The Ideal Sailboat Marina
About Hammock Island
Welcome to Hammock Island
We think Hammock Island is both uniquely beautiful and especially well located for sailboats.
We're about midway between Annapolis and Baltimore, away from heavy boating traffic, reasonably well protected, only 10 minutes from the Bay at 6 knots, and within easy reach of lots of cruising destinations.
What’s In A Name?
The name "Hammock Island" is a bit redundant.
Nautical charts refer to the island as "The Hammock", which is a variation of "Hummock" which means a small island with trees in a marshy or shallow body of water.
So, sorry, but it really doesn't have anything to do with the kind of hammock you swing in. But we don't care. We like either interpretation.
Always An Island?
It is assumed the island was once attached to the mainland, but the oldest charts we have found, dating to the early 1800s, show it as an island.
Energy, Endurance, & Luck
Bill and Carol Durr moved to Hammock Island in 1972.
Prior to that they lived in downtown Annapolis, where they learned to sail and were raising their two young children. Thoughts of living on the water morphed into the idea that a small marina would be a lot of fun.
After looking for a year and nearly giving up on the idea, Carol found an ad that read "Own your own island, comes with 38 slips." It was a dump, but driving away the dumpiness faded into potential.
Two years of zoning appeals, 23 local, state, and federal permits and 18 months of construction later, Hammock Island opened for business. The Durrs were young, naive, and didn't have much money; but back then they had energy, endurance and luck.
In August 2024, they turned ownership of this amazing marina to local Pasadena residents Martin & Nichole Bentz.
Locally Owned & Operated
Martin and Nichole Bentz are lifelong Pasadena residents.
They have 4 children and many family members who also live in the Pasadena area. Both Martin and Nichole have background careers in IT and have a passion and love for life on the water. Martin grew up boating on Bodkin Creek admiring Hammock Island.
The Bentzes intend to preserve the “back in time” feel of the island while offering simple modernizations. Hammock Island has never kept full-time office hours, but the family is easily reachable and often on-site.
Martin and Nichole also own PYY Marine, a full-service marina and boat dealership on Rock Creek in Pasadena. They are the founders of an environmental education nonprofit called CoreShark H2O, for which Nichole serves as executive director. The organization brings hands-on Bay environmental lessons to schools and groups in Anne Arundel County and beyond.
