Marblehead’s Little Harbor Boathouse turns 10

July 25, 2019

It really is Marblehead’s best kept secret, a hidden gem’

Maryellen Auger jokes she started out on Doaks Lane as a squatter, grabbing a piece of seawall off Gas House Beach for her kayak.

That piece of seawall eventually expanded into Little Harbor Boathouse, which has become a quintessential part of the community and turns 10 this year.

Flanked by Crowinshield and Gerry islands the tiny cove that is Gas House Beach and Little Harbor’s backyard is very much as Auger describes it, a hidden gem.

“It really is Marblehead’s best kept secret,” she said. “There are still people that don’t know we’re here.”

On a sunny Monday morning, a line of little paddle boarders and guides make their way to the shore as the youth Paddle Adventure program gets underway. A group of kayakers are already in the water and Schooner, Augers’ British cream golden retriever, naps beneath a rack of kayaks in the sprawling storage room that makes up much of Little Harbor’s facilities.

Auger said it wasn’t until after she bought a home on Doaks Lane that she noticed the Little Harbor office building had a set of double doors that practically opened up onto the beach. Familiar with the property owner, Auger said she asked if she could store her kayak and her rowing shell in the large storage room. And she had the bright idea that others in town might need storage space as well.

“And that’s how Little Harbor came to be,” she said.

Initially, Auger thought she would run just a rowing company and she used the space to sell shells for Echo Coastal Rowing and to teach open ocean rowing. But she soon realized rowing was a niche market that took time and money. She said she wanted to do something bigger, more affordable, accessible and inclusive. So in 2011, she bought a couple of kayaks and hired her twin daughters, Noa and Tobey, about 13 at the time, to sit and rent them to anyone who showed up. She also brought in stand up paddle boards and jumped at the chance to take over the Hobie Kayak Dealership on Boston’s North Shore.

What they offer

The boathouse offers kayaks, pedal kayaks and stand up paddle board rentals and storage space. Auger said they also offer private guides and hosts paddle parties and corporate events.

“We can put 50 people on the water at one time,” Auger said.

There there’s the paddle adventure program for kids ages 8 and up as well as camps for kids from landlocked places such as Concord Academy in Concord, Mass. and Nobles and Greenough in Dedham.

The paddle adventure programs run twice a day, Mondays through Thursdays, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and again from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Auger said some kids bring a lunch and stay all day.

“And why not?” she asks. “What better way to spend a summer day.”

The kids paddle around the island on stand up paddle boards of kayaks and depending on their ability they might paddle over the the light house, Fort Sewall or to Crocker Park. Auger said the Harbormaster has given them permission to land at Crocker, where the kids will swim off the dock before walking to Coffey’s for ice cream.

“It’s a favorite activity,” she said. “Paddle to Coffey’s for ice cream, how great is that?”

Auger said she keeps the paddle program small on purpose and keeps a five to one guide to paddler ratio.

“We have 20 kids this week and we cut it off so we could maintain that ratio because it’s all about safety,” she said.

The program is also all about giving kids an alternative to sailing, building confidence and a love of the water while having a great time paddling, swimming and playing, she said.

The Crew

Over the years Auger has employed about a dozen local high school and college kids, some who have been with her for six years or more.

“This is my fourth summer,” said Braden Haley.

Haley, a sophomore at the University of New Hampshire, grew up in Marblehead and has spent his life on the water. He said Auger, the crew and the way everyone is always in a good mood and happy to be there is what keeps him coming back.

“It’s a great way to spend the summer, especially in your hometown,” he said.

Noa Solomon-Auger agrees. She’s worked for her mother since she was a Tower School student. The recent college grad heads to China for a nine month stint teaching English in a few weeks time. She said she is grateful for what she’s learned working at Little Harbor.

“I don’t think I would have gotten the leadership experience if not for Little Harbor,” she said. “I’ve learned a ton about administration and managing a staff.”

She said she and her twin sister, Tobey, and much of the crew all grew up together with the business.

“We all learned how to be employees together ... we all went to college together,” she said. “I’m very grateful for that.”

Auger said kids that got their first jobs with her, carrying kayaks back and forth to the beach returned year-after-year to take on leadership roles running youth programs and managing the office and each season greeting return customers with enthusiasm.

“I am so fond of the boathouse staff, it’s like a special summer family,” Auger said.

Auger said the discovery of the boathouse space, right across the street from where she lives, is a gift that keeps on giving to not just her, but to everyone who discovers Little Harbor Boathouse. She said she’s grateful to be able to make the waters off Little Harbor accessible and affordable, for being able to employ “some truly exceptional young Marbleheaders,” and for the ability to enjoy what she calls a wonderful seasonal life-style family business.

“Sharing my enthusiasm for being in, on and around the water with others is just me,” she said. “I never tire of looking at and being out on these world-class waters. They are magnificent and right here.”

Little Harbor Boathouse is located at 40 Doaks Lane, check it out at www.littleharborboathouse.com.

Read the full Front Page story with photos @: 

https://marblehead.wickedlocal.com/news/20190724/marbleheads-little-harbor-boathouse-turns-10