Testimonials

To: Jack Brewer / Brewers Yacht Yards From: Chuck Sandgren Subject: Letter of Appreciation for Services Rendered Sir: The purpose of this letter is to express my appreciation to your organization for a job well done. Your team at Brewers in Mystic installed (repowered) a Yanmar 315hp engine in my Wasque’ downeaster just before Christmas. I am very happy with the work done and offer the following observations for your information and use. My background is in engineering, and I am now employed in engineering management at Electric Boat. Under my management oversight are a number of contracts with various companies including some abroad. I was able to make use of my work experiences in my effort to choose a marina to repower my boat and in this evaluation I interviewed a few marinas including yours in Mystic. Normally before placing a contract for services I would determine the cost risk of each companies proposal. Cost risk is determined by capabilities evidenced by past accomplishments, realism/completeness of the estimate, an appraisal of the personnel and the having the facilities to get the job done. You will be pleased to know that your team at Brewers Mystic performed in a stellar fashion. Ned Ahlborn at Brewers Mystic has my heartfelt thanks. Ned not only passed the test of comparison to other marinas, he demonstrated his skills by finishing the job with-in the estimate and with a degree of quality unsurpassed. I should note that Ned’s estimate for the repower was not the lowest I had found. In my experience the lowest estimate is not often the best option. After visiting his facility and speaking with Ned and his staff I was convinced Brewers is where I would place my trust. Please convey my thanks to Ned and his team for me and thanks for reviewing my thoughts and comments. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions. -S- Chuck Sandgren (Wasque' 32)

After two years with these engines I could not be happier. These engines are great. Just change the oil and filters, give them fuel and they just keep going. The job that Paul, Ned and the rest of your staff did was nothing less than outstanding. We commissioned the boat in April 2001 and the only time it has been hauled has been for winter storage. My wife and I really enjoyed the air conditioning last summer and the heater has been on more than we would have liked this spring. We could not have selected a better yard or crew to do our repower. Thanks, Dave Sheerman (Luhrs 350 Tournament)

I am pleased to write to let you know of the outstanding service I received from the Mystic Brewer Yard. We had the unfortunate experience of hitting a submerged rock with our 36 foot Catalina last Monday in Fishers Island's West Harbor. As you can imagine hitting a submerged rock is very disturbing, and stressful with a large part of the stress being the uncertainty of how badly the boat is actually damaged. We have kept our boat at Pilots Point Marina for over 13 years and shortly after the incident I called Kip Wiley, our customer service representative at Pilots Point and discussed with him our options for repair. He suggested that we get towed to the Brewer Mystic yard and that he would call ahead to alert Ned Ahlborn, the Yard's General Manager that we were coming. As the result of Kip's call the guys at Mystic were ready and met us in the river under tow by Seatow. They took over the tow with the yard boat and had us in the travel lift in a matter of minutes and out of the water shortly thereafter. This was obviously the first look we got at the bottom of the boat and were relieved to find that damage was limited to the rudder. Ned determined that the rudder was bent so severely that it would have to be replaced and had it on order with Catalina within the hour. Both Ned, Tom Kelly, the Yard Forman and the rest of the staff at the Mystic yard did everything possible to help us and we have the highest regard for the service and attention we received. We own a business and know that employees are one of the most important assets necessary for success. We wish to thank Kip for his help and clearly the people at the Mystic yard are to be commended. We would strongly recommend the Brewer Yard's to anyone wishing good friendly service. Stan and Jeanne Brown Gifted Lady

Jack, I want to take a minute and compliment you on your Brewer Mystic Crew. As you know; Ned, Paul and Tim did an excellent job of re-powering our 43’Post. It was a challenge but one that they were up to and learned from. This will be our second season with the boat and we look forward to enjoying a trouble free summer thanks to a job well done. I have found that everyone at Brewer Mystic knows their job and takes pride in doing it well. Ned is certainly an asset to your organization. He manages your marina as if it was his own. Good people are extremely difficult to find and retain and it is a compliment to you to have Ned on board. Regards, David M. Wilson (43' Post)

