Cape Charles Yacht Center Opens Thursday

One of the first boats to be hauled with the 75-ton Travel Lift at Cape Charles Yacht Center (ESLAND photo)

By CINDY MACKEY
Esland Press Release

May 14, 2014

The Cape Charles Yacht Center officially opens for business Thursday, May 15. It will be the only superyacht (over 79 feet) center on the Chesapeake Bay. The Yacht Center is being developed by ESLAND, is a real estate development partnership based in Cape Charles that specializes in preserving historic properties and large-scale economic development initiatives to bring jobs and stimulate the economy of the Shore.

“The location along the Mid-Atlantic is strategic since we offer a deep, secure harbor with quick access to the Atlantic,” said ESLAND partner Eyre Baldwin. “There are few places for these types of yachts to stop for service, repairs, or to enjoy the area between New England and Miami. The proximity to the ocean is very convenient, but we also offer a charming destination on Virginia’s Eastern Shore.” Baldwin is hosting a launch party for the yacht center beginning 5 p.m. Thursday for invited guests.

The yacht center is seen as a significant development that will change industry on the Eastern Shore. Components include a 40-acre harbor district and an 80-acre industrial park with access through a new road that will connect the harbor to Route 13, providing direct access for trucks to the harbor. The yacht center will immediately create 36 jobs with an estimated 80 to 100 new jobs over three years, Baldwin said.

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The yacht center includes a marina, 120-acre maintenance and storage area, 75-ton boat lift, 300-ton lift in process, and a fuel station. Chesapeake Marine Systems is the designated operator for maintenance and boat supplies at the yacht center.

“With dockage for large yachts on the East Coast at a premium, it is very exciting to have a new megayacht facility in the Chesapeake Bay,” said Kitty McGowan, president of Nauticom Communications. “Its ideal location at the mouth of the Bay and deep-water access will make Cape Charles Yacht Center a natural stopover for the cruising yachtsman.”

Features include:

1,000 feet of dockage with an additional 1,000 feet to be installed over the next two months
3-phase, 480 amps power
18-foot depth channel 12 miles from the Atlantic
80 acres for storage
Pump-out facilities
Cape Charles town harbor with 1,400 feet of dockage and 51 slips

Cape Charles Yacht Center is a member of the U.S. Super Yacht Association and works are underway to ensure that yachts can clear customs when they arrive in Cape Charles.

Additional development is being pursued in the harbor and the industrial park zones, with sites available for lease or sale. The location is billed as ideally suited for other marine-based businesses like yacht brokerages, boat manufacturers, repair and refit operations, retail and tourism-related businesses.

Cape Charles Yacht Center offers incentives through its designation as an Enterprise Zone and Foreign Trade Zone. Enterprise Zone grants are equal to 20 percent of the investment, up to a maximum of $125,000 for companies investing less than $5 million in qualified real property investments. Foreign Trade Zone helps companies reduce duty fees on merchandise.