Brooklyn Marina is thriving during the pandemic.<\/p>\n
The organization just released their annual report which shows the number of people involved with boating has increased dramatically in the past year and a half.<\/p>\n
Membership is up from 69 in 2020 to 86 this year, while the number of docks being used has also risen from 47 last year to 63 in 2021.<\/p>\n
Marina president Ian Clark says people were tired of being stuck at home and were looking to get outside.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pandemic has really seen recreational boating really take off in the past one and a half to two year and I think, basically, what it came down to is that, people were tired of isolated and literally, they wanted to get out, you know, a breath of fresh air,\u201d said Clark.<\/p>\n
He says they\u2019ve reached capacity at their dock, however, members can still bring boats and launch them on a daily basis. Anyone wishing to find a permanent home for their boat needs to get on a wait list.<\/p>\n
Clark is not surprised the marina has become so popular.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe area around Brooklyn Marina is fantastic,\u201d said Clark. \u201cThe fact that you\u2019ve got a fairly sheltered bay on the open ocean. But the other thing of course, is you\u2019ve got Coffin Island which you can go and visit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clark says some of their members have been with the marina since it\u2019s founding almost 25 years ago.<\/p>\n
He says having people in the organization who know the history is an amazing resource and he\u2019s equally excited about many of the new faces he is seeing.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting people coming in from different communities or even out of the province is that, they have had membership at marinas elsewhere and come up with ideas that we\u2019ll take a look at.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clark says those ideas are welcome now that many of the pandemic restrictions have been eased and the marina can return to hosting more social events.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a really good bunch of people on the marina board who are constantly coming up with great ideas. 2022 is going to be pretty exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n