London, England is gearing up to become a great megayacht venue for the 2012 Summer Olympics. Actually, London is one of only a few capital cities in the world that can accommodate megayachts.
A legacy of London’s maritime past is its remaining marina docks, which will provide stern-to mooring for 50-100 large yachts as demand warrants.
The Canary Wharf financial district will be the center of this, with added space in the Royal Docks next to City Airport. The London docks will be able to receive megayachts up to 656′ x 98′ (200m x 30m).
Gareth Stephens, the harbor and waterspace manager for British Waterways, the agency overseeing the country’s inland waterways, says that a variety of berths are being made available and have already attracted interest. The final number of available slips “really depends on the sizes of vessels we have,” Stephens explains. “We are looking to accommodate a mix of cruise vessels and superyachts.”
While stays at marinas such as, The London Docklands, can be tailored to meet yacht owner requirements, Stephens adds, “We are looking at a minimum booking period of 21 days.” The per-day charges are dependent upon the LOA of your yacht. Dockage rates at The London Docklands range from a rate of £1,000 per day (for megayachts under 82′ / 25 m) to £11,000 per day for superyachts up to 492′ / 150m.
Most downtown London marina facilities offer water, sewage, bunkering, garbage, and riverboat and Tube connections.
“Many parties will be involved including dock owners, landowners, pier operators, PLA, MCA, security and suppliers,” says Hugh Agnew. “We can help with all of these, but the key at the moment is early decisions so that sufficient dock space is put in place for 2012.”
Several other sailing events are due to take place in the United Kingdom in 2012, including the Superyacht Cup, J Class regattas and the Westward Cup.
The economic impact of megayachts spending time in London for the Olympics, and the regattas are expected to be over $25 million USD for the local economy, thanks to megayacht dockage, yacht services, maintenance, provisioning, as well as temporary crew requests.
Source: Superyacht Business & YachtLondon.com
