Berth Holders’ Autumn Newsletter 2020

Hello from the team at Cox’s Boatyard! We have been working hard throughout these difficult, unprecedented times to keep everyone afloat, doing our best to rise to the challenges Covid-19 has brought us all. We would like to say a big thank you to all our customers who patiently supported us as we endeavoured to get all craft back in the water as soon as the ‘new normal’ allowed.

Although the marina and workshops were closed during the part of lockdown, the office was still busy, and the pandemic created a wide range of totally different tasks for everyone to tackle, alongside our usual work.

Team photo 2020

Pictured above from left to right are our (socially distanced!), hard-working team: Tom, Brian, Robyn, Chris, Mat, Ryan, Damon and myself, Eric. Mat Gravener joined us in the spring and has extensive experience working on traditional Broads’ boats, whilst Ryan joined us in autumn last year as an expert GRP polisher and yard hand. Tom has been working around the marina keeping the grass down and also helping out in the workshops while his college course stopped during the summer.

25th Anniversary: Unfortunately, we had to cancel our 25th anniversary party in July, but we could not allow this important anniversary to pass without celebrating it in some way. We have therefore created a wonderful gift for all our customers! Please call in to the office and collect two 25th-anniversary bone china mugs, which feature a cartoon specially drawn by a local Broad’s artist Tony Hall for us.

25th-anni-cartoon

Cox’s Boatyard has been here since the 1800s and used to build and repair wherries. 25 years ago, the yard and marina had fallen into disrepair and was taken over by a consortium of 9 shareholders to try and ensure its future. The past 25 years have been extremely busy, and we have successfully carried out an enormous amount of work on boats both in the yard and offsite around the UK. Take a look at our website to see just a small selection of craft we have restored to their former glory! During the last quarter of a century the marina has been transformed from a half-let, shallow marina to a fully booked marina with state-of-the-art equipment and a waiting list of clients eager to make use of our expertise and facilities. Endless thanks are due to our loyal customers, as well as to the shareholders who took the risk of investing their money into the yard 25 years ago. Since those early days we have put in place the perfect team and equipment to transform the business into a thriving and forward-thinking enterprise.

Interestingly, the cost of using the slipway remains the same as it did 25 years ago – just £5! Keeping the fee this low is important to us as it allows everyone to enjoy a huge variety of water-related pastimes on the northern broads all year round.

Laughing Waters II: This 49-foot craft was built well over 100 years ago and we have been working on her restoration for some time. Covid-19 brought the unexpected bonus of having the time and space to move her out of the workshop and to be suspended in the hoist for several days, allowing the new wood to take before she was floated her on her own for the first time in several years. This beautiful craft is due to leave us soon and move up north near to the owner’s home where she will have the inside fitted out. We will miss her!

Free Wi-Fi: The free Wi-Fi which you can log into from social media or the portal section of the website is up and running and is certainly being well used. Please do not forget to view and like our Facebook page which features regular updates on work being completed at Cox’s Boatyard.

Winter Lifting and Storage: The winter work form is attached so please complete it and return it as soon as possible. Instead of giving a precise lifting start date this year, we want our customers to get the most out their boats, so we are being a bit more flexible and varying the lifting time to accommodate as many people as we can. The most important date you need to give us is when you would like the craft ready for spring 2021. Good Friday 2021 is 2nd April, which is quite early, and last year we were quite tight for space, lifting around 140 boats out of the water over the winter months, so please return the forms to us as soon as possible.

Engines: Although your boat engines may not have been used as much as usual, or even if they have, we recommend giving them at least a basic service to keep everything running smoothly. Changing the filters and impellers is especially important as the engine could fail if these are not working correctly. We are currently completing services on large numbers of outboard engines of all makes and sizes, as well as on inboard engines, so let us know if you need any work carried out on your boat.

Health and Safety: Please ensure you read and abide by the new Healthy and Safety signs we have erected at the yard. This is a busy, working yard with heavy machinery constantly moving around, so everyone’s safety is of the utmost importance. Also, if we are lifting or moving boats please do not distract the drivers – just wait for them to stop their vehicles and come to you. Entry to the workshop is not permitted for members of the public as we want to keep everyone safe.

Mooring Fees: In order to help our customers and to thank them for their support throughout this extremely difficult year, we have decided not to raise the mooring fees in April 2021. These will remain at £46 per foot as a small gesture of our appreciation to all our loyal customers.

Customer Feedback Forms: Your completed forms are invaluable, and we very much appreciate your replies, so please keep sending us your comments, whether positive or negative, as this helps us to improve the service we offer. We read every single feedback form and do our best to act on any suggestions for improvement.

It just leaves me to thank you for your support throughout this difficult spring and summer and to express the hope that you enjoy the rest of this unusual season! We hope you keep safe and well through the autumn and winter, and don’t hesitate to ask if you need any help or advice, as we are always happy to assist!

Eric Bishop, Manager, Cox’s Boatyard Ltd