Reviews from Ray Parrish (12)

Marina Review for Ross Marine

Reviewed by: Ray Parrish on Nov 26, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 51'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

Ross Marina is a family owned business. They are great people and are very willing to help you. This is a boatyard and not a transient marina. We have had haul-out work done there 3 years in a row. I highly recommend them for any maintenance or major repairs.

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Marina Review for Pope's Island Marina

Reviewed by: Ray Parrish on Sep 16, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 51'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 1

We came to this marina because of the reviews. Unfortunately, the last review was from 2018 and something has definitely happened since then! I think the personnel has been changed.

Here is what we experienced. The dock hands were at our slip to help us tie up. All was well until we hooked up our power cable. The pedestal was new and popped it’s breaker as soon as we turned on our system. The dock master said it was our boat’s fault because we were from the South. He said all southern boats are wired wrong. We have covered the east coast of the United States in the last 8 months and have had no electrical issues at marinas, even with the new GFCI pedestals. The dock master moved us to a new slip and the power still did not work. The dock-hand told me we should look at another Marina in the area if we wanted power. The people on the adjacent boats said all slips have power problems and I noticed 30 and 50 amp extension cords going everywhere on all docks. I told the dockmaster we wanted a 50 amp extension cord to try some other pedestals. He found us one and based on advice from adjacent boaters, we found a pedestal that worked.

Customer service was non-existent! We had to ask for everything. The docks were in poor shape, but you could walk on them. The bathrooms and showers were not clean and most showers only had one hanger and no shelves. In light of Covid, this was disturbing because it was clear the women’s and men’s shower facilities had not been clean for days. In the women’s showers there were bunches of hair in each shower. Very poor!

This marina sounded much better than it was. We will not be coming back. We do not like giving bad reviews, but I would have not gone there if I had known the true condition of the facilities, especially at the price we paid!

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Marina Review for Cape Ann's Marina Resort

Reviewed by: Ray Parrish on Sep 10, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 51'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 4

This is a great little marina with 2 restaurants onsite or nearby. You can walk a mile into town for shopping and additional restaurants.

Karl and his team are very friendly and will make you feel at home. Two of the Wicked Tuna captains keep their boats there. Met both of them and spoke for about 30 minutes. Paul with Wicked Pissah and Dave with Tuna.Com were there and getting ready for some TV shots.

The current in the river can be high at the bridge, but it is manageable. This is a fun place to stop.

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Marina Review for Bar Harbor Municipal Pier

Reviewed by: Ray Parrish on Sep 10, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 51'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 4

The Harbormaster is very helpful and he will find you a mooring. We were here in August during Covid, so we did not have any cruise ships or launches running around. Bar Harbor has a ton of things to do in town. Go on Oli’s Trolley for the tour of Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park. It is 2.5 hours and well worth it. This area has an incredible history and the guides cover it all.

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Marina Review for Dysart's Great Harbor Marina

Reviewed by: Ray Parrish on Sep 10, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 51'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

Micah and Jane are great and they will help you with anything. We stayed here for over a week and really enjoyed the marina and the area.

The bathrooms & showers are a walk away, but they are clean and roomy. Beall’s Lobster Restaurant is worth the walk or dinghy ride.

While this is a pricey marina, it is the best in the area and worth it. We will certainly stay here again if we come this way.

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Anchorage Review for Roque Island

Reviewed by: Ray Parrish on Aug 25, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 51'
Draft: 4.5'

This was the most scenic bay we stayed in while in Maine. Exposed from the south, with some rollers. We will definitely be coming back here.

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Anchorage Review for Shorey Cove

Reviewed by: Ray Parrish on Aug 25, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 51'
Draft: 4.5'

We had some rollers on the south shore of Roque Island so we came here and experienced no rollers. The homestead on the island is here on the western shore of Shorey Cove where it is most shallow. We anchored in about 20’ depth at high tide (8 feet at low) in the SW corner of the Cove. We were well protected from the SW winds. The Cove is exposed to NE and NW winds, but protected otherwise.

Note: We anchored in the SE corner, not the SW when this icon is located.

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Marina Review for Galilee Fuel Services- Fuel Dock

Reviewed by: Ray Parrish on Jul 22, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 51'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 4

I called on the radio about 1 hour out and they were very helpful. I called the fuel dock on Channel 80 as I rounded the inlet with the Docks in sight. The dock master ran out on the end of a dock to tell us what slip to go into. (They are all wide slips with no face Docks). We went where he told us and he ran to catch all of our lines. He also stood by the pump to tell us when we got close to the amount of fuel needed. The fuel today was $1.87/gallon, less .05 cents for cash or check, less .02 cents per gallon for every 200 gallons you purchase. We purchased 325 gallons. The fuel net cost was $1.80/gallon plus 7% tax for a total of $627.30.

It was a very pleasant experience. The facilities are rough, but I just wanted good fuel at a reasonable cost. I will stop back here when we return from Maine.

Ray and Diane
Radian Journey

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Marina Review for Norwalk Cove Marina

Reviewed by: Ray Parrish on Jul 18, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 51'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 4

Nice facilities and good people. The fee here is $4.00/ft plus electric. Breakfast / Lunch cafe right by dock office. Dinner restaurant on the point within walking distance.

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Marina Review for Hoffman's Marina

Reviewed by: Ray Parrish on Jul 16, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 51'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 4

Great dock master, but pricey. It’s $4.00/ft or $3.50/ft with BoatUS discount.
Also, strong current and wakes from boats.

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Marina Review for Anchor Bay East Marina

Reviewed by: Ray Parrish on Jul 8, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 51'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

We had a great time here. Hard to find anything around this area that compares. Art and his team, the restaurant and great folks make this a fun and cost effective Marina to stay in. We will be back. We were here for two weeks.

Ray Parrish
M/V Radian Journey

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Marina Review for Alligator River Marina

Reviewed by: Ray Parrish on May 20, 2020
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 51'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 3

There are a number of positives here at Alligator River Marina. The people are great and provide a good service. Wi-Fi is great and the marina harbor is well protected. Wi-Fi is very good. We streamed Netflix very successfully with no data limit. The facilities, however, could use some work.
The entrance channel has silted in, but is supposed to be dredged out sometime in the future. I was told by the Dockmaster that I should have plenty of water on the starboard side of the channel, but we did not. We had zero depth below our 4.5’ keel on the way in and bumped the bottom. There are signs of repairing storm damage on the docks with some new decking on the docks over by the showers. The water here is well water and not recommended for putting in your boat. The shower heads were mostly clogged with rust colored mineral deposits. The showers work, but are not ideal. The food is pretty good. The eat-in dining room is closed due to Covid-19, but the take-out is good. The Marina could be much better. I think the gas station/convenience store takes priority over marina operation and maintenance. This is our second time here since this marina is in a good location between Coinjock and Belhaven. We hope they work to improve the facilities here soon.

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