More Monster Marinas

Back in our May issue, we told you about a few of the new megayacht marinas that are currently cropping up (or are at least slated to crop up) around the world. Well, here's another one to add to your list. In late 2009, Island Global Yachting (IGY) will reportedly open a massive, dedicated megayacht marina in Dubai. And not just anywhere in the UAE, but on both the west and east sides of the Palm Jumeirah's trunk. (The Palm Jumeirah one of the government-owned, artificial islands that's shaped as a massive palm tree. It has 17 fronds.) When completed, IGY's Anchor Marina should feature some 700 berths, concrete pontoons to ensure stability (and thus guests' comfort), and a 24-hour concierge service.

Prepare for Panama

Plenty of anglers know about the waters off Panama, but how about you cruisers? A new marina breaking ground this summer might just be the excuse you need to go check the country out. Palacio Del Mar, a Six Diamond Resort International property, will feature a marina with more than 100 berths as well as a yacht club.

Located in Bocas Del Toro (see photo), an archipelago on the northwestern coast of Panama, Palacio Del Mar will be bordered by a rainforest as well as a placid bay. The marina will feature floating concrete docks, 24-hour security, customs assistance, fueling, Wi-Fi, electrical service up to 100 amps, fish-cleaning services, sailing and fishing charter services, and more. While a restaurant will also be steps away from the docks, the yacht club will feature additional dining options. (It will also have a billiards room and library.)

Should you wish to linger longer, Palacio Del Mar will also feature residences ranging from one to three bedrooms.

More Mega Marinas

There are more and more ports opening marinas that cater to the megayacht crowd. I recently checked out the Port Louis Marina in St George’s, Grenada near the base of the Antillean Windward Islands. But you don’t have to go that low in latitude to find brand new big-boat marinas.

Newport, Rhode Island’s Forty 1º North is beginning its first full season May 10th. It will have slips available for vessels from 45 to 250 feet, 480-volt electrical service (made possible by over 7,000 pounds of cable), shuttle launches, and a slew of other services you’d expect from a top-notch marine facility.

The marina also has private event spaces and restaurants. The Grill restaurant, located dockside, boasts exotic foods such as the Kobe Beef Burger, as well as Newport classics like clam chowder.

For more on other new dockside facilities, check out the upcoming article, “Monster Marinas” that will appear in our May issue.

An Alternative for Boating Enthusiasts, Dreamers, and Snowbirds

On a recent trip down to Palm Beach, my cousin Brian invited me to his marina club for the day. While sharing similarities to the yacht clubs in the northeast that I'm more familiar with, I was intrigued about the differences.

The Marina Club at Jonathan's Landing has private slips for members, a lounge with waterfront restaurant, lots of social activities, and reciprocity with other clubs around the country. But it also has a newly renovated boat storage facility, with interior space for boats up to 40 feet and 24/7 security, and a program called Boat Fleet, an alternative to boat ownership.

For a yearly fee, members of the Boat Fleet program have access to 30 different boats: a variety of center console fishing boats, bow riders, and cabin cruisers from 21 to 46 feet. All but the two largest boats can be taken out by members after they've attended a one-on-one training class, new-boat orientation, and a boating safety course. (The 40- and 46-footers require a captain.) You simply call ahead to reserve the boat you want.

There is one glitch: Although the marina takes care of any maintenance issues and all the boats are insured, there is the potential for damage when sending members out after only one training session. When we took one of the boats out, the rudder indicator was broken and the steering was so tight you could barely turn the wheel. Fortunately my cousin has spent quite a bit of time on these boats and can get himself out of a jam. But on-the-water troubleshooting training would probably be beneficial to members.

With reliable maintenance and thorough training, this can be a great alternative for boating enthusiasts who don't have enough free time to warrant the costs of having their own boat or snowbirds who store their boats over the winter rather than transporting them back and forth.

Port Louis, Grenada—Part 1

A few weeks ago I visited the Port Louis Marina in Grenada, a marina and an island that is perched to become a new Caribbean hot spot, and I believe it's got a good chance of succeeding. The new marina, which is expected to have over 150 slips when it’s completed, is the labor of real-estate mogul Peter de Savary. In our upcoming February issue we will feature the story "Master Class" by Alan Harper about de Savary's yacht Savvy. Included in the article is my sidebar with a good deal of information on the Port Louis project. However, we couldn’t fit in many of the photos that showcase the changes being made, so look through these shots and look for the article in February:

The lagoon after Hurricane Ivan in 2004.

