January 2015 greetings

Happy New Year to all at Driftwood Marina.  We had a wonderful holiday spent filled with family and friends, and are now looking forward to a fun-filled 2015 – hopefully with lots of time on the water!

As we kick off the new year, a few updates below for you:

•       I hear through the grapevine that the San Francisco Boat show this past weekend was a roaring success. We didn’t make it down to this one, but if anyone has any pictures or stories feel free to pass along and we’ll post to the FaceBook page. 

•       It’s that time of year again – the Superbowl is quickly approaching, this weekend! Deflategate aside (it was just another one of those equipment managers gone rogue, really….?), the annual Sturgeon Derby is a go and will be held in Macavoy’s Harbor.  Now in its 31st year, if you’re not glued to your TV then come on down. http://www.originalsturgeonderby.com/
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•      Exciting news related to one of our own!  A big congratulations to Nick Rassushin, on his election and installation as the Commodore of the Diablo Yacht Club for the 2015 Cruising Year. I know the Diablo Yacht Club is looking forward to another year of fun on the Delta Waterways under his leadership. Congrats’, Nick! 

•       As you may have noticed, the hyacinth continues to flourish…ie, grow at a ridiculous pace and in huge amounts. In the words of Rowena Coestsee of the Contra Costa Times, “Delta water weed problems called the worst in years...” and we agree!  (Click here to check out her article). We’re working hard to keep up with the growth and the waterways clear - as are all the other boating communities thorough-out the Delta - and will continue to keep you informed.
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•     For many January can be a month of action (New Year’s resolutions, getting organized for the next year, etc.), so if you have any friends / neighbors looking for a new space to house their boat please let them know that Driftwood does have berths of a variety of sizes available.  Unlike prior years, we even have a few covered slips in the 40’-50’ range!
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•      Lastly, we’ll be hosting two upcoming community social events at the Marina:  Our “Opening-Day” open house will be in early April, and the “Berther Appreciation” picnic will be in late May. Keep an eye-out for the dates and additional details shortly – we’ll likely post the details on the Facebook and circulate fliers.

That’s it for this month folks. 

Happy boating,

Mike

Holiday greetings!

December Blog

Merry Christmas!

The busy holiday season has arrived...it is quite festive here at Driftwood and we hope you all come out to your marina and enjoy the magic of the season on the Delta.  

Social media is a great way to keep up on Delta happenings and one Facebook page that is on top of the hyacinth issue is Ca. Delta Chambers and Visitors Bureau.  They are doing a great job of posting updates on the problem as well as any state action / inaction regarding it.  As many of you have noticed, the hyacinth is everywhere!!!  The Boat parades in /Stockton and Marina West actually had to be cancelled as the waters were unnavigable and hazardous!!  The shipping channels are not being navigated at night by the big ships as their radar cannot decipher the hyacinth islands from land formations.  We’ve luckily been able to keep Driftwood relatively clear with constant, almost daily, sweeping. In the meantime, if you see small pieces floating in your slip please pull it out of the water.  If you can’t get it up to the dumpsters, call the office and we will move it.  We will continue to monitor and post updates and links to the situation on our FB page.  

Speaking of our Facebook Page, we hope you have “liked” us.  I encourage you to invite your friends to “like” like us too.  There have been some great articles and “throwback Thursday” photos there this month!

The 25th annual Antioch Holiday Delites Lighted Boat Parade was the first Saturday of December with 12 boats all decked out in their holiday finery. . The weather was perfect and the view of the boats was breathtaking.  Berthers Phil and Cheryl, Joe and Wrenda,  Nick and Barbara, as well as our assistant Harbormaster Jim and his wife Darlene, had their boats beautifully decorated.  In fact, Joe and Wrenda took first place in the over 35 foot category. The post parade and dinner was hosted by Bridge Marina Yacht Club and attended by nearly 100 people!  What a great way to interact with our fellow boaters.  

While we are on the subject  of Bridge Marina Yacht Club, we would like to congratulate our berther, Jim Davi on being installed Vice- Commodore and his wife, Cheryl on being installed as a director for 2015.  Their contribution and commitment to the  boating community is much appreciated.  

Just a reminder that the office will be closed on both Christmas and New Year’ s Day.

I wish you all a blessed and  meaningful Holiday Season

Mike

Mark one off the 'ole bucket list...

Aloha and Happy November! I just returned from Pearl Harbor; one of my bucket list items. We were fortunate enough to actually stay on Ford Island, the heart of Pearl Harbor, just steps away from the Arizona memorial as well as having a tour of Hickam Airforce Base, which was heavily damaged during the attack, and the USS Missouri where the Articles of Surrender were signed. It was a very moving experience and I have an ever greater appreciation for our service veterans as we prepared to honor them this Veteran's Day. By the way, did you know the entire deck of the Missouri is teak? No more complaints about the relatively small amount of wood we boaters have to maintain!

