Boaters were attracted not only by the beauties of the island, but by its marinas. Back in the day, yachts could be certain of full services at a number of well-placed harbours. In Waupoos. In Wellington. At Glenora.

The ongoing difficulties at the Picton Marina only underscore the importance of making sure the County can offer pleasure boaters a safe and reliable place to pull up.

New Prinyer’s Cove Marina owner David Wood has been learning on the fly since he and his partner, Erin, purchased the business back in 2023.

With just 18 seasonal slips, Mr. Wood describes his marina as “boutique.” And that’s just the way he likes it. It has a host of mooring balls, lots of transient docking space, and a community feel.

There are also a lot of challenges —and they grow exponentially with the size and services a marina offers.

“There’s all kinds of history here as a community marina and we feel very much a part of that,” he says. “We are very happy with the level we are at right now.”

Sail-in corn roast weekends and Saturday night potlucks on the dock draw in the neighbours. The Woods’ boaters are mostly locals, with a few seasonal slip-renters from as far as Kingston on one side and Cobourg on the other.

The occasional Looper comes in for an evening. Mr. Wood knows he would attract more of the boaters touring the Great Lakes on a 10,000 km circuit if he offered fuel.

But that would require longer hours and more staff.

“The wages you have to pay are high and it’s still very difficult to find staff.”

A Fine Line

Waupoos Marina offers fuel, electricity, and water. 100 of their 126 seasonal slips were booked in 2025. As at Prinyer’s, however, honing operations is delicate.

Waupoos made the difficult decision not to offer transient spaces this summer.

“It just didn’t make a lot of sense,” manager Joe Murray says. “We’d keep slips open for transients, but they would only show up on the weekends. We can’t make enough on them versus what we get for seasonal.”

Some boats come in after hours, plug into a vacant slip, use the showers and the electricity — and then shove off in the morning before the marina reopens.

Employing staff to work evenings and weekends is an additional expense.

Most slip renters are locals. Boats come from Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa for fuel or to launch for the day, but otherwise there’s little regular traffic.

“About 95 percent of the vessels are essentially floating cottages.”

The Loopers

A Looper can spend as much as $100,000 on a Great Lakes circuit. For places like Prince Edward County, there’s big bucks in boating. Or there should be.

Mr. Wood, for one, worries about the lack of offerings. The Glenora Marina has been up for sale for years without finding a buyer. And unless the County finds a way to settle its claims against its former operator out of court, what should be the jewel in the crown of its offerings, the brand news slips and boardwalks of the Picton Harbour Marina, could be tied up in lawsuits for years.

“A place you may want to take in is Picton in 
Prince Edward County on the Bay of Quinte.
It is a charming port that reminds me of any number
of small harbours in New England. The town has great 
restaurants. I recommend the terrace dining at
The Royal Hotel and the steamed lobster
at the Blue Sail.”

— member review posted at 
America’s Great Loop Cruisers Association

After two and a half years of construction, the new Claramount Club at Port Picton is planning a grand opening November 1. It will offer multiple indoor and outdoor dining options with glorious views over Picton Bay as well as 22 hotel rooms, a gym, pool, and tennis. A brand new boardwalk, designed for docking touring boats in for a few days or a week of spending, now connects the Port to the Picton Marina. But there are still no services available there beyond fuel — no electricity and no water. Port Picton’s CEO, David Cleave, says he spent the summer talking to the owners of the boats that tied up along the boardwalk.

“They are coming from Montreal, New York, Georgian Bay, from Kingston, and from the Toronto yacht clubs. They all said the same things. They were thrilled by the boardwalk, had chairs out, really enjoying our beautiful harbour. But every one of them told me there’s a large group on the Great Lakes that won’t come here because there are no services.

“If they come in July and August, they just swelter in these huge boats because there’s not even any AC.”

Mr. Wood of Prinyers worries about the same things. “Word of mouth travels so fast in boating. There are far more boaters out there than there are marinas to accommodate them,” he says.

“There might be a day when the County gets passed by because we don’t have the capacity to serve them.”

—With files from Karen Valihora