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Marina Jack Wins Marina of the Year

By Trawlers on January 23, 2016 in Guided Discovery

Our winter haven, Marina Jack, has been named Marina of the Year for 2015 in the large marina category by Marina Dock Age magazine.

Marina Jack looking east into downtown Sarasota

This did not come as a surprise to us. I have been telling people for years that Marina Jack is one of the best run facilities that we’ve visited during our cruising years.

We stopped at 135 marinas on our 2010 to 2012 Great Loop Adventure, one of which was Marina Jack. Cruising Lake Michigan from 1999 to 2010 we managed to visit all but two ports and easily have stayed at over 50 different marinas in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan. Include our east coast cruising and we tally visits to well over 200 marinas.

What makes a marina exceptional from our viewpoint turns out to be only a fraction of the criteria that Marina Dock Age uses to judge excellence. Well get to that in a moment.

Looking northwest toward the Ringling Bridge and Longboat Key

Location, location, location. Marina Jack is conveniently located at the foot of Main Street in Sarasota. That provides easy access to a wealth of restaurants, shops, culture (e.g., movie, opera, theater, symphony, botanical gardens, weekly events) and a Whole Foods within half a mile of the marina. This is great for transient boaters and even better for people like us. The car stays parked most of the time as we walk to events. None of that counts in Marina Dock Age’s criteria.

Prestige 75 and Two Hargraves, a 125′ next to a 101′

Marina Dock Age looked at Marina Jack’s partnership between public and private sectors, It’s strong ties in community events, highly experienced staff, industry involvement with boat shows and local brokerage affiliations, development of the City’s first mooring field, and it’s certification as a Clean Marina for the past 12 consecutive years. They also considered their continued infrastructure investment, hospitality, capacity to accommodate large yachts (up to 228 feet) and providing first class amenities and services to a wide variety of customers.

We respect all of the above but what we look at is far more basic. Here’s seven criteria that, in our opinion, evidence a well run marina:

Pump-out: Easy to access (e.g., at the fuel dock) with sufficient hose length and suction to drain a tank in a reasonable amount of time
Trash management: No trash on the docks or around dumpsters
Security: Always working and not easy to penetrate
Lighting: Dock walkways adequately lighted
Dock safety: No hoses or power cables running across the dock creating a trip hazard.
Clean bathrooms.
MBWA (Management by walking around): Staff are constantly aware of everything going on and take action to correct problems.

Sounds simple. But we’ve stayed at excellent physical facilities with lots of amenities that fall short on those simple criteria and some that manage to come up short on almost every one. Marina Jack excels at each.

Notice the large clean garbage containers

Pump-out: The pump-out system consists of outlets mounted at every other finger with a cart containing 75 feet of hose. You can do it yourself or have marina staff do it. Equipment is in top condition. 100 gallons is offloaded in less than 10 minutes.

Trash Management: Large attractive white trash containers are located at every third finger of each of the docks. These are emptied several times a day. Large boxes left besides the container are removed quickly. I have no idea where the dumpsters are located and this is our second year.

Security: Marina Jack changes codes monthly. Malfunctions, which are rare, are rectified quickly. Security guards are stationed at the dock gate during events with a list of who is entitled to enter the dock.

Lighting: Docks are well lighted and bulbs that fail are replaced quickly.

Dock Safety: When it’s necessary to run a power cable across the dock, staff provide heavy rubber cable protectors.

Bathrooms: Marina Jack provides 10 individual bathrooms each equipped with its own shower. They are cleaned several times each day. It is rare to walk in to a messy bathroom.

MBWA: From our viewpoint, the marina manager, Sam Chavers, has fostered a culture of proactive correction of problems. Dock hands see problems and make them go away. Mention a problem to marina management and the problem is immediately corrected.

Examples: I casually mentioned to Dan, a mere (just joking) dock hand, that the hook on the piling between my and my neighbors slip was broken. Next day it was fixed. I asked for an extra cleat to secure my forward spring line. Done! I suggested mounting a squeegee in the bathroom to push shower water that “migrates” outside the shower back in. Result: They increased the cleaning interval and now the bathrooms are almost always spotless.