Good news: the Aqua Harvester has completed the weed whacking in the harbor so our waters are clear with the exception of the stray water hyacinth that are breaking loose upstream and seem to float in and out with the tides. There is currently a group attempting to get a bond measure started to raise funds to eradicate them and I will be keeping you updated on that front.  Of course with the passage of Prop 1, there are also a lot of meetings addressing the tunnels and we will keep representing you at those, too.

As the holidays approach, we are getting the Marina decorated so stop in and see what we are doing. Be sure to get a glimpse of the marina from the water at night…While you're here, go ahead and get your boats ready for the Antioch Holiday Delites Lighted Boat Parade. Boats of all sizes are encouraged to participate by contacting Jim Davi at 925-698-6856. It is scheduled for the first Saturday in December (the 6th) and the line up is in front of our marina at 4:45 pm. The parade will travel along the Antioch waterfront so that would be the best viewing area from land. Of course you can always anchor out to see it too!

As you may have noticed, we have a new presence on Facebook - Please like our page!  We will be posting there regularly and there will be opportunities for you to win prizes for participating. We plan to also include links to articles of interest for both boaters and fishermen.

Finally, as we update our records, please provide us with an e-mail address so we can have another avenue to contact you as needed.

Happy Boating,

Mike

Fall Happenings at Driftwood Marina...

Attention all Driftwood Marina tenants!   As a special promotion, Driftwood is offering $75.00 off a month’s rent to any berther who refers a friend to rent one of our slips.  If you know anyone who is shopping around for a new marina, tell him or her about us and if they choose Driftwood as their new “port of call” we will deduct $75.00 off your next month’s rent!  Be sure to tell perspective tenants to mention your name so that we can “give credit where credit is due.”

We have been working on H Shed and now are offering a limited number of 26 foot slips at our 22 foot price.  This new program promises to be successful as we’ve rented a few already and with the recent improvements, we hope to be at capacity soon.

Bonnie and I went to a round table meeting with Congressman McNerney at the Big Break Regional Shoreline Visitor Center.  The meeting, held Friday 8/15, was a discussion about the proposed tunnels.  About 15 members of the community were in attendance, including representatives from the sanitation district, other marinas, and various conservation programs.  The overwhelming consensus is that the peripheral canal would be devastating to the Delta.  The tunnel would adversely affect wildlife, agriculture, boating, and the delicate ecosystem that is unique to the California Delta.  Let’s do whatever we can to maintain and improve our home and the habitat for so many.

The Visitor Center at the Big Break Regional Shoreline is right next door and offers lots of hands on activities, trails, and quite a bit of in-depth information about our Delta.  The park district is continuing to grow this wonderful facility as new exhibits are in the works.  Nature based activities are planned for every weekend at the Visitor Center and we encourage young and old and in between to check out this fun place!  For more information, call (510) 544-3050.

The state law of California prohibits smoking and animals in the restrooms.  With this in mind, kindly keep the premises clean and litter free by using ashtrays and picking up after your pets.  Also, dogs must be leashed or within your complete voice control at all times.  These facilities are for berthers and their guests only.  It is the responsibility of our tenants to advise their guests of our rules and regulations.

The weather has been spectacular for fishing!  We hope you fishermen and women are getting out there and casting a few.  September and the approaching months can be the very best for fishing and we look forward to all of your “fish tales.”

Rick, the gentleman from aquatic harvesting will be in the Marina this coming Tuesday, September 9.  We wanted to wait for an optimum low tide.   As in years past, the weeds are always a challenge but nothing that we can’t handle.   Thank you for your patience!

We are pleased to announce that our Marina Office will be open 7 days a week.  We did forgo switching to winter hours last year and as it proved to be a benefit to our berthers, it was decided to try it again this year.

On behalf of the staff, I’d like to wish you all a very fun and safe Autumn Season and look forward to seeing you here at the Marina.

December 2013 News

Winter is here but we are keeping our summer hours!  Activity around the Marina has been brisk and as long as it continues, we will remain open 7 days a week, 8:00 am until 4:00 pm.  Please keep mind that due to the colder weather, ramps and walkways may be slippery so take extra caution when out and about.
Although we are still in a drought, the rain is bound to hit us sometime soon.  For those of our berthers not regularly at the Marina, please check your boat.  The cold, wet weather can play havoc on marine vessels.

The Delta has been generous in giving up her bounty.  Fisher folk have been catching sturgeon and stripers aplenty this past fall.  Duck hunting season also has gotten off to a great start… great for the hunters… not the ducks!  For those of you fishing enthusiasts, make sure to check out the new BAIT SHOP at New Bridge Marina in the old Dale’s Canvass spot.  We wish the new enterprise much luck!

