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Two Harbors to Raise Mooring Fees

Jeff Asbury

Principal Partner
You know, I have never once filled up at the fuel dock at Avalon or Two Harbors in my 31 visits to the Island. I think if the money's going towards a fuel dock renovation, that's where they should stick it to em'. Just raise the cost of fuel for the "Pig Iron Scowls".
 
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Jeff Asbury

Principal Partner
"Price Line Negotiator"

Well as long as your asking Bill, when I first sailed to the Isthmus in the Spring of 2003 I was paying $19. bucks a night. Currently it's $26. bucks if they can put me on a 30' mooring. That's about a buck a year increase. The way it works at Two Harbors is if they are out of 30' moorings then they will assign you a mooring for a larger boat and charge you that length boat fee. Example, a 40' mooring jumps up to $30. bucks a night. One time I was at Howlands Landing for a gathering in 2004 and I got a 30' mooring, they had to kick me off the next day and put me on a 70' mooring and I paid $52. bucks. Not sure what the new increased fees will work out to yet, but if I do end up getting assigned a longer mooring like that in the future it would be just about the same as getting a room at the Marriott.

One good thing about Avalon is that no matter what mooring you are assigned, you just pay for the length of your boat.

I wonder if the "Price Line Negotiator" (Bill Shatner) will be able to help me out?
 

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Bill Upchurch

Member II
I suppose rate hikes are a way of life, but it is hard for me to accept when my intelligence is insulted with b.s. reasons for the increase.

We need to go out on Golden Girl soon, Jeff--I put some new stuff on her that I'd like you to see.

Bill
 

Dave Neptune

Member II
Fees ouch

I am both a mooring lessee and an officer of a west end club. My mooring went up about 10 percent not 5.

They started charging for temporary tie ups toward the end of the summer even if your just going in to the Isthmus to spend money:esad:. They even started charging in Emerald Bay for temporary assignments at the end of the season. As stated before we as boaters avoid their costly fuel and about all we use is some for the dinghies and the occasional power boater adding 40 gallons to a 500 gallon tank to get home and then top off. This does not necessitate a new fuel dock, it is for their convienience to obtain marine fuel for their use. The fuel being used on shore could be supplied with the existing system and the boats can fuel in Avalon or even cheaper in San Pedro. There are far more sailboats that frequent the island and we don't use much fuel by any stretch of comparison and we as those that frequent the island the most are footing the bill for those that don't.

The lease for our club was trippled (in this blooming ecoonomy) and we were not hit as hard as most of the other clubs, some as much as 500%:confused:.

My $.02
Dave Neptune:cool:
 

Sven

Seglare
I don't think this is a case of trying to squeeze more out of the yachties. We talked to some of the harbor patrol guys and gals out there this weekend and while their customer-front is still all smiles and "aggressive friendliness" the mood is somber. I haven't read the fee article and didn't know about it until Jeff brought it up but Nancy and were talking about how we got the feeling that the Isthmus was really suffering as a 2nd or 3rd order effect of the economy based upon what we heard and observed.

They had mayor layoffs this past summer, treated the employees right with fair severance deals, but the business is in some trouble. The village population has been reduced too as a result and that reduces the self-generated business as well. We were trying to figure out how many employees were there to service the few boaters ... the ratio is sobering.

Last year I think there were 40 boats for New Years, this year there were 13 (my count). Several weekends this summer we got moorings for big weekends when we expected to be sent to Cat harbor or out to anchor.

While we both worry about the cost of staying at a mooring we worry just as much about the facility going derelict due to loss of critical business mass.



-Sven
 

Sven

Seglare
Now I've read the article.

$1,000,000 investment would be almost $3,000 per day every day if they were to do it in one year. That's $3,000 per day over the cost of running the place and profit. How many customers do they have on average, throughout the year ?

The numbers don't seem to add up. That's a lot of extra money per customer and occupied mooring if one spread it out over what seems like reasonable numbers of each. Are there other major income sources ? What do the clubs pay, for example ?



-Sven
 

Meanolddad

Member III
We may all be missing a small bit of information. A lot of small town gas stations have had to close because of the EPA requirements. I am pretty sure they would rather not do capital improvements in the current economy. They may have to close the fuel dock if it is not brought up to current standards.
Just a thought
Greg:esad:
 

stuartm80127

Member II
Increased Moorage fees

Well, my anchors are really starting to sparkle now and as a result rowing into the dock will be a little more difficult and I just may not visit the Restaurant... as much while there. Econ 1 at its finest.

Surprised that the Fees for hauling millions of passengers over on those giant ferries didn't increase too. After all, Baywatch... has to look after all of those recreation users too, if not more than those on sailboats. I usually don't see too many sailboats needing assistance. Its usually powerboaters that can't seem to find the "Haul In Mooring" switch or large charter sailboats that buzz around at hull speed in search of a Mooring that are in need of help.

