this it would help our community out lits! God bless the old sailboats that have reduced to land fllls. Just think of all the good times the poor old things have gave in return for a bit of effort by previous owners. I still remember when I peeked into the cabin of a sailboat and I thought that is so cool I want to have one! Here I am now on my last leg of this journey called life trying to make the best of it and share my knowledge and enthusiasm with any who wiill listen to me.

 

[ky ed]