Stories from MDL's history - 50 years of successful marina operations

As with life itself, it’s the people we’ve meet over the last 50 years, and their stories, that have made our journey so memorable and shaped the development of MDL and our marinas.

From our marina teams and berth holders to onsite tenants and visitors - it’s these people, not the pontoons, that have ensured our ongoing success.

And to celebrate our 50th Anniversary, we’d like to tell some of these stories…..

Fifty years ago, if you owned a boat, you most likely kept it afloat on a pile or a swinging mooring….. and it had been like that for generations. But change was in the offing with American boat owners beginning to keep their yachts and motorboats tied alongside floating pontoons, with access to the shore and superb facilities such as showers and chandleries, and where security could be provided…..

For this episode marine podcaster Ceri has been collecting some reminiscences, thoughts, and comments from various berth holders, stakeholders and tenants from around a number of different MDL sites plus an exclusive interview with the MD of MDL, Mike Glanville.

Whilst chatting to these wonderful guests he was also able to gather some more ‘favourite hidden anchorages’ to add to the ever-expanding list……which we know you will find very useful!

To start of this 50-year celebration episode Ceri got to meet up with MDL’s longest standing berth holder, Andrew Morton, who has kept one boat or another with MDL since the beginning, starting at Woolston Marina in the early 1970s.

As the biggest operator of coastal marinas in the UK, it might be surprising to learn that the first venture as a newly formed company, back in the early 70s, was actually quite far from the sea, amid the water meadows of the Thames Valley. So it seemed appropriate for Ceri's next guest to be Dominic Smulders from Bray Boat Sales in Bray

The penultimate guest for this episode is Andy Trim, the long term yard supervisor at MDL’s Shamrock Quay Marina in Southampton. Andy was a super guest and was delighted to share some of his marina memories with Ceri….

Finally after all those reminiscences it seemed appropriate to ask the Managing Director of MDL marinas Ltd, Mike Glanville, for his own reflections on the past 50 years and as importantly what the vision for the business looks like it for the future.

To learn more about MDL’s 50th year anniversary and to get involved in some of the activities they have planned just visit the 50th anniversary section of the MDL website https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/mdl50th/