The lagoon (with Port Louis Marina being constructed) in November 2007. The plans call for the hill behind the marina to be home to a series of multi-million dollar condos.

Port Louis Marina from the fort across the harbor. The plans call for almost the entire lagoon to be filled with dockage.

Infinite pool at De Savary's home far north of the harbor, mentioned in Master Class story.

The Manatee Money Plan

Broward County asked the question: Who should pay the tab for our manatee protection program? And it's about to settle on the answer: Marina developers.

Here's the plan: For every new boat slip a developer wants to build, he or she must pay a $750 initial fee and an annual $20 fee. All that money will go to protecting the threatened sea cow—everything from better warning signs to increased enforcement of manatee zones.

If you live in Broward, you might want to weigh in on this before the County Commission takes up the issue in the next few months. One of the committee members recently expressed a likely, if cynical, scenario. Bernie Gartner told the Sun Sentinel that any new fees will just get passed down to the consumer: "Whoever's paying for it, it's going to come back to the boater."

Desirable Destination

It's always a thrill to receive a letter from a reader when he/she likes something you've written. This morning I had just that experience when Mark Allen of the Canyon Club Resort Marina in Cape May, New Jersey, e-mailed me to say how much he enjoyed my November "Megayachts" column, in which I urge yacht owners to expand their horizons and explore places other than the same spots they go to year after year.

Here's what Mark had to say:

We’ve been actively trying to entice the larger motor yachts to visit our marina here in Cape May for the past couple of years. We can handle up to three in the 110’ range at one time and have plenty of water underneath. And we have a great town for both crews and owners as well as a year-round service facility at our nearby sister marina.

But we can’t seem to get the "desirable destination" message out.

Consider the word out, Mark. As for you yacht owners: Consider yourselves educated. Being a Jersey girl, I can attest to how beautiful Cape May is. A few of our other editors have been there, too. And if any of you have, feel free to share your knowledge here.

The World Marinas

If you were a marina, where would you be? Of course, you wouldn’t be just any marina; you’d be top-notch: the George Clooney or Julia Roberts of marinas, and you’d want the best spot the world had to offer.

In that case, The World, the group of islands off the coast of Dubai, is the place to be. And they’re getting exceptional marinas under the management of Island Global Yachting (IGY), a leading developer of luxury marina facilities and the exclusive provider of design, development, and management services for Nakheel, the property development firm that created The World.

The partnership will entail 40,000 new marina slips in Nakheel’s $30-billion waterfront development, which will “establish Dubai as a global yachting destination and facilitate the growth of the marina industry in the Middle East,” says Andrew L. Farkas, founder and CEO of Island Capital Group, an affiliate of IGY. Not a bad move on IGY’s part, considering Nakheel’s project is establishing itself as the star destination for business and luxury tourism.

So now the question is, if you were an IGY marina, in which “country” of The World would you be located?

New Slips, Safe Manatees

On Tuesday, the Broward County Commission passed a plan that allows for the construction of 4,392 new boat slips. An earlier draft of the proposal called for 7,000 new slips to be built but was hotly contested by environmentalists hoping to limit the number of manatees in Broward that are killed by boats. The approved proposal marks a compromise between the boating industry and state wildlife officials.

The Broward plan greenlights the construction of storage units, parking spaces, and other boating facilities. It also mandates that 513 of the new slips be set aside for those who cannot afford private dock space. The County Commission instated additional means of protecting manatees including a fee increase for boaters that are caught speeding and the installation of speed-reduction signs that light up when manatees are present.

"Everybody understands this is a compromise plan," said Frank Herhold, executive director of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida in an interview with the Sun-Sentinel. "We all hope it will stand the test of time."

Donald Trump Back in Yachting

Everyone's favorite real estate mogul and the former owner of the largest Benetti ever built is behind a new development in the Dominican Republic that will cater to the megayacht crowd.

To be called Trump at Cap Cana, the resort will cover an astounding 30,000 acres with more than three miles of beaches. Besides featuring luxury residential units and a handful of hotels (and, of course, golf courses), the big attraction for boaters will be more than 1,000 slips able to accommodate megayachts to 150 feet.

You'll have to wait a while before reserving a slip, however; the first phase of marina construction doesn't kick off until springtime this year.

Despite the wait, we say: Mr. Trump, you're hired.