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May June 2020 Marina World

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The magazine for the marina industry

CRISIS MANAGEMENT during

CRISIS MANAGEMENT during the beginning of the pandemic and did transactions via phone, email or window service. These marinas were able to open on time, with restrictions, due to being located in areas where marinas were considered an essential business. Opening: With the exception of our boater population that is at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, many boaters used their boats more as they had time off of work and chose their boat as their ‘shelter in place’ location. The predominant customer mood was accepting and appreciative of the steps our team took to allow them to safely use their boat and facility. BR Marinas: Gabriela Lobato Marins Lockdown: We have marinas in five different cities in Brazil and local governments acted differently. All, however, prohibited any kind of tourism so charter companies have been unable to work since 16 th March. Our administrative staff have been working from home since this date and all employees over the age of 60 were also sent home. We were open in Rio, Buzios and Agra dos Reis until 25 th May but the mayor of Agra dos Reis declared a 15- day lockdown until 8 th June. This affects the drystack; clients with wet slips can still use their boats. We started lots of WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and email campaigns and also offered free Restrictions in place in Panama reduced operations at US Marina Group’s Buenaventura Marina. education (ten lessons from a boating licence course), tips on what to watch while at home and a fundraiser called Good Wind where we raised 112,00 reals enabling us to buy 32 tons of food to help those in need in surrounding communities. Opening: Our clients are still using their boats but use masks for themselves and their crew and don’t bring guests aboard etc. We’ve seen a decrease of up to 55% in boat use at our marinas and do not know when or if we will have a 2020 Rio Boat Show. C&N Marinas: Management team Lockdown: As soon as the first case of COVID-19 was reported on the island of Malta on 7 th March, Grand Harbour Marina suspended all social events and switched staff onto a shift work base Employees at Marina da Gloria in Brazil are following safe working practices. pattern to comply with health authority requirements. Likewise, within a few days following the outbreak of the pandemic in Turkey, all the commercial areas in Cesme Marine were closed to adhere to government guidelines. We quickly initiated a skeleton workforce within the marina to ensure the safety and security of our berth holders’ boats. All our employees who could work from home started to work from home, some continue to do so [as at 21 st May]. Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique did an amazing job in containing the spread of the disease. From the start, Port Louis Marina fully supported the health protocol and government regulations to ensure the safety of employees, customers and community. Port Louis Marina was a key partner in successfully implementing the yacht entry protocol. 22 www.marinaworld.com - May/June 2020

CRISIS MANAGEMENT F3 Marina fully expects its Florida facilities, such as Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach, to enjoy a good summer season. Opening: Grand Harbour Marina managed to stay open 24/7 throughout, with berthing masters available around the clock carrying out regular dock walks. The marina also took the initiative to create a virtual crew programme specifically tailored to the crew not able to leave their vessels or with limited movement around the marina. Virtual yoga and personal training classes are still being provided as well as chat forums to allow crew to socialise virtually and stay active and healthy. As at 21 st May travel and cruise restrictions have not been removed in large cities such as Istanbul and Izmir where quarantine is valid. There has been an increasing demand from boat owners to spend curfews on board, but this is not yet possible as quarantine practice has not been lifted in large cities. We have customers who spend time on their boats depending on the marina. The mood is currently cautious considering the prohibitions. However, the demand will increase when the quarantine ban is lifted. Port Louis Marina is now open and the safety of Grenada and its people remains our top priority. We continue to ensure best practice and measures are continuously assessed. We are actively taking bookings for the hurricane season. What’s to come as the threat of COVID-19 reduces? “Marinas should still prosper as an ‘escape’ from the house. People will make shorter trips on boats so as to stay closer to home without fear of being caught away in a foreign country. There will be more boat use this summer as people want to make up for lost leisure time, and increased cleaning of boats. When fall and winter come, we will probably be somewhat back to ‘normal’ for marina business unless economic struggles cause marina rates and slip demand to drop.” Jim Bronstein “If we have learned something, it’s that, as a business, we have to be D-Marin is responding swiftly to change and operating with caution at all of its marinas including its Croatian ‘flagship’ D-Marin Mandalina. agile and responsive. We can’t predict everything but we can train our teams to be ready for anything. It might be that some things are simply impossible to predict. We are yet to see the true scope of the economic consequences. If our customers will use their boats less frequently or whether international travel will restart in the same way. Until there is a vaccine, D-Marin will be ready to adapt and help our customers as much as we possibly can.” Dean Smith “There may be a slowdown of transient business as boaters get comfortable with going to new locations with possible increased positive cases. We expect our marinas to continue to be popular summer hangouts in the Great Lakes area and for our Florida marinas to be great places to visit and enjoy.” Dani Mill “What we know is that when this is all over everybody will run to their boats and sail, see the sea and breathe. And we will see an opportunity to attract new customers to our small boating market who will be able to enjoy our vast and beautiful coastline. We are preparing a campaign to promote brokerage, charter and local businesses. It is time to join forces.” Gabriela Lobato Marins “Once the travel ban eases, we are certain the industry will flourish in full force to compensate for time lost out on the water. The yachting community, as a whole, has come together as a strong entity during these times from all industry perspectives. This, in turn, will have a positive impact on the yachting industry.” C&N Marinas www.marinaworld.com - May/June 2020 23

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