Smugglers is the place to be this summer

By Natasha Uncianschi
The new owners of Smugglers, formerly known as Radlin's, want people to know they've got big plans this summer. Chris and Angelia Maskell hail from Cayuga, just southwest of Hamilton, Ontario. They heard about Radlin's Marina and Cafe through a real estate agent and decided to check it out. "We weren't interested at first," said Chris. "But we were looking into selling our house and moving, and we had to be by the water, so when we saw this place, we just had to have it."

The couple ended up becoming the new owners of Radlin's towards the end of February of this year. "This is by far, the most beautiful place I have ever seen," said Chris. "It's almost like something out of a movie, and the people here are the nicest people I have ever met."

The first thing the couple decided to do, was to change its name from Radlin's to Smugglers, to better suit the history of the area. "We're familiar with the history of the booze smuggling around here," said Chris, "and this area used to be more prominent with it being right across from Detroit, so we just thought it was a natural name for it, based on its history."

The Maskell's have been in the marina and restaurant business for quite some time, and they also have a telephone company back home, which they are looking into relocating. Along with that, they also breed german shepherds, and Angelia is in her last segment of receiving her Real Estate license.

They now reside in the area and have big plans for Smugglers Marina & Roadhouse. "We want to have more smuggling-type decorations for the interior," explained Chris. "We also want to get more on our menus like shark steaks and more seafood." Another thing they are hoping to do is bring in more American tourists and have more activities for them (and the locals) to enjoy together. "We find that the tourists like to mingle with the locals, so we want to make it fun for everybody," said Chris.

"We want to cater to everybody, and make it a place where everyone wants to come, from all over the place, whether they want to drive from Chatham or anywhere." Hours will be extended and there will be more live concerts, charity events, and sporting events this summer, to keep everybody happy and occupied while they are visiting. "We want to have large singing contests and start volleyball tournaments," said Chris, "and also have things like pig roasts, horse shoe tournaments, drive-in movie nights, overnight events; whatever people want to do." They also want to do more for the kids, like renting the pool for swimming lessons and have more activities for them to participate in like fishing tournaments and much more. Angelia added that if people want to stay overnight, there will definately be a few options for them if they choose to do so. "Eventually, we will be putting up cabins in the park area for those who want to come and stay overnight," she said. "But for now, people are more than welcome to pop up a tent in that area if they want to stay."

Other activities the couple is hoping to bring in, include poker runs, car nights, and so much more. "It's such a beautiful piece of land," said Chris. "We might as well use it." One concern the couple has, is that there is no shuttle or taxi service in the area. "I called Chatham-Kent and told them I wanted to apply for a taxi license, but they turned me down because I haven't been driving a taxi in 'Chatham-Kent' for a minimum of two years," explained Chris. "I used to run my own taxi business for 10 years in Hamilton, and I'm willing to put money into this to get it started here, because the Americans who come over don't have access to a shuttle service, senior citizens want to go grocery shopping, and they're having to call Leamington just to get a taxi and pay the premium rate." The couple said they will continue to try and get a shuttle service in the area, mainly for people who don't want to drink and drive, but also for anyone who would need access to one. Smugglers Marina & Roadhouse has a restaurant seating capacity of 450 people, and room for 130 docked boats in the marina.

The area is wheelchair accessible and there is an 800 sq. ft. party tent behind the restaurant. New things which were recently added include a new big screen tv and a new sound system. New hours are as follows: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 11am-10pm; Thursday 11am to approximately 12am; Friday 11am to approximately 2am; Saturday 8am to approximately 2am; Sunday 8am-9pm. The couple will be looking to hire cooks, professional bartenders, and marina helpers for the summer. Smugglers Marina & Roadhouse is located at 19150 Harbour Drive, Lighthouse Cove. Contact Chris and Angelia at Smugglers at 519-682-1221 for more information, to book company parties, or just for general inquiries.
Visit:
www.smugglersmarina.com
www.smugglersroadhouse.com