By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
With the beaches still closed to the public during the coronavirus crisis, Sea Isle City residents are finding it more difficult to savor the beauty and tranquility of the shore in the quiet off-season months.
Although the beaches are off-limits for now, the ocean and bays are not, giving boat owners an outlet to escape – temporarily, at least – the stresses of the pandemic.
Sea Isle has begun getting its municipal marina ready for boaters following Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement on April 18 that he has reopened marinas, boatyards and marine manufacturers across the state “as long as strict social distancing and sanitization protocols are followed.”
However, restaurants located at marinas are only allowed to offer takeout or delivery service as part of the governor’s ban on in-person dining to stem the spread of COVID-19. Charter services and boat rentals also are prohibited from operating at marinas for the time being.
But private boat owners are free to enjoy the ocean, bays and other waterways. Brian Teefy, Sea Isle’s harbormaster who oversees the municipal marina, said some boaters are anxious to get started.
“A handful of people have already put their boats in the water,” Teefy said in an interview Monday.
In the meantime, Teefy and other city employees are sprucing up the marina for boating season, checking the ramps, docks, the boardwalk and other facilities. The city is getting ready to seek bids for power-washing the marina.
Teefy said the marina suffered virtually no damage during the mild winter, which limits the amount of repairs he and his crews must do.
“We are getting ready and are still looking forward to it,” he said of the boating season.
The marina is regarded as one of the gems of the historic Fish Alley neighborhood, an enclave of family-owned restaurants and fishing boats rooted in Sea Isle’s beginnings as a small commercial seaport.
Tucked away in a lagoon along 42nd Place, the marina sits at the foot of the bridge entering Sea Isle on John F. Kennedy Boulevard. The city’s public boat ramp is located in the same area and is also open now.
Featuring 87 boat slips, the marina has been improved in recent years with new landscaping, docks, a boardwalk, an open-air pavilion and public restrooms. All of the slips have been rented for this year, reflecting the marina’s popularity, Teefy said.
The marina’s location next to the Fish Alley restaurants and only a few blocks from the shops, bars and eateries in the downtown business district is a huge attraction for boaters, Teefy pointed out.
“They get off the boat and they go have dinner. You’re right here in the downtown business district,” he said.
Parking spaces next the marina are another perk. People who rent boat slips are given one free parking permit for the summer season.
Boaters and pedestrians alike are also able to soak up the sunsets and panoramic views of the bay and marshlands that unfold for miles from the marina.
“It’s a more laid-back feeling over here. A lot of people don’t even go out on the water. They sit on their boats and watch the sunsets,” Teefy said.
The marina can accommodate boats ranging in size from 18 to 40 feet long. Depending on the size of the boats, rental fees range from $1,530 to $3,400 per slip, according to city documents.
The city had planned to increase the slip fees this summer, but backed off and now intends to raise prices next year. Fees will range from $1,766 to $3,670 per slip under the proposed price increase, documents show.
“We’re still lower than most private marinas,” Teefy said, adding that Sea Isle’s marina hasn’t had a price increase since 2013.