Marina Jack staff at the Marina of the Year award presentation
L to R: Unknown, Joe Catell, Sam Chavers, Kat Wilson, Unknown, Annie Wilson
Note: The unknowns are Marina Dock Age executives

Marina Jack has a total of 318 slips with capacity for mega yachts up to 228 feet. Most are floating, 20 are dry storage hydraulic lifts and about 50 are fixed docks that ring Bayfront Park. Marina Jack also operates the Sarasota Bayfront Mooring Field with moorings for 100 boats.

Marina Jack caters to cruising boaters with 20 dedicated transient slips on the west side of D-dock. Our slip, D-11, which is rented on an annual basis, is on the east side of this dock. We get to meet lots of interesting people.

D Dock looking toward the restaurants
The empty slips on the lower left are for transient boaters

Side Story: Last year I informed Sam Chavers, Director of Marina Operations, that we would be returning in 2015 and beyond and asked if we could have slip D-11. Why D-11 you ask? 1. It’s got a great view of Bayfront Park. 2. It’s has room to launch our tender from the port side. 3. It’s on the best dock; wide walkway and least number of boats. 4. It’s just far enough away from the restaurant music to where it can either be enjoyed or ignored. And 5, most important, Bayfront Park provides shelter from seas and wind. This is the calmest spot in the marina.

Looking west to the sunset over Bayfront Park

Sam informed me that I was in a permanent slip available for annual rental and that he was surprised that it was available. He further said that we needed to make reservations now or risk not even being able to stay here next winter. We had to make a $5,000 decision. Rent D-11 on an annual basis at $13,000 or spend $8,000 for 6 months and take our chances. Not a difficult decision.

View from Marina Jack’s award winning fine dining restaurant

The facility includes three restaurants with fine dining upstairs and two outside informal restaurants downstairs and a banquet facility.The Marina Jack II dinner cruiser takes diners for a floating dinner of Sarasota Bay.

Want something maintained, repaired or upgraded? No problem as long as it can be done at the dock. Marina Jack Services has a wide array of highly responsive top quality vendors that address almost every boating need. Joe Catell, Yacht Services Manager, and Kat Wilson, who’s title is Associate Manager of Public Services and Yacht Services Administrator (phew – long title) manage the operation and provide treats for Kodi. (Kodi loves this Kat.)

Guided Discovery in Slip D-11

Speaking of services. Marina Jack allows divers to clean bottoms at the dock, which for us is a very convenient. Our Massachusetts Marina does not allow this forcing us to leave the dock and anchor outside harbor. So what you say. Well, unfortunately the weather does not always cooperate resulting in rescheduling.

Back to criteria. The factors listed above are but a small part of the requirements that Marina Jack had to meet to earn Marina of the Year recognition. In fact, the application, according to Kat Wilson, was 180 pages long.

Sam Chavers, Director of Marina Operations, provided me with the rather extensive criteria they had to meet. I’ve listed at the end of the article. Here’s Sam’s official press release statement:

“This award is truly a testament to, not only our ownership, but our staff and customers, We’re honored and proud to represent the marina industry, the City of Sarasota, and our community with this nationally recognized distinction. Our business plan has always been to create points of difference for the customer in order to build one of the best marinas in the United States, and this award exemplifies our efforts towards that goal.”

Well, Sam and Company, congratulations. You and you team have truly achieved your goal.

Written by Les

Criteria (FYI)

Business Operations

Describe your staff and their responsibilities. How do you manage your business

and monitor performance throughout the year? Please provide any financials

that highlight your business successes, including profit centers, overall profits

or revenues and expenses, or historical information showing the growth and

development of your business. We will not publish any financial information

without your permission.

Facilities Improvements

Describe any expansions, updates or added amenities. What did you do? How did

you do it? How did you finance your projects? What plans do you have for the

future?

