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Who belongs on the 40 under 40 list in the boating world? Nena Donatelli is the right answer.
Donatelli is the harbor master at Port Dalhousie Pier Marina, and at only 30 years old she is preparing to take her father’s place as leader of the family business. However, managing the marina isn’t just a job for Donatelli, it is her passion. She considers the marina that contains 450 slips to be her home and truly treats it as such.
“I love being on the water, I love the marina, I love the people, and it’s like living at home. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else,” shared Donatelli. “I walk down the dock, and I have a mother and a father, but I feel like I have a hundred fathers and a hundred mothers and a hundred sisters, because everyone down here is like my family. I just feel comfortable and at home.”
The marina offers an array of amenities, including a floating restaurant, complimentary continental breakfasts for the early birds, and much more, but though these things are excellent they aren’t what make Port Dalhousie stand out from the crowd.
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The positive energy and lack of problems at the marina is part of what attracts boaters to Port Dalhousie. Boaters can always count on someone to be at the dock to help catch their line and make sure they get settled in their new home away from home.
Port Dalhousie Pier Marina can accommodate up to 130-foot boats, meaning the marina can practically fit any boat into their harbor, which welcomes seasonal and transient boaters alike. Seasonal boaters of Port Dalhousie Pier Marina generally range from St. Catharines to Toronto. Part of what draws people in is the journey to the marina alone; it is a beautiful drive, which gives those from Toronto enough reason alone to take the scenic route.
“Those from Toronto travel here because it is a little bit more of a relaxed environment. There’s a lot more going on over in Toronto, but their prices are higher,” confided Donatelli. “As well as the side of the lake we’re on, we’re located on the east side of the pier walls and where we’re located on the lake it’s very calm.”
The city has a number of attractions that rein in both locals and transients alike, including the fact it is home to two fairly busy beaches–Port Dalhousie and Municipal Beach. The area also has easy access to the Niagara River, which gets boaters right onto Niagara on the lake, which is only about 15 minutes away.
The River Boat is one of the central attractions of the marina. It’s a floating old oil rig, which houses their restaurant. People can quite literally drive right up to the restaurant, eat, and then they drive off. This is an especially convenient arrangement for boaters who are just passing through.
One of the advantages Port Dalhousie holds is that it is a marina and not a yacht club, which means there are a lot less restrictions. For example the marina is able to allow things such as patio docks. The marina works to helps boaters customize their own patios to make their stay as comfortable as possible.
“A lot of people come here because we can build the docks specifically for them. Let’s say they have a 30-foot boat and a big family. They’d say, ‘It’s nice to hang out in our boat, but we’d like to have a patio,’” Donatelli expertly explained. “Well, we have the larger docks and we are able to build patios. Since we’re a larger marina we’re able to accommodate our customers with whatever they want.”
Donatelli has worked at the marina since she was 12 years old and feels at ease with the inner workings of Port Dalhousie, easily proving that despite her obvious youth she is up to the task of guiding the marina in the years to come.
For More Information
Port Dalhousie Marina
905-646-5515
www.portdalhousiemarina.com
