When the America’s Cup fleet arrives in Bermuda in January 2017, a new destination resort and marina with multiple berth options will be open to visitors who want to get in on the action. Marinetek, an internationally recognized marina design and building company headquartered in Finland, put its expertise to work on a marina system that includes berths for 21 visiting megayachts at the King’s Point Marina resort.
King’s Point will be the centerpiece of a new luxury residential community designed by SB Architects as a ‘contemporary interpretation of British Colonial architecture’. Its low to mid-rise beachfront homes and a 79-room Ritz-Carlton hotel with spa and fine dining restaurant will make sure that Morgan’s Point is a desirable place to live and visit.
Like many new waterfront communities, Morgan’s Point was built on a renovated brownfield site, in this case a former US naval base. It was subject to an intensive government-funded cleanup operation that began in April 2013. Craig Christensen, President and CEO of developer Morgan’s Point Ltd, described the project in a recent statement as a “huge milestone”. “We are very grateful to the Ministry of Public Works for their tireless efforts in completing this work so that we can start building a world-class resort that is bound to enhance our tourism offering and put Bermuda back on the map as a luxury destination. ,” he says.
Designed by waterfront specialists Edgewater Resources, in collaboration with Marinetek’s North American division, King’s Point Marina will offer a much-needed quality berth for visiting vessels and will be managed in luxury style by the Ritz-Carlton on site.
“King’s Point Marina will provide a state-of-the-art, full-service berth during the America’s Cup event and beyond,” said Ron Schults PE, CEO of Edgewater Resources. “The Marinetek 5300BRK breakwater was chosen for this project to reduce south-east waves and provide safe and comfortable mooring achievement in the marina. We are honored to be involved with this world-class facility.”
The pontoon breakwater selected for the turnkey project has side keels to maximise wave attenuation. They offered a total of 2,070 feet (630.5 m) of outside pontoon space to accommodate megayachts up to 250 feet (76 m) in a mixture of side and stern positions. The breakwater also provides interior mooring for smaller vessels and protects further slippage arrangements for vessels 40-80 ft (12-24m) long built using Marinetek’s aluminum pontoon system. The system is anchored by steel pipe piles and features concrete floats and ipe hardwood decking. “All berths have been designed to meet appropriate storm loading regulations,” emphasised Richard Murray PE, Managing Director Marinetek North America, Inc.
Chairman and CEO of the Marinetek Group, Ilkka Seppälä, commented: “It is an honor to build a marina that will play a role in such a prestigious racing event and Marinetek faces the challenge of tight time frames that are frequent for such events. Our multi-local supply chain and project execution capabilities are key to smooth delivery in remote locations.”
Marinetek has a powerful portfolio of projects for high-end resorts, such as the continuous Portonovi resort in Montenegro, and event-driven marina amenities. In 2011 the company built the Volvo Ocean Race Marina in Abu Dhabi and in 2014 completed the Sochi Grand Marina in Sochi, Russia, as an integral part of preparations for the 2014 Winter Olympics. In the US, Marinetek North America built the San Francisco City West Harbor breakwater, which was a crucial venue for the 2013 America’s Cup.