Advertising and Marketing

Describe the market you target and serve. Who are your boaters? Where are

they from? And how do you know this? How do you attract customers through

advertising and marketing? Describe your website, newsletters, special events

and any other creative marketing efforts.

Customer Satisfaction

How do you build relationships with your customers? Describe events you

plan and manage. What special services do you provide? How do you measure

customer satisfaction, and what are the results?

Environmental Responsibility

How do you ensure a clean and safe environment for your customers? What

measures do you take to limit your impact on the environment? Are you a

certified Clean Marina? What environmental awareness programs have you

created in the marina and community? How have you confronted and remedied

environmental issues? What are you doing to be ”green?”

Industry Involvement

What is your relationship with nearby businesses or marina colleagues? List

memberships and position held in organizations and associations in the industry.

How do you celebrate National Marina Day?

Benefit to the Community

Include achievements for local tourism, jobs created and your membership

and activities in civic and/or charitable organizations. List memberships and

positions held in professional organizations and associations in the local

business community.

Special Challenges

What challenges are unique to your facility (location, regulations, natural

environment, etc.)? This can include challenges you faced in the past. How do

you overcome them and how do you take on current challenges?

Attributes and Accomplishments

What sets your marina apart from the rest?

South Georgia Island

By Trawlers on January 23, 2016 in Spirit

January 6 – Cooper Bay – South Georgia Island

The Seabourn Quest arrived at Drygalski Fjord just after dawn. The winds were screaming down the fjord at better than 40 knots, so partway up the fjord the ship made a u-turn and headed for Cooper Bay, just a short distance away. Finding a lee from both the wind and the swell, shore operations commenced at 0800. Patrick took a kayak trip and Miriam took a Zodiac tour. There were two kinds of seals, four species of penguins and many seabirds. Getting up close and personal to the Macaroni Penguins was a real thrill, as were the seals coming close to the kayaks and zodiacs to investigate the yellow and orange strangers in their midst. Later in the morning Patrick took his zodiac tour.

Approaching Drygalski Fjord

Cooper Bay as we prepared to tour in Zodiacs

Lots of Fur Seals

Lots of sea lions also

The Gentoo Penguins and seals seem to coexist

The King Penguins also wander among the sea lions and seals

Here the King and Gentoo Penguins are together

Looks like a lot, but not compared to a later rookery

Lots of younger fur seals

The brown penguin is a immature King Penguin before molting

King Penguins in various stages of molting – they don not swim until in adult feathers

Petrels lurking waiting for a chance to catch something

The petrels are from the family of tubenoses

Antarctic Shap, a type of cormorant

Our first views of the Macaroni Penguins

Their rookery stretched to the top of a hill

Add caption

We decided Donald Trump modeled his haircut after the Macaroni Penguin

A brochure moment paddling back to the Seabourn Quest

In the afternoon the ship once again tried to go up the fjord, but the winds and seas were still bad, so the ship did scenic cruising up the eastern coast of South Georgia Island, passing many pods of whales, both Minke and Humpback, We were treated to a magnificent rainbow before anchoring for the night in a protected cove. We sat in the Observation Bar before dinner watching as the guests ran from side to side trying to catch the moments on film. We were content to just take it in visually as we sipped our drinks and had caviar appetizers.

Our second unsuccessful try up Drygalski Fjord

The magnificent rainbow as we left Cooper Bay

Hope Bay

By Trawlers on January 23, 2016 in Spirit

January 3, 2016 – Esperanza Station / Hope Bay 63.23S,57.00W

Weather permitting, we will be at our final Antarctic destination tomorrow. The weather is reputably deteriorating so it remains to be seen whether we will actually be able to even take a zodiac tour.

