April 19, 2010
Dockmaster John Robey gets very animated when he talks about what he can see from his windowed office at Ocean Marine Yacht Center in Portsmouth, Virginia.
“I mean, we have three U.S. Inter-continental ballistic missile cruisers across the way. We get nuclear aircraft, cargo ships, navy vessels, you name it, in this port,” said Robey.
From his office he can see the sailing yacht The Pride of Baltimore, Maryland’s flagship and ambassador.
“This harbor is a fascinating place, I have the world’s best office,” he said by phone.
Located on the southern branch of the Elizabeth River, Ocean Marine began in 2001 and has been opened since about 2003, Robey has been dockmaster for the past year.
Before, Robey worked for 10 years in the U.S. Army in Washington, D.C., retiring during Nixon’s second term. Then he spent 21 years in the U.S. Secret Service. He retired at the same time Bill Clinton did, when the second George Bush came in.
“This is a bit of a departure isn’t it?,” he said of his current post.
But Robey has owned boats since 1972, and it has always been his hobby.
He was marina chairman at the Mt. Vernon Yacht Club and commodore of Potomac River Yacht Club Association, which represents 23 yacht clubs in the area. Those were hobbies also.
When he retired he was consulting and not ready to give up working.
“I wanted to do something fun. This is fun,” he said.
He was at Mt. Vernon Yacht Club and was in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxilliary from 1988 to 2008. He was Flotilla Commodore and was public affairs officer and education officer. Since the Auxilliary request its members have a specialization, Robey became a certified instructor and certified weather specialist. He taught weather and is still passionate about it.
“I’m a techie, look at what technology has done. In my lifetime we used to have hunches and guesses as to what would happen with the weather. It is phenomenal, now we can really know,” he said.
He added that sometimes the amount of information can be overwhelming and maybe people can have too much data to absorb. Robey explained how sometimes he is immersed and into gathering the statistics, following the fronts and predicting the weather. But sometimes, when overwhelmed, he says he knows that whatever happens will happen.
Oh yes, Robey has the entire weather station at home, anemometer and all. He tracks the data on his computer and said he used to have it online so I could access it anywhere, but has since stopped that.
Back at his job, Robey said he helps visitors with navigation plans. Ocean Marine Yacht Center is on the Intracoastal Waterway, inside the opening to the Chesapeake Bay. It’s a large body of water with many variables and although people have the tools, charts, weather programs and information, it is still difficult without local knowledge. So he guides visitors with specifics for their boat, timing and endurance.
Robey continues with his ability to handle any variety of job as he is dockmaster over the marina, the dry storage and the 24-hour security.
“And I’m the broker, I have my license,” he added.
Each morning he checks with the staffs of the marina and the dry storage, then back to the yard to see what support they need. Always checking priorities he said.
Ocean Marine is a deepwater marine, in a protected area for dockage and work.
“We are absolutely full-service here,” Robey said.
The yacht center can paint with full environmental safeguards, filtered water and air and the building is heated said Robey. He said they have full metal, wood and fiberglass shops and the facility provides refit and repair, dockage and storage to yachts of all sizes.
As far as megayacht dockage he said there is plenty of space and the center is becoming more popular. They have several areas for large vessels including face docks of 420 feet and 390 feet of face dock with an additional 40 feet. There are three fuel docks.
Aside from the full-service yard, Robey is proud of what he feels is the most important service at the center.
“This sounds trite, but we offer hospitality and information.”
Robey thinks knowledge is power and he tries to keep visitors informed. He loves the welcome package they hand out containing information about local shops, restaurants, pubs, museums, events on the downtown waterfront, even the cable television channels.
“We hit them with a big pack and they rarely come back with questions,” he said.
A giant draw to the marina is the nTelos Wireless Pavilion which has concerts from May to October. He said some people come by boat because even if they don’t go to the concert, they can hear it, it’s 50-feet away.
“One time we had 50 transients on top of all our regular boats. We had staff on each dock, with everyone veering them in. We orchestrated it like a symphony,” he said.
This season concerts include Michael Franti & Spearhead with special guests The Wailers, Earth, Wind & Fire, Sheryl Crow, Gordon Lightfoot, B.B. King and Heart.
Dockmaster Robey will tell you anything you need to know about his yacht center, local events, navigating and the weather. Just don’t ask about the Secret Service.
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