• Oyster River Boatyard
Oyster River Boatyard

Crew

Richard Berner

Dick still has ownership in ORBY, but has retired from the day to day operations of the yard to enjoy “life”. He bought the business in 1983 when some boats were still wooden and hauled via the marine railway on cradles and moved around the yard on wooden rollers instead of trailers. He grew up on boats as a kid and always owned at least two at a time for recreation while working in the corporate world. He raced sailboats for many years before making the transition to owning just power boats. Over his years he helped transform ORBY to the modern boatyard it is today. Although he has left the daily operations of the yard to his son’s, Cliff & Kegan you’ll still find him hanging out around the yard from time to time and getting involved with some of the major facility projects. He winters in Florida and splits his summer spending time both in Chatham and at his lake cabin in the Adirondack’s with his wife and cat.

Kegan Berner - Facility Manager / Sales

Kegan has worked at ORBY part time throughout high school & college and after working as an Environmental Specialist in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, moved back to the Cape in 2005 and has worked here full time in the capacity of facility manager. See him to schedule work and/or discuss any issues with your boat as he will coordinate such with the crew. If you are in the market for a new boat he can assist you with purchasing a Cobia, Steiger Craft, Jupiter, Yellowfin, Invincible, Pathfinder, Hewes, or Maverick being a sales rep for our partners at Buzzards Bay Yacht Sales. He grew up on boats and has an excellent knowledge of their operation. While in Florida he competitively raced powerboats (Hydroplanes & Runabouts) with the APBA winning numerous events. He is up to date on the latest technology and the one to speak to about upgrading to or operating the latest in marine electronics whether it be a new unit on your boat or a boating related app on your smart phone. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and son – summers on the boat & at the beach and winters skiing with his family. His hobbies include maintaining his 110 gal saltwater reef aquarium and operating his high tech telescope to discover and image the stars, comets, galaxies, & nebula. He is an excellent photographer and his pictures have been featured on NBC World News, Good Morning America, and the local papers. They can also be seen on ORBY’s website and Facebook page.

Cliff Berner – Service Manager / Sales

Cliff has been with ORBY for 30+ years - working part time throughout high school & college and after a brief tenure in the Boston finance/investment world, he relocated back to Cape Cod for the quality of life the Cape offers. Since his return in 2002, he has held the role of service manager as well as being a sales rep for ORBY’s sales partner Buzzards Bay Yacht Sales. Contact Cliff to get a new boat, schedule work, or discuss any issues with your boat as he will coordinate such with the crew. He grew up on boats, has owned and operated hundreds of makes and models from 13’ to 40’. He is happy to provide insight on which boat is best for your enjoyment. Cliff holds a 50-ton USCG Captain’s license with an endorsement for commercial towing. Cliff is a past president of the Cape Cod Marine Trades Association. When not at ORBY, he enjoys time with his wife and daughter – spending summers taking the boat to the beach, fishing, or cruising to various ports around southern New England. He is an avid water skier and has recently begun to enjoy mountain biking. In the winter, he enjoys snow skiing with the family and vacationing somewhere tropical. At home he enjoys his time around the BBQ, fire pit, and making his own beer. He is an avid Red Sox, Patriots, and Bruins fan who builds an ice rink in the front yard come winter for his daughter and wife to skate.

Michael Silvia - Yard Foreman / Master Electronics Installer / Sales

Mike joined the ORBY Crew in 2015, Prior to working at ORBY, Mike worked on a lobster boat out of Plymouth, ran fishing charters with his brother, and fished commercially for striped bass, black sea bass, bluefish, tautog and bluefin tuna. Growing up around boats and working in local waters has allowed Mike to become an asset to the ORBY Crew - Mike is proficient at all aspects of boat, dock and mooring maintenance. As ORBY’s Yard Foreman he is responsible for overseeing our yard crew and managing many tasks around the yard. Mike has received his NMEA Master Installer certificate and performs many electronic installs each year from simple to complex. He also has a USCG launch license and regularly operates ORBY's launch. His fishing expertise has proved valuable to customers; helping to outfit many with the right tackle and direct folks to where/when the bite is hot. Mike is available & has gone along as a mate to help customers find productive spots and teach them which techniques are most effective. When not at ORBY, Mike spends time commercial fishing on his own fleet of boats - from the Inshore Waters to George's Bank & The Canyons and enjoying quality family time with his wife and daughter. When the weather gets cold; he hits the ice on the ponds on Cape and throughout New England; nothing can stop Mike from fishing!!! As a competitive collegiate swimmer, it is also hard to keep Mike out of the water. Should you ever drop anything overboard, just let him know - he's always looking for an excuse to go for a dip!

Raul Gonzalez - Lead Mechanic

Raul joined ORBY in 2014 as our lead mechanic. He was born and raised in El Salvador where he owned several of his own marine businesses with dealerships for such name brands as Boston Whaler, Mercury & OMC outboards. He has worked as a marine mechanic for over 30 years at his own businesses as well as for other boatyards here in the States since his arrival in 2008. He is very familiar with today’s high tech outboards and has current training on Mercury, Yamaha, & Suzuki engines. His wealth of experience also allows him to work on older engines as well with great familiarity. He is excellent at troubleshooting and finding problems on engines and boat systems. When not ‘turning the wrench’, Raul enjoys spending time with his wife, kids, and his Labrador “Chase”. In the summer he enjoys taking the family out to the beach on their boat & spending hours towing the kids on the tube and kneeboard. Raul also enjoys mountain biking and playing squash. In the winter, he enjoys taking his family skiing and trips home to visit his mother & brothers.

Robert Dawkins - Yard Crew & Boat Detail

Robert joined the ORBY Crew in January 2017 as part of our Yard Crew & Boat Detail Team. Robert is from Jamaica and has been living with his wife and daughter in Harwich full time since 2014. Robert has a great eye for detail and really makes the boats shine! He is gaining more and more on-the-water experience and also helps out with mooring work, hauling & launching, as well as gas dock operations. He was once a ‘stern-man’ on a Lobster Boat working the deck as well as taking ‘wheel watch’ on long distance offshore steams. We hope to have him licensed to operate our launch soon as well. In his free time he enjoys playing sports and watching professional sports – especially the Celtics and Red Sox.

Seth Miner – Yard Crew/Technician

Seth has been a part of the ORBY crew for many seasons and his role is split between both the yard crew and working as a technician. Seth has been in the marine industry for over 2 decades working on boats and engines. He possesses a wide range of technical and electrical skills along with lots of general knowledge with boat systems and maintenance. Seth is an excellent 12-V electrical specialist and holds several Yamaha technician’s certificates. Seth grew up in Brewster and lives there with his wife and two daughters. In his off-time, Seth enjoys snowboarding, surfing, and camping trips with his family, especially spending time on Nauset Beach.

Eddie Goggin - Yard Crew

Eddie joined the ORBY crew in 2022 as part of the yard crew. Eddie comes with a background in boat maintenance working as the Assistant Waterfront Director at Pleasant Bay Community Boating. Eddie is well versed on all aspects of boat care and is an excellent captain helping with the hauls, launches, sea trials, and boat deliveries. He has lived on the cape his whole life and recently graduated from Roger Williams University. He has a great love for the water as he even lives on a boat part time. Soon after graduating Eddie completed and obtained his USCG six-pack license and plans to upgrade to a 50 ton license. In his free time Eddie enjoys doing anything on the water and watching his favorite Boston teams