Glacier at the head of Hope Bay, the source of the wind that cancelled most of the tours

Esperanza Station

When we got up at 0400, the ship was stopped in fog as the crew decided on what to do for the rest of the day. Finally, at about 0600 we started moving and headed into Hope Bay, where there was little wind at the time. Hope Bay is the location of Esperanza Station, an Argentine outpost manned year round by 55 people. Patrick had the opportunity to go on a 0700 zodiac tour before his planned kayak tour at 1100.

No landings were planned, just zodiac tours and kayaking. The captain found a lee in front of a glacier and Patrick was in the first group of 8 zodiacs that went close to shore to see the Adelie penguin colony of more than 60,000 spread out across the hillside near the station.

Adelies on bergs

The Adelie Penguins were the most active, jumping off the bergs, lining up to jump off cliffs and climbing up the rocks with remarkable ease.

The hillside was a sea of nests

Stretching up to the top of the hill

The wind is starting to really increase

The Adelies shove and push each other off the cliffs and bergs

The seem to want to go both ways

Who is going to jump first

As his zodiac headed into the beach, the wind began to increase, but still manageable.

Then the wind came up quickly, gusting to more than 40 knots. The seas quickly built and water was splashing over the side of the zodiacs. In Patrick’s zodiac an Adelie penguin jumped out of the water right into the zodiac and stayed for about 4 minutes. It is on video as well as a picture.

This Adelie thought we were a berg and stayed about 4 minutes

All the zodiacs were recalled, the kayakers were retrieved, and we had a wet return to the ship, with some zodiacs taking waves over the bow. Everyone got back safely and the captain cancelled the rest of the tours, so Patrick was fortunate to get pictures.

Retrieving the kayaks, some had overturned in the wind

A very wet ride getting back to the ship

The Seabourn Quest departed the Antarctic Sound via Bransfield Strait, cruising past enumerable tabular icebergs as the fog and wind rolled back in. Continuing northeasterly, we set a course for South Georgia Island, 2 days and 900 nautical miles away.

As we departed, the Adelies were like porpoises alongside the ship

It is no wonder they were able to leap into the zodiacs

Departing the Antarctic Sound

Bergs stretched into the mist as far as we could see

Some were tabular, some had calved from tidewater glaciers

The ship rocked and rolled all night in 30 knot winds and 3 meter seas on the beam and we headed out into the eastern Drake Passage, no longer a “lake”. During darkness we passed Elephant Island, where Shackleton left most of his crew while he went by open boat to South Georgia Island, also our destination. The story of his expedition is one of the great stories of seafaring.

January 4 – At Sea

Rough all day, the ship shudders heavily at times. We spent the day attending seminars and cleaning our outdoor gear in preparation for the bio-security checks tomorrow prior to arrival at South Georgia Island. We also worked on sorting pictures. Patrick’s Adelie penguin video has gone viral on the ship.

Tonight was the first night with the ship blacked out. Lights have been dimmed, covers put over all windows and doors, and the outside decks closed. With the wet, chilly and windy weather not many people have a desire to go out anyway. Even for seasoned mariners the motions were uncomfortable, as well as the sounds of the ship shuddering in the seas.

January 5 – At Sea

As predicted, the winds and seas were even rougher overnight, with many slams and shudders as we headed to South Georgia Island. The ship has slowed to less than 12 knots and we have entered an area with extensive icebergs and brash ice, which combined with the wind, makes for interesting navigation.

We had our bio-security clearance in the morning after photography lectures by the Keough’s in the Grand Salon. Lunch was in the Colonnade with a focus on Pacific Rim cuisine. The wind and seas continue to be Beaufort Force7-8 and occasionally Beaufort Force 9, with rain. Even so, the Patio Grill was open, with plenty of blankets and “snugglies”.

The evening briefing continued to emphasize the bio-security requirements. The ship has even altered meal hours to have the dining rooms dark before full darkness to minimize bird strikes. All the outside decks are closed and all the windows are covered. We are living in a large white submarine. We expect to arrive at South Georgia Island at 0500 and Patrick is scheduled for a kayak trip at 0700, weather permitting. The sun will rise before 0400, and dawn twilight will be at 0300.

