Reviews from DBrian (21)

Marina Review for Half Moon Bay Marina

Reviewed by: DBrian on Aug 19, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 2

The dockmaster seemed like a nice guy but indicated he was very busy. Had a 2nd guy helping him who we saw once when we arrived. We then didn't see the dockmaster until a few days later when we left. If there is a west wind, the breakwater does almost no good. With that long west fetch, we got rocked very badly on G-dock and the other docks seemed to be rocking as well. The dock turned into a roller coaster and we had trouble just getting off and boarding the boat. Wood floating docks were pretty worn. There was a wooden stairway up to the street that had loose boards and dangerous enough that someone had placed orange cones on it rather than fix it. WiFi didn't really work, I saw an antenna attached to an old ice cooler sitting on a rail. There is one excellent Greek restaurant in town. Otherwise it's a bit of a hike and more of a small strip-mall type of area. Walking to and from the train station that goes back into NYC is not really an option if someone has any sort of luggage or there is hot or bad weather. It is a very long 2 miles one way because of the circuitous route necessary. We probably will not return.

• WG Editor Comment:
  

  Marina Response:
  
  Hello, this is Steve, the dockmaster. I'm very sorry to hear you didn't enjoy. There was an exceptionally windy storm that night you stayed, and if you ever stay again, we promise to put you in the main marina which is much more protected. The sea wall does usually attenuate 90 percent of the wave action. Apologize we didn't make clear that there is a very direct pathway to the train station and the town that doesn't involve any stairs and is a short quarter to half mile relatively flat walk. This link shows some of the infinite restaurants in town https://www.hmbmarina.com/whats-nearby/#fandd
  Taxis and Uber's are very easy to obtain in a moments notice as well. Please know we are always fixing anything that comes to our attention immediately. If anyone has questions, I urge you to call my office at 914-271-5400. Happy to answer any questions. Thank you.

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Marina Review for Hudson Power Boat Assoc.

Reviewed by: DBrian on Aug 19, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 3

The people at this club marina were very nice, however for amenities all you really get is shore power and water. I'd recommend WWG not list restrooms and showers. These restrooms are only available "if a member happens to be there and unlocks the building while you're there". We were there all day on a week day and no one showed up, which is to say; do not count on restrooms and showers. This being the case, it is overpriced and is only worth perhaps $1/foot.
The town of Hudson has a few nice shops and restaurants.

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Anchorage Review for Waccamaw River - Schooner Creek

Reviewed by: DBrian on May 23, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

When nearby Butler island had whitecaps and lots of chop, as soon as we turned into Schooner it was like night and day. It's a little narrow but depths were good even if your stern floats to within ~ 30ft of the shore. We chose the widest part before the turn and our 41' trawler held just fine for 2 days on only about 70 feet of chain. There's only comfortable room for about 2 boats our size. Wind was from the ENE and some decent protection from some trees on the eastern shore. Mid afternoon we did see a few jet skis fly through as well as a couple small center console fishers but by dusk no one else came through. Keep your eyes peeled and you might see a gator crossing the creek.

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Marina Review for Jekyll Harbor Marina

Reviewed by: DBrian on May 12, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 2

Sadly cannot agree with recent reviews. Yes the staff are very nice but the owners do not seem to do any maintenance. Shore power pedestals are rusting and falling apart. Half the pedestal night lamps are completely falling off or hanging by a single rusty screw. Many of the freshwater spigots are broken. Yes the golf carts is a nice touch but until they do a little dock maintenance, this should be a $1/ft marina.

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Marina Review for Casper's Marina

Reviewed by: DBrian on Jul 26, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 1

They did not answer numerous calls on the VHF nor the cell phone during approach. We will not ever return to this marina. There are no amenities, docks are in rough shape... the main problem is they're charging $2/ft for a place that only warrants $1/ft.

