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Tuesday, April 25, 2006
PULSE: Edward D. Murphy
Marinas with Wi-Fi keep sailors online
Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||
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Marinas are becoming the latest hot spots. Not just for those big yachts or the promise of a carefree weekend on the water they represent. Marinas are now hot spots because they're increasingly wired - or, more accurately, wireless. Wi-Fi - wireless Internet access - is moving to the immediate coastline as more marinas offer the service. It means those lucky enough to have boats are not disconnected from the Web and e-mail, at least not until they head well offshore. Beacon Wi-Fi, a Connecticut company, has signed up a handful of marinas in Maine as part of its East Coast wireless network that now includes almost 200 "hot spots" from Florida north. The company also has begun setting up wireless access at marinas in the Great Lakes and hopes to provide a string of Wi-Fi points along the major rivers down to the Gulf Coast, said Chris Reitz, co-founder of the four-year-old company. He also expects to have some California marinas set up this summer. "People use us all the way along" on sailing trips, Reitz said. Boaters may have considered their watercraft a last refuge from technology - and some could see this increasing access as infringing on that small slice of freedom. But Reitz said the reaction is generally the opposite: Wi-Fi access - which generally extends only a thousand or so yards out to sea - gives people more time on their boats without feeling out of the loop at the office because they can access their e-mail and any Web sites they need to see. "They want to get connected so they can go out and jump on their boat Friday and stay connected and stay out Monday and Tuesday." In a way, that's why the company was established by Reitz and his partner, Russ Schmidt. "We've been in wireless computing forever and both had sailboats and a passion for sailing, so we wanted to get out of the office and combine the passions," Reitz said. "It's an enjoyable business model." Reitz said Beacon has two options - one is for the users to support the system by subscribing, generally for $29.99. Or the marina can sign up and offer it as a perk for customers, at a cost of $2 to $3 a slip per month. Many boaters prefer the subscription, he said, because it allows them to log on if they are on a trip and stop in somewhere other than their home marina. Beacon hopes to cater to them, Reitz said, by setting up a network of Wi-Fi marinas every 30 miles or so up and down the East Coast. Reitz said the company has about 8,000 users so far, and it's a pretty upscale clientele. But he noted that the cost is still within range for most, at about the same price as monthly DSL access. Florida is the biggest single market, with about 42 marinas online, he said. Long Island Sound, near where Beacon is headquartered, is another big spot, and Reitz said the focus now is on filling some of the longer stretches along the coast without Wi-Fi marinas. The latest marina in Maine to get connected is Brewers South Freeport Marine, which Reitz said should have wireless access in the next few weeks. Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at:
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