Ozona Marina Puts the Pleasure in Pleasure Crafts

With his wife and daughter and their three Chihuahuas safely nestled aboard their 23-foot Yamaha sport boat, Harold Reynolds had a moment to reflect on his six-year partnership with . 

“It’s like having your own boat dock right here in Ozona. You can come and go as you please … and it’s not a corporate-type place,” Reynolds said. 

“It’s got a real down-home feel, thanks to the Marinos,” he added. “They make the experience here a good one.” 

It’s that type of response that Tony and Jayne Marino had in mind when they took over the landmark marina at 297 Bayshore Drive more than a decade ago. 

“We don’t think of our members as customers,” Jayne Marino explained. “We think of them as friends.” 

That attitude, plus a lot of hard work and a slew of impressive improvements, helped the Marinos turn a ramshackle, landmark boat landing into an impressive, state-of-the-art marina, complete with motorized boat lifts, a repair shop and 130 storage spots for skiffs of all shapes and sizes. 

“Basically, we provide full service for our members, everything from fiberglass repair and detailing to motor work to trailer repairs,” Tony Marino said. “The concept is, for people who boat, this is like a country club would be for a golfer. People who go boating want to have fun, and we make sure they do.” 

Shortly after moving to the area permanently from Rochester, NY in 1999, Marino, who worked as a marketing executive for Time Warner Cable, came upon what was then called Pat’s Landing. The property, which overlooks the Gulf of Mexico and Honeymoon Island, has been home to fishing camps and boat landings since the late 1800s, according to the Marinos. 

Immediately, Tony was taken by the place. 

“I had just bought a boat, and I was looking for a place to dock it,” he said. “The first time we came here, I said to Jayne, ‘I’m going to own this place someday’.” 

By June 2000, Marino’s prediction had come true; he and Jayne were the proud owners of the historic marina, which, following an extensive renovation, now features 55 water slips, 75 dry storage spots and 125 active members. 

The facility is also open to the public, hosts five separate charter companies, and boasts 30 members who do not store their boats there but utilize the launch ramp. 

Marino, who juggled both careers for five years before fully committing to his new “lifestyle," is happy with his choice, although he did have some doubts about his decision following the recent economic downturn.

But those doubts were quickly put to rest after a conversation with an old Time Warner confidant.

“He asked me two questions," Marino said. "He said, 'Are you in shorts and a T-shirt right now, and are you looking out a window that overlooks the water?’ And I said yes to both.” 

“He said, ‘Don’t come back.’ And I didn’t.”

Marino's Marina

Address: 297 Bayshore Drive

Phone: 727-784-0143