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Anchorage Review for Bonner Bay - Long Creek

Reviewed by: DBrian on Apr 27, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

We had a strong south to southwest wind predicted for the night so gave this a try. Unfortunately, with a 4- or 5-foot draft, I’d say in a blow you really cannot get close enough to the tree line to attain good wind protection. There’s good 8 to 10 ft depth in the center, however, the shallows keep you from tucking in close to the trees and winds were still coming through. It also had a lot of crab pots and when we did try our first anchor drop with 75’ of chain, we had some dragging in the soft mud. We didn’t try again because of the wind issues.

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Marina Review for Carolina Beach Marina and Mooring Field

Reviewed by: DBrian on Apr 27, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

Nine balls here in great shape, the eye hook lines were even neatly stowed in the top of the ball rather than sinking in the water. The balls are well spaced out in good depth so you have room to approach from whatever angle you need. A short dinghy ride gets you to the beach and many amenities and its just a great deal for $20, we will stop here again.

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Anchorage Review for Minim Creek (East Side)

Reviewed by: DBrian on Apr 25, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Peaceful spot away from everything. Moderate trees only along the southern shore. Good spot to poise for an early arrival if going north to Georgetown. Had a rough night though because winds gusted to 30; higher than predicted. Santee, Minim, all anchorages in this region of Georgia have few or no trees in the marshlands so you just don’t want much wind if you stop here overnight.

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Marina Review for Charleston Maritime Center

Reviewed by: DBrian on Apr 25, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 3

Compact little marina on the east side of Charleston.
Pros: Very convenient proximity to grocery and downtown
Cons: Rough waters, especially during an east wind, but then most places around Charleston are like this.

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Marina Review for Lady's Island Marina

Reviewed by: DBrian on Apr 25, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 4

Young marina crew were very nice though a little frenzied. They crammed us onto a T-head where we did not quite fit. We were stern-to-stern with another boat and both of us had ground tackle sticking out into the respective fairways. The good thing is you do have restaurants within walking and grocery not much further, plus they have a free loaner car for an hour. You can bicycle back over the bridge into Beaufort and the currents are a bit calmer than the municipal marina.

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Marina Review for Windmill Harbour Marina

Reviewed by: DBrian on Apr 25, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 4

Unique little stop on Hilton Head island with their lock system to neutralize tidal change inside their marina. The pagodas extending 300 feet out into the channel mark breaker walls that eliminate water current, allowing you to enter the lock a bit easier. As locks go, this one is pretty easy and marina crew are very nice and helpful. The only drawback is that once inside there is very little you have access to if not a member of the local yacht club. It took some bargaining to even allow us to have a cold beverage at the club. This is a real setback for transient boaters and it seems the marina will not attract transients if they do not resolve it. There is very little relationship between the marina and the yacht club and there are no other facilities within walking or even biking distance.

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Anchorage Review for Redbird Creek

Reviewed by: DBrian on Apr 25, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

This is a nice little anchorage with plenty of depth and high marsh grasses on both sides.

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Free Dock Review for Jim King Park at Sisters Creek Marina

Reviewed by: DBrian on Apr 25, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

Great facility for a free dock overnight; docks are floating and in good condition. Can get full and we’ve heard they sometimes raft up boats when full, but when we visited early on a day in April there was only two other boats there and didn’t fill up that evening. One trick is to be aware there will be fairly significant current in or out of this channel, which is perpendicular to the ICW.

