Oyster Cove Marina

26/10/2025

A tribute to Garry Rogers.

Sadly, as many of you will know, our partner in the Marina, Garry Rogers, passed away last week. Anyone who follows Motorsport will be aware of the enormous part Garry has played in the development of motorsport in Australia over the years. As evidenced by the overwhelming amount of tributes made in motorsport media in the last few days.
I would like to focus on the enormous part Garry has played in the development of the Oyster Cove Marina, into what it is today.
Anne and I bought the marina in 1998.
I was an ex spud farmer from NSW who had had a midlife crisis and decided to follow my passion for boats and boating. And somehow I had convinced Anne to come along.
The first few years were a bit tough as we settled in. The old marina was deteriorating fast and we realised we needed to rebuild and expand. We drew up a plan and spent 4 to 5 years getting approvals through.
However, the financing proved to be beyond our capabilities. Conventional lenders were not interested. We looked into a couple of partnerships that didn’t eventuate.
Our accountant at the time advised us to sell. So we had talked to an agent and had set about selling the business.
And then Garry Rogers bought a boat!
And he had decided he would like to keep it in Kettering. Luckily we were able to offer him a berth.
We got to know Garry and his wife Kaye a bit over the next couple of months.
I bumped into Garry one day as I was wandering about and stopped for a chat.
He said “what are doing with this joint?".
I told him about the plans we had and explained that we were struggling to get finance. He said “I could be interested in that” and we talked a while longer about the ideas we had.
The next day he turned up with a handwritten letter about the way he thought our partnership should work, we shook hands, and away we went.
Anne and I will always be immeasurably grateful and amazed that in the short time we had known Garry he had decided we were capable of doing what we had planned to do.
We would not be still involved without him.
His positive outlook and passion for “just getting on with it" has been an important part of the marina’s success.
We formed the business partnership and we also became friends. We had many great times with Garry and Kaye.
Our business partnership and our friendship has lasted for 18 years.
He was a unique character and we will be forever thankful that he came along.
We will miss him.

19/09/2025

The 2025/26 Sailing Season opens this weekend. Come along to the Pipe Opener event at the Kettering Yacht Club. This is always a fantastic celebration, with food trucks and entertainment!

16/04/2025

We wish you all a Happy Easter. Stay safe and enjoy the holidays 🐣

07/02/2025

It's been an exciting time at the Marina. We've seen these classic Derwent Class boats prepare for the upcoming Australian Wooden Boat Festival. Wishing all festival goers a great time.

Four restored Tasmanian-designed yachts have been re-launched today ahead of the Australian Wooden Boat Festival. The Derwent Class yachts, made from Tasmanian timber, date back as early as the 1920s. This year will see the largest fleet of the yachts in more than 50 years race at the festival, attr...

07/09/2023

Only one week until the 2023 Pipe Opener, a big weekend of racing and fun down here at Kettering. As part of our sponsorship, all of our casual berths will be handed over to the Kettering Yacht Club and Derwent Sailing Squadron for race participants, which means casual berthing along the attenuator won't be available from Friday 15th Sep till lunchtime Sunday 17th Sep. Wishing all a great weekend! ⛵️

11/08/2023

It's a tough life being a seal at OCM

02/08/2023

Beautiful day at Kettering.

23/06/2023

This is the final alert for the Kettering Day Afloat on Sunday June 25 at Snake Island. A large bush barbeque will be provided. It would be appreciated if you could bring a piece of firewood (or three) - no ply, laminate or treated pine because of the risk of toxic smoke. The whole idea is to have a social day for Kettering boats so people can get to know each other or chat to friends. It celebrates the winter solstice which fell on June 22. The BBQ/social event will run from 1100 to 1500. Plenty of time to get there and back. At this stage the weather looks pretty good. I will do a VHF call on Sunday at 0905 and another at 1005.
Hope to see you there.
Cheers
Terry long
RG48 Maristo
[email protected]

13/06/2023

An update from Terry on the Kettering social day...
We’re gearing up for the Kettering Afloat Social Day on Sunday June 25. It’s a celebration of the solstice, although a few days late because the solstice is on a Thursday, which is inconvenient.
The venue is Snake Island. If the weather on the day doesn’t suit Snake, an alternative venue will be announced via VHF 16 on the morning. The event will run from 1100 to 1500.
A large barbecue plate will be provided. It’s moveable so can go with us if we need a last-minute change of venue. You are encouraged to bring what you need to eat and drink.
If the weather is a bit poor, come along anyway and we can dinghy from boat to boat for drinks and a chat. We’ll all catch up with old friends and make some new ones – that’s the idea. Hopefully, it will be an annual event. If you don’t have a boat or yours is temporarily out of action, get a ride with somebody else. We can take a few extras, for example.
It should be a fun day. It’s about time Kettering boats had their own day of socialising.
If you have one, bring along a small portable table. Flat surfaces are generally hard to find at bush barbecues.
Terry Long
Maristo (E5)
[email protected]

09/06/2023

Yet another generation of OCM Swans.

24/05/2023

Long time marina local Terry Long is planning a picnic day for Kettering boaties. See details below and please respond to Terry, not the marina.
THE KETTERING BARBECUE DAY AFLOAT
We need our own Kettering celebration day afloat. I am suggesting it be on 25 June as a toast to the winter solstice, which happens to be inconveniently on Jun 22, a Thursday. So June 25 is a Sunday nearest the solstice. It will be a short day, maybe gloomy wet and cold or maybe fine and cold. Doesn’t matter either way.
What we have in mind is a gathering of the Kettering fleet at Snake Island. While I’m not too familiar with it myself, those who are have told me it has a good place for a fire and is easy to get ashore. However, it being the middle of winter, the weather may be atrocious there and accordingly we will reserve the right to swap the venue on the day via VHF Ch 16 to a nearby site which may be more sheltered. Likely starting around 11am and finishing around 3 pm.
If it’s raining, windy and freezing, it will go ahead anyway. Instead of going ashore and yakking, we will use dinghies to bound from boat to boat to make new friends, have a chat, swap a sandwich and have a drink of your choice. You will be asked to have people aboard you may not know – that’s the idea of it. Similarly, if we go ashore, try to talk to people you’ve never met. Start some new friendships, or work out who to avoid in future. Argue the rights of wrongs of different boat types. Argue the rights and wrongs of fish farms, although no violence will be tolerated. There may even be a short debating contest – should there be a stadium at Kettering?
For people who don’t have boats, try to get on board one. We will take a few extras on our boat, Maristo, if they make themselves known.
It will be quite the day. You’ll see a flock of Lyle Hess cutters. Some cool racing monohulls. Motor cruisers, hopefully including the big blue recent acquisition of Mike Burrowes. Will Angelo bring a houseboat? Will the catamarans raft up or spread out among the common people? These are the big questions which will be answered on the day.
This is initially a fully unorganised barbecue, so don’t expect anything to be laid on. Bring a little barbecue if you have one and a frying pan. Biscuits and sandwiches to share if the weather is crook.
If someone wants to sponsor the initial event, contact me. Although I’m not sure what you could sponsor. It’s all quite loose really. But hopefully, it’s the start of something the Kettering fleet can own and continue into the future as a happy part of the social calendar.

Terry Long
SV Maristo – E5
[email protected]