News From Around the Docks

Marina Pez Vela
Opens First 100 Slips
Dubbed “The 100 Slip Launch,” Marina Pez Vela’s first 100 slips, ranging from 35 to 200 feet, began receiving anglers in April. Associated services also ready are: Utilities and fuel system, breakwater, marine store, customs/immigration, and restroom facilities.
Located in Quepos, Costa Rica, at completion in 2012 the marina will be the largest full-service marina in Costa Rica, equipped with 300 wet slips, 120-unit dry storage facility, and a full service boat yard.?
Marina Pez Vela features one of the most sophisticated steel encased coffer dam breakwaters ever built for a recreational marina, providing safe harbor at all times and complete surge protection from sea swells.?The extra-wide concrete floating docks built by Bellingham Marine allow safe loading of passengers and equipment and secure moorage.?
“This is the moment we’ve been working towards and I promise it will have been worth the wait,” says Harold Lovelady, project founder.? “On behalf of the entire team, I thank everyone for their support and let’s get ready to fish.” marinapezvela.com.

Sunset Harbor is Certified Clean
Sunset Harbor Yacht Club and Conference Center, in Daytona Beach, Florida, is the 10th marina in Volusia and Flagler counties to earn the “Clean Marina” designation from the state Department of Environmental Protection. It earned the designation by voluntarily taking certain steps to protect Florida’s waterways. The measures addressed were waste management, storm water control, spill prevention, and emergency preparedness. Opening in 2004 as a private club with public banquet and conference facilities, it also has 61 boat slips. sunsetharboryc.com

Bahia Mar Wins Coveted Award
Fort Lauderdale’s Bahia Mar Yachting Center was awarded the 2010 PIANC (the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure) Marina Excellence Design Jack Nichol Award. The Jack Nichol Award recognizes excellence in the design of modern recreational boating facilities around the world.
“A tremendous amount of effort went into designing the Bahia Mar marina to function successfully as a dual purpose facility,” said Steve Ryder, manager of project development for Bellingham Marine. Bellingham Marine designed and oversaw the construction efforts for the conversion. “From a design standpoint, the marina has to operate as a world class yacht center eleven months out of the year and as the home of the Fort Lauderdale International Boats Show during October of each year.”
The award will be presented to Bellingham Marine and Bahia Mar at the Annual General Assembly of PIANC in Liverpool, UK, May 2010.

WESTREC Selected to
Manage Fernandina Harbor Marina
Effective January 15, 2010, the Fernandina Beach, Fkorida, City Commission unanimously approved WESTREC to manage and operate the Fernandina Harbor Marina. WESTREC’s role includes overseeing operational effectiveness from facility management to accounting, IT efficiency, employee hiring and retention, and retail management.
Officially designated as an historic “Preserve America” community in October 2009, Fernandina Beach is a community of beauty, culture and diversity. Located on Florida’s Atlantic coast, north of Jacksonville, the unanimous approval of Fernandina’s city commissioners and the mayor to bring WESTREC aboard signals a steadfast commitment to have the facility and community provide seafaring visitors a welcoming port. fbfl.us

SkipperBud’s Wins Bid for Egg
Harbor Marina Improvements
Skipper Marine Development, Inc., d/b/a SkipperBud’s, won a general construction bid for phase III improvements for Egg Harbor Marina, in the city of Egg Harbor, Door County, Wisconsin. Phase III improvements include sidewalks, parking lots, and launch ramp resurfacing. SkipperBud’s bid for the improvements was below engineering estimates and was $225,000 below the other bids.
SkipperBud’s had been awarded Phase II of the marina improvements last fall. Those improvements included the docks and other marina infrastructure.
SkipperBud’s is a family-owned marine recreation life-style company, specializing in boat sales, service, storage, marina management, and marina construction for over 40 years with more than 20 locations in eight states. skipperbuds.com

Boat U.S. Offers Pre-emptive
On-line Hurricane Help
With nationwide weather service Accu-weather recently reporting it expects 2010 to be an extreme hurricane season with as many as 18 named storms, marina operators realize they could face a much different scenario than 2009’s relatively mild season.
BoatU.S., a national boat owners group with experience in hurricane preparation and post-hurricane recovery efforts, says that most boaters and marinas can survive by being better prepared. To assist with preparedness, the Association has free online tools available at the BoatU.S. “Hurricane Resource Center.”
The Web site offers easily downloadable storm planning materials including a hurricane preparation worksheet,?an in-depth?Guide to Preparing Boats and Marinas for Hurricanes, and checklists for what to do before and after a hurricane strikes. Sample hurricane plans for boat and yacht clubs as well as up-to-the-minute storm tracking tools with live satellite images are also on the Web site.? boatus.com/hurricanes