What's the Status of the West Neck Ramp?

That seems to be the pressing question on everyone's mind, including yours truly. I'm not sure how much help this short post will be, but for what it's worth, here's what I know, based on my fishing trip out of West Neck Marina yesterday.

The catwalk that incurred the damage during all the high water is in the process of being completely replaced. All the old stuff is gone, and a lot of the new stuff is in place, but the job is not complete. The most glaring safety concern I saw yesterday is that, while some new planks have been laid down, none of them appear to have been nailed/screwed in place. A couple of cones are in place at the head of the catwalk, but there are no signs warning you to stay away.

I want to believe that most adults, with even a little common sense, would be smart enough to stay off the new catwalk, but kids are an entirely different issue. And it has been my observation over considerable time, that, in some cases, parents let their kids run helter-skelter on the marina premises, which, given the new catwalk's unfinished state, only begs for trouble.

I called Steve before my visit yesterday morning and specifically asked if the ramp was open, to which he replied, "Yes." However, I would encourage anyone contemplating a boat launch there in the short haul to plan on using only the one remaining old catwalk.

As to when the new catwalk will be ready for use, I feel pretty certain the magic date--at the latest--will be Sunday, June 4th. That's the date for this year's Cancer Classic, which has moved its base of operations to West Neck this year, as a result of the sale of West Landing Marina. Given the crowd that usually accompanies that event, I have to believe the boat-ramp repairs at West Neck, of pure necessity, will have been completed by that date.

In the meantime, though, it is in everyone's best interests to use extra caution around the West Neck boat ramp, especially if any little ones are with you.