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