Dockwa got a shout-out in Marina World magazine this month for our insights into booking trends and predictions on boating activity...
If your marina has decreased or eliminated your hours, here are some ways to make use of this time to get ahead once things ramp back up for the boating industry. Up your skillset on the docks with online marina training from national and state-run organizations.
Note: All marinas are welcome to join 5 Steps to Keep Your Marina Running Remotely, hosted next week by Dockwa's co-founder and CRO Matt Fradette and VP of Product Jeremy Crane.
NMMA
The National Marine Manufacturers Association frequently hosts webinars for the marina industry, so follow them on social (Twitter, Facebook) and check back at their education and coronavirus response pages for updates. Past NMMA webinars are available to watch online as well – simply register to view.
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Tomorrow, Friday April 3, 12pm ET, they'll discuss how the $2 trillion stimulus bill recently will help marine businesses during the COVID-19 outbreak. Register here.
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Dealing with Volatility: What You Need to Know During the Coronavirus Crisis (March 30, 2020)
ABYCA
The American Boat & Yacht Council runs a slew of online courses. If the pricing gives you pause, scroll down for state-by-state compilation of assistance from marine trade organizations. They also run free online webinars, so stay tuned to their social feeds (Twitter, Facebook) for updates:
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Online Course: Basic Marine Electrical & Corrosion Mitigation – $149 through April 30 (normally $199)
MRAA
If your marina is a boat dealer, the Marine Retailers Association has made many of their online training modules free to dealers. From the MRAA website:
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, all standard MRAA educational courses found at MRAATraining.com will be available free of charge to any dealer who wants to use the content from now through May 31st. Simply log in using your pre-existing account or create a new one. We are making these courses available to everyone, including all dealership staff and dealers who are not MRAA members.
Thank you, MRAA! Marina teams, click here for the full list of MRRA online webinars.
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March 25: How to Adjust Your Service Business
BoatUS
If you're totally new to the boating industry – I got my start as an office manager at a sailing club with zero sailing experience – BoatUS has a slew of online courses for boaters to better relate to your customers and catch the boating bug for when we're all back on the water.
For marina employees, check out BoatUS's spill prevention course – free, online, and take any time in 1-2 hours.
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Spill Prevention for Marina Staff – BoatUS
State and Local Marine Trade Organizations Assistance with Marine Training
Having met a handful of the folks who work at these organizations, I can attest to their work being, in a word, tireless. Thank you for all you do to help keep our industry afloat.
Rhode Island
The Rhode Island Marine Trades Association (RIMTA) has been compiling coronavirus information for RI marinas here.
As for online training, RIMTA can reimburse up to 75% of incumbent worker training costs. This training does not need to be limited to marine specific training. It could be excel training for their bookkeeper, project management course for a service manager, ISO optimization for their marketing coordinator... whatever will build their capacity as a business.
Maine
Maine's Department of Environmental Protection offers Brightwork: A Best Management Practices Manual for Maine's Boatyards and Marinas online for free.
