Luxury Marinas: From Urban Chic to World Class Appointment…finding the best in Seafaring comfort

The early concept of the marina, including public access and common ownership of waterfront property for commerce and transportation, dates back to Roman law more than 2,000 years ago.

Today’s marinas are more than just docking facilities or ports of call. They are places for building friendships and connections among the boating community, and they are often situated on some of the best and most scenic real estate on the planet.

Here are some popular North American destinations:

Montauk Yacht Club Resort & Marina – Montauk, New York
For nearly eight decades, Montauk Yacht Club Resort & Marina has been a favorite boating destination for the rich and famous on the shores of Long Island’s South Fork East End.
The historic 22-acre waterfront facility in the Hamptons was built by entrepreneur Carl Fisher, the master builder who is credited with transforming Miami from a sleepy backwater town into a thriving resort city. The club’s original membership back in the late 1920s included Vincent Astor, J.P. Morgan, Nelson Doubleday, Edsel Ford, Harry Payne Whitney, Thomas Eastman, John Wanamaker and Harold S. Vanderbilt.
The 232-slip Montauk Yacht Club Marina features newly renovated pilings, boardwalks and railings and full hook-ups, including phone, electric, water, cable TV, WiFi access and on-site amenities, including newly renovated showers and laundry facilities. Craft capacity is about 225 feet and the maximum draft is12 feet. It has been designated by Yachting Magazine as a top ten marina destination in North America, Mexico and the Bahamas.
Island Global Yachting (IGY), owners of the resort and yachting lifestyle destination, recently announced a multimillion-dollar renovation of the property as part of the coming 80th anniversary of the facility. The multi-phase renovation project, which began prior to the current yachting season, will include refurbishments to each of the 107 guestrooms and suites, public spaces, meeting and conference facilities, recreational amenities and the restaurant and lounges.

Bahia Mar Beach Resort & Yachting Center –
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
The 40-acre, 250-slip marina at this world-renowned facility features 3,000 feet of parallel docks on the Intracoastal Waterway; more than four miles of state-of-the-art floating docks; 100 mega-yacht berths that can accommodate vessels up to 250 feet; cable television; wired and wireless high-speed Internet access; and two private telephone lines per slip.
The resort, owned by LXR Luxury Marinas, is also the host of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the world’s largest boat show.
Bahia Mar’s roots date back to the late 1870s, when the site became a house of refuge for survivors of the area’s frequent shipwrecks. During Prohibition, the Coast Guard took over the property and used it as a base for chasing rum runners who were transporting illegal whiskey from the Bahamas.
Before the end of Prohibition, the Coast Guard sold the property to the city of Fort Lauderdale for $600,000. A proposal to build a world-class yachting center was approved shortly after that and the Bahia Mar Yachting Center was completed in 1949. The new marina had slips for 400 vessels, making it the largest marina in the world at that time.

Baltimore Inner Harbor Marine Center –
Baltimore, Maryland
The newly renovated Baltimore Inner Harbor Marine Center is a full-service yachting facility with a health club, pool, restaurants and a heliport.The marina has 74 52-foot slips, 41 40-foot slips, and 100 feet of side tie that can accommodate mega-yachts up to 300 feet. Amenities include floating and secure piers, cable television, WiFi, a fitness center and state-of-the art pump out stations at each slip.
The marine center is within walking distance of all Baltimore Inner Harbor attractions, as well as Camden Yards (home of the Baltimore Orioles baseball team) and M & T Bank Stadium (home of the Baltimore Ravens football team).
Inner Harbor attractions include the Maryland Science Center, the National Aquarium in Baltimore, ESPN Zone, and shopping at Harbor Place and the Gallery. It is also within walking distance of the historic neighborhood of Federal Hill, with restaurants, bars and shops, and Federal Hill Park, a well-known lookout point during the Civil War and the War of 1812.

Herrington Harbour Marina and Resort – Friendship, MD
Many of E. Steuart Chaney’s family members and friends thought he had gone crazy when he decided to leave his job as a mechanical engineer at Westinghouse Electric in 1977 to buy a dilapidated marina in rural Maryland, about 25 miles southeast of Washington, DC. Chaney has since turned his initial investment into a business with two marinas that make up Herrington Harbour, an award winning facility with more than 1,200 slips and immediate access to the Chesapeake Bay.
The first marina, Herrington Harbour South Marina/Resort, in Friendship, MD, has 600 slips that can accommodate boats of up to 100 feet. It features a Caribbean-style inn and restaurant, a Tiki Bar, swimming pool, banquet facilities, a private beach with thatched huts, storage, a deli, hair salon and gift store. The Marina’s location on Herring Bay, with direct access to the Chesapeake Bay, makes it a favorite among Bay travelers and vacationers.
After spending five years on the initial refurbishment of the Friendship site, Chaney purchased a marina and boatyard two miles north in Tracey’s Landing. Now called Herrington Harbour North, the facility has an entirely different feel from its South counterpart. The North marina originally was designed as a facility that would best serve traditional sailboaters.
While Herrington Harbour North, with about 650 slips, has a swimming pool and restaurant, it doesn’t have many of the other more recreational elements that are present at South. But it does offer something the other marina does not – service and repairs of all kinds. Since the work is done by separate businesses located on the property, customers have on-site access to specialized repairs, such as fiberglass work, rigging, mechanical work and carpentry.

The Tides Inn – Irvington, VA
The Tides Inn sits on its own peninsula overlooking Carters Creek, with a clear view to the Chesapeake Bay along Virginia’s Northern Neck. With a unique mix of southern charm and a modern approach to service, The Tides offers a contemporary resort set against a backdrop of traditional care and comfort that has all but disappeared.
The Tides Marina is located about nine miles from Windmill Point and the Intracoastal Waterway. It features a full-service, 60-slip, transient marina that is able to accommodate vessels up to 125 feet.
Amenities at the marina include a creek side pool, wireless Internet access and tennis. It is also home to Premier Sailing School, which offers an extensive range of sailing courses for children from age 6, as well as U.S. sailing certificate courses for adults.
In addition, the Spa at The Tides Inn has a wide variety of classic spa treatments and products. Golfers at the resort can play a complimentary Par-3 course or challenge the Golden Eagle Club, which has hosted several United States Golf Association (USGA) and Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) events.

Marina Cabo San Lucas – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Marina Cabo San Lucas is a world-class luxury yacht facility with 380 slips for vessels up to 200 feet, with a maximum draft of 12 feet and the highest quality services and amenities.
The IGY-owned facility has a modern concrete dock, cable television, wireless Internet, and a swimming pool and recreation area. Potable water is provided by a reverse osmosis system from the marina’s own 40,000-gallon-a-day desalination plant.
Situated along main yachting routes in a protected harbor, Marina Cabo San Lucas includes a modern fuel dock that offers gasoline, diesel, and a pump-out station. It also has a full-service boatyard and 75-ton travel lift with a handling capacity for vessels measuring up to 80 feet and a two-lane launch ramp with adjacent dock. A nearby marine documentation agency offers all government paperwork services.
The basin surrounding the marina has 50 or more restaurants and bars, featuring Mexican, Japanese, Asian fusion, Italian, seafood, and a variety of grill options. Featured are fine dining establishments such as Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Nick San, and more casual venues including Hard Rock Café and Johnny Rockets.