Boater and difficult season
Boaters expect difficult season
By WILLIAM H. SOKOLIC • Courier-Post Staff • July 2, 2008
ATLANTIC CITY — Morris Washington, a retiree from Atlantic City, likes to cruise with his wife down the Chesapeake Bay, up to Block Island and along the Connecticut River.
But with fuel prices escalating each week this summer, his 35-footer, Sengbe's Hope, will stay closer to his home port at Farley Marina across from Trump Marina.
"We'll cruise around Atlantic City, fishing," said Washington, a former executive with Panasonic in New York, who spends $800 to fuel his boat. "We're also good to go to Cape May for a long weekend. It's a 70-mile trip."
Yet the high cost of fuel and maintenance won't cut back on the number of trips Michael Hess takes to the canyons, more than 65 miles from shore. Instead of bringing three or four of his buddies to split the tab to run his 34-foot boat, GIOP, he'll have five or six on board.
"Last summer it cost $900 for 300 gallons of fuel. I pay $1,200 this summer," said Hess, a Medford resident, who now splits his time between the Jersey Shore and West Palm Beach, Fla.
With few exceptions, the economic fallout associated with rising energy costs has hammered the boating and fishing industry down the shore.
"It affects any transportation business. I feel the pinch driving around. If you use fuel to make a living, you really feel the pinch," said Jim Cicchitti, who operates four boats, three in Wildwood Crest and one in Cape May.
He captains whale and dolphin watching cruises, dinner cruises and deep sea fishing excursions.
"I'm not optimistic at all about the summer," he said. "The bulk of the people who go on our boats are blue collar workers who only have so much they can spend. Fuel is almost double what I paid this time last year. I can't raise prices enough to cover it."
Cicchitti has upped his prices about 8 percent for this season.
"If I run with full boats, the price increase covers it. But if it's only half or a quarter . . . I'm falling behind and that's what a lot of our trips are. Few run at capacity."
The fishing boats take up to 70 passengers; the other cruises between 100 and 150. The operating expense remains the same whether one or 150 take the trip, he said.
Cicchitti said he never saw the situation so grim during more than 32 years in business.
At Farley Marina, the smaller boats haven't come as frequently this summer, said Frank LaRosa, director of hotel and marina operations at Trump Marina. "But we're seeing larger boats coming in. We're at the mercy of fuel prices. They go up every week, and we have to pass it on. We're ahead in revenue over last year, but we're down in volume."
Greg Barton, who takes up to six fishermen on charters in the 61-foot Barrister, will take fewer trips offshore, in favor of more inshore fishing expeditions. The cost per trip rose $1,000 this year to $4,000 for the day, $5,000 overnight to cover the $600 to $700 he spends a day for fuel.
"That's a lot of money no matter who you are," said Barton, who grew up in the Point Pleasant area. "If fish are biting and you can justify it, that's fine. But we're seeing a lot more tire kickers."
It also cost more money to catch bait and process it, said Paul Pitraszka, a Sayreville native who works on the Barrister, which winters in Palm Beach and summers at Farley Marina. These days it costs $80 a dozen for live bait. Five years ago, it was $40, he said.
South Jersey Marina, which rents boat slips and sells bait and tackle, reports participation in a shark tournament it sponsors is down 15 percent this year, said marina owner, Rick Weber, who also owns South Jersey Yacht Sales, both in Cape May.
"Fuel prices have caused people to fish less," he said. Others are waiting to find out when the fish are plentiful before committing.
Yacht sales have also fallen off some, Weber said. People are pausing more, acting cautiously, he said.
"My clientele, even the wealthier ones into sports fishing, work hard and play hard. If their business is off, they play less hard, and spend more time at their desk. They're affected by the price of gas and the economy," said Weber, whose customer base hails from Eastern Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland and New Jersey.
The impact doesn't just fall on large operations.
Mary Ann Anagnou has seen fewer people this year at Dad's Place Marina in Wildwood. She blames the cost of fuel.
"We have a 600-foot pier, but nobody was here today," she said recently. "Come Saturday or Sunday, we see half the number of boats we used to see."
Then there's the rarity like George Brennan, who owns Brennan Marine in Somers Point, selling fishing and boating equipment.
"We're doing fairly well. Business is a little off from last year's sales, but that was our best year," he said. "However, once sticker shock sets in, I expect we'll see a downturn."
Boaters can take steps to reduce the fuel bite, Weber said. Weber's advice: Slow down a few knots; don't carry unneeded gear; and don't go out as far.
