The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

and NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Reporters

A Grand Bahama marina yesterday denied that any visiting boaters were being turned away despite the closure of its Port Lucaya Marina affiliate.

Preben Olesen, the Grand Bahama Yacht Club’s (GBYC) principal, said it will be receiving all boats and yachts that would normally head for the Port Lucaya marina amid reports that security guards were “chasing away” vessels that arrived at the latter facility.

Mr Olesen, whose New Hope Holdings vehicle owns both marina properties, said no customer was being turned back once they show the proper COVID-19 related health documentation.

“The Port Lucaya marina is closed. We have two marinas that are in the same basin,” he explained. “You can come in the Bell Channel and, if you turn left, you can go to the Port Lucaya marina. If you come straight ahead you are at the GBYC, and we own both of the marinas. We have not had nearly the amount of traffic we would normally have for the month of July.”

Mr Olesen spoke out after Magnus Alnebeck, the Pelican Bay resort’s general manager, told Tribune Business he had been receiving complaints from some visiting boaters that they were being turned away from Port Lucaya.

“We have had a few boaters come in, but that’s been hit and miss,” he said. “Our biggest concern is that the Port Lucaya marina, our main marina and flagship marina, is still closed. Boaters showing up are saying why are you promoting that boaters are welcome when the marinas are closed? Security guards are chasing away boaters coming in. Welcome to Freeport, our craziness here.”

Mr Alnebeck said visiting boaters were being redirected to other marinas, but these were often located some distance from the hotels where they wanted to stay, resulting in aggravation and inconvenience.

However, the Port Lucaya marina’s Facebook page posted a message in March that states: “To all of our valued customers. Port Lucaya Marina is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. All vessels were moved to the Grand Bahama Yacht Club until further notice. The GBYC will remain open for current guests.

“However, no other boats will be permitted to dock at either marina. Our fuel docks will remain open from 8am - 5pm. However, no persons will be permitted to get off of the vessel. We apologise for the inconvenience but must take these measures to keep our guests and staff safe. We hope that you will return Grand Bahama island as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Mr Olesen confirmed yesterday: “We only have the GBYC open, which is the first one they get to, and that’s where we have Customs and Immigration and fuel and everything. We have a swimming pool and all of the facilities.

“At Port Lucaya we don’t have any of that. We have 145 slips at the GBYC, and we have about 65 slips at the Port Lucaya, so to have two marinas open that are literally side-by-side it doesn’t make sense. The shops over there at Port Lucaya are closed anyway, and what we do is when people come here to the GBYC we have a shuttle that takes them across the canal over to the Port Lucaya marina.”

Without giving a timeline for how long the Port Lucaya marina will be closed Mr Olesen said: “We are waiting to see what type of traffic we will get. It’s just like the hotels. They are not opening up because there is not enough customers. We have lots of capacity here at the GBYC and we have all of the facilities here. Those going to the Port Lucaya marina have to come in here anyway, and it is just a matter if you want to be on the left side of the street or on the right side of the street.”

Mr Olesen reassured that “nobody is going to be turned away”, as the GBYC has capacity to accommodate any size yacht or boat that wishes to dock. One person was turned away by Customs and Immigration, he added, because they didn’t have the proper documentation.

Mr Olesen said: “I heard that in other marinas they had lots of boats turned back to the United States, but not in our marinas. That’s why we are spending time with our customers to make sure they know exactly what they have to do and the type of documentation they have to get.

“To be honest with you I have had a number of people that have previously been docking at Port Lucaya, and then we explain to them that it is closed and you can come over to the GBYC and we can transfer them. They are raving about the visit to the GBYC. Quite frankly, the GBYC is a five-star marina and Port Lucaya is due to be renovated, so the GBYC is a much nicer facility and we have all of the modern amenities.”