Dominic Smulders has had a close association with MDL, in one guise or another, for almost 40 years. A civil engineer by trade, he joined Bray Marina in 1987 as Assistant Marina Manager. Dominic later became the Marina's Sales Manager, running the busy brokerage operation, which he took on as his own when MDL sold their boat sales interests in early 1992.

Bray Marine Sales opened its door in MDL’s Bray Marina on 1 August 1992, and has gone from strength to strength, developing as the marina has evolved over the years.

When I first arrived at Bray Marina in the 80s, it was quite basic – just 250 berths and two loos. There was no electricity, no water and some rather old pontoons. A 30ft boat in the marina back then was considered a big boat.

“MDL invested heavily in the marina, supplying new pontoons with water and electricity, toilet and shower facilities, and Wi-Fi. Over the years, the marina has become very popular, and attractive to larger boats too – we’re now seeing 42-43ft boats visiting and berthing at the marina, enjoying what really is a spectacularly lovely part of the Thames.

“We’ve seen lots of people come and go over the years. We used to look after Ernie Wise’s boat as he used to live just up the river – lots of other celebrities too as the area, just down the river from Windsor and Eton, is a sought-after location. Bray Marina is also just opposite sporting venue Dorney Lake, which was just fantastic in 2012 as the Olympic and Paralympic rowing and canoeing were held there. As the crow flies, we were just 400m from the start line and could hear all the commentary for the races – it’s a great memory to have of such a momentous event.”