Serving Norwalk, Weston, Westport, Wilton and Stamford

THE INDEPENDENT VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY FOR 139 YEARS

THURSDAY, JULY 15,2010 • B6

OUTDOORSA unique junior sailing experience

IIt all started from the back

of a truck just three yearsago. At that time, MarkMcNamara, sales director forLandfall Navigation, had beenreceiving some nudging fromexisting customers that theywished there was more tooffer for the junior sailors inthe group.

Not one to ignore a cus-tomer's suggestion,McNamara set the wheels inmotion and came up with abasic plan and a bare bonescollection of junior gear, anddecided to test the waters onhis new idea at some of thearea yacht clubs. Long storyshort, less than four yearslater, the Dinghy Locker isnow an official sub-divisionof Landfall Navigation andoffers a distinctly unique andall-encompassing sailingexperience for the junioryachtsmen - and it's onlygetting better.

Most people may not beaware of this fact, butFairfield County, WestchesterCounty, and the waters ofWestern Long Island Soundare home to the largest con-centration of Optimist sailorsin all of North America. Thisis good news for the DinghyLocker as their target marketis right in their own back-yard.

However, although thecustomer base is readily

available,McNamara and hisstaff will tell youthat the formulafor success is a lotmore than justbeing in the rightlocation - hardwork, persever-ance' a 2417 pres-ence, and out-standing customerservice 365 days ayear are, by far,even more impor-tant ingredients when itcomes to making it or break-ing it in business.

"I received a call from aclient at 7 o'clock on aSunday evening," sharesMcNamara. "Of course, by theend of the conversation, thecustomer had what theywanted."

Fortunately, McNamara isfamiliar with the characterand lifestyle of a sailor, so heunderstands why a boat issuecan be so important that lateon a weekend evening.

"I grew up sailing,"McNamara says. "Most of mycustomers today are contem-poraries of mine. And nowtheir kids are sailing, too."

The back-of-the-carapproach to providing servicehas since evolved to includetwo full-size trailers (with athird on the way) and a 3,000square foot impressive show-

room at theLandfallNavigation loca-

I tion on HarvardAvenue inStamford.

BluernagicOpti's, BlueBlueInternationalHighPerformance420's, and LaserPerformanceClub 420's arejust a few of the

top-of-the-line sailboats thatare available from the DinghyLocker. High quality and topname brands in gear, acces-sories, and clothing nicelycompliment the boat invento-ry.

It has been said that theDinghy Locker, in a shortamount of time, has earnedthe reputation of being farand ahead of the rest when itcomes to supplies and servicein the industry. What trulysets them apart, though, isthat they also have expandedto include a first-rate charterdivision.

As active supporters of theUnited States OptimistDinghy Association(USODA), the Orange BowlInternational Youth Regatta,US Sailing's National SailingPrograms Symposium(NSPS), and the Junior Safetyat Sea Seminars, the Dinghy

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Water Views

Locker makes it their missionto provide the best in qualityboat charter support.

What this means is that ifa junior sailor is travelingfrom California to Florida tocompete in an event, and thelogistics of shipping his or herown equipment across thecountry is just not realistic,the Dinghy Locker will have aboat special ordered to thecompetitor'S specs fully riggedand ready to go at the eventsite - plus all of the extragear required - by the timethey arrive. All the sailor hasto do is grab the tiller, hit thestart line, and do what theydo best.

McNamara said this is onlythe beginning. Future planspromise continued growth,with a few unexpected sur-prises throw in along the way.

At the end of the day,McNamara will tell you thatcustomer satisfaction is allthat truly matters.

"The other day, I received atext from a client who wrote'You rock!' That's when Iknow that I have done myjob."

For more informationabout the Dinghy Locker andits services visit www.dinghy-locker.com

Karen Jewell's Water Viewscolumn runs Thursdays inThe Hour.

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