Buying ‘Bahia Mar’, selling ‘Loggerhead’ USA: Suntex Marina Investors has made a significant investment in the Bahia Mar Yachting Center (BMYC) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. BMYC (above) is an outstanding destination, offering 250 slips capable of mooring vessels up to 300ft IMBC 2020 USA: The International Marina & Boatyard Conference (IMBC) will open its doors for the eighteenth consecutive year on 14th January 2020. The event, which is always complemented by a bustling exhibition, is organised by the Association of Marina Industries (AMI). IMBC 2020 will be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and runs until 16th January. “IMBC continues to be the place where marina and boatyard professionals come for personal professional growth, and networking to build life-long relationships. It is the annual event for our industry,” says AMI chair Joe Riley CMM. In response to industry demand, Riley confirms that more professional development and leadership sessions are incorporated in the programme. Dozens of seminars and workshops will offer a balanced selection focused on five tracks: Operations; Professional Development; Lead your Team to Excellence; Design and Engineering; and Building a Boating Community. (91m) long along its 3,000ft (914m) parallel dock and more than 5,000ft (1,524m) of floating docks. The facility Keynote speakers for 2020 are business leader and author Manley Feinberg who will open the conference with “Reaching Your Next Summit: 7 Vertical Lessons and 1 Essential Question for Leading with Impact” and former Walt Disney World leader, Dennis Snow. Snow kick-starts proceedings on Day 2 with “Delivering World- Class Service: Lessons from the Mouse.” Both keynotes are followed by 60-minute discussion sessions. Pre-registration rates for IMBC are available until 10th January 2020. www.marinaassociation.org/IMBC WORLD NEWS offers high-speed fuelling, free WiFi, cable television, in-slip pump-out, a marine store, dive shop and a marine maintenance provider. The Bahia Mar hotel and upland property, which is immediately adjacent to the marina, will continue to be owned and managed by Jimmy and Kenny Tate of Tate Capital, LLC as a portfolio investment property for the Tate and Rok families of South Florida. The Bahia Mar offers guests iconic beachside accommodation, shopping, dining and easy access to the countless marine-related services available in Fort Lauderdale. Bahia Mar is also the home of the world-renowned Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show – the country’s largest in-water show. The investment in BMYC coincides with Suntex’s sale of its majority stake in the Loggerhead Marina portfolio to its joint venture partner Equity Lifestyle Properties. The move is intended to enable Suntex to focus its energy on wholly owned marinas in the portfolio and to create opportunities for geographic diversification. The Suntex portfolio of marinas is located in California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and Virginia. Marina regeneration plan in Montevideo URUGUAY: The Ministry of Transportation and Public Works is planning to invest US million in regenerating the currently disused tourist port facilities of Punta Carretas in Montevideo. Minister, Victor Rossi, has confirmed that Saceem has started site construction work. The Hydrographic Office of Uruguay’s public works ministry (MTOP) has launched tenders for the construction of the marina, which could have capacity for 35 to 60 boats. Plans to invest in the site were first mooted by Rossi in 2005 when there was a general drive to improve the country’s long-neglected marinas. It is anticipated that work on Punta Carretas Marina will be complete in 2022. www.marinaworld.com - November/December2019 15
