Let’s be honest: what Chesapeake Bay boater hasn’t daydreamed about leaving behind regular life and buying an island? Or quitting their job and buying a marina on a pretty piece of waterfront?
A Pasadena, Maryland, couple has just turned both of those daydreams into reality at once. Martin and Nichole Bentz are the proud new owners of an island marina, connected to the mainland only by a wooden pier.
Hammock Island is tucked away on Bodkin Creek, just inside Bodkin Point between Middle River and the Magothy. The island is home to the aptly-named Hammock Island Marina, a quiet, 69-slip marina filled with sailboats. The marina is far from full-service; it offers slipholders water hookups and pier power at their slip, a bathhouse, and a charming, second-story recreation space known as the loft.
Its simplicity appealed to the Bentzes, as did the uniqueness of an island accessible on foot. (There’s no record of Hammock Island ever having been connected to the nearby mainland). The property’s location, protected but still so close to the open Bay, is appealing to boaters. Bodkin Creek is a short ride to Baltimore and directly across the Bay from Rock Hall.
Bill and Carol Durr bought Hammock Island back in 1972, as a young couple in search of a waterfront home to raise their children. They had the idea that a small marina “would be a lot of fun” and after a yearlong search, stumbled upon an ad that read, “Own your own island, comes with 38 slips.” The Durrs described the marina then as “a dump,” but found that amid the dumpiness, it had a lot of potential. They moved into a rustic wooden home on the mainland portion of the property, which also serves as the Marina Office.
The Durrs have owned Hammock Island for 50-plus years now, and as they grew older, thought it might be time for an exit plan. They hadn’t even listed the property for sale when word of the opportunity reached Martin, a lifelong Pasadena resident who grew up boating on Bodkin Creek and admiring Hammock Island. He called the Durrs out of the blue and made them an offer. They were waiting for the right fit in a marina buyer, and the Bentzes were it.
Martin and Nichole already owned PYY Marine, a full-service marina and boat dealership on Rock Creek in Pasadena. And they were the founders of an environmental education nonprofit called CoreShark H2O, for which Nichole Bentz serves as executive director. The organization brings hands-on Bay environmental lessons to school groups in Anne Arundel County and beyond.
It became clear to the Durrs that the Bentzes weren’t just business investors in it for a deal. “They saw that we care,” Martin says.
​In August, the Bentzes took over the marina, only two days after Tropical Storm Debby brought high winds and flooding to the Chesapeake Bay. Walking the docks with Bill, Martin got an early taste of how Hammock Island might fare in a storm. Thankfully, there was no real damage to report.
In the first two months of their ownership, Martin and Nichole have made very few changes at the marina. In fact, Martin says he has no intention of overhauling the property, as we often see happen when a marina is under new ownership. “I really don’t have a vision for change,” he says. “I like this back in time feel.” Laughing, he tells us, “We do have Wi-Fi though!”
The “back in time feel” of Hammock Island is present from the time you cross the pier from the mainland to the island. On the left, there are three marina docks with sailboats in the slips, their water depths ranging from 4 to about 7 feet. On the right is a private outdoor sitting area with—yes—a hammock, used by the Durrs as their own little retreat.
Beyond it is the marina’s hexagonal two-story bathhouse/loft. The loft is surrounded by windows and a wraparound porch to enjoy the nearly 360-degree water view. Inside, there are seating areas, bookcases full of well-worn books, a telescope, porch swing, and a canopied ceiling. On a chilly fall day, a slipholder could happily disappear up there for hours.
When we asked whether the Bentzes plan to renovate the loft, Martin shrugs and says that a modern aesthetic wouldn’t fit here. “What would I do? I wouldn’t want it looking like a Starbucks.”
As Hammock Island heads into colder weather and winterizing time, Martin says he’ll be talking with slipholders about improvements they may want to see—hold a marina happy hour or open a small ship’s store, for example. The Durrs never had employees or full-time office hours and Martin hopes to keep things the same. While he runs the marina, Nichole will handle the office/administrative side of things.
“I think Bill and Carol had a great vision and I’m just carrying it on.”
Find out more about Hammock Island Marina here.
