Recently-sold Wentworth By the Sea marina holds Veterans Day of Fishing
“We’re not getting any younger; the stars aligned!” laughed Anna Grace Holloway, wife of Paul Holloway, owners of the Wentworth By the Sea marina for over 30 years. “There was a willing buyer and a willing seller. The owners wanted to protect their employees and wanted the atmosphere to remain the same. It was a great run.”
In December 2021, the Wentworth By the Sea Marina was sold to Safe Harbor Marinas, the largest marina owner in the country. This month Safe Harbor Marinas confirmed they also purchased Kittery Point Yacht Yard.
Safe Harbor owns marinas in Martha’s Vineyard, Harpswell, Maine and Rockland, Maine, and was looking to expand their Northeast locations. Membership at any of their marinas offers what Safe Harbor calls “the world’s largest boating network.” A member receives discounts on fuel, retail discounts, complimentary transient nights, and local discounts.
Holloway says Safe Harbor had been looking at the Wentworth for several years. Owners - the Holloways, the Marple estate and local Mike Bryant - asked that their loyal employees be retained. Fourteen of the 15 employees have remained at the marina: the only one who left had been planning to leave.
Safe Harbor also agreed to host the June 22 charity event “Veterans Day of Fishing” for its fifth year, with proceeds going to “Little Harbor Charitable Foundation,” founded by the Holloways.
Northeast Passage advisory board member and boater Richie White, Ed Patenaude Jr, and Philip Brekke, Assistant Director of Development for Northeast Passage, collaborated on the logistics for the day. Northeast Passage’s vision is stated as “the relentless pursuit of a barrier-free world for individuals with disabilities.”
Brekke says of Wednesday’s event, “We had 17 boats take 30 veterans out for a day on the water chasing stripers. We had a great day thanks to the hard work of our local captains and mates who put a lot of energy into the event to make a memorable experience for our veteran anglers.” Some veterans come in wheelchairs to take part in a day of fishing and the captains have developed adaptive fishing devices so all can participate.
The Holloways felt they should create events that got the boaters involved and gave back to the community. The various fishing tournaments hosted gave birth to the Little Harbor Charitable Foundation. The foundation funds programs that support children and families such as Gather’s Meals for Kids programs and the backpack program which sends younger at-risk children home from school with backpacks full of food for the weekend.
Oliver Chisholm has been with the marina for 13 years. He started as a Portsmouth High School summer employee and is now General Manager. Asked what was fun about working at the marina he smiles “It’s all fun down here. It’s great seeing the large variety of boats that come in.” He describes the biggest boat that arrived being 250 feet; it was a mini cruise ship on its way to Maine. There have been a couple of boats with heli-pads. Already July and August are sold out on weekends for transitory dock space, and there are wait lists.
There is also an extensive wait list of locals for slip space. “There are more and more boats,” Chisholm says, “but no more marinas.” Holloway agrees, “And there won’t be any more anytime soon.”
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Wentworth By the Sea marina holds Veterans Day of Fishing
