Work has been completed on the key phase of a major refurbishment and extension programme at Windermere Quays Marina in the UK’s Lake District National Park. The project involved the reconfiguration of the existing marina into a new layout together with the addition of new pontoons to provide additional berthing space. The existing Walcon System 21 finger pontoons and piers were refurbished before being redeployed. Arrays of Walcon’s Waliflote wave-attenuating pontoons were also added at either end of the marina to provide protection to the boats within. Other aspects of the project included the extraction of the existing piles and the driving of new ones to conform with the new layout. The swinging moorings were also relocated and the electrical and water provision on the pontoons refurbished.
“The increasing size of boats on Windermere as well as greater overall demand required us to update our marina,” said Grahame Armer, managing director of Windermere Aquatics, the parent company of Windermere Quays Marina. “Working with Walcon and Marina Projects we have increased the number of berths from 184 to 260, with an emphasis on having more capacity for boats in the 30 to 50 feet range. The overall footprint including the moorings has doubled, to allow more space for the larger boats to manoeuvre.”
The original marina was built by Walcon over the course of 2004 to 2006, and the company has been back over the years since for modifications and minor upgrades. This year’s project had the added complexity that all the current berth holders had to be relocated as the works went on, necessitating a rolling programme of activity as the works progressed along the seven piers. Later in September the existing piers will be joined by an eighth, bringing the marina up to full strength.
“The whole project has been flawless,” concluded Grahame Armer. “Walcon has done a great job!”