Rodney Bay St Lucia to Become Mega-Yacht Haven

by www.easier.com on 1 Feb 2007 New year and new ownership for Rodney Bay, St Lucia, and who better than Island Global Yachting (IGY), the leading developer of luxury marina facilities who announced their latest nautical purchase in the first week of 2007.

Rodney Bay is one of the Caribbean’s premier yachting centres and home for 16 years to the annual trans-Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) which leaves Las Palmas in the Canaries in November and arrives in St Lucia some punishing 2,700 nautical miles later. Currently equipped with 232 berths and a 4.5 acre boatyard plus shops, restaurants and hotels on dry land, Rodney Bay, thanks to IGY, will receive a 100 million USD plus facelift to catapult it into the sailing spotlight.

IGY, based in New York and Fort Lauderdale, is already making its mark in the Caribbean, The Bahamas and the Middle East, where, in an agreement with Dubai developer Nakheel, IGY is providing design, development and management services to Nakheel’s marina properties, including its signature developments; The Palm Islands, The World and Dubai Waterfront, the largest waterfront development in the world. Using this expertise, IGY will upgrade Rodney Bay to meet their superior standards already on display in St Maarten and St Thomas whilst pledging not to disrupt day-to-day operation of the marina, to respect the positions of current Rodney Bay employees and not to interfere with St Lucia’s long association with the ARC.

Andrew Farkas, CEO and founder of Island Global Yachting, and fanatical yachtsman, said of the acquisition, 'The Rodney Bay Marina is the leading marina facility in the region. We are excited to work with the Government and people of St Lucia to create one of the finest luxury yachting destinations in the world.' Music to St Lucian ears and incredibly good news for the future appeal and growth of this Caribbean island which relies on tourism to fuel its economy.

It’s true that money can’t buy everything, just ask the mega-yacht owners, all 7,000 of them with private vessels over 80-ft in length, who struggle to find marinas equipped to handle their yachts and their expensive tastes. The mega-yacht market is booming and with 650 more expected to enter the waters this year, their headaches will only get worse. Multi-millionaires shouldn’t have to go through this pain. That is why IGY’s vision for Rodney Bay is going to be so successful – the market for top-notch marina services is out there just waiting to come in and dock. However, Island Global Yachting likes to look at its marinas as ‘more than a dock’, more like a ‘five star hotel’ with a range of entertainment and retail facilities to tickle the fancies of the world’s elite. As a company they’ve seen what’s out there, think most of it is sub-standard and plan to clean-up by becoming the premier brand in mega-yachts, period. Rodney Bay will not disappoint.

So at the end of April, once the World Cup Cricketers have packed up their bats and balls and sent their whites to the dry cleaners, St Lucia will be looking forward to the next chapter in its colourful history. Once a sleepy honeymoon island, St Lucia is on the brink of becoming one of the Caribbean’s hottest upscale destinations.