As this is my first contribution to the Gulf Harbour Marina Quarterly Newsletter, I wanted to take the opportunity to pass on my thanks to all of the berth holders and boaties who have taken the time to say hello as I have been busy familiarising myself with the various aspects of the GM position for the Marina.
Richard Endean’s time at the helm of the Marina saw him oversee many challenges and changes. He worked hard to ensure that he always applied a professional and balanced perspective to the management of this great facility and as a result the Marina today is in good shape. It is my intention to continue to work towards ensuring that Gulf Harbour remains a first class marine facility in New Zealand and a place where boat owners can enjoy mooring their boat and take advantage of the associated services that are available.
While I am new in this position, I am certainly not new to boats and boating. I grew up with a father who ensured I had my feet wet at an early age. I have raced and cruised on all types of boats in all conditions. Despite now being into ‘midlife’, I still seem to find myself getting wet on the weather rail. Some things in life never change! My wife Sally and I have been living aboard our yacht for the past two years, however with this new job we have moved ashore and are enjoying the added space of a house and of course the renewed novelty of a garden.
One aspect of my working background that I believe will assist boat owners here at the Marina, is my considerable experience in yacht management. My endeavour is to apply a practical approach to boat related problems, be it Hardstand challenges or simply issues associated with ensuring your boat is safe and secure tied up in its berth.
I am of course only one small cog in the machine that operates the marina. Without our helpful and skillful staff I would not be able to do my job. I am confident that everyone of our team is keen to assist you with any query you may have.
We have been once again blessed with a fantastic boating summer. Not only plenty of sunshine and breeze, but also those calm days to catch some local fish and starry nights to rock gently at anchor in a safe haven.
Summer boating on an international scale will be in full force from March 9th- 21st, with the second Auckland running of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Team New Zealand will be trying to repeat last summer’s brilliant victory in this fantastic match racing event. I would encourage as many of you as possible to get out on the water or from the Auckland Harbour grandstand vantage points to watch this exciting racing.
Gary Fell
General Manager
Maritime Safety Authority
The MSA have requested the following statement is communicated to all our boaties:
We would like to remind all berth users that they are obliged to follow at all times marina rules, RDC bylaws (of which Gulf Harbour Marina has its own bylaw), the New Zealand Transport Act and New Zealand maritime rules. Commercial operators are also reminded that on top of this, they are also to follow instructions from their Safe Ship Management Company.
For more information on New Zealand Maritime rules and the MTA, please visit Maritime New Zealand’s website, www.maritimenz.govt.nz or call 0508 22 55 22.
We want to keep the marina a safe place to operate both recreationally and commercially without having to go down the road of enforcement or prosecution. Thank you.
This statement has been provided as unfortunately the MSA have been involved with a couple of our boat owners at the marina regarding non compliance.
Tsunami
Thankfully the tsunami threat at the end of February did not eventuate to the extent of causing any problems at the marina. The RDC emergency services had been in contact with marina staff and we were monitoring the situation and ready to set off the alarms if and when instructed (a long continuous siren). We were also able to warn all our boaties who were staying on board at the time to prepare them for possible evacuation. We cannot stress strongly enough the importance of letting admin or security know if you are staying overnight on your vessel.
Fuel Jetty
As you are all aware Shell have withdrawn from providing marine fuel supply and are now only acting as a wholesaler for the fuel. Petroleum Logistics are the company that are running the pump facilities and they are setting the prices based on the price at which they are purchasing from Shell. We are very conscious of the increase in fuel prices at the pump since Shell have withdrawn from the marina retail market however, this is something that we have as much control over as the fuel prices at your local service station as we are merely providing the jetty.
Dockmasters Corner
As always, our dockmasters are always on hand to assist with any problems that arise, whether your shorthanded and need help to dock in the marina or need a tow to the travel lift, please don’t hesitate to call them on channel 73.
Remember to make sure any contractors that work on your boat are registered with us to make sure they have all the current liability insurance. Failure to do so may result in your contractor being refused the right to work on your boat.
It doesn’t matter how many times we mention this - there are some boaties that continue to ignore our pleas but we will try again….
PLEASE return your trolley to the top of the marina after you have finished loading your boat. Also remember that these trolleys are NOT to be used for heavy items such as anchor chains as they will just buckle and break. There is a heavy duty trolley for this purpose available by the travel lift office. Please see Jan to organise access.
Unfortunately we continue to have problems with a small number of our boaties who try to draw shore power to unwarranted vessels. Feel free to contact the office if you would like us to arrange an inspection and warrant on your behalf. We are also aware that a number of the current warrants expire in the first 3 months of 2010 so please check this next time you’re on the boat.
