City of Cockburn marina manager Samantha Standish inspects the canals.
Camera IconCity of Cockburn marina manager Samantha Standish inspects the canals. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Cockburn marina manager has picturesque day job

Belinda CiprianoCockburn Gazette

FOR City of Cockburn marina manager Samantha Standish, being surrounded by picturesque views and the calm waters at Port Coogee is as good as it gets in any day job.

The South Australian native, who moved to Perth five years ago, said she found her sea legs in her 20s after working on a ferry out at Kangaroo Island, a move that has seen her immersed in the ocean ever since.

A self-confessed water baby and lover of the outdoors, Ms Standish now looks after the City’s Port Coogee Marina and after being invited for a bird’s eye view, it is easy to see why she is passionate about her job.

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With the Marina Services Building right on the water, Ms Standish works with two others and normally starts her day with a bit of admin work. From there, a look at what’s happening on the canals is next.

Cruising the canals, she looks for anything that’s not quite right, including rubbish, vandalism, injured wildlife or floating objects.

On this particular day the ocean is calm, crystal-clear and it’s hard to imagine anything otherwise, though she shared that during the winter months it could get quite hectic at times.

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Camera IconImage Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Checking out the amazing real estate – boats in their pens – Ms Standish makes sure there aren’t stray boats that have made their way into the marina and they’re as they should be.

After the cruise we do a vessel check on foot, checking boats for hazards, open doors, stray ropes, jetty hazards and checking licence plates match with pens.

This marina is not a live-on- board spot, though she tells me 30 per cent of the owners live in the Coogee area and a much higher percentage lives in the City.

The Port Coogee Marina holds 10m, 12m, 15m and 20m vessels, ranging from $5600 to about $12,000 to lease a year.

“It’s a pretty decent price given they get direct access to ocean and can be at Garden Island in about 30 minutes,” she said.

With about 145 boats currently docked in the 150-pen marina, it’s almost at capacity.

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