Bear Point Harbor

“Craig Reaves can drive everything but a train,” says his daughter-in-law, Lawren Reaves. As the owner of Bear Point Harbor, Craig has needed these skills on many occasions. He grew up in Columbus, Georgia, where his family owned a fourth-generation building demolition business that expanded into waste management, hazardous asbestos removal, a landfill, roll-off dumpsters, and a crane rental service. They sold most of the businesses in 2009 but kept the waste management operation until last year.

Craig was first introduced to the Scenic 98 Coastal area in the 1990s when he and his former wife, whose family is from Magnolia Springs, purchased a vacation cottage and he got into offshore boating. They moved to Fairhope in 2009 and he commuted to Columbus for a time.

In 2013, Craig started looking for a trailer park to purchase. By this time, he was living on Waterhole Branch, near Fish River. Bear Point Marina in Orange Beach came on the market, and he bought it in September 2016. “I was looking for a trailer park and ended up with a floating one,” he says. “I’ve been rebuilding and repairing ever since.”

“It’s been a steep learning curve. I’ve been boating all my life but wanted to see it from the customer service side. Consistency is the key,” he says. Craig thought he would inherit the staff at Bear Point Harbor when he finalized the purchase. On the day he closed on the property, there was no one there except Sherrie Reas, who is now the Dock Master at Bear Point Harbor.

“I’ve been blessed by unexpected things,” says Craig. Sherrie had been at Bear Point Marina before the previous owner purchased the property but quit soon after. The previous owner hired Sherrie for two days to close out his books, and she met Craig at the marina on the day he closed the purchase. “We had never seen each other before. It was a mutual job interview. She knew where all the bodies were buried.”

We talked about the process of getting up and running. “We were well received,” says Craig. He referenced a management book, E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber. “You need three people with different skills to run a business,” he says. “You need a technician to run the technical side of the business, a manager so you get paid, and an entrepreneur to grow the business. You may be able to do all these things, but each is essential for success.”

Craig talks a lot about the Bear Point community. “These people are awesome. It’s a giving, concerned community,” he says. Most of the Bear Point residents are from other places and have matriculated here over the years. “It’s like Mayberry with beer.” After Hurricane Sally, the water didn’t go down for several days. Craig rented equipment for the cleanup and the neighborhood volunteered to clean the restaurant, pressure-wash the docks and remove debris. “We looked like we were ready to reopen by Sunday afternoon.”

Craig knew Tyler Kean, who owned and operated the Fairhope Inn for many years. In 2018, he approached Tyler about opening a restaurant at the marina. “I liked his product and energy at the Fairhope Inn.” They planned the process of getting a restaurant established. “Tyler operates with integrity and OSO at Bear Point Harbor took off.” They will start offering breakfast there in December.

Craig has added a new bandstand, turned the open bar around so that it faces the water, and expanded the outside with a new grassy area. In addition to fuel and ice, payable at the pump for convenience, Craig has brought in several operators that offer offshore fishing charters, dolphin cruises, jet ski rentals, and sailing charters. “We have the best dolphin cruise in the area,” he says. “Cold Mil Fleet Dolphin Cruises has two boats, and they create a big wake that dolphins love to play in.”

Top Tier Water Sports runs the jet ski operation. They host two sailing charters, Sail Atlas Charters and Back Bay Sailing. Power-Time Boating Club also keeps a boat at the marina. The Dock Store sells ice, beer, and clothing. OSO at Bear Point Harbor serves lunch, dinner, and soon breakfast, and the sunsets are incredible. OSO also has live music several nights a week and on weekends.

Craig says that he gets a lot of satisfaction from creating something that the community enjoys. They have a good working relationship with the Bear Point Civic Association. “They are very progressive and positive with their vision,” he says. The civic organization has close to 900 members and owns the beach properties surrounding the marina.

They recently held the Golf Cart Poker Crawl, a three-hour tour with 52 golf carts and five host houses where participants drew a card at each house and then saw who had the best hand at the end of the tour. Each host house was rated by the touring carts, and they went all out to win “best host house.”

The week before Labor Day, Bear Point hosted a benefit fishing tournament for Children’s of Alabama – UAB’s Pediatric Cancer Hospital. Tyler Kean donated the food and this year, 20 boats participated. “Live Aboards,” those that live on their boats at the marina, have fun on game days during football season. “We have a good time together, and we are dog-friendly!” said Craig.

So, Craig can’t drive a train, but he can drive, or fly most anything else. He started operating heavy equipment as a boy at age 6. At 11, he was driving trucks that would require a CDL license. He operated cranes at 13, got his pilot’s license at 23, and his boat captain license at 47. Pretty impressive!

The next time you’re in Orange Beach, stop by Bear Point Marina, get a bite to eat, enjoy the views and the music, and the sunsets, and tell Craig hello.