Northern Toilet Block
For our boaties that are moored in the Northern end of our marina, you will be pleased to know that we are in the process of upgrading the toilet block at that end of the marina. This toilet block has not had any major work done on it since it was built 20 years ago, so this was long overdue. We are re-tiling all of the flooring throughout and on the walls in the shower cubicles. We will also be installing new toilets into both the men’s and women’s shower areas. This work should be finished by the end of March.
Insurance
We are still having problems with obtaining copies of certificates of currency. Most brokers or insurers have the ability to make a note on file to send us a copy upon your renewal and are happy to forward this to us directly. If you can put this in place with your broker or insurer, the process becomes automatic each year and it will be one less thing for you to worry about.
Marina Works
We are in the process of recovering the marina ramps on piers B, C, H and J, N and L, A, I, and K (most probably in that order). This should not be of much inconvenience as they are normally finished within 1 or 2 days and the ramps are still able to be used whilst the works are being done.
We have just set the budgets for the 2010 year and one element of this budget is the scheduled refurbishment work in the marina.
We will be replacing some of the pile guides on an as needed basis and also we will be working through the replacement of the double D rings as a number of these are showing signs of deterioration. Hopefully neither of these projects should inconvenience anyone as although considered major works overall, each is addressed one by one and should not require the repositioning of any boats.
In the Northern end of the marina, we have a leaking water pipe which requires some of the carparking area to be dug up whilst repairs are done. Hopefully this will be carried out in April.
We will also be replacing the solar lighting that is along the pathway at the head of the piers. We have trialed a number of different options and hopefully have found some lights that are cost effective and will provide sufficient low level light to ensure you can safely navigate the pathway without being too bright to be a nuisance when trying to berth.
Grounds
We are very conscious of the poor state of the gardens in the marina. Unfortunately the marina was planted 20 years ago into plant beds established on top of rock and surrounded by concrete. Once some of the larger species (such as the palms and pohutakawas) became established, they have stripped the soil of any nutrients. We have tried over the last 2 or 3 years a program of replacing these nutrients via several different methods but we continue to struggle with this problem. The roots of these larger trees have also physically taken over the gardens and planting around them is quite a challenge. We did apply to council to remove some of the more problematic pohutakawas but they would only approve this if the trees were relocated elsewhere in the marina – and this would defeat the purpose of removing them. However, whilst we continue to work through this problem, we have employed the services of a new marina caretaker. Along with being charged with keeping the gardens and grounds in a tidy state, he will also be assisting Murray on a number of maintenance jobs around the marina that are screaming out for attention.
Internet and Email
We are looking at making changes to our website and would be interested in your comments on anything that you would like to see on the site. We are also keen to hear whether or not you would like us to provide the option of electronic invoicing and receiving our newsletters by email. Please send us your comments to marina@gulf-harbour.co.nz.
Also a reminder to let us know when your mobile number, email or address changes. It is important that we know how to get hold of you in an emergency.
Berth Rentals
We are pleased to report that bookings for berths from 10.5 through to 15m have started to increase again as more boaties realise that Gulf Harbour is the place to be! We still have a number of empty berths that we are using on a casual basis but it is encouraging to see interest pick up again.
Hardstand & Travel Lift
To assist me with understanding some of my new role at the Marina, I have taken the opportunity to ring and speak with some boaties, randomly selected from our database. What is becoming quite apparent is that there are a number of our resident boaties that do not realise some of the special pricing that we offer on our travel lift services. Are you aware that you can have your boat lifted and washed and put back in the water for less than half the price of a normal lift and relaunch? In fact the discount can be as much as 65%! Even if you add in a tow to and from your berth, it still works out to about half price – and you don’t even need to be here! I have made enquiries with some of our competitors and I’m not aware of any other yard in Auckland that offers anything close to these rates. For more details or to get a price for your boat, call Jan on 424 6204 or drop her an email at travellift@gulf-harbour.co.nz.
Hobbs Wharf
As many of you would be aware, the popular Sunday markets are no longer operating with the Hobbs Wharf development going into receivership. We understand that the receivers have this development on the market for sale. Hopefully it won’t be too long before there are new owners and the markets may be started up again. In the meantime the area has been fully fenced but local police have advised that they have had a few problems with local youths breaking down the fences and vandalizing the area. Please contact the police directly if you see any suspicious activity around the area.
Bouquets and Brickbats
We are always striving to improve the services and offerings at the marina and we value your feedback on how we are doing.
There are forms available from admin or travel lift which can be completed (anonymously if desired) on any or all of the businesses based on the marina. We encourage you to complete one of these after you have had dealings with one of us – please let us know how we got on.
Alternatively, direct comments can be made to Gary Fell (General Manager) at gary@gulf-harbour.co.nz or via the mail.