MARINA WATCH
A E R I A L P H O T O S B Y C H A R L E S D A W L E Y/ U P N O R T H I M A G I N G ; I N T E R I O R PHOTOS BY DOUG BROWN/DR BROWN PHOTOGRAPHY
BY ABBY THORPE
IRISH BOAT SHOP HARBOR SPRINGS 400 East Bay St. Harbor Springs, MI 231-526-6225 IRISHBOATSHOP.COM
AMENITIES Transient slips: Y Pump-out: Y Gas: N Diesel: N Lifts: Y Launch ramp: Nearby Engine repair: Y Hull repair: Y Marine store: Y Restaurant: Nearby Showers: Y Laundry facility: Y
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J U N E 2022
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Irish Boat Shop - Harbor Springs
Let the good times roll at the newly remodeled Harbor Springs location.
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n 1961, racing sailor Dave Irish turned his attention to caring for boats and started Irish Boat Shop in Harbor Springs, Michigan. The shop soon became the specialist in restoring, maintaining and building the iconic 32-foot Northern Michigan sloops, a favorite among the area’s racing sailors. Now, over 60 years later, the newly remodeled Harbor Springs marina and boat shop is one of three thriving locations, offering a full-service marina, new and used boat sales, a chandlery, dockage, storage and complete service for everything from paint and varnish repair to sailboat rigging and engine repair. “Irish Boat Shop is all about having fun with boats. We want our customers out on the water, spending time with friends and family on this beautiful harbor,” explains Michael Esposito, president of Irish Boat Shop. “People of all ages use our docks. Some of our customers grew up working here; now they are back with their own boats, introducing their kids and
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grandkids to the sport. We do everything we can to make this a fun and friendly operation.” Following the ups and downs of the pandemic years, Esposito says Irish Boat Shop is excited to return to more normal operations this year, and welcomes the public to the newly remodeled waterfront building and sailing campus, completed in June 2021. The new facility includes a private boater’s lounge with showers and laundry, and the sailing campus on the west side of the property is open to the public. With customer input, the marina and boat shop have made a number of adjustments to provide an even better service experience, while providing a regular summer staff to continue doing what they do best: “Helping people play with their boats.” “We feel privileged to occupy this extraordinary place on the shores of the Little Traverse Bay, and cherish the opportunity to share it with you,” invites Esposito. H
