2343 replies to this topic

[Cassidy]

well not likely in the winter for sure.  i think it'll be a very slow build.

But it's getting well into spring.

That, and take a look across the harbour in the pix ... and the dozens (if not hundreds) of moored boats in other marinas located in the Inner Harbour.

Edited by Cassidy, 03 April 2019 - 05:27 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

and the dozens (if not hundreds) of moored boats in other marinas located in the Inner Harbour.

 

well of course one of the problems is that this marina can ONLY take huge boats (20m / 65ft. +).  others are not even allowed to visit that marina.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 April 2019 - 05:33 AM.

[Cassidy]

There are plenty of boats over 65' at the Capital City Yacht Club out in Sidney ... and they have a 10 year waiting list for moorage!

 

All of the above conjecture doesn't really serve to explain why a marina costing many, many millions of dollars, and benefiting from a 45 year water lot lease from the Provincial Government is sitting completely empty many, many months after its completion.

[Victoria Watcher]

All of the above conjecture doesn't really serve to explain why a marina costing many, many millions of dollars, and benefiting from a 45 year water lot lease from the Provincial Government is sitting completely empty many, many months after its completion.

 

well what do you think that they are not trying?

 

it's a chinese tax dodge?

 

a ufo landing site in disguise?

 

nah when you own a big multi-million dollar boat like this you can't move it all that quick your boat has a staff. patience young grasshopper.

 

(capital city only has space for seven 65+ft. boats total and they are hardly in the class that this marina is built for)

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 April 2019 - 06:20 AM.

[Cassidy]

Not to put too fine a point on it ... but there are NO BOATS in the marina!

A tax dodge, sort of like Zero and Gene in "The Producers" - except working as planned?

 

Their last Facebook post was January 1st ... so it's obvious they either have zero staff, or aren't even trying.

 

"Staff", or more popularly called "crew" on boats over 100' live onboard ... precisely so you (multi-millionaire owner that you are) can move your boat wherever you want, and as quickly as you would like to move it.

April and May are when you and your fellow millionaires are staging their boats for summer cruising ... and it's pretty obvious nobody is staging anything whatsoever at all at the Victoria International Marina!

Edited by Cassidy, 03 April 2019 - 06:39 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

do you think the multimillionaire owners of the marina have made a massive mistake?

hey if there are no boats to block views and cause the feared safety hazard it’s a win right? why complain?

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 April 2019 - 06:50 AM.

[lanforod]

Maybe give it some more time. Aren't moorage leases often multiyear? Perhaps owners are waiting for their leases to expire. I suspect the one issue is that the new marina is considerably more expensive.

[spanky123]

I think the key is getting the Mayor and council out promoting the virtues of mega-yachting and attending events designed to bring more mega-yachts to Victoria.

[Victoria Watcher]

maybe a trip to chinese mega yacht clubs?

[spanky123]

maybe a trip to chinese mega yacht clubs?

 

Or to Monaco. A small yacht at the Monaco Yacht Club would be 150 ft.

[Sparky]

I have used Victoria Harbour as a home base for boating in the past when we lived on the Gorge. 

 

OK my boat was a little smaller than the ones this market is geared for, but heck my dock was on the far side of the Tillicum Bridge. 

 

Victoria is not situated in an ideal location for cruising. Sidney is a much better choice. Close to Roche, Friday, Ganges, and closer to the ferry and the airport for friends and relatives to pop over. Victoria has none of those neat spots nearby. 

 

They might get a few mega boaters from Seattle as transients, but I think they need a few more David Fosters to fill up that space on a permanent basis. Where is John Wayne when you need him?

[Cassidy]

hey if there are no boats to block views and cause the feared safety hazard it’s a win right? why complain?

I'm on record here in the forum as being a huge supporter of our Inner Harbour being a working harbour first and foremost ... I'm actually wondering why there are no boats in the marina strictly from the point of view that I'd rather see the Marina full of boats rather than languishing completely empty of boats.

[cnorrisvimarina]

Maybe they should fire their CEO?

I thought I would chime in on a few of the statements/questions coming up.