Weathering the Weather

By Trawlers on January 23, 2016 in Tourist

Florida’s weather was beautiful all through the Christmas holidays. It stayed that way right up until the time we returned to Tourist. Go figure!Since our return we have had an EF2 and an EF1 tornado touch down around the area and winds clocked into th…

3,650 to Barbados

By Trawlers on January 22, 2016 in M/V Dirona

We departed from St. Helena on our longest non-stop run so far: a one-month, 3,650 nautical mile passage to Barbados. We were always planning to stop at St. Helena, as we’d need to refuel enroute to most destinations after South Africa. From St. Helena, we’d gone through several iterations of trip planning before deciding on…

Yankee Harbor

By Trawlers on January 21, 2016 in Spirit

January 2, 2016 – Yankee Harbor 62.32S,59.47W

Overnight we headed north up Gerlache Srait. Yankee Harbor is only a few miles from Half Moon Island, where we started our Antarctic experiences. However, it is on the Antarctic Peninsula. The harbor is formed by a large terminal moraine in front of the glacier, which was too shallow for safety with the Seabourn Quest. The ship stayed outside the harbor, maneuvering on thrusters. Yankee Harbor was used by both American and British sealers as early as 1820, and the remnants of some of the try pots are still on the beach, along with a large Gentoo penguin colony.

Patrick went kayaking first thing in the morning, but the wind was brisk and the light flat with low visibility and fog. He did see a berg roll closeup. With flat light and fog, as well as wind, all other kayak excursions ended up being cancelled. Returning to the ship and changing clothes for the landing, Patrick then went ashore and toured the colony. The Gentoo penguins here had not yet begun to hatch. Miriam elected to remain aboard. Meanwhile, two humpback whales fed and cavorted around the ship. We had hoped to see elephant seals and penguin chicks, but neither were to be found.

Part of the terminal moraine

Remains of a try-pot

Evidence not all penguins survive

Abandoned eggs

Skua on the hunt

Just another Humpback Whale tail

What is a sailboat doing out here?

The Seabourn Quest left shortly after 1600 and headed north up the Bransfield Strait to our next and last destination before heading to South Georgia Island. Shortly before the 1830 briefing we encountered numerous Humpback whales and the captain stopped the ship so we could enjoy the views.

Waterboat Point

By Trawlers on January 21, 2016 in Spirit

January 1, 2016 – Waterboat Point, 64.49S,62.51W

Just a few miles from where had drifted through the night was Waterboat Point, the site of both a Gentoo rookery and the Gonzales Videla Chilean research station, and also the site where two British researchers spent the year of 1921-1922 living under a boat, doing tidal and penguin research. We were hosted at the station to coffee and treats, and the 22 staff came on board for lunch. We were also able to see our first Leucistic Gentoo Penguin, sitting on it’s nest.

We had to stay on the concrete paths, but the penguins do not know the rules, so there is guano everywhere. We had special cleaning procedures with pressure washers on boots and other gear when we returned. The ship used two boarding platforms on opposite sides of the ship, with clean passengers disembarking on one side and dirty passengers coming back aboard for cleaning on the other side. All part of the bio-security precautions and to keep the smell out of the ship as much as possible.

The station houses 22 people for the summer

The Chilean Base is in a Gentoo rookery

The station has thousands of Gentoo Penguins in residence

They use every available space for nests

Leucistic Gentoo Penguin

Checking the eggs

Opportunistic Sheithbill waiting for a penguin to make a mistake

Patrick went kayaking at 0720 once again. This time the kayaks were boarded in the middle of the bay from the zodiacs. The weather alternated between cloudy, rain, sleet and wind by the time the ship departed at 1600.

Patrick is in the middle kayak

Spectacular place to kayak

We boarded from zodiacs but found a beach to land on.

