Innovations in the inland harbour
The new owners are not planning any significant price increases beyond the usual level. Instead, they want to expand the service and offer typical shipyard and cleaning services in order to bring the harbour into the profit zone. A brokerage is also to be part of the harbour's new offering. "The municipality couldn't and didn't want that because it would have competed with the existing businesses. That's why a private owner had to be found," says Hanneke Broersma, who bought the 350-berth harbour together with Egbert Bosma. In future, there will generally be more services, such as bread rolls and newspapers, in addition to the actual shipyard services. The petrol station and crane will continue to operate as usual. The opening and service times have changed: They have been extended.
Trouble in the Buitenhaven
Things are also happening outside the old lock. The harbour there, known as Buitenmarina, has been taken over by the Portijk family and the prices have been increased, in some cases sharply. Some owners of permanent berths have already moved to other harbours. "Yes, we have brought the mooring fees in line with the market and orientated ourselves to the surrounding marinas. That was painful for some owners, as we also switched from a price per boat to a price per box," explains Henny Portijk, the new owner, to YACHT. "If someone with a nine-metre boat is moored in a 13-metre box, they now have to pay for that box. Of course it's more expensive. This is a legacy of the municipality that we had to clear up. To make it a little more bearable, we're covering the tourist tax and the waste surcharge for the first year of the festival, and there's also a ten per cent discount in the restaurant," Portijk continues. Free Wi-Fi will also be available in the harbour from this summer. This was not enough for many long-standing berth holders, who were annoyed and moved to another harbour.
The prices for short-term visitors will initially remain the same (1.50 euros per boat metre), and there will be more berths available due to the departure of the fixed moorings. However, some of the newly vacated boxes will be occupied by the Iselmar Maritiem charter fleet from now on. Ten Bavaria sailing yachts will be based directly on the IJsselmeer from the spring.
A general trend?
According to the new owners, the sale of the harbours in Lemmer is probably related to the planned merger of the municipalities of Sleat-Gaasterlan and Lemsterland in 2013. Such a merger has already taken place in the municipality of Southwest Friesland. In times of tight municipal budgets, further mergers are likely to follow in Friesland. For permanent berth holders in municipal harbours, this could mean rising harbour costs in the future. In Lemmer, at any rate, this transition has now taken place. We can only hope that the other marinas will not feel compelled to raise their tariffs as a result of the elimination of the favourable berthing options there.
