FOR 13 years, the Errol Flynn Marina and Boat Yard in Port Antonio, Portland, has been providing services to local and international boat owners.

The main operation at the boat yard, Chief Operator George Munro explained, is the removal of vessels from, as well as, placing them back into the water.

“The main operation here is the 100-tonne marine travel lift which takes boats of all makes and sizes, up to 100 tonnes, from the water and also pushes them back to the water.

“The services we provide here are the painting of the bottom of the boats and whatever else customers require.

“We have foreign boats docked here for the hurricane season, which the owners will return for them in November or December. We keep them here and take care of them, strap them down in case of a hurricane, and we also provide fuel for them, which comes from local sources,” he said.

Munro noted that repairs and damages to boats vary.

He said, for example, the keel (underside of boat) may sometimes be damaged and the fibre glass might need to be replaced or an owner may request a re-spray.

“The traffic here is seasonal in the hurricane season, which is now; we have less traffic but afterwards when it has ended, you will find both transient and local vessels coming through here,” he said.

Munro pointed that operations fall within the remit of the Port Authority of Jamaica and that it is the only operation of its kind in the country.

“I was personally trained abroad to operate this machine.

“To my knowledge, this is the only system like this in Jamaica. The coast guard in Kingston has a small one, 25 tonnes, but this is a 100-tonne one,” he explained.

The boat yard is capable of storing approximately 50 boats at any one time.