Cover Story: Winter safety pointers for boatyard visitors

The winter months pose dangerous weather conditions to visiting storage customers. With that in mind, the team at Haven Harbour Yacht Services has put together a few winter safety reminders for our patrons to consider when visiting the dry and wet storage areas of Haven Harbour Marina and Haven Harbour South.

• While checking on your vessel, do not venture out on a pier or dock alone. Hidden ice and other slick surfaces may throw you off balance, taking you for a plunge without anyone near to assist in your rescue. Expect ice or snow to be on the deck of your vessel when boarding.

• If your vessel is being wet stored, adjust all lines to position the vessel closer to the dock or finger pier for easeful boarding. Be sure to re-adjust all lines to their original positions before leaving.

• If your vessel is being dry stored, be very careful when walking between other vessels as heavy accumulations of snow and/or ice may be present.

• Take extreme caution when using a ladder. The base of the ladder should be planted firmly on solid and level ground – not ice. The ladder should also be tied at its top to prevent potential slipping or sliding. Make sure that your footwear is free from ice that could cause you to slip off the rungs. Keep your body centered on the ladder, never leaning to one specific side. As our insurance does not allow us to loan ladders, please be sure to bring your own.

• Often water that has accumulated on covers will freeze, making for a very heavy and hazardous area of solid ice. Should you have a large accumulation of ice on your cover, we recommend contacting marina staff to remove the ice, or provide assistance to you for safe removal; both free of charge.

• Please do not leave heaters or battery chargers operating onboard without supervision. Boats should be winterized properly so that heaters are not required – trusting our recommended professional battery maintenance service to care for your batteries throughout winter. Also, please do not run common extension cords to your boat, rather allow our team to assist you with a reliable and safe power supply.

Contact us with any questions, comments or concerns regarding the winter storage of your vessel(s). We will be posting routine boatyard condition updates right here in our weekly News @HHMR mailing.

Small Business Saturday: Join us next week for sales, gift buying

We are opening special this Small Business Saturday, Nov. 26, in the marine store at Haven Harbour Marina. Visit us from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. to take advantage of exclusive deals and discounts, like 30–50%-off select summer items.

Same-day clothing and gift wear purchases of over $50 (pre-tax) qualify for the chance to win a gift certificate of up to $200 in value. Gift certificate may be used by the winner – or re-gifted to a friend or loved one – for an overnight stay to the Inn at Haven Harbour. Certificate must be used by April 14, 2023.

Peruse our 2022 Holiday Gift Guide.