Dear Mr. Brewer, My name is John Davis. We have been at Brewer’s Mystic for over ten years. I want to take this opportunity to convey to you a recent incident that, I believe, reflects very favorably upon you staff at Mystic. On May 25th, our boat, a Mainship 350 Trawler, had just completed a warranty repair on the swim platform performed by a Mainship representative. The Brewer’s staff completed the necessary preparation and launched the boat just before noon, to enable us to use the boat over the Memorial Day weekend (recognizing that their Saturday hours are 8:00 to 12:00) We arrived at approximately 1:00 and I discovered that the boat was taking on water. I quickly found Ned Ahlborn: we activated the bilge pump and evacuated the water. Ned determined that the water was coming from the swim platform and that it would be necessary to haul the boat. A crew was quickly assembled, the boat was hauled, and the problem identified. It was determined that the Mainship representative, in performing the repair, had inadvertently punctured the swim platform below the water line. Ned and crew, patched the hole, re-launched the boat, and had us back in our slip by 3:30. There was never a work from anyone about this being past working hours. The entire crew was courteous, efficient, and focused on doing their best for a customer. We had a great Memorial Day weekend because they extended themselves. I just wanted you to know. Sincerely, John Davis

Dear Mr. Brewer, This past Spring and Summer, I departed Kingston, Ontario, Canada on a sailing trip that included the St. Lawrence River, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Norththumberland Strait, Bras d’Or Lake, coast of Nova Scotia, a leap from Nova Scotia to Cape Cod, Long Island Sound, Hudson River, Erie Canal and back across Lake Ontario to Kingston. Needless to say, among other things the “voyage” was challenging, enjoyable and fascinating. Unfortunately, I experienced mechanical difficulties with my shaft throughout the trip in that the key (V-drive transmission configuration) was being centrifically thrown from the key-way. Attempts to correct the problem in Quebec City and a small fishing village in Nova Scotia (where a local fisherman machined a key from brass stock) ultimately met with failure. In both cases the new key was drilled and lock-wired into place, only to wear away because of excessive play between the shaft and coupling. Eventually the key-way in the coupling and shaft became misaligned. Upon reaching Mystic, I decided that professional intervention was required and explained the situation to Mr. Ned Ahlborn, General Manager of you yard at that charming town. (Incidentally I decided to go to Brewer’s at Mystic because of my positive experience at Plymouth, Mass. After our exhilarating 54-hour passage from Nova Scotia—but I digress.) I will now explain why I am writing this letter. Mr. Ahlborn (Ned) came on-board CROWNER GUNN and with a flourish of activity, he sized up the problem, suggested the solution (which involved a lift-out) and provided a timeframe in which the job could be achieved. Back at Mr. Ahlborn’s office, I lamented the week that it would take to do the work because of crew time constraints. Upon hearing my tale of woe, Mr. Ahlborn made no promises, but indicated he would try to complete the job in a shorter timeframe, if possible. That discussion occurred on Thursday evening and by Monday afternoon I was back in the water with a newly machined shaft, coupling, repacked stuffing box and “ready to roll”. Needless to say, my crew and I were extremely impressed at not only the speed at which the job was done, but also the professionalism and experience of the technical staff and basic organization of the yard. After owning six sailboats for over 25 years and a career that includes time in the Canadian Navy, head of a research agency, Chair of a university Psychology department, and currently teaching organizational behaviour and leadership in an MBA program at a Canadian university, I feel that I am qualified to comment on the operation at Mystic. Mr. Ahlborn is the kind of individual that we analyze in our Harvard School of Business case studies – aggressive, smart, talented, an excellent company representative, with well-developed leadership skills. He not only knows how to lead and manage, but he amply understands and is able to handle the technical aspects of his business, in that he did the lion’s share of the technical work himself in addition to coordinating and scheduling the job. I am convinced that Mr. Ahlborn would be an asset to any organization that needs dynamic, skilled and energetic individuals. (After leaving Mystic, naturally my next port of call was Brewer’s Marine at Stratford.) Thank you for the high standards that you ask of your employees and you wisdom in selecting and being able to keep people of Mr. Ahlborn’s skills and abilities. My pleasant experience at Brewer’s even eclipsed the trauma of coming to terms with the exchange rate between the US and Cdn dollars. Sincerely yours, Fred Wilson CROWNER GUNN