Staff at the Trent Port Marina in Quinte West are getting into the swing of the boating season, just as the Trent-Severn Waterway gets set to open this weekend.
The marina has been open for about a week and while some COVID-19 related rules are still in place, Marina Manager Kathy Lammers says demand for season boat slips is higher than it’s ever been.
“Interestingly, our numbers were down a lot last year because of the pandemic, a lot of people decided not to launch their boats. But this year we’re seeing the opposite. I think people are so anxious to get out and find something different to do, that we have more seasonal slips booked this year than in the past since the marina has opened. So it’s looking really positive for the season.”
Lammers added that with the pandemic hopefully winding down, people are looking for more things to do and she hopes the marina will be able to expand its programming this year, as restrictions ease.
“Last year we weren’t able to hold any events for our boaters, so we’re really hoping we’ll be able to bring those events back in a safe way. Maybe some music outdoors on the lawn, or a drink or two on the patio. We certainly hope that over the next couple of months, as things get better, we’ll be able to take away those restrictions and get more back to normal.”
She says there are about 200 seasonal boaters signed on so far and they try to keep 100 slips for transient boaters, so they’ve got 50 to 75 slips left to fill.
The marina also added eight new docks for personal watercraft, bringing that total to 16.