Stuart
 

Dave Neptune

Member II
Fees

Yes they are redoing the fuel "system" and the dock. The tanks need to be re-newed and moved from there current location. To pull up the lines they also need to dig up the showers and the leech system attached. The entire sewage system is over stressed as it is, you can smell it after Buccaneer days if you stick around a few days. The master plan is to have all trash and sewage moved to Wells Beach for off loading from the island to barges. To run the lines by "code" the raod that the lines and the delivery trucks travel must be paved~~expensive! The fuel lines to the fuel dock need to be re-run as well and that will deal with the Coastal Commision and that could take a few years at the least.

Mooring billings for the year 2010 on the west end were down 40% and that is a bunch. They are wanting the Isthmus to accomodate as many as 5,000 people on the busy weekends for camping, diving and hiking. I have been in the Isthmus with 2500 on Buccaneers weekend and it is way to crowded. Many are just sleeping where they drop and there are tents all over behind the store.

Personally I think they are dreaming. It is all of us that frequent the west end that have made it what it is. The Island is only busy for about 4 months a year and a little busy for a couple more. The vast majority of people that visit the Island do so once or maybe a few times in their life and those of us (the few) that love it are the heart and sole that intrigues and enspires many of those to visit:confused:.

Dave Neptune:cool:
 

Sven

Seglare
Down 40% ... wow. That certainly explains a lot.

Then there is the threatened 300 room hotel and convention center :esad:

Wonder where this is all going.



-Sven
 

Dave Neptune

Member II
Ugh$$$

Well I did not see or hear of a Hotel or Convention Center in the Isthmus however a new Hotel has been started at Descanzo @ 80 something rooms. Some upscale houses were proposed in the Two Harbors :confused: area though.
I haven't been to the Island for since October, do you know if they started the planned expansion of the Harbor Reef yet?
Some of the plan in the Isthmus includes expanding the Campground on the west side where the clubs gave up leases. They are planning some nice tent camping like in Yosemite. Rumors were flying around from some "island sources" that they would be as much as $300 per night with 6 bunks in the tent with a wooden floor. FYI the campground is also cattered by the resturants in the Isthmus. I had some friends with the I.P. that said it was quite nice having food delivered to "your tent" last year.

Dave Neptune:cool:
 

Sven

Seglare
The hotel/convention plan was from a couple of friends who belong to LAYC and had heard it from there. They were visiting us on board on a mooring and we were all wondering what all the hotel guests would do for recreation unless they turn the area into a dusty-muddy disneyland.

We were in the restaurant for New Years and other than no heat in the restaurant (it was supposedly in the bar :) ) we didn't notice any changes.

The 5,000 for busy weekends seems extreme in the extreme. The biggest ferry usually carries around 100 and I have never heard them report more than 250 when checking in or out. 5,000 would be 20 ferries at the current max load.



-Sven
 

Dave Neptune

Member II
#'s

Sven, the 5,000 is a long term goal and I don't believe achievable by any stretch. At lunch with the THM one afternoon last season he told us that they were moving the outside bar further out and inclosing the area under the "eve" by the start of next season~~we'll see:nerd: about that.
Do you have a mooring in the Isthmus?
Also I think those Bombard ferry's will carry closer to 250 or more. I noticed that last season about half way through that the number of ferry's coming to the Isthmus dropped. I'm in Emerald and it has been more of a challenge for guests to get rides to the Isthmus. The boat from MDR was cancelled 3 times that I know of last summer because of to few booked. A good friends wife had to get to Long Beach for a ride twice. My wife even complained about how few are running from San Pedro and Long Beach now~good timing THE.

Dave Neptune:cool:
 

Sven

Seglare
We have no mooring, just jump around between coves and love it when we get cherry or 4th all to ourselves !

Still haven't met the new HM, at least not that we know of.



-Sven
 

paul culver

Member III
If by HM you mean Harbor Master, I met him when I was out there last summer. We had heard from a shore boat pilot that there was a big party planned for the new HM that night. Next morning a harbor patrol boat was making the rounds and we asked him what he thought of the new HM. He said he was a great guy, because it was him. It must have been tough to lay off employees because in our conversation with him it was clear he had a lot of respect and fondness for the whole lot, even though they had pulled a lot of pranks on him for his initiation.

Paul
E29 "Bear"
 

Jeff Asbury

Principal Partner
He probably resides at Doug Oudin's old house just above the beach on the east side. When I was there last July I was lucky enough to go to Doug's Yard Sale and chat with Doug. He said he was moving up to the Grant's Pass area. Man, what a great life 30+ years on the Island.
 

Dave Neptune

Member II
The new Harbor Master

The new Harbor Master is Phillip Winter and yes he is a good guy albeit in a difficult circumstance. He and I crewed together racing a number of years ago on big cats. I have attended a couple of parties with him and his wife, they are very nice people and should be a good choice for the THE.
He has some big shoes to fill ~Doug Oudin's~ and impressed me when he stopped by my mooring after an introduction party for him we attended. Although he did suprise me a bit as he was driving the "Salad Bowl". He stated that he needed to understand and do all of the jobs so he would be well versed on all facets of the operation.

CORRECTION of a previous post by me~:esad:~our lease was doubled not trippled. The tripploed leases were on the west side of the Isthmus.

Dave Neptune:cool:
 
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