Hazelett Marine
Hazelett Marine Conservation Elastic Mooring Systems For Yachts and Docks Providing independent and bespoke services to clients worldwide Masterplanning Feasibility studies and market research Business planning Marina and Marina Club design Tender and project management Operational management Environmental and legislative advice Legal and property consultancy services www.hazelettmarine.com 135 West Lakeshore Drive, PO Box 600 Colchester, Vermont 05446-0600 EMAIL: info@hazelettmarine.com TELEPHONE: (802) 863-6376 FAX: (802) 863-1523 +44 (0)23 9252 6688 +852 3796 3533 enquiries@marinaprojects.com www.marinaprojects.com
WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENTS The various necessary docking and anchoring systems were designed and manufactured at Structurmarine’s plant in Montreal, Quebec, and shipped south. These included the Navy docks, tender docks for visiting superyachts, and the spectator and airport taxi dock. “Most of the people were going to access the site by ferry and we put in the temporary dockage for those ferries,” says Karl Giroux, Structurmarine’s technical sales director. As the project grew, so did Structurmarine’s involvement. “We were commissioned for more docking,” Giroux says. “We were asked to also provide the docking system for all the VIP access to the site and we provided one in front of the grandstand” plus other private clients. You can now see Structurmarine’s systems in Hamilton city centre at private homes, yacht clubs and sailing schools. While these types of systems are the core of Structurmarine’s business, and although neither Karl Giroux nor Pascale Nolet, the sales coordinator for Structurmarine, say it specifically, it’s clear this project was not easy. The Request for Proposal indicated a need for temporary structures for tenders, according to Nolet, and it grew to include 11 (ultimately 13) different berthing areas. The AC project was, not surprisingly, very complex between an actual island being constructed alongside the new construction. Add to that the changing parameters and demands that arose as the event took shape, and you understand why items were getting designed and constructed at nearly the same time in order to meet deadlines, all within razor-thin budget constraints. It included “three types of moorings in the same project,” Giroux says. “Engineering-wise it was challenging. It’s not like we were building the same type of dock with the same environment and repeated pattern. This was different docks and different ways of anchoring with different loads. Like 13 individual projects under one umbrella.” Structurmarine designs its floating pontoon docks with rubber connections aimed at removing stress, as compared to a straight-up shock absorber. The connections between the dock units are able to withstand vertical movement created by the waves without causing wear or fatigue. The rest of the system is a combination of piles, H-beams and vertical tracks with about 25 Mediterranean mooring configurations for superyachts. “We take special care when there is a risk of a lot of wave on non-protected floating docks and floating pontoons,” Giroux states. In Bermuda, especially in June when the AC35 took place, boaters can see a wide variety of weather, but winds tend to average at about 11 knots. “The marine environment in Bermuda [has] large ranges in winds and tides, resulting in wave action, high solar exposure, extreme salt, and so on,” Winfield says. “Docking systems need to be tough to survive in Bermuda! The berthing systems for the America’s Cup in Bermuda were largely custom designed to suit the needs of the various vessels using them.” This year, the event was put on hold temporarily due to winds exceeding the established 24-knot racing limit. In fact, Team New Zealand pitchpoled during the semi-finals on 7 th June. Giroux was surprised by the unusual rough weather conditions for this time of year but confident about Structurmarine’s temporary docking systems since they were designed to withstand up to 35-knot winds and 3.5ft (1m) waves. “Structurmarine specialises in coastal docking systems in places that are less protected,” he says. “It was not unusual for us to do this type of system.” Giroux notes the environmental considerations took some significant planning however. “In Bermuda, the soil changes every 50 feet [15m],” he says. “We did have to adjust a lot with our pile driver during the installation. We knew from the beginning there was seagrass so we were not allowed to use temporary concrete anchors.” Instead, they chose to drive piles that are less harmful to the floor bottom. The timeline was also extremely tight. While the overall project took approximately two years, the contract with Structurmarine was signed at the Above & right: Working in a challenging construction site. www.marinaworld.com - July/August 2017 23
