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Marina Conference, Brighton, 12-13 May 2010 Walcon Marine is once again sponsoring the annual Marina Conference, being held this year in Brighton. An important event in the marina manager’s diary, the two day seminar will cover topics including health and safety, ways of improving profitability, developing new marinas and the state of the industry. The conference is being organised by the British Marine Federation via its group association the Yacht Harbour Association. More details can be found at www.yachtharbourassociation.com London Boat Show 2010 Despite the challenges of the weather which left the first half of the show feeling distinctly quiet, Walcon had a productive ten days with a good flow of enquiries, given the circumstances, and much catching up with friends and associates past and present. The feeling was generally one of cautious optimism, with the marina operators looking forward to a better 2010 as confidence about the economy picks up. UK operators also stand to benefit over the summer if a strong euro continues to encourage UK boat owners to avoid crossing the Channel and instead explore more of Britain and its islands. We expect this improved optimism to be reflected in an increase in maintenance and upgrading of marina facilities as the year progresses. Walcon supplies new pontoons to Mayflower Marina Walcon has supplied new pontoons, piles and electrical outlets to Mayflower Marina in Plymouth, UK, valued at more than £130,000. The project involved the replacement of an entire pier to enable the widening of the fairways, allowing more space for boats to manoeuvre. Mayflower Marina has already invested £2.5m in its facilities and plans more pontoon renewals in 2010. Walcon wins Dubai Boat Show contract Walcon has won the contract to supply the temporary marina for the 2010 Dubai International Boat Show, taking place at the Dubai International Marine Club from 9-13 March. The largest on-the-water show in the Middle East, the show hosts over 400 yachts and attracts over 25,000 visitors from around the world. Minimum size for boats in the marina is 38ft (12m) and includes everything from submersibles to superyachts. 2009 ends on a busy note Despite being difficult across the international marine industry Walcon saw out 2009 in an upbeat mood with a range of projects underway both across the UK and overseas. While marina operators had understandably been cautious in their investment plans over the past twelve months, Walcon saw a steady flow of business from maintenance activities and upgrades, as well as completing high profile projects including the 2012 Olympic marina at Portland. A certain amount of the activity was due to a change in emphasis with an increase in demand for new pontoons and piles from smaller operators. This reflected a move by some boat owners to look for cheaper, no frills berthing away from the full-service marinas. Elsewhere the company’s purpose-built piling barge – the Walcon Wizard –had a busy autumn down in the west of England (see news item below), while overseas projects underway included the construction of a fuel pontoon for the Port Louis harbour development in Grenada. Looking ahead, 2010 has started well with a number of significant projects at the discussion stage, giving the company confidence for the year ahead. Walcon’s piling barge tours West Country The company’s purpose-built piling barge – the Walcon Wizard – has had a busy autumn down in the west of England, taking on assignments at a variety of locations including Plymouth’s Mayflower Marina, Darthaven Marina and Batson Creek in Salcombe, as well as for the Yacht Haven Group in relation to their new undercover dry stacking facility at Yacht Haven Quay, also in Plymouth. A highly manoeuvrable, twin engine, self propelled, shallow draft construction barge, the Wizard was commissioned to complement the company’s marina construction activities. With its shallow draft and powerful engines the barge is able to respond rapidly to carry out piling or maintenance works on harbour beacons and entrance buoys, particularly in restricted areas. With both a crane and piling plant loaded on board the vessel can cruise at 6.5 knots and is considerably more efficient than a towed barge. METS round-up Walcon once again had a stand at METS, well positioned on a corner in one of the main halls, and saw a steady stream of visitors from around Europe and beyond throughout the show. The atmosphere, as reported, was one of optimism for the year ahead. Introduction of stylish new mooring cleats Walcon Marine has introduced a stylish new range of mooring cleats. Made from cast aluminium, the cleats are available in 1-tonne and 3-tonne versions, and combine a graceful yet sturdy design with practical benefits. The cast construction gives excellent non-slip characteristics, and the gentle V-shape allows lines to settle more snugly as the tension on them increases while also encouraging looser lines to move inwards. The launch of these new cleats demonstrates Walcon’s commitment to offering marina developers around the world high quality products designed and manufactured to last for many years in often very challenging environments. Soft finger-end pontoons shown at METS The new soft finger-end pontoon from Walcon received its first public showing at METS this year. This new option gives marina operators the opportunity to offer a soft impact alternative for berth holders and visitors who might have concerns about damaging their hulls while coming in to dock. The soft finger end pontoons have been specially developed to eliminate the damage that can occur to yachts when they inadvertently scrape along the end corner of a finger pontoon when manoeuvring to come alongside. Even those with rubber fender caps can still leave marks on a hull or gelcoat. Walcon’s new soft finger-end pontoons eliminate the hard 90° corner altogether by replacing the final sections of the pontoon on each side with a specially designed rotary-molded ethylene section that has no sharp corners and which absorbs the shock of any low-speed impact. The soft finger-end pontoons are ideal for a wide range of applications including sites used by learners, sailing schools or charter fleets, and exposed positions where manoeuvring may be hampered by cross-winds or sudden gusts. The new pontoons’ inaugural installation was made this summer at the recently completed marina at Portland for the 2012 Olympics, and the company has continued to see strong interest in the new product since then. Southampton Boat Show Once again Walcon supplied the pontoons for one of Europe’s largest on-the-water boat shows, the PSP Southampton Boat Show. With a total length of more than 1.6 km the temporary marina hosted over 400 boats of all types and size from small RIBs up to a 37m Sunseeker, and during the ten day event over 120,000 people walked the decking in safety and comfort. The fact that the pontoons ended the show is as good condition as they started is a tribute to the quality of their design and build. Walcon Marine has also provided temporary marinas for boat shows in Dubai, Sydney and the UK’s annual Seawork event. |
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