A ribbon-cutting ceremony officially inaugurated the Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center North Marina in October. The facility complements Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center directly across the New River in Fort Lauderdale.
The site has been a boatyard for decades. Initially, Summerfield Boat Works opened its doors there in 1930. It remained a place where boaters could do work and service on their own vessels for upwards of 70 years. In late 2018, an Alabama-based company announced plans to transform it into South Fork Marina. Instead of a self-service center, the site would provide megayacht dockage. Specifically, the plans called for 34 slips for yachts to 155 feet (47 meters).
As Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center North Marina, the location handles megayachts from 80 to 150 feet (24 to 46 meters). More than 20 slips are present, too. Just like the rest of the property across the river, it has multiple purposes. Captains can seek storm refuge here, for instance, plus have on-site meetings. Brokers can use it as well for showings of their foreign-built and/or foreign-flagged listings, since it’s a Foreign Trade Zone.
“The marine industry was born right on this property,” Frank Gernert, the director of facilities, comments. He additionally credits the local residents with patience during the years-long redevelopment. “They realized that the project was going to improve a derelict marina property that had not served its useful time,” he notes.
The five-acre site is further a Clean Marina. This means it meets not only Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection requirements, but also complies at least 60 percent with additional voluntary standards. Those standards govern things like stormwater control, spill prevention, sensitive habitats, and emergency preparedness.
Safe Harbor Marinas shmarinas.com
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