Marina Operator International, Winter 1998

Photographic Evidence
by Damian E. Buckley

Did you photograph your marina today? No—nor did I. The weather wasn’t very good, it was a little overcast, the flowers weren’t out and the boats I wanted to include in my shot were not just so. I am sure that you have had days like that. I am not a photographer. However, what I do is take some sort of photograph, wither digital or regular, of most things in a marina when we are asked to evaluate a new property or take over an existing property. I take general shots, mostly of untidy areas, potential environmental problems, mudslides and sunken boats.  

I went to a conference recently and saw a slide show. It was captioned along the lines of “your marina.” The photographer decided that there were only so many pretty pictures of boats with bougainvillea waving quietly in the warm breeze that could be taken for such a presentation. He did not take any. What we saw was a half-hour presentation of the worst set of slides of marinas that I have ever seen. It was presented in such a way that it was humorous to the extreme. We saw decks that were so rotten that the cleats were being pulled out by the few boats that were still attached to them. We saw a marina where the only toilets were construction-type portables. We saw rust eaten junction boxes that were lying open to the elements (and any unsuspecting passer-by). The pitted electrical feed that supplied power to the pedestals was sitting atop the deck, running side by side with the water lines that were leaking badly. There were shots of wooden pilings that had disintegrated so badly that passing wildfowl used them as a perch. Boats were on the bottom. Old barrels were lying around. Thankfully, the photographs were not all taken at the same marina!  

Most marina operators know that they must maintain their property. The above examples come from marinas that are either being driven out of existence by disgruntled employees, or those whose owners are purposefully deferring maintenance.  

One effect that the presentation had for me, apart from comic relief, was to remind me of the importance of photographs as a memory jogger. My suggestion is to take a photograph of the areas of your marina that need attention and place them on a message board. The constant visual reminder will help get that repair work done as soon as possible. Continue »