Good news for boaties

Press, 16 August 1983, Page 29

Good news for boaties

Early in the New Year the Marlborough Harbour Board will open a new marina at Waikawa Bay, about skm from Picton, to meet the increasing demand for small-craft facilities in Queen Charlotte Sound.

The first berths in the complex will be allocated next month and ultimately about 600 berths will be available for rental, along with more than 100 boatsheds.

In recent years increasing use has been made of the recreational potential of the Marlborough Sounds, and this trend has been particularly evident in the sphere of pleasure boating. To meet this demand, the Marlborough Harbour Board has been progressively constructing marinas at Picton, Havelock and, more recently, Waikawa. Some years ago the board completed a marina in Picton with berths for nearly 200 vessels, and sheds for another 120. Marina facilities were later expanded at the port of Havelock to provide berths for approxi-

mately 300 boats initially, and sheds for another 85.

Recognising that the combination of safe boating and a setting of great natural beauty would result in the area becoming the “aquacentre” of New Zealand, the board has consistently pursued a policy of maintaining full public ownership and access to marina berths on a first-come, first-served basis, thus ensuring that all “boaties” have an equal chance of obtaining a marina berth or boatshed at reasonable cost. The board believes that the nationally-significant and naturally beautiful area of land and water which comprises the Marlborough Sounds should be shared to a greater extent by all New Zealanders as well as overseas visitors, and consequently has produced a brochure outlining facilities in the Sounds, from the marina developments to fuel supply points and fishing areas. A free copy of the “Marina Guide” is available on application to the board.