When Hurricane Irma destroyed the docks at a favorite tailgate marina, three organizations came together to save the day and the party.
College football fanatics were able to continue an in-water tailgating tradition at the Florida vs Georgia game thanks to the temporary floating docks on loan from the NMMA, built by Bellingham Marine.
Jacksonville, FL, USA – 31 October 2017 – On Saturday more than 150,000 college football fanatics converged on Jacksonville for the annual Florida vs. Georgia game lovingly known as The World’s Largest Cocktail Party. Eager fans traditionally start docking their boats at the City’s nearby Metropolitan Park Marina on Friday, spending the weekend celebrating with in-water tailgating. This year Irma had other plans.
The Metro Park fixed docks were completely wiped out by Hurricane Irma’s storm surge. According to the National Weather Service, storm waters reached up to 6 ft. above normal high tides, an event never seen before, as Irma passed Jacksonville. Many normally dry places were left underwater.
Norton will work to increase emphasis and enforcement of electrical safety in marinas.
Cliff Norton, of the Bellingham Marine Utilities Division, has been appointed to the NFPA’s Code Panel to provide input on the upcoming 2020 NEC.
Jacksonville, FL, USA – 11 October 2017 – Cliff Norton, General Manager of Bellingham Marine’s Utilities Division, has been appointed to the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Code Panel #7. The panel will be working on the upcoming 2020 version of the National Electric Code (NEC). Norton represents the marine industry and helps to provide input for new code language concerning floating buildings, marinas and boatyards.
The purpose of the NEC is to safeguard persons and property from hazards arising from the use of electricity. Norton previously served as a panel member on an NFPA project that developed measures for preventing Electric Shock Drowning (ESD) around marinas. Norton is a respected voice in the marine industry. He publishes articles and conducts training sessions on the topic of proper marina electrical design and maintenance.
Learn how to attract Millennials to your marina. Think functional luxury. There are some simple features you can incorporate into the design of your marina that will appeal to the Millennial generation.
By Roxie Comstock
High-spending Baby Boomers, floating concrete docks and affordable fiberglass boats built the boating and marina industries we know today. That was then. Today we are facing a serious challenge: as Boomers pass the keys and floating key fobs to the next generation of boaters, who are they passing them to? What do these new boaters want in a marina?
Kayak launch ramp at The Wharf in Washington D.C.
Millennials are the up and coming generation and will make up the bulk of our boating population. They are attracted to a different set of facilities and services than those that once satisfied the Boomers.
The definitions of Millennial vary, but they are generally described as those born from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. At about 80 million souls, they are the largest demographic cohort in U.S. history. Understand their approach to life and you have a window into the future.
Marinas around the world have stepped-up to the call to be good environmental stewards. Responsible waterfront development can benefit the environment. Did you know a marina could actually enhance biological diversity and improve water quality? Concrete docks especially are beneficial to marine life.
By Robert Wilkes
Here is one view of marinas as stewards of the environment:
Concrete docks at Marina at Keppel Bay in Singapore are habitats for various forms of marine life.
‘Marinas are businesses and are all about making money like other businesses. They will cut corners and look the other way where the environment is concerned rather than spend the energy, time and money to proactively protect it. Marina operators don’t have the training or just don’t care enough to put in the hard work of environmental stewardship. Marinas and the boats in them are loaded with noxious chemicals that leach into the water, pollute the environment and kill marine life. Boat owners are ‘one-percenters’ with big gas tanks and large carbon footprints who chuck garbage over the side and are a threat to clean water and sensitive marine life.’
Now that I’ve got your attention and the hair standing up on the back of your neck, we can at least agree these attitudes and beliefs exist. But this dismal picture is not true, not even close. When it comes to sustainability, clean water, habitat development and every other aspect of marine ecology, marinas and boat owners are doing a great job. They are enthusiastic, knowledgeable and competent stewards of the environment.
We have a deep and persistent perception problem. These false impressions can and do influence decisions by coastal planning boards and regulatory and permitting authorities, especially when they are under pressure from watchdog environmental groups.
Local production drives down costs and gives boost to local economy. Bellingham’s decision to move production to Nadi is a win-win for the island nation and local developers.
Nadi, Fiji – 18 September 2017 – The island nation of Fiji is thriving in its seventh straight year of economic growth. From textiles to sugar, one of Fiji’s fastest growing sectors is manufacturing. Now expanding into pontoon manufacturing in Fiji with the announcement of the partnership between Bellingham Marine and Marine Structures and Consultancy (MSC) Limited.
Two of the country’s best-known marine service operators, Hall Dredging and Bob Oldham recently took control of MSC. Both have worked on Bellingham projects over the years and maintain an excellent working relationship with Bellingham Marine New Zealand (BMNZ). Continue Reading…