Martinez Marina Dredged

‘Lectronic Latitude readers may recall this writer’s misadventure last February during Vallejo YC’s annual Sweetheart’s Cruise to Martinez Marina. You can read all the embarrassing details at the link above, but the short version is that we didn’t check the tide charts and spent half the night aground just outside a slip on A dock. But, we learned during our stay, after years of political wrangling — and quite possibly some good old-fashioned begging — the City of Martinez had cleared the way for the marina to finally be dredged.

"The dredging was completed in December," reports Harbormaster Craig Paulsen. "The entrance and main fairway was dredged to nine feet, and the guest dock to seven." Paulsen also tried not to rub it in too much when he said that a couple of slips at the end of A dock — heh hem — had also been dredged.

"Now if everyone would let the City know how important it is to develop a long-term plan to have the entrance and one part of the marina dredged every two years, we could increase our tenancy," notes Paulsen. He suggests sending your emails of support for such a plan to Recreation Manager Mitch Austin. 

"This was a blessing for the marina," he says. "We’re looking forward to more yacht club cruise-ins because now the marina is accessible 24/7." In fact, VYC’s Sweetheart’s Cruise is the marina’s first cruise-in for 2013, and we’re looking forward to spending this year tied to the guest dock instead of having our transom exposed to the world.