The boat wash program has been discontinued by the NRG Power plant.  A special meeting was held at Supervisor District III, Mary Piepho’s office to address this matter.  Driftwood Marina had the largest representation with myself, Bonnie, Jim, and owner Matt in attendance.  Chris Laurizen and many other marina personnel were also there to gather information and protest the discontinuation.  A follow up meeting is tentatively scheduled for January with representatives from NRG and (hopefully) PG&E, too. We will keep you abreast of any changes as we continue to urge the power companies to reinstate/continue this valuable program.  Bart Fisher of Fisher Enterprises will be in contact with those berthers who have used his service through the program.  He will continue to offer boat washing and notify you of his reasonable fee.   If you wish to contact Bart directly, please call him at 925/778-8346.  Bart is a great guy and has always done a wonderful, thorough job.

An ongoing issue at the Marina is shed gates not being closed, and therefore locked properly.  Please make sure your gate is securely closed when entering/exiting your shed.

From everyone here, we’d like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Summer Blog

We’ve been busy here at the Marina since my last blog... It was great to see so many of our berthers at the Customer Appreciation Day.  On behalf of myself, Kathy and the staff, I’d like to extend a big “Thank You!” to all who attended.  We had a good turnout with several lucky winners of our various raffles.  You can view pictures of this year’s event on our photos link.

The front gate has been fixed…  If you haven’t yet done so, stop by the office and get your key reprogramed.  Everything has been working great with the update to the software.  Please let us know if you have any issues or questions. 

We continue our battle with the weeds in the water… The hot weather helps these aquatic weeds to grow.  The workboat and workmen have been getting a workout scooping the weeds out to the fast water.  It’s a struggle but we plan to continue to fight!

The safety of our berthers and their belongings is of utmost importance… While cameras on the property are operational and law enforcement does patrol, your own safety starts with you. Kindly remember to keep the gate to your shed locked, secure personal items, and report any broken locks or burnt out bulbs. 

Annual Aahmes Yacht Club Shrine Event is right around the corner… Driftwood Marina will be hosting the event this year on Saturday, August 3.  Festivities will start at 12:00 noon, with an afternoon of music, raffles, a steak dinner, and visit from the Potentate.  See our attached flyer and call or stop by the office to make your reservations.  Help support this amazing cause.

And finally, from berther Phil, some tips to make your outdoor experience this summer more enjoyable...  Looking for environmentally safe, economical insect repellents?  Try some of these easy care plants to clear areas of flies:

Rosemary                                                            

Lavender

Basil

Mint

If spiders are your problem, try using any of the following natural oils, a squirt of dish detergent and water in a spray bottle for a safe deterrent:  

Citrus fruits

Lavender

Peppermint

Citronella

Cinnamon

Tea trees

Cloves

Spray the mixture on cobwebs, around doors and windows, lawn and garden, on and around your boat, or any surface where spiders lurk.

 We look forward to seeing you around the Marina enjoying your boat and summer on the Delta.

Spring is here! We will be expanding our business hours to be open

7 days a week beginning April 1^st

Hours of operation will remain 

8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

We’ve been busy…If you haven’t had the opportunity, come by the Marina and check out our improvements! These include our beautiful green lawn, flowers in bloom and general landscape updating. We have a new building for the gas shed as well. Pot holes have been patched and we continue our ongoing battle with the weeds. We believe victory over unwanted foliage will be ours! Speaking of unwanted foliage, we continue to keep the work boat in operation managing the debris in the Marina, keeping our waterways clear.

An exciting addition …to the front of the Marina is our turtle pond. Should you venture out on a sunny day you may see Walter, the Dude and Donny basking on a rock. They can be elusive (especially the Dude) but seem to have acclimated well to their new home. While away from Driftwood, they can be viewed on our new "Turtle Cam", our latest live action camera in the Marina.

The Management asks for your help… in keeping our docks and the area around boats clean and tidy. Perhaps there are items you've been meaning to throw away or stow away. Inspection is coming up, which includes walking and inspecting the docks.  An excess of items can present a safety issue as well as being an eyesore.  Berthers who do not comply will be notified individually.  Winter can certainly be a time of accumulation and hibernation and spring is our chance to start anew.  

Opening Day… is Saturday, April 6 and Driftwood Yacht Club is hosting this fun, annual event. All are hoping for a great day on the water as the season officially gets underway.  We're always happy  to welcome the new season and warmer weather!

Save the Date... Driftwood Marina's Annual Customer Appreciation Day  has been scheduled for Saturday, May 18th.   Stay tuned for details!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, from the entire Driftwood Marina staff...

Happy Easter

Happy Spring

Happy Boating