Fall is just around the corner ...

Where, oh where, has the summer gone?  With this heat we sure can’t call it fall yet; 111 degrees at the marina last week!

Because of the heat there is a lot of stuff in the water.  Please call to our attention any weed removal needs you may have around your berth.  We are doing our best, but they seem to grow faster than we can remove them.

We have a new BBQ on the patio for your use and enjoyment! (For safety, please be sure to turn the gas tank off, underneath the BBQ, when you finish using it.)   We encourage you to have friends up and use the patio for a small gathering. 

And speaking of gatherings, our Annual Berther Appreciation event is scheduled for September 30^th from 12 to 3 pm.  As always, we will show our appreciation to you -- our berthers! -- for being loyal members of our “family” with food and prizes.  Please join us for a fun afternoon.  We have several slips open and ready to rent, so if you have a friend who is looking for a new home for their boat, this would be a good event to bring them to, so they can see what an awesome place Driftwood Marina is.

A quick update - please keep in mind the new California Boater Cards are being phased in soon.  In just 3 short months,  on January 1, 2018, all watercraft operators, 20 years of age or younger will be required to take the boating safety class and exam and have their card on their person (just like a motor vehicle license) when operating any motorized watercraft.  Each year the age goes up to legally operate motorized watercraft as follows:

January 1, 2018	20 years of age or younger
January 1, 2019	25 years of age or younger
January 1, 2020	35 years of age or younger
January 1, 2021	40 years of age or younger
January 1, 2022	45 years of age or younger
January 1, 2023	50 years of age or younger
January 1, 2024	60 years of age or younger
January 1, 2025	All persons regardless of age

More information is available at www.CaliforniaBoaterCard.com.  The DBW Boating Safety Course and exam is being offered, at no charge, at this time.

The warm (not hot!) days and calm waters of fall are almost here.  We hope to see you on the water and enjoying your boat Don’t forget to stop in the office and say hi!

Happy Boating, Mike

Harbormaster

Happy Spring, Folks!

Winter is behind us and things are getting back to normal around the marina! You know what they say, "April showers bring May Flowers"...after the deluge of the last few months we're seeing some amazing wildflowers out there.

On March 26^th we held our 2^nd Annual Sunday Soup Social.  What a great turnout!  A special thanks to Maria Salomides for her amazing Avgolemono soup (Greek chicken lemon soup).  It was a great addition to our selection, which also included Manhattan clam chowder and Italian sausage gnocchi soups.  Kathy out did herself by also including homemade Italian bread to round out the menu. Everyone went home with full stomachs!

Our 1^st Annual Spring Cleaning and Nautical Swap Meet will be here before you know it.  Please come out on Saturday, April 29^th from 8-12 to see what treasures you just have to have!  A huge pat on the back goes to our tenant, Terry Leavitt, for spearheading this event for us. 

Save the date for our next planned social for our berthers which will be the 3^rd Annual Wine Tasting Event on July 23^rd.  Mark your calendars…  More info will come out in June. 

Good news! The storm damage repairs are completed and everyone is back in their berths.  As a reminder, please be sure you power down well before the opening to the marina.  Wakes cause erosion to the shore and entering our marina, the no wake zone begins 100 yards before the harbormaster’s house.

The bathroom repair project is moving along.  It is taking a little longer than planned, but we are in the home stretch.  We will be notifying you when they are open again and there will be a new entry system you will need to be aware of.  (The doors will need to be opened with a combination code which we will send out with your statements each time they are changed.)

Spring fishing is underway and our brand new berther, Paul Estrada, caught a huge sturgeon on his first day as a tenant.  

Don't forget to tell your friends....Driftwood has a few slips (and many amenities!) available, so if you know of anyone who would like to be a part of our marina family, have them contact me.

Happy Boating,

Mike

January 2017 Greetings

Happy New Year to all at Driftwood Marina!

In current news, the big storm of January, 2017 is finally behind us! Phew! Although all are safe, we did sustain major damage.  As of Sunday, January 22^nd, we have already had two engineers out for damage/repair estimates and are actively working to get repairs started as soon as possible.  Our first and most important objective is to make everything safe. We are working on restoring power to J shed and getting everyone who was displaced in A and B sheds back into their slips. We would like to thank all of you for your understanding and cooperation.

The bathroom repair project is going ahead as planned; please remember the bathrooms will be closed on February 4^th for about 6 weeks.  Portable toilets with hand washing stations will be brought in, however, there will be no shower facilities during the repair project. Thank you for your patience!

Now, to the good stuff…We are eagerly planning the 2^nd annual Soup Social for our berthers on Sunday, March 26^th! Kathy will have several homemade soups for you to enjoy. The event will be from noon to 3pm, weather permitting (like and watch our Facebook page for updates).  We look forward to seeing you!

Looking ahead, we will be having a spring clean-up and Nautical Swap Meet, planned for the end of April.  Look around and gather your unwanted boating paraphernalia.  It’s bound to be a treasure to someone else!   

Happy Boating,

Mike

Harbormaster, Driftwood Marina