Two Richmond-area tech entrepreneurs — Timothy Baker and Nick Bawa — are new owners of Carefree Boat Club of Central Virginia, which will open its 2022 season April 1. Bawa and Baker have invested approximately $500,000 for new upgrades and location acquisitions.
Members of the “boating without owning” club will be able to take out boats from a new site this year at Anchor Point Marina on the Appomattox River in Hopewell. That’s in addition to existing sites at Kingsland Reach Marina at Osborne Landing on the James River and Sturgeon Creek Marina at Lake Anna.
Carefree Boat Club will be offering in-person training and classes with state-approved instructors for members to earn boating licenses at both Kingsland Reach Marina and Anchor Point Marina. Previously, this was only offered online. Other new amenities for members include catering at all three locations, captains-for-hire, kayaks, paddleboards and restaurant discounts at various locations.
Bawa is the co-founder and chief technology officer of on-demand warehouse company Warehowz and co-founder and CEO of software firm Covintus. Baker is founder and CMO of bedwetting solution GoGo Band.
Bawa was already an owner of the Central Virginia club. In a restructuring, Baker came on board to be the general manager. Bawa and Baker ultimately took over ownership of the local outlet of the nationwide company, according to a spokesperson. While the new proprietors did not pay for ownership, they have invested roughly $500,000 of their own funds into the club, according to the spokesperson. The Carefree Boat Club corporate office collects a small fee from dues for the reservation system that members use either on a computer or their phone.
Carefree Boat Club enables members to enjoy boating while avoiding the costs associated with ownership or renting. It also touts an environmental advantage in reducing the carbon footprint with multiple people using the same boat. The company keeps its boats maintained daily with an awareness on preventing pollution in the waterways.
