6/26/01
We just received the sad news that Richard Gonzalez died Sunday after an automobile accident in Caracas last Saturday night. His wife Arelis was with him at the time, but mercifully was unhurt. Apparently a drunken driver lost control and jumped the median of the autopista, striking their vehicle on the driver's door. Our prayers and best wishes to her and to all of Richard's family and many friends. We will miss him.
6/22/01
Lots of people are starting to call about dockage reservations, and our space is limited, so if you need dockage for this fall please get in touch with Jean Francois or Andy ASAP. Since so many people have asked, here is The List of confirmed dockage reservations as of this writing.
6/21/00
Macuto had to go under the knife again yesterday, this time to replace the "nails" that were holding his ankle together. He is doing fine, thanks very much, and will be back at the Marina in 10 days to two weeks time, He is at his Mom's for the next 10-14 days (011-58-212-237-1393) if you wish to call him.
2/26/01
Carlos "Macuto" Sanchez, our dockmaster, was teaching his daughter how to drive yesterday, and wound up in the hospital for his trouble. His right ankle was pretty smashed up, but he will be OK after a period of recuperation. If you would like to call him, he can be reached at his Mom's house in Caracas (011-58-212-257-1393) for the next month or so. He is "running the dock by telephone" (as he puts it), so everything is under control in his domain. We wish him a speedy recovery.
By the way, all of the Caracas area codes are now 212, not 02. This code will also apply to Caraballeda if and when we get our landline service back.
2/1/01
Andy Chelini joins us today as our Gerente de RPP (Public Relations Manager). His first priority is to build up a database of corporate clients who may be interested in using our facilities for meetings, training, parties, etc. So if you have such an interest, please call him at 58-414-321-0165!
1/18/01
Marina Portofino is again open for business. "Por fin" is the expression in Spanish, which means "at last!"
The channel dredging is almost complete, a trickle of water is coming into our tanks, the fishing is great, and "all is right with the world..."
- While we only have one boat at the dock at the moment, Sharon has already delivered the first evidence of the great fishing we are expecting for the current Winter/Spring season. Owner José Ramon, with Captain Alberto Perez Bello and Mate Javier Rocca, saw 2 blue marlin, 2 white marlin and 10 sailfish yesterday. José was hoping to release his first blue one on the fly, so they ended up with only one blue marlin release for the day (on conventional tackle, unfortunately.) Today they went one for one on the blue ones and zero for nine on the saildogs.
- Three of José's friends are coming in to fish with the Sharon crew next weekend, and Jean Francois has committed to have rooms available for their use before next Thursday (the 25th). The Slam Shack will also be "up and running" in time for their arrival. We expect our restaurant, Club Sancocho, to begin limited meal service on 15 February, and to be fully commissioned on or before 1 March.
- Preparations are well underway for our "Gran Reinauguracion" party on March 15.
- South Fishing is busy getting ready for their Shootout Tournament (the fishing dates are Friday 30 March - Sunday 1 April), so please make your plans early.
1/1/01
For those of you who may have missed this news item at the end of last year (you are checking this page daily, aren't you?):
- We are pleased to welcome Jean Francois Fernández, who has joined us as our new General Manager.
Jean Francois (he answers to "Jean", "Francois", or both) was most recently Gerente General of the Hoteles Confortel on the Isla de Margarita, and was previously general manager of the Hotel Puerto Viejo Resort and Marina during it's final stages of construction and grand opening. We anticipate great things from him, and he is looking forward to meeting all of you soon.
You can contact Jean Francois directly on his cellular at 58-416-824-3874.
The fishing is great; the Polar is cold. We look forward to seeing you soon.
PS – We are now accepting reservations for the Winter/Spring 2001 season.
We are also accepting reservations for the Fall 2001 season at this time.
Please download a copy of our Dockage Contract and Yacht Registration Form (also available in PDF format from this link), fill them out, and send both completed forms (either via E-mail to Marina Portofino or snail mail to Jeff West, PO Box 158, Harwich Port, MA 02646) along with a check for one months dockage for EACH season (Winter/Spring/Summer, 2001 or Fall, 2001) for which you would like a reservation. Please make all checks payable to Marina Portofino c.a.
Our plan is to maintain our discounted dockage prices through the upcoming Winter/Spring season and the summer time (in order to encourage more of you to come, obviously), and to return to our normal pricing beginning September 1, 2001.
We will ask those of you who would like to reserve a space for next Fall to send us a deposit of one month dockage now, with the balance of the three (3) month minimum dockage commitment due on or before 7/1/2001. The minimum dockage commitment for the upcoming Winter/Spring season is two (2) months.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call Jean Francois at 58-416-824-3874, or you can call Jeff West in the US at 508-432-1311.
PPS – We've added a new section to this web site to explain the legal intricacies of the charter business in Venezuela for those Owners and Captains who may be interested. You can find it here.
Copyright © 1996-2002 Marina Portofino c.a. All Rights Reserved
Revised 20 February, 2002
For more information send mail to Marina Portofino