The museum is also the gift shop

Shrine with a Skua

The penguins do not stay on the paths – what a mess

The Fram passed us while we were visiting the station

Once out of the shelter of Paradise Bay, the winds and seas began to build, with low visibility and rain. By the time we had completed the daily recap in the Grand Salon we were in fog and the winds and seas had moderated as we headed north up Gerlache Strait. We had reached our furthest point south during the night, 64 degrees 58 minutes South.

2016-01 Fall and Winter Cruising Views in the Pacific Northwest

By Trawlers on January 21, 2016 in Wild Blue

January 21, 2016: Fall and Winter Cruising Views of the Pacific NorthwestEach winter we cruise the Pacific Northwest. The sun’s low position in the sky and the varied winter weather provides the stuff for better photos. Here’s a few you can…

Neko Harbor – First Antarctic Peninsula Landing

By Trawlers on January 21, 2016 in Spirit

December 31 – Neko Harbour, 64.50S,62.33W

Just when we thought the vistas could not get better, we woke up surrounded by glaciers in Neko Harbour, which were active. We could hear the thunderous crack and then see the splash into the water. We landed on a sandy beach below a hill, technically our first landing on the Antarctic Peninsula itself. There was a Gentoo Penguin rookery here, both close to the water and stretching up the side of a hill. We were able to hike up the hill, an elevation gain of about 300 feet. The sun had disappeared and it was snowing, sometimes heavy. It was fun just watching the Gentoo’s going up and down the penguin highways from the water to their nests. There were lots of Gentoo chicks, often two in the nest, but only one will typically survive.

Neko Harbour landing site

Taking a bath

All refreshed

Neko Harbour glaciers

Departing Neko Harbour about 1700, we went a short distance to Paradise Bay where the ship drifted on still waters as we celebrated the arrival of a new year. The still waters were only interrupted by the sounds of the humpback whales feeding around the ship. The ship was decorated and there were festive meals and lots of champagne. We had dinner in Restaurant 2 with the Schoonmakers, which has a small plate fixed tasting menu, just perfect. After dinner there was a celebration in the Grand Salon, with music, dancing and ringing in the New Year, with a stuffed penguin in diapers as the guest. At midnight it was still light!

View from the top of the hill

Champagne waiting in our suite

Humpback whales feeding while we drifted

Gill’s and Schoonmaker’s in Restaurant 2 on New Years Eve

Putting diapers on the Penguin for New Years Eve

Cuverville Island

By Trawlers on January 21, 2016 in Spirit

December 30 – Cuverville Island – 64.41S,62.38W

On our second day in Antarctic Waters we stopped at Cuverville Island, which is a protected sanctuary for Gentoo Penguins. Patrick went on an early kayak tour and Miriam went on a zodiac tour and then ashore with her color group, Due to international restrictions in Antarctica, only a maximum of 100 people are allowed ashore at any one time, so we were divided up into groups which rotated daily as to which group went ashore first. Ships with more than 500 passengers are not allowed ashore at all.

The Gentoo chicks were just hatching, with some only a few hours old. Patrick saw Leopard Seals, Crabeater Seals and even some Weddell seals on his kayaking trip, before also going on a zodiac tour and then going ashore.

Miriam was lucky to see a humpback whale up close on the zodiac tour.

The day culminated with the “Caviar on Ice” event poolside as we headed down Errara Channel to Neumayer Strait to our next possible harbor, Neko Harbor on Andvord Bay, situated on the west coast of Graham Land. Both orcas and humpback whales entertained us, with the ship stopping at times for photos. We ended up dining at the Patio Grill on the pool deck just so we would miss as little as possible.

The narrow strait we navigated was so visually stunning, one could use up a lot of film, since every turn brought new stunning vistas of snow, mountains, ice and sea. With daylight stretching into daylight at 65 degrees south, it was hard to actually close the drapes and get some sleep. Seabourn even issued eyeshades in the suites to try and help. However, every time we thought we were past the best parts, a new vista would open up and then the cameras would come back out.

Cuverville Island and the surrounding waters are popular with expeditions, since we saw several other ships in the area.

Miriam’s Zodiac Tour