Harbor master is still not happy with the new reservation system

Rogers City harbor master Ken Rasche doesn?t believe the new Waterways Commission reservation system for the marina is a good one. Feelings aside — the harbor staff is learning to live with it. ?We gave a commitment (and) we will keep our word,? said Rasche. The issue of the new reservation system was brought to the forefront at the May Harbor Advisory Committee meeting. Rasche is concerned that smaller craft are being allowed to reserve slips which are usually set aside for larger boats.

WHEN 24-FOOT boat owners start renting slips and there are no 30- to 32-foot slips available at the Rogers City marina, staff has to give up space reserved for 38-, 45-, and 60-foot slips, said Rasche, who fought against the system?s implementation. The harbor master said he was able to get the phone reservations for smaller craft stopped, but his hands are tied when it comes to people reserving space on the Internet. Rasche also sees an inconvenience to boaters with the increased time it takes to register a boat.

?WE — USED TO be able to get four people in that office, get them registered and get them out,? said Rasche. ?Now we do it one-on-one.? With the new computer reservation system it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to register a boater, said Rasche.

?We could have had four people done in the same amount of time and on their way,? he said. ?When these people are on vacation they don?t want to spend their vacation waiting for us to register them. They want to be out and that?s what we took pride in doing. We no longer can do that.

?We are learning to work with it. It is terribly time consuming. It is much tougher to operate than our old system.? The system was approved by members of the Rogers City Council as a tradeoff; the marina received 20 additional slips to improve revenue, and in return agreed to establish the Waterways Commission reservation system.

?WE?RE LEARNING to use it,? said Rasche. ?It is not, in our estimation, the most efficient. It may be good for some boaters, but from our standpoint it is cumbersome.? The reservations are accepted in Cumberland, Maryland by a company that specializes in reservations for state parks, Rasche said. ?I firmly believe it?s not a good system for marinas. It might work well for state parks,? said Rasche. ?It is not good for us.? While the upcoming Fourth of July weekend is not traditionally a busy holiday weekend at the marina, the next month will be the test as boat traffic increases on Lake Huron.