Happy Holidays
The entire staff of Somers Point Marina wishes you and yours a happy holiday season and a healthy 2008.

SPM will have its traditional closing for the upcoming holidays. We will close at noon on Friday, December 21 and reopen for the new year on Tuesday, January 8. Grady-White Boats is following the very same closing schedule, so do not try to make a plant visitation tour during that time.

And remember, do not be a stranger. If you are in the Somers Point area during the winter you always are welcome. Stop in, say hi and warm up with a cup of coffee. It is always good to see you.

2007 Year in Review
It certainly seems that each passing year goes by faster than the one before. Here at SPM there were several things that will make ’07 memorable.

First, there was the establishment of the Somers Point Grady-White Owners’ Club. With the diligence of an executive board the club’s inaugural year has to be classified as a great success. The members held several fishing tournaments and even a seafood cooking demonstration.

The 2008 plans are even more ambitious and are sure to increase the growing club membership roster. In the column to the left is a rundown on the club and what you can expect in 2008.

Another big news event was SPM being awarded a full-line Yamaha engine franchise. For many years the marina was what was called a pre-rigged dealership by Yamaha. That meant we were authorized and fully certified to repair and maintain all Yamahas but we were not permitted to sell them unless they came on the back of a Grady-White boat.

With the full-line now you can repower your boat with a Yammi within the friendly confines of SPM.

Fishing always makes news. This year the news, however, was dominated by a way too short summer flounder season. It is too early to tell what will happen with the area’s most popular fish for 2008, but if the season is extended it probably will be accompanied by larger size limits and smaller bag limits.

Adding to the angst of the flounder is word that we also may be looking at a severely curtailed tautog season. There is a possibility there may not even be a taug season in ’08.

SHARK FACT: The thresher shark is so named because of its long sickle-like tail which is about half its entire length. Thresher sharks feed primarily on small schooling fish (such as herrings, sardines) that are herded together with their tails and then stunned or killed with it. Thresher sharks are harmless to humans.

The catches of the year were highlighted by a 489-lb. thresher shark caught by slip tenant Jay Rasch from his 24 Grady called “Outcast”. That was the largest fish brought in here in many years.

Another slip tenant, Al Cortese landed an impressive doormat flounder weighing 10-lbs. while fishing from his Gulfstream, “Tina Marie”.

Speaking of fishing, the 2007 Grady-White Owners’ Tournament may have been the best ever. While winds kept down the catch, the après-tournament party/awards presentation was terrific, highlighted by live entertainment from another slip tenant, popular casino and club musician, Dr. Bobby Fingers.

Wrapping up our review of the ’07 season, we escaped without any major blows, although the remnants of hurricane Noel did pass off the coast in early November. But, while the weather generally was nice, it did seem we had an inordinate number of windy days, especially on the weekends.

While the 2007 season officially is over, we can look forward to the opening day of next year, May 1st.

Meet the SPM'ers
Those of you who have been dealing with SPM for any length of time know the faces you see around here do not change very often. Did you know the 16 full time marina employees have been here for a total of 125 years? That is an average of close to 8 years per worker. In an industry noted for a high personnel turnover, that is an amazing average.

Looking even further into our staff, their total time in the marine industry adds up to an incredible 276 years, plus or minus a couple! That means SPM has perhaps the most experienced crew in the state.

With such an experienced work force, we thought you might enjoy learning about the background of some of the SPM people.

Carl Hickman – Carl has been at SPM for a full decade now. He is one of our very experienced service technicians, his career going back 33 years. He began as a youngster working on neighbor’s boats and motors in Stowe Creek in Salem County.

He eventually graduated from his “shade tree” career and began working at marinas and dealerships. Carl has been fully certified by Yamaha and Johnson/Evinrude and currently is Yamaha 5 Star rated, ranking him in the elite of Yamaha techs.

Kathy Simone – Kathy is our parts and ship store manager and she has made two stops at SPM during her 18 year marine industry career. She first started here about 10 years ago and was here for several years before moving to another marine facility to work with her husband, Jose “Pepe” Simone, himself an ex SPM’er. After a one year stay, it was back to SPM where she has been a valuable part of the facility ever since.

Kathy’s first stop in the business was running a marina on Bidwell Creek on Delaware Bay. From there she was employed at several large marinas working in their parts department and ship store.

In future Docklines, we will tell you a little about some of our other loyal employees.

We Love To get Your Emails And Letters
Like to see your pictures or boating/fishing stories on the SPM site? Just send them along and you could find yourself in Docklines. Send your material off to Jim Pieklo at jim@somerspointmarina.com. Also, Grady-White Boats website also has an area where you can upload your Grady Life photos and stories. Check it out at www.gradywhite.com.