Torquay Marina Berth Holder News
Another year has flown by! We’d like to start off by saying a huge thank you to everyone who has kept their boat with us this year. You really do play a part in making our marina a great success. We’re proud to say that the marina has been on average 95% full of annual berth holders for the majority of the year.
It’s been another busy year and although the sunshine wasn’t always on our side, it didn’t dampen our spirits. We started the year by welcoming our brand-new tenants to Torquay Marina. Anthony and his team opened their doors to their new bar/restaurant Otto towards the end of April. They offer artisan coffee, brunch, cakes, authentic Neapolitan pizza & drinks, day or night. They were pleased to introduce ‘Il Cornicione’, the people behind their pizza kitchen. Their authentic Neapolitan pizza is award winning, and delicious we have to say! Fresh dough, made by them in house daily, which is stretched to order and cooked to perfection in their traditional pizza oven, which is a focal point of the restaurant. Oh, and they offer a 10% discount to our berth holders.
As we sailed into May, the marina prepared to welcome our new King. Once again, we held a Best Dressed competition to celebrate. We also offered scones, jams and creams all round – yummy. We witnessed some fantastic sunrises and sunsets in the Bay and we all hoped that summer was on its way as we enjoyed a busy Bank Holiday weekend.
We swiftly flew into June and Tor Bay’s eagerly awaited English Riviera Airshow. This is always a sight to see and many of you went out into the middle of the Bay for a fantastic view, while many of you also enjoy the view from the pontoons. A couple of weeks after the Airshow, we saw Father’s Day. We walked around the pontoons offering dads (and some mums) a chilled Beer or Cider. We think you’ll all agree, the weather was stunning in June and we all thought we were in for a long summer. Towards the end of June, we also hosted a Pimm's weekend to celebrate the start of Wimbledon, where Andy stirred up some yummy drinks. And that was Game, Set & Match for June. Our much-loved Trolley of Treats continued throughout the year where we offered wines, beers, ciders and soft drinks.
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t play ball in July and August and on 5th August we were hit by Storm Antoni, with Brixham seeing the highest wind speeds in the country. Berry Head recorded North West wind speeds of 78mph! On this day, we had a team of Dockmasters on shift keeping your pride and joy safe. Swiftly after Storm Antoni passed through, it was swiftly followed by Storm Betty on 18th August – luckily, Torquay only caught the tail end of the storm.
To support the core team, we welcomed a few new faces and welcomed back some seasonal workers who did a great job last year. This year we recruited Harriet, Barry, Jacob and Reece to the Torquay team. These team members have brought a wealth of knowledge and skills from different backgrounds.
We also continued with investment in the marina. We replaced the entire length of ‘F’ and ‘G’ Pontoons, and towards the end of 2023 and into 2024 we’ll also be re-piling and extending the berths on A Pontoon, re-piling and enlarging some of the berths on ‘B’ Pontoon, and replacing two thirds of the main walkway. We’re also adding a brand-new visitors’ pontoon so we can welcome more visitors and host events. Alongside the pontoon works, we’re also refreshing the facilities block. This will include a full refresh and new boiler installation. Before the facilities are refreshed, we’ll be laying down a waterproof membrane and then completely resurfacing one third of the top level of the car park.
We look forward to another busy year and to you joining us in 2024.
Torquay Marina Team
