Marina survey

[Amgine]

Okay, I'm taking Gord's suggestion seriously, and I've set aside a budget for doing a marina survey in my current sailing region. This is in part because I can't find the information I'm looking for anywhere - like where can I find a pump-out station in Burrard Inlet (apparently nowhere, yet two harbour authorities I've called state they have pumpouts available...)

So, now that I am committed, what kind of information should be asked? That is, what information do cruisers really want to get from Marina and Port authorities? I've sketched out a rough draft of questions on SailWiki, and everyone is invited to discuss the idea here or there. What do *you* want to know before you show up at a marina?

[elf]

Is a wi-fi internet access point available? Or a desktop computer with a broadband connection in the clubhouse? Other than that, your questionnaire looks incredibly complete!

elf

[GordMay]

As elf said, your questionnaire looks incredibly complete!

What is the minimum approach depth?
Provide Location & Approach instructions.

[Amgine]

I'm adding those to the page now!

I hope to draw up the survey before the end of the week. Since I work with survey researchers, I'll vet it with them and hope to have the file on the wiki soon. Then I'll hack together an online version, as well as a method of displaying and searching, and a tool to dump out a wiki-syntax for importing to the wiki.

<hmm> then I'll need to compile lists of marinas to send it to... I have resources for the BC coastal regions, but I may be able to underwrite other areas if people are interested in doing the legwork of creating marina address lists.

[GordMay]

MarinaFinder.com is powered by MARINAS.com, a photographic database of marine locations from around the globe. Search thousands of listings for Marinas, Inlets, Port & Harbor Overviews, Bridges, Restaurants, Landmarks, Lighthouses, Ferry Terminals, Anchorages and Ramps.
MarinaFinder.com - Your Visual Gateway to the World's Marinas

[Amgine]

Although I plan on surveying pretty much everything in BC this year, I don't expect that will quite come to "thousands"... It's interesting they find marinas I've been to listed under names I've never heard of. They find 311 marinas (more than the provincial references), so it could be a good tool for finding people to contact. Thanks!

[Minitee]

Amgine,

I didn't see anything about security in your survey.
Does the marina have guards on site?
Are the docks only accessible by key or coded entry?
What about parking or storage facilities?

[donradcliffe]

Is the wifi free?

What kind of docks--floating fixed, pilings, med-tie

Is the dinghy dock free for anchor-outs?

It would be nice to include a user review section like they have developed in some of the on-line hotel booking sites, where people can post comments.

[Amgine]

I'll go ahead and add these ideas to the rough draft. I'm also trying to lay out the actual paper survey, and there are a lot of questions to get on as few sheets of paper as possible - it hasn't come up yet but it's possible we'll have to skip some very helpful questions in the interests of making the survey quick and easy for people to fill out.


Donradcliffe: The survey results will be imported to a wiki. A wiki is a website anyone can edit, so people can add their personal experiences - recommendations and warnings.

[Chief Engineer]

I think that someone should host a website like www.marinaripoff.com or www.boatyardbandits.com to allow cruisers a heads up on some of the shady places.

and to recommend good companies or individuals, or to relate stories.

[Sandero]

I tend to avoid marinas and anchor off, using them only to buy fuel and top off water. I don't care to keep the boat in a slip anyway as I spend nights on board and there is no privacy... it's like living in a ghetto. And of course the fees are absurd.

Yacht clubs are not much better. But they can range from completely snotty, like the NY Yacht club to very welcoming. The yacht club in Shelter Island hosts noisy parties. I don't like that.

jef
sv shiva

[jdoe71]

Noise! The first question I ask when looking at a marina is their noise policy. Of course half the time they lie anyway. Our current marina the manager has the loud parties on his house boat, we're outta there. It is becoming more and more difficult to find quiet on the water, no matter if on the Great Lakes or the Caribbean. Noisy bars, noisy parties, noisy boaters, noisy cottagers, nobody seems to really give a crap about infringing on other people with their racket, usually loud and lousy music. It's probably devoid of human noise in the ocean somewhere, someday I hope to find that because there's damn little respite from the ignorant human din anywhere near land. Sorry for OT rant but this is a huge problem to those of us who prefer nature's noise to man's.