• we had 80 boats come and go from the marina last summer. We had no aggressive marketing campaign as we wanted to get our feet wet the first season... and we were wise to do so... many things were worked out. Remember - this is the first dedicated superyacht complex on the west coast... and one of only a handful in the world.
• we just started our marketing campaign for long-term moorage in January
• turns our yacht captains and owners aren't all that active in Facebook... so we stopped spending money there...
• superyacht owners and captains have their own social circles of communication... so unless you are one of those... you probably aren't going to see the majority of our marketing efforts.
• we are also an event venue (of sorts) and have been very busy catering to Victorians in this regard... especially over the winter... with basically no marketing in that regard... you may see some coming as we consider the marginal profitability of that activity...
• our restaurant tenant has yet to open... currently targeting early May... I can't wait... we love Spinnakers, Lure and some of the other west vic food spots... but it will be nice to have that choice... and stop taking the twenty inquiries a day asking when it's going to open ... no question about the demand there.
• Capital City Yacht club has no moorage over 45 feet. And they wouldn't be all that wise to consider it seeings that the depth of the water there is only 5 feet at low tide. And I'm on the waiting list there too
• In traveling the world over the last 4 years speaking with the large yachting community... (and to my surprise and embarrassment as a Canadian and a Victorian...) I heard time-and-time again that Victoria is one of the most unfriendly harbours in the world! It shocked me. Of course I asked why... but if you'd like to know what I heard, come down and see me and I'd be happy to chat on it.
• It would be so great to have support in promoting this amazing piece of infrastructure... we have had hundreds of visitors from the yachting and marina business around the world visit that our amazed at the quality of the facility and can't believe that the destination leaders in the City are not flocking to support it.
• and the boats are coming... bookings for the summer months are coming in every day.
• it will probably be years before the marina is "full" in the wintertime. We have no allusions that it would or even will be. The large yacht community increasingly moves south for the winter. The yachts generally get put to work on charter in warmer climates.
• Long-term leases look great at the beginning of a marina project but loose their luster pretty quickly as revenue all but dries up in year-two. The most successful (financially) marina's in the world are primarily transient.
• The owners are VERY patient and aren't going anywhere... as you need to be when you build something like this... 
• and I have to get back to work getting boats in here for the summer have a great day folks and feel free to come down to the marina for a chat or a tour

[Cassidy]

Excellent post, and fills in a lot of blanks!

Thanks for the details.

 

The note about being "the most unfriendly" harbour is something I've been hearing from fellow boaters for well over a decade now.

 

One of the primary reasons I'd love to see you folks full (or close to full) is the amount of peripheral work required to keep mega-yachts operating ... and the amount of physical work that would be taking place in, on, and around your marina, and thus the Inner Harbour.

 

You are a potentially huge contribution to maintaining a fully working Inner Harbour.

 

(I've been on Capital Citys wait list for 5 years now ... and I'm pretty sure there's a Fleming 53 or two out there )

Edited by Cassidy, 03 April 2019 - 09:28 AM.

[aastra]

 

...if there are no boats to block views and cause the feared safety hazard it’s a win right?

 

It was bound to happen eventually, that a longstanding development controversy would ultimately turn out to be much ado about nothing. But I just didn't expect this marina to be the very first instance of the phenomenon.

[Mattjvd]

Thanks for the reply! It's great to hear it from the proverbial 'horse's mouth'. I'm really looking forward to spending a few evenings in the resteraunt watching the boats over a meal.

[Cassidy]

 

• ........ we have had hundreds of visitors from the yachting and marina business around the world visit that our amazed at the quality of the facility and can't believe that the destination leaders in the City are not flocking to support it.

I feel obliged to add that what I saw yesterday in terms of the quality of your facilities and infrastructure is beyond world class.

From the sliding glass doors down onto the dock, to the individual power/water/infrastructure stations down on the docks (to the docks themselves) ... everything was beyond anything I've ever seen in these waters, even at major world class destination resorts like Roche Harbor.

[Victoria Watcher]

thanks for chiming in. 

 

do you welcome people to just drop in or should they phone if they'd like to come see and chat?

 

would you consider advertising some group tour time or public open house?  some people are more comfortable as part of a large group.

[Victoria Watcher]

(I've been on Capital Citys wait list for 5 years now ... and I'm pretty sure there's a Fleming 53 or two out there )

 

i will admit i based my "7" big boats at capital city statement on looking at an aerial. their website is not very good!

 

is our harbour unfriendly because of rigid rules or unfriendliness at the harbour authority? i mean i would not doubt it's not as friendly as say a family-run marina. 

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 April 2019 - 09:54 AM.

[aastra]

 

is our harbour unfriendly because of rigid rules or unfriendliness at the harbour authority?

 

The seals in Victoria's harbour tend to be very snobbish and cliquey.