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Marina Review for The Perry Hotel and Marina

Reviewed by: DBrian on Feb 25, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 3

Here, you get a large resort with amenities…. And you pay for it. Two nice pools. A very nice hotel and a couple of restaurant bar/grills, including outdoor seating. All the staff are very nice.
There is no functional WiFi here at least during our stay, we had no connectivity whatsoever unless we walked out to the captain’s lounge. Even boaters much closer to the central hotel area reported poor or spotty WiFi.
Also the marina has a systemic problem with the pumpout system, which seemed to impact every dock. They ended up having to forklift a pump on a skid to different areas every time someone needed a pumpout. This was hard on the dockhands so I hope they get it fixed.
The surrounding neighborhood is similar to a 2nd or 3rd world country. The level of poverty is sad and surprising. There are bicycles available but it costs $18 per day and be aware it is a good six-mile ride one way to get to the central Key West sights.
Due to the marina’s position, there is no view of either the bay side or the ocean. To the east is just a view of a state power station facility. This marina also is directly under the flight path of the Key West airport. This, along with the nearby Naval Air Station, means you will get significant air traffic noise on a frequent basis.

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Marina Review for Halifax Harbor Marina

Reviewed by: DBrian on Feb 14, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

Big marina with generous approach and fairways. This seems like good value for what you pay. Floating docks in good shape, secure gates with key cards, and an easy walk to several restaurants and facilities.

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Marina Review for Marlin Bay Resort & Marina

Reviewed by: DBrian on Feb 13, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 4

The inner bay is guarded by two stone breaker walls that seem to be no more than 40 ft wide at the entrance, challenging in crosswind conditions. However, the dockhands are very proactive and insistent on helping with your arrival. It’s a beautiful place with a nice northern view of the bay. The only slight negative comment is the amount of paperwork; probably a half dozen pages of initialing and signing, but they do bring it right to your boat.

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Marina Review for Anchorage Resort & Yacht Club

Reviewed by: DBrian on Feb 13, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 2

We found emphasis here on the hotel rather than the marina. In fact, it’s almost like they don’t realize they own a marina. The docks here are fairly well protected and we don’t mind docking without assistance, but don’t expect dockhands. I don’t think the problem is being short on dockhands, I think it’s that they don’t have any at all.
The fixed concrete docks are a bit worn with cleats that seem to be rusting away or barely affixed to the concrete. You can tie to pilings but they are a bit low for larger boats. There’s not much you can walk to nearby except for one restaurant that appears to be a building ready to be condemned but we did not try it.
Overall it’s not a bad place if it were priced correctly. For what you get in Largo, this place should not charge more than $2/ft but I have to give a low rating for the fact they charge an excessive $3.50/ft.

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Marina Review for Nettles Island Marina

Reviewed by: DBrian on Feb 13, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 3

Funky little square island built from dredge sand in the 60s. You need to stay in the channel and sort of hug the island in a square path to get to the marina, but not too difficult. There can be some rocking in a west or southern blow. Staff is very nice. Decent but somewhat weathered wooden fixed docks with pilings, be ready to mount fenders horizontal or use fender boards. As someone else mentioned, WiFi is weak, at least when on the face dock. Nice old little store serves everyone here including the dirt homes on the island so they do cram a lot into a small space but don't expect to find unique grocery items. Easy walk to the ocean beach.

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Anchorage Review for Pine Island Loop

Reviewed by: DBrian on Feb 13, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

There is adequate depth when entering from the south end, it helps to move around about a third of the way into the curve where it widens out. However we will not likely use it again because there is a surprising amount of current flowing around this curve which can make dropping the hook a little tricky. Also, there are just way too many crab pots and it is a pretty exposed place.

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Marina Review for Melbourne Harbor Marina

Reviewed by: DBrian on Jan 9, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 3

Small little harbor, dock hands and marina staff are friendly. This is very close to nice shops and restaurants, everything except a grocery store. The only reason I couldn't give a better review is the approach depth is in terrible shape at least for us. Saw numbers around 4.8' when leaving right where the harbor meets the main waterway. Unfortunately we will not return unless someone dredges this out.

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Marina Review for Palm Coast Marina

Reviewed by: DBrian on Jan 6, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

Great little stop right off the ICW. They had planned to put us on the face dock but some issues that day had it all full. We came in a bit late so they graciously allowed us to tie up at the fuel dock, still had power and it’s a pretty easy in and out marina. There can be a little current in their channel but not bad.

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