Marine leisure industry is patiently waiting for a sense of recovery

As the lockdown is eased, more people who own boats are managing to get back out on the water, according to itv.com, and the flood of sailing event postponements and cancellations is receding, with event organisers promoting events that they hope to run.

However, people who run businesses in the marine leisure industry say it will take some time to recover from the effects of the past few months.

RYA sailing club of the year, Christchurch Sailing Club, has had a disappointing start to the year with virtually no activity since March. Things are looking up though as more than 50 boats are being put back on the water. Chris and Jane Lockett, who have been members for nearly forty years, are pleased to see their boat back on its mooring. “I think all the precautions were sensible and the craning back in was seamless, so I’m very pleased,” says Chris.

For many sailing clubs and their members this is the beginning of getting back to some sense of normality, with Parkstone YC going so far as to make the bold announcement that Poole Week would run on its original dates, Sunday 23 to Friday 28 August. But it’s a different case for people who work in the marine industry.

At Newhaven, the lack of income during the lockdown has been a setback for plans to develop and improve the marina. While further inland, waterways are now open, but some businesses still remain closed, according to itv.com.

With many parts of the marine sector struggling, businesses are thinking of new ways to stay afloat, but with boating being such big business in the South, the end of lockdown can’t come soon enough.