USVI Open / Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament

It’s time for the USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament

Catch and release big blue marlin and lots of them at the 46th USVI Open/Atlantic Blue Marlin Tournament (ABMT) August 23-25 out of IGY’s American Yacht Harbor Marina in Red Hook on St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.

“Last year was the first time this was a boat tournament, and it will remain so for this year,” says Andrea “Andy” Courteau, who co-directs the tournament with Capt. Billy Borer. “Being able to host this tournament for the 46th year in a row is a great way to show the sport fishing community that the U.S.V.I. is a premier destination for boating. Two major hurricanes last year can’t keep us down.”

Indeed, IGY has completely resurfaced its A-dock, added new electrical pedestals and repaired and re-mounted the record 1,073-pound marlin replica at the entrance. The conservation-oriented ABMT is a 100-percent release tournament. No blue marlin is or has been brought to the docks for over 20 years.

Proceeds from the USVI Open benefit the non-profit Marine Vocational Program, a vocational course that provides Virgin Islands’ youth with a career path to the marine hospitality industry.

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By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating August 2018

More Caribbean Updates:

Carriacou Regatta

Sargassum in the Caribbean

Hospitality division grows at IGY

EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY will soon take on a whole new meaning at IGY Marinas. That’s because restaurants, hotels and resorts will become a bigger focus for this Fort Lauderdale, Florida-headquartered world’s largest international marina network, which launched its hospitality division in June. Some of IGY’s Caribbean properties will be among the first to benefit. More specifically, there will be a taste-lift and concept refresh for its Fat Turtle restaurants, located at Yacht Club at Isle de Sol in St. Maarten and the Marina at Yacht Haven Grande in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. In addition, IGY is exploring the possibility of building a second hotel on the upland at Yacht Haven Grande.

“The Caribbean continues to draw travelers from around the world, making it a target market for our growth strategy. Our plan for the close of 2017 is to have solidified other marina facilities that will join our IGY-branded hospitality portfolio,” says Charlie Irons, who was recently promoted from director of operations at the 5-Gold Anchor Yacht Haven Grande to IGY’s vice president of hospitality division.

IGY operates marinas in other Caribbean islands such as St. Lucia and the Turks & Caicos, as well as in South America, Mexico and the U.S.

igymarinas.com

By Carol Bareuther, Southern Boating Magazine September 2017

Marina Mergers on the Gulf

Safe Harbor adds Calusa Island

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS are mandatory business school courses, however, a little thing called the Great Recession all but halted such talk in the marina industry. Suddenly, or so it seems, marinas are turning over like flapjacks the day before Lent, the latest three to sell—all on Florida’s Southwest Coast. Marina mergers are booming.

Calusa Island Marina in Marco Island is now part of the Safe Harbor Marinas group, a company with 64 properties nationwide, including eight marinas in Florida. Calusa is one of those rare marinas that caters to both sport yachts and a customer who wants to rent a small boat for exploring the mangroves of the Ten Thousand Islands. It has 115 permanent wet slips, covered rack storage for up to 420 vessels, open yard storage for big boats, and on-site Yamaha outboard technicians.

Earlier this year, Safe Harbor announced the acquisition of Burnt Store Marina in Punta Gorda and Cape Harbour Marina in Cape Coral. Also in the West Coast portfolio is Pineland Marina in Bokeelia, Bradenton Boat Club in Bradenton and Harborage Marina in St. Petersburg. Two marinas on the East Coast—Harbortown in Fort Pierce and Halifax Harbor in Daytona Beach—are operated by Safe Harbor, as well.

In less than four months, Safe Harbor was able to add an astonishing 28 marinas to its existing presence both on the eastern seaboard and in Florida, all because of the Calusa deal. The big numbers come in part thanks to the merger with the iconic Brewer Yacht Yard Group, a powerhouse in the Northeast. That junction, announced in January, included the addition of Jack Brewer and senior members of his team who now provide much of the day-to-day strategic operations.

Safe Harbor was formed in 2015 by American Infrastructure Funds through the acquisition of three marina portfolios and an experienced management company. Jason Hogg, senior vice president of investments, says Safe Harbor Marinas has noted that not only have boat sales recovered to pre-recession levels, but boat owners are again resuming longer cruising adventures. “Our goal is creating a world-class network of properties for our boaters to enjoy, and Calusa Island Marina blends nicely into our plans.”

SUNTEX IN ACQUISITION MODE

Dallas-based Suntex is on track to double its marina holdings this year. Fresh off the purchase of Marina Jack in Sarasota, in April it bought the Loggerhead Marina Portfolio that comprises 11 properties in Florida—in all, 2,300 slips from Daytona Beach to St. Petersburg. Simultaneously, Suntex acquired State Dock Marina (below) on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky, the Capital of Houseboating, and took over management of 550-slip Laurel Marina in Bristol, Tennessee, located on South Holston Lake. Both acquisitions come on the heels of Anchor South Investments of Knoxville, Tennessee, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Suntex. With an infusion of cash, its eye is set on the Caribbean.

The other big player in this unprecedented accumulation is IGY Marinas, with a portfolio of 15 marinas in a more traditional yacht category. IGY has a large international presence and recently introduced its first South Florida location: One Island Park, on Miami Beach’s Terminal Island.

For cruisers, the network of marinas and accompanying app-based online reservation systems will add a degree of confidence and continuity. As the new owners replace the Mom-and-Pop ownership cycle, expect to see some additional spending on facility upgrades.

Alan Wendt Southern Boating Magazine June 2017