From Italy, Angelo Zerilli, national Ministry of Transport, described how his country had broken down bureaucratic barriers to permitting marina construction so that they could get on with ambitious plans for a network of tourist-oriented boating facilities that can capitalize on the beauty of the coastline and create jobs in economically disadvantaged areas.  

From the Netherlands, Erik H. Van Dijk, Netherlands Board of Tourism, explained their “Sailing through Holland” project. The aim is to promote recreational boat traffic through tourism areas by putting together easily accessible routes through interesting landscapes and areas, making use of waterways formerly used for shipping and commerce but now in need of other kinds of economic stimulation that the tourism and leisure sector can provide.  

From the UK, Paul Wagstaffe, British Waterways, and Tim Coughlan, Braunston Marina, talked about the success of public-private partnerships in redeveloping 2,000 miles of canals and rivers for recreational navigation, and helping marinas and other waterway businesses to create new facilities and services to meet customer needs.  

From Brazil, Claudio Amaral, Brazilian Marinas Institute, spoke about the plans of his country’s national tourism authority to open the vast inland rivers system to recreational navigation, stimulating waterfront resort development and related employment.

From New Zealand, Peter Busfield, BIA of New Zealand, described how building Viaduct Basin, a super-yacht facility to accommodate visitors for the America’s Cup, has put the city of Auckland on the map as a mecca for super-yacts and facilitated the growth of super-yacht servicing and building industries.

From Northern Ireland, John McCormick, Carrickbergus Waterfront, told of the transformation of the town’s unsightly, derelict industrial waterfront into a modern, attractive mixed–use development with a marina that has become a focal point for special events. The end value is measured as $100 million, hundreds of construction jobs, and up to 500 full– and part– time jobs in and around the marina.  

Save room for boat ramps

Let’s not overlook the needs of small boats under 26 feet in length that depend on ramps to access recreational waters. Frequently, they are part of the marina scene.

IMC 2002 invited Steve Lewis, president of SOBA, to address the concerns of the trailer boat population. In addition to offering technical advice on how to build, renovate, or maintain boat ramps, as published in SOBA’S design guidelines and maintenance manual, Mr. Lewis talked about the issues public boat access providers share with private marina operators in securing room for boating facilities development. For example, the “not in my backyard” mentality of private property owners, environmental impact assessments, and the question of safe boat-carrying capacity that crops up out of fear that new or expanded access will create boat traffic safety problems.

Did you know that SOBA has a scientific methodology for determining how much and where boat access is needed to satisfy user demands? It’s the product of a 1996 federal grant.  

Summing up the conference

At the end of the formal program, before IMC 2002 participants embarked on a most enjoyable day-long tour by land and water of Sydney metropolitan area marinas and yacht clubs, I, as ICOMIA’s Marinas Committee Chair, thanked the hosts.  

“The Sydney conference has served its purpose well by bringing together marina interests from all over the world, providing a forum for the exchange of viewpoints on marina development and operation, and producing a wealth of helpful information on solutions to common problems.”

Ron Stone is a senior advisor with the National Marine Manufacturers Association and chairman of the ICOMIA Boating Facilities Committee. He served as NMMA’s director of facilities and government relations for more than four decades. He is the founder of the States Organization for Boating Access.