The newest marina in South Florida opened its doors to about 200 yacht captains, crew and industry professionals for Triton Networking last night. Attendees toured…
Triton Networking visits South Florida’s newest marina on the third Wednesday in May at Seahaven Superyacht Marina. About four years in the making, the new marina is under the command of veteran marina professional Marieke van Peer.
Join us on May 15 from 6-8 p.m. to check out the new facility and enjoy some Triton hospitality. Until then, learn more about the marina in this chat with van Peer.
Q. Congratulations on the opening of the marina. Tell us about it.
Thank you, it’s a great location and I’m very excited to be here.
Seahaven Superyacht Marina is a full-service marina offering 2,400 linear feet of dockage (both floating and fixed docks) that has been designed specifically to accommodate a wide array of vessels reaching 200-plus feet in length, with depths up to 16 feet, including accommodation for smaller tenders servicing the larger yachts.
There are no fixed bridges or drawbridges to our place, so it’s really easy to get here. And being just 10 minutes from Fort Lauderdale’s airport and convenient for vendors or service providers with boatyards just across the Dania Cut-off Canal, we are a perfect staging area.
Q. What about power?
We have 50 amp, 100 amp single-phase, 100 amp 480v 3-phase, and 200 amp 480v 3-phase camlock. A step-down transformer for 208v 3-phase is available on request.
Q. So who owns the marina?
Dania Marina Partners LLC, the principals of which are Raymond Graziotto and J.C. Solomon II, owners of the Loggerhead Marinas brand, and Ken and Mike Edelman, local real estate developers.
Q. That was a blank piece of land before you guys got there. Can you tell us what sort of investment you made?
Finding a vacant piece of property suitable for marina development is very difficult to find in South Florida. There is substantial entitlement risk involved, which makes the prospect of marina development from a vacant tract a high stakes, multimillion-dollar bet.
Q. Tell us about your background.
I started working at Miami Beach Marina back in 2005 after I had lived there on a boat. After that, I went to Bahia Mar before returning to Miami Beach Marina as general manager. Then I helped open Island Gardens Deep Harbour in Miami, which was my first new build. After that, I worked as East Coast regional manager for Suntex Marinas after that company purchased the Loggerhead Marinas, but I missed the larger yachts and jumped at the opportunity to be involved in another new build.
Q. Your location seems like it would super convenient for nearby yachts in the yards. Who else can benefit from your location?
Yes, it is, and we work closely with our neighboring yards. We can also be a great option for vessels that charter the Bahamas. Dockage and provisioning is so expensive there that it can be more cost effective to come back to the States to provision, refuel and wait for the next charter rather than pay for that in the islands.
Q. You are surrounded by homes and a church. Does that impact the marina?
We are in a quiet residential neighborhood, so that’s nice and we all look out for each other. The entire marina has gated access controlled by key fobs. This also gives access to the crew lounge and gym after office hours. We also have ample lighting and more than 30 security cameras monitoring the marina 24/7, so we’re really secure.
Q. Tell us about those crew amenities.
Our crew lounge is the perfect place for crew to put up their feet and relax with a good book or friends. It is fully equipped with a pool table, foosball, computers, complimentary wi-fi and an on-site concierge. There’s also an outside area with a grill.
Our gym is equipped with state-of-the-art cardio equipment, is available 24 hours a day and includes shower facilities.
We also have a conference room and office center for the captains and crew to have meetings or get work done off the boat.
Q. What can that on-site concierge do for crew?
We can send and receive mail and packages, coordinate laundry and dry cleaning services, and make arrangements for transportation. Basically, anything the yacht or crew need. We’re still adding new things every day. We will have wireless internet through the property soon (it’s already live on the docks), and our onsite storage lockers will be installed in the next month or so.
Triton Networking at Seