Article by Larry Jock
What year did you become General Manager of Sunset Marina?
I became GM of Sunset in March of 1999
What were your career experiences that led to you to be selected to run this large marina?
My journey to working in the marina business began in my childhood. I grew up on the Magothy River and the Chesapeake Bay. My parents were sailing enthusiasts and my grandfather always had a cruiser that stayed at the house. I think my experience on the water with my family had a significant impact on my career choice. In addition to the time on the water, I spent countless hours at my Dad’s small boat building company. I say small not just because the crew consisted of only about eight, but also because we built small boats. We built 10, 12 and 15-foot’ sailboats. Albacores and El Toros but, at the time, the coolest thing we built was the 8-foot speed boats that were used as rentals at Disney World.
There’s no doubt that these influences helped prepare me for life as a marina operator. I know this to be true because my brother, Scott, has ended up pretty much on the identical career path at Port Annapolis Marina.
I’m thinking that’s a little more than you were looking for. I can honestly say that without those experiences I probably would have ended up doing something different. As for my professional experience, it started the summer after my freshman year of college. I was hired as a dockhand at Chesapeake Harbour Marina. After a couple of summers at CHM, I became assistant manager and two years after that I was 23 years old and the GM for Chesapeake Harbour and Chesapeake Landing, a nearby 100 slip marina that had common ownership. In addition to operating the Marinas we had a water taxi service and I had a Yacht Management company that performed routine maintenance on 75 boats a week.
Chesapeake Harbour was a brand new 200 slip marina. The benefit to it being new was that we grew together. Several years in, it wasn’t uncommon on a holiday weekend to host 60 transient boats. The interesting thing about that was that the marina was typically 95% full, so if you do the math, this creates some tense moments when you’re making slip assignments on the fly. As our permanent customers left for their weekend trips, we filled their slips kind of like “Hot Bunking”. From the Hot-Bunking weekends to replacing every power pedestal in the marina due to a recall, and getting the chance to reconfigure the docks to accommodate larger boats, Chesapeake Harbour was a wonderful experience.
That’s actually how I was introduced to my new boss. He was a customer at Chesapeake Harbour and we maintained his boats while they were in Annapolis. He and his family were developing Sunset Marina and one day he called and asked if “ I knew anyone that might be interested?” I knew the project right away because several years earlier I had toured the property with the owner of Chesapeake. It’s a small world.
Another area that had a huge impact on my marina future was my time as a delivery captain. At age 18 I received my 50 ton masters license. I needed the license to be able to run the water taxi. Soon after getting my license I was receiving frequent requests to move boats around the country. At first locally and then these requests grew to second hand on coastal deliveries and ultimately I was running yachts up and down the beach on a regular basis. I remember explaining to my boss at the time that he was getting this huge benefit because I was touring a new marina every night and with multiple deliveries this would go on for six weeks at a time. I can’t comment on my Captain career without giving a shoot-out to Captain Bob; you see when I had my first few offers to move boats around I knew I was a little over my head. Bob came along until I took the training wheels off.
What is your typical day like?
One thing you learn rather quickly is that there are few typical days in the marina business. I am blessed to work with an amazing group of people that are all very good at what they do. I think pretty much everyone on the “Sunset” organization management team has been with us for at least ten years, and several over fifteen.
During the offseason we spend a lot of time trying to improve our facilities. That could mean anything from expanding Sunset Grille to building a new pool and amenities building, acquiring and remodeling Atlantic Tackle and most recently installing boat lifts at the Ocean City Fishing Center. These types of projects demand a great deal of attention, from working with designers and engineers to working through the regulatory process, It is a true luxury being a part of an organization that believes in continuing to improve our properties.
Once we get into the season, I become more like a firefighter, dealing with the issue at hand or spending my time where it’s most needed. As I comment on this it reminds me of how competent and skillful the group of folks I work with really are.
What year did Sunset Marina open?
Sunset Marina opened July 1, 1999. And when I say opened I mean it … that’s the day they cut the dyke out of the entrance. Everyone always asks what that was like as if the basin was empty and some brave sole on an excavator pulled the plug. Wow, that would have been awesome! We actually pumped the basin full of water over about a weeks time, and when they cut the dyke, the little bit of leveling that occurred the water actually ran out.
Who came up with the name “Sunset Marina”?
I’m not sure.
How many years of planning took place to prepare for the opening?
As I mentioned earlier, I arrived in March of 1999 and we opened in July, so we didn’t have a great deal of time to plan. The plan had been revised a couple of times from Captains Point to what has become Sunset Marina.
Funny, I remember clearly people laughing in my face as I was showing them the slip layout that included one pier of 42 slips for boats from 58 to 80-feet. People told me there were less than ten boats over 55-feet in the whole town. Here we are in our 18th season and what I wouldn’t do for another dock to handle 60-foot plus boats.
Our opening was quite modest. We had about 60 slips, one bathhouse a pool and our office was a motorhome. I do remember that first Fourth of July though. As I mentioned earlier, I’m not a native to Ocean City, so on July 4th, it was a working day and after the guys had gone home for the day, I was hanging out in our construction trailer with my dog, Bertram, late in the evening. Nobody else was around and at about 9:00 I headed for the door to move down to my accommodations in the RV and when I stepped out of the trailer I landed in the middle of about 500 people. Apparently we were building a marina on their fireworks viewing site.
From the time you broke ground, how long did it take to build the marina?
Once again, I was the beneficiary of growing with the property. The first summer we opened with the pool and bathhouse and 60 slips and we got into our office the night before the White Marlin Open. For the next three years, we added one component at a time. First the South Boatel building, then the Provisions store followed by the restaurant after that. Mike Diffendal was the project manager, so in the early days my responsibility pretty much ended with operations. In 2005 we acquired the Ocean City Fishing center and promptly began redeveloping it.
What was this land before a marina was put in? How many acres encompass the entire marina?
Sunset Marina is part of a 77 acre “mixed use” parcel which was developed in 1998. The development of the parcel includes a 3 1/2 acre wetland mitigation area. The first phase of the Marina opened in July, 1999. The man-made basin encompasses over 21 acres of well protected water just 1/4 of a mile from the Atlantic Ocean.
What is your fondest memory of the construction/opening process?
I really enjoyed the whole process. Some of my fondest memories are touring the property with the late Mrs. Martha Gudelsky. I enjoyed Mrs. G’s company, but those tours weren’t always sunshine and roses. She knew how to put the heat on and I’d like to think that I’m a better business person for having worked for her.
The early days were quite a team effort. From installing the pool’s original fence the night before inspection, with a collection of characters… from ownership to volunteers. One funny memory of the site was that my dog Bertram, a yellow lab, who was up in years by this time would leave my office every morning around 10:00 AM and proceed to locate the pile driving crew by 10:30 so he could share the lunch that was packed for them each day.
Sunset won an award for being a top marina in the country a few years ago. What was that award?
Yes, it was named the “Marina Dockage Marina of the Year” which was a very proud honor for the entire staff. We strive for excellence in everything we do in the Marina operation and this was a true acknowledgement of those efforts. There were over 100 marinas considered for the award and everyone that wears a blue shirt played a role in receiving it.
When you look at the floor of Sunset Provisions, it looks like the plumbing was set-up for something different. Was Sunset Provisions originally designed to be a tackle shop? What were your plans for that building?
As the name suggests, Sunset Provisions was intended to be just that, a Provisions Store with a small deli. It became apparent early on that to serve the customer base we should include some light marine supplies along with bait and tackle. So from 2001 until last year, Provisions had a little bit of everything.
After we acquired Ake Marine and founded Atlantic Tackle we transitioned the Provisions store to be pretty much exclusively marine supplies.
Your travel lift is huge? How large of a boat can be lifted and moved with it?
We have an 88 ton Marine Travel Lift at Sunset and a 35 ton lift at the Fishing Center. At Sunset we can haul your typical 80-footer as long as it’s not too wide. Our machine is 24 feet wide.
How many employees are at both marinas and the tackle shop?
Obviously we are a seasonal business so our staff grows tremendously in season. We go from about 20 year-round employees to somewhere around 75 in-season.
How many slips were in the marina when it first opened and how many slips are there now?
There were 60 when we opened and now there are 200.
What size boats can the slips accommodate?
At Sunset, we can accommodate boats up to about 90-feet in a slip and up to about 130-feet on a T-head
Is there currently a waiting list to be a slip holder?
We do have some limited transient space at Sunset but the seasonal slips are booked and at the moment we have a handful of slips available at The Ocean City Fishing Center and a couple of the new boat lifts while they last.
How many boats can you store in the Boatels?
The buildings were designed for two hundred each but with all of the T-Tops adding height, we can typically handle about 275 between the two buildings.
I know you are always filled to the max for the White Marlin Open. How many boats come in from out of town to dock at the marina during the tournament?
That varies. We are seeing more and more of the traveling boats come up and stay for an extended period. We used to have a huge push the Saturday before the open, but now most of the boats are already here. They’ll be about 140 boats fishing the Open out of Sunset.
What is the largest boat to ever dock at Sunset Marina?
We regularly see boats around 140-feet. Last year we had a 165-footer that belongs to a fish customer, but Sunset was full so he stayed over at Atlantic Tackle.
What famous people have docked their boats at Sunset Marina?
I’m normally the last to know, but every time an expensive looking yacht comes in, lots of people assume it belongs to someone famous. More often than not the owner is not a celebrity.
Sunset’s involvement with The MidAtlantic tournament has certainly grown over the years and the number of boats fishing in the tournament out of Ocean City has increased significantly. How do you see that tournament developing in Ocean City?
What a great partnership The MidAtlantic has been for all parties concerned. I’m so proud to have been a part of opening Ocean City as a second weigh station. I can’t say enough about the event organizers and their level of commitment to running a first class event. The MA has become a “must fish” for most of our customers.
Is there a possibility that Sunset Marina will one day host another large fishing tournament in the future?
Sunset is the host property for all of the Marlin Club Tournaments. I’m sure as time goes by Sunset will play host to lots of different events, big and small.
The Tournament Scale was built a few years ago. It obviously can handle very large fish and we have seen some big blue marlin get weighed on it. What was the driving force behind putting in the large scale?
At the time, the only place we had to pick up a fish was at the cleaning station and trying to run a tournament where fish are being cleaned is a recipe for disaster.. More than anything, it made sense to separate the two for crowd control. The fish cleaning area can get pretty congested.
Your last project was a new swimming pool and clubhouse. What was the reason behind this expansion and do you have any plans to make any changes to the pool or clubhouse in the future?
That’s what’s awesome about being a part of this organization. We had just come off winning “Marina of the Year” and we could have rested on our achievements, but if you would have hung out at the West Pool in the past, it would have been apparent why we built a second pool… the first wasn’t large enough. Once we started the planning for the pool, we came up with the idea to include a fitness center and game room, which has been a huge hit and really helped take Sunset to the next level.
What’s the next big project on the table for Sunset Marina?
We’re always looking at new ways to make our facilities better. This past year the electric service was upgraded throughout Sunset and the Fishing Center. New boats are requiring twice the electric service than they did when Sunset was originally designed.
There have always been rumors about a hotel on the complex. Is that something that was ever on the drawing board?
No hotel. The old plan provided for a hotel at the end of Sunset Avenue, but we revised that plan when the Pool and Amenities building was built. The current plan calls for six single family home sites on the vacant ground.
What is the fastest growing segment of the business?
Generally speaking, in the Marina business it’s definitely the large center console market from 30 to 42-feet. Now that they’ve come up with the horsepower to push these things around the ocean, there seems to be a huge demand for them .
We have pretty much run out of room for them at Sunset and to accommodate that market specifically, we permitted twenty one, 24,000 lb. boatlifts at The Ocean City Fishing Center. We have installed the first five and they’ve all been leased. We just ordered the second batch of five.
What’s the latest craze in the marina world and can we expect to see it come to Sunset Marina any time soon?
I like to think we’re on the front edge of some of these trends with the fitness center and on-site stores and restaurants, pools and game room. We’ve really created a World Class marina resort.
How many gallons of gas does the marina go through in a year?
Lots!!
What is the marina record for most gallons pumped in one day?
Funny story about fuel system at Sunset. The first year we were fully functional, we had about 120 boats fishing the White Marlin Open and I remember after the early morning ice deliveries, I went home to catch a cat nap. As I was laying there, I started running the numbers in my head. The weather forecast was bad for late in the week, so it was apparent that most boats would fish back to back, so 120 boats at an average of X number of gallons means we’ll pump X gallons total … and it was a light bulb moment. We couldn’t pass all the fuel necessary through our fuel system before the boats would be leaving the next morning. That was the beginning of the auxiliary fuel dock. We used a barge and a float, rolled up a couple of fuel trucks and created a second fuel dock. Since then, we’ve upgraded both the inventory capacity and the flow rate so now the Auxiliary Fuel Dock is a convenience for our customers to help complete the refueling process as quickly as possible.
Your sister marina, Ocean City Fishing Center, did some major work over the winter/spring. What was done and what are your plans for the future at OCFC?
Yes, we built a new fuel dock, upgraded electric and installed those awesome boat lifts. The lift project is being completed in phases. Eventually that will include some new slips on the north side of B-Dock.
You also turned Ake Marine into Atlantic Tackle with major renovations done to the facility. Reviews have been outstanding. Are you happy with how things are going at Atlantic Tackle and what can we expect at that location in the future?
Atlantic Tackle has been very well received. It was a bit of a leap of faith to build a world class tackle store in a seasonal town, but the support from the community has been fantastic and we look forward to being the hub of the sport fishing community in Ocean City and beyond for years to come.
Do you envision a time when another marina will be added to your family of marinas?
We’re always looking at new opportunities. You never know what’s next.
Do you feel like you’ve accomplished what you set out to do at Sunset Marina?
Well, you are only as good as your most recent customers experience. You can never relax. It's very important to stay motivated by always striving to exceed customers expectations. But I will say this, when I accepted the position from John Gudelsky, I asked him what he was hoping for in a marina. He thought for a minute and then replied “I want it to be a Kick-Ass marina” and I think together we’ve accomplished just that!
So far this season, we have had interviews with Capt. Monty Hawkins about the OC Reef Foundation, Capt. Bill Pino, founder of Squidnation.com, Franky Pettolina about the OC Marlin Club and Capt. Nick Clemente on the charter boat “Get Sum”. If you missed any of these interviews, you can find them in the Coastal Fisherman issues posted online at www.coastalfisherman.net.
