Each boating season brings a colorful mix of new and familiar faces to the docks at Haven Harbour Marina and Haven Harbour South. Being a seasonal job, the dock crews are commonly staffed by college students home for the summer.

This year's Haven Harbour Marina Dock Crew has one newcomer among two experienced dockhands.

The newcomer, however, is certainly not one who lacks experience. Ben Hillyer, born and raised in Rock Hall and pictured top left, holds close to 10 years of boating and dock knowledge. "It's my job to help boaters have the best experience possible and give a helping hand with a smile," he said. Ben has one clinical left to complete before graduating from the Chesapeake Area Consortium for Higher Education (CACHE) program for physical therapy this October.

Marking her fourth year on the dock crew, Katie Falls, pictured top right, says she enjoys the team atmosphere and working outdoors. Katie is nearing the start of her second and final year of graduate studies in social work. She is enrolled in courses at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Christian Sunkler (Jr.), pictured second from right, is in his second year of dock crew membership. Also from Rock Hall, he grew up sailing with his family. While on the job, Christian enjoys getting to know slipholders and meeting new transients. His father, Christian (Sr.), is a marine technician with Haven Harbour Yacht Services. It is our hope "Junior" will follow in his father's footsteps with a career in the marine industry.

"I'm excited that everyone on the crew this year has experience," said Greta Sommers, dockmaster at Haven Harbour Marina and pictured second from left. "They are hardworking and have taken the circumstances of COVID-19, like wearing masks and aggressively cleaning the heads, in stride."

"This year, I have someone new on the docks, so in a way I'm doing my life's work which was teaching and coaching," Denny said. "Each summer, it's fun to meet new people and get to know the regular customers more and more."

Our dock crews take pride in providing unparalleled service for our slipholders, transient boaters, customers, and visitors, and we thank them for their commitment to excellence day in and day out.

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