Dunstaffnage Marina

[Orla]

Just an observation

Its only when you liveaboard full time 24/7 and stay in a marina for the winter months that you get to see how well a marina is run.

People who come and go as weekend visitors or pop down to see how their boat is on the odd available weekend only see how the marina operates for that small period of time, so if there is no water on the pontoons, or the laundry doesn’t work or the toilets are out of order won’t really bother them because they will be moving on soon or heading back home.

As we discovered last summer when you have to put up with it for a whole season your patience start to suffer, and you start to think you are becoming a pest because you spend all your time complaining, but we are paying for a service.

We have been at Dunstaffnage marina since October and have watched the way the marina deals with its cliental. Anyone who keeps their boat here can have the utmost confidence in the way their boats are looked after by the marina staff, it not just words they tell prospective users of the marina, they actually do it.
It’s been a pretty quiet winter here, the weather being pretty good until last night and now as I type this. We had winds in excess of 60kn and steady winds of 50kn. During the build up to this Tim and his staff were out checking every single boat, not just a glancing look but on the boats checking all their lines and adding lines and fenders to make sure the boats were going to be ok. By the way they were supplying the ropes and fenders as well…. Another team were going round the hard checking all the chocks and supports there also.

By the time it got dark things were starting to get pretty wild, but well after going home time Tim was down checking all the boats at regular intervals as if they were his own boats.

As I type this Tim, Mark & Shaun are on the pontoons in 45kn winds making sure the boats are handling the weather and again adding lines where necessary. The pontoons here are not the easiest to walk on when the wind gets up.

If I had to go away and leave Orla for any length of time I wouldn’t hesitate in leaving her in Tim’s very capable hands.

The staff in this marina are some of the hardest working we have ever come across in our five years of cruising, all credit to them.

Dougie

[Gardenshed]

I had 3 years in Dunstaffnage and have no doubt about every word that you've written. Tim and his team were always great.
Shame I'm a wee bit far away now!

[Silkie]

Can't do other than agree wholeheartedly although I could easily ramble on for hours with stories about Tim as a marina manager and as a human being.

Having said all that I've just heard that Silkie's cover was last seen heading for Oban airport.

[FullCircle]

What a heartwarming post. Made my day even better than it already is.
Brilliant.

[puddock]

I would also wholeheartedly agree with the comments made about Tim and his staff. Cheerful and helpful with an excellent team.

[So_Sage_of_Lorne]

Having said all that I've just heard that Silkie's cover was last seen heading for Oban airport.

Not to worry, with the wind SSW, it won't be able to land or take off from there!
Reassuringly, they would be able to extinguish it if it catches fire!

[Silkie]

Having said all that I've just heard that Silkie's cover was last seen heading for Oban airport.

Well, shut my mouth!

I've just had an email from Tim at the marina who (having read this thread ) says that the cover in question is not lost but is inside the big shed. Apparently they "took it in to protective custody" because "it was trying to kill Silkie by shaking out her shores."

What a man! What a team!

PS - Tim sends his thanks to all for the kind comments on this thread.