A Successful Marina Rises from the Dust

Fairwinds Marina on the Magothy River in Annapolis, Maryland, opened in 1959. It was a family-owned and -operated facility, passing from one generation to the next over several decades. However, as sometimes happens, the owners aged out and had no new family members to take over, so the property fell into neglect.

An Eyesore with Potential
JoAnna Goldberg was searching for a way to start her own business and had always loved boating. Her father, Larry Goldberg, wanted to help, saw a sale ad for Fairwinds in the Washington Post and started his research. He and his wife visited the property and quickly determined it was not worth the asking price. However, he later received a phone call that the marina was going up for auction. He asked JoAnna to take a look at the site. “There were two giant warehouses filled with equipment and tools that pulled me in. The location was majestic and serene perfection. I said yes and had no idea what I was signing up for,” she said. Armed with Larry’s facts on the property, they placed a bid and became the new owners in 2013.

JoAnna said she spent the first six months learning everything she didn’t know and was grateful that two of the mechanics and a grandchild of the original owners agreed to stay and help with the transition.

By the Goldbergs’ account, the marina had 146 slips that were falling into the water, a quarter inch of dust across everything in the store and an upland that was essentially a giant dustbowl filled with debris and trash. They estimated there were 20 abandoned boats in the basin and on the upland. Despite the state of the marina, about 50% of the slips were still occupied, but Larry said several of the slip holders were problematic, and they decided not to renew their leases.

Work Begins
The office and store had never been switched over to digital, so JoAnna spent weeks “cleaning off dust that was older than I was and hand counting inventory to get it listed in a computer.” At the same time, they found help to address the restrooms. “The restrooms were so bad my wife wouldn’t go in there,” Larry said. “One of our staff members liked cleaning, and she spent at least two days cleaning each stall. It took her that long to just clean, not restore or fix anything.”

While the staff took on cleaning and organizing, the priority was to replace the dangerous docks. The Goldbergs had a vision for what they wanted, but getting the permits took three years, so they repaired what they could. Today, they have fixed wooden docks with power and water protected by a wave attenuator that blocks the stiff north wind that funnels through the river. They chose to cater to the neighborhood by selecting slips mostly in the 30-foot range to support local day-trippers.

Upland, they attacked the mess, working with haulers and recyclers to clear the yard. “The old boats were stripped, and the fiberglass was originally taken to landfills, but I built a relationship with scrap haulers who helped disassemble and recycle what they could,” JoAnna said. To reduce the risk of abandoned boats going forward, they won’t take older boats unless they inspect them first. The debris piles and old boats were replaced with dry storage for 45 boats.

The two restrooms, which each include two stalls, a sink and a separate shower room, were completely overhauled, and a driveway was added to the property. A massive water treatment system and solar panels that power about 90% of the marina’s electrical needs round out much of what has been completed to date. “JoAnna got the proper environmental protections in place, like washdown mats and water recycling, and we instituted rules like customers can no longer paint their boat bottoms on site,” Larry said. Every aspect of the marina was organized, cleaned and modernized.

Looking Ahead
“It has been my mission to help people play outside, and I wanted to take this beautiful piece of land on the water and turn it into a family-friendly base for people to get on the water,” JoAnna said. Larry believes she has succeeded. “Along with the physical changes, the atmosphere has changed 180 degrees. She’s brought it to a place where everyone treats the marina like home. That makes it a wonderful place to be,” he said. With occupancy now around 80%,

the customers agree.

Going forward, the Goldbergs know there’s more work to be done, and that commitment is one of the many reasons why Marina Dock Age awarded Fairwinds Marina with the 2024 Building and Growing award. They explained that they have several paths forward under their current zoning, which could include adding a pool, restaurant or boat storage building, but they recognize they are part of a larger neighborhood, and that civic responsibility is their guiding principle. “We turned the Wild West into a nice, family-oriented marina, but we also worked with the community with a beach replenishment effort. We discount work for their youth boating programs. We support the local elementary school,” Larry said. “We’re part of the neighborhood, so we’re working with the community to make the decision on how to move forward.”