Smitty Dize
Although the Boston Red Sox have recently broken the Curse of the Bambino, a curse caused by giving away the great Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, we have to hope that our harbor is not in for a similar downturn, as we too let our franchise player, Smitty Dize, slip through our fingers. Mirror sources confirm that Dize has resigned as Harbor Master, and is on his way to becoming harbor master/director for the Oyster Farm at Kings Creek Marina.
Although full details are not available, sources tell the CC Mirror that Mr. Dize has been ready for a change, and that tensions between he and the Mayor, Vice-Mayor, and Assistant Town Manager have been brewing for some time now.
On the heels of this year’s very successful Clam Slam, the loss of Mr. Dize is amplified for Town residents. As devastating as it is for the Town, it is, however, a major coup for Mr. Occhifinto and his Oyster Farm operation. Dize’s accomplishments for Cape Charles are well documented, from expansion and overhauling, infrastructure build out, breakwater protections, as well as successful event planning such as the Clam Slam, and the New Year’s Eve crab pot drop. In essence, Dize transformed a sleepy harbor and its finger piers into a vibrant, state of the art deep water harbor that is the envy of coastal towns all around the Chesapeake Bay.
Given the pallet Smitty will have to work with at King’s Creek, it would seem the sky is the limit, and we can expect to see some great things returning to that venue. The Cape Charles Mirror wishes Smitty good luck in his future endeavors.
Well deserved comment !
Full sail ahead Smitty !
Gil Pruitt
The Town of Cape Charles has some wonderfully talented men and women working for them and Smithy is most definitely at the top of that list.
His departure is a real loss for your town and it’s going to be a challenge to find someone with his knowledge, dedication and personality. The Cape Charles Harbor is an integral part of your economy, culture and heritage and I hope for the sake of your community that you hire someone who will steadfastly guard that critical location. Smithy was nobody’s fool and I can see where his departure could start the race to control that valuable asset. Good luck Smithy!!!
I see no reason to stay in the Cape Charles Town Harbor if the city cannot find a way to retain such outstanding talent. I have watched Mr. Dize transform the Harbor from a second hand little overnight stopover into the magnificent, world class marina it is today. My position as the Marine Trawler Owner’s Association Port Captain for the Town Harbor, and my pride of my home port, has attracted many other trawlers to Cape Charles. We have been instrumental in drawing the Marine Trawler Owner’s Association to Rendezvous in our area, a possibility to berth forty or more boats to enjoy Cape Charles. I can no longer recommend the Town Harbor to the 150 members I lead as the Coordinator of the Southern Chesapeake Bay Cruisers.
It seems as of lately the news I have read concerning the Town of Cape Charles is one disappointing pungent tale after another…. What an unreal catastrophe the town officiants have allowed to occur, and how they were unable to manage to keep one of the the most obviously beneficial and productive employees is some how not much of a surprise. Looking at the history of this town and how they have rolled through one employee after another, I am certain if you stop and think you can come up with more than a handful of wonderful people whom were employed by the town in the past. Congratulation to Mr. Ochifinto, who has gained an awesome individual for his team , and Congratulation Mr. Dize, we shall see you soon! Shame on you Cape Charles, for the not so big surprise of some how screwing up again…
The World’s population exceeds 7 billion people. I am quite sure there are many people that have this man’s qualifications.
We will miss Smitty at the Town Harbor. He’s done an amazing job of turning the harbor into a a great destination spot. My husband, Dale, and I sail over several times a year for the many events he has established. While we wish Smitty the best in his new endeavor, we hope you find a new person to fill his immense shoes. We will continue to support the Harbor, but will probably be sailing over to Kings Creek as well now that Smitty is there.
Will There be a Clam Slam in 2016?
The same events that were previously at Clam Slam will now be at Shuck-N-Suck 2016 at the Oyster Farm, with a few new twist of course!