Port Takola prepares to open phase one

PHUKET: The Port Takola yacht marina and boatyard in Krabi will resume construction at the end of next month with the first phase of berths scheduled to open in May 2016.

Owner Suriya na Nagara, a retired admiral of the Royal Thai Navy, along with his son Matthew na Nagara, are developing the marina within the family’s private estate.

“After careful study, we decided to develop a marina to take advantage of the many positive factors of the site, including its perfect shelter and excellent geographical location,” Admiral Suriya explained.

The marina will be the focal point of a 110-acre (450,000 square meters) community that will include residences, a resort hotel, nature trails and a museum. This will be a low-density, low-rise development that will take advantage of the landscape that comprises a mix of woodland, grassland and mangroves.

In charge of the marina’s design is British maritime civil engineer and marina specialist Simon Arrol, who served as managing director for Camper & Nicholsons Marinas Ltd for 16 years and later founded Island Global Yachting in Dubai.

Mr Arrol has worked on marina projects in 39 countries and has participated in several renowned projects including Grand Harbour Marina Malta, Port Gocek in Turkey, Port George (later renamed Port Louis) in the Caribbean and The Palm Jumeirah Dubai.

The first phase of Port Takola is valued at US$8 million and is scheduled to open with 48 berths stern-to a 4 meter wide concrete pontoon supplied by Marinetek.

The pontoon will be able to accommodate yachts ranging from 12m to 40m in length. 3-phase electricity, water, gasoline and diesel fuel will also be available. The approach channel will be dredged to a depth of 2.5 meters.

Meanwhile, the boatyard will feature about 10,000sqm of dry storage area; a 38-tonne capacity launch and recover facility; and various technical services.

“The first phase of Port Takola is only modest in terms of scale and facilities, but it will be sufficient to provide a great experience to yacht owners and their guests. Our approach is to create a boutique marina that sits comfortably with the surrounding landscape,” said Mr Matthew.

“We want to combine the legendary Thai hospitality with the management standards expected by sophisticated international yachtsmen.”

During the next couple of years, Admiral Suriya intends to build an architect-designed Capitainerie having a commanding view over the marina basin. This will incorporate 5-star standard restrooms for clients. The adjacent Cafe du Port will offer an all-day bar-restaurant service.

Offices and retail units for yachting-related businesses will be built along the basin edge, and the boatyard will be improved with boatsheds, workshops, and welfare facilities for the yard workers and local professional crews.

Yacht owners who wish to visit or relocate their yachts to Port Takola are able to reserve their berth in advance.

To mark the opening, Port Takola will be offering promotional prices to the first 20 yacht owners who sign up for a berth.