OceanCity.com posted a poll on the Worcester County Commissioners Vote to Cancel a 5 year lease with Thrive Engineering, the operator of the Alyosha. We created and posted the poll on January 12 and received 116 responses by this morning. Half of the respondents are from Maryland and the rest are spread across states popular with tourists to Ocean City. The opinions are strong, particularly by those in favor of maintaining the lease. The dominant response was directed at the County’s obligation to support their commitments. Support for small businesses, income to the County from the lease, and West Ocean City were also prominent in the overall responses and comments
The question posed in the poll was:
What do you think About the County’s Cancelling their 5 Year Lease of a slip in West OC to the Alyosha?
Worcester County had a 5 year lease agreement in place to rent a slip in West OC for $8500 per year to the Alyosha. That agreement is valid through 2024. On 1/10/23, the Commissioners voted to cancel this lease saying that the space is better used as a staging area by boaters. The County voted to no longer lease the space, get revenue from that lease, and it didn’t consider the potential impact on tax revenue from this business if the Alyosha can’t find another viable docking option.
The Alyosha is a 55โ catamaran that came to OC in 2019. They provide cruises throughout the summer season and have seen many customers come back year after year. The Alyosha docks 25% of their time at the Countyโs slip in West OC, arriving after sunset each evening. The rest of the time, they are docked across the harbor at Pier 23 where they pick up and drop off their customers.
In the 2022, the Alyosha hosted over 2300 paying customers.
What do you think?
The options for answers appeared randomly for each poll taker and included the following as well as a space to enter comments or your own answer. Respondents could check off as many answers as they liked.
Alyosha Poll Results
The options and their responses are as follows:
Responses by number submitted and percentages:
There were many single responses to the poll with the dominant answer also receiving the most single answer responses: “I keep my commitments, the County should keep theirs. Do what you want after the agreement expires.” The poll received only one response saying that “I wish the boat wasn’t there. Clogs the ramp.” There was also only one respondent who answered, “It’s OK to renege on an agreement if you give the required notice.”
“Other” Responses
In addition to the answers provided for the respondents from which to choose, 4 respondents added their own answer under, “other:”
Poll Comments
Finally, there were 34 people who took the time to add comments. Here they are unedited with the exception of the removal of one personal attack:
| This decision is ridiculous. Very poor judgement. |
| Certainly is better asset than the Black Eyed Susanโฆ.just sayin |
| Canceling the contract is simply wrong! |
| I think that it is wrong to renig on the lease that was signed by all parties. If Alyosha was to cancel the lease agreement early, they would have been fined. Someone is just flexing their tiny muscles. I will remember this next time I vote. |
| I am very disappointed in the cancellation of the lease agreement with Alyosha! I am a local who has boarded a trip with Steve every year, unfortunately because I was in shock trauma I was not able to attend this yearโs Sailing trip with the expectation that I would be sailing with Alyosha summer 2023. |
| I hope that this opportunity to use this sailboats from this location is still there next year. I want to be able to take my granddaughter on it. She is too young this year and I was excited to be able to take her there when she comes to visit this summer. |
| Itโs a wonderful addition to the OC community and an economic boost to the tourist market. I have never seen it be an obstacle to the public ramp over the last 4 years. Renew the Alyosha lease!! |
| (REMOVED BECAUSE OF PERSONAL ATTACK.) |
| As an owner of two condo’s in OC, I feel I have the right to answer and reply to the lack of understanding by the County Commissioners. If the man has a lease, you have to let it expire before taking it away. I realize it might not be that much, but a lawsuit would put that fee much higher and from my understanding it’s only till 2024. (based on the article). I’m sure whatever you are being offered to take away this mans job, can’t be enough to crush the industry whom rents from you. People are going to figure out your for yourself versus for the business owner. After just coming out of covid, do you think this is the time to destroy another persons job? I vote NO to removing his docking privileges. You made the deal, you stick with it. I’d be willing to help him fund a lawyer to fight you on it. |
| Seems selfish on the county behalf |
| How can they terminate a lease before it’s ending date ? Who in their right mind would trust signing a lease with Ocean City if this how they operate. |
| The owners may have a case on โcauseโ! How does the termination clause allow 90 day notice? |
| Unfair. Immoral. The opposite of what government for the people looks like and exactly what political grandstanding added to power for the sake of personal and political agenda is on full display. Distasteful and self-serving. The public didn’t ask for this, politicians decided for them for other than disclosed purposes. Also, what is the point or a contact when one party can unilaterally declare it null and void. |
| The Alyosha has become a staple, waving its big Maryland Sail off the coast of Ocean City. It needs to find a home in OC so we can continue to enjoy its beauty. |
| Stick to your agreement or resign! |
| The agreement should have been honored. |
| I think itโs outrageous that the commissioners made this decision without informing the Alyosha. |
| $700/ mo for a 50′ boat slip is ridiculously low. Triple the price would be reasonable. The county bears the cost of maintaining the harbor, bulkheads and dredging, and that expense is not cheap It focuses on the ocean and adds to what is the main attraction of Ocean City. |
| The Captain and his help were very friendly and all around good people. I took my Mom on it, on a visit. We had a lot of fun. I hope nothing but the best for the Cap, and the Alyosha. |
| This would be a mistake. I sailed on it this past summer and it was awesome. The captain was a great guy. Keep the Alyosa. |
| It’s great for Ocean City. The county commissioners have no sense of small business. |
| Alyosha brings visitors to the area, hence business to restaurants, etc. That residual business alone would be a huge loss if Alyosha was lost. |
| My family and friends have been patronizing the Aloysha and all the restaurants in your county since 2019. Total political bullshit.. and we will go spend our money in Delaware or New Jersey… if you take this away! They promote Worchester County and is an icon in ocean City! I will be more than happy to make a 4 hour drive from PA and approach the board. |
| With no complaints from the public, I think this is a power grab from the commissioners, nothing else makes sense! |
| Are you surprised by this? Bad business. |
| Alyosha brings OC customers to West OC. Iโve been introduced to restaurants and businesses that I now frequent because Alyosha brought us to the area. |
| This is a wonderful business and attraction for the area. I support keeping Alyosha agreement as is! |
| My wife and I are appalled by the decision to cancel the agreement. The Alyosha is a wonderful service for Ocean City visitors and property owners like us as well. We canโt believe the commissioners are unwilling to live up to their commitment. |
| Evil |
| It would be a crime to take this away and shows a total lack of integrity on the commissioner’s behalf to renege on an agreement!!!!! |
| Iโve privately rented the Alyosha for 3 family celebrations and it was fabulous. I vote to keep the lease! Why forego good revenue? Also- it attracts tourists! |
| I took a sunset cruise this past summer and loved it, had hoped to do it again. The commissioners need to at least honor the lease until 2024. Many vacationers look forward to seeing the catamaran on the water. Its an asset to OC. |
| Their contract is almost up. Why risk a bad impression of OCMD as an entity that doesn’t uphold is agreements. I’m surprised that this is even being pondered. Barring an egregeous situation, a contract is a contract. Please show the population that integrity matters. We’re losing it far too rapidly |
| The county should nurture and support small businesses as much as possible. Ocean City was built on small, family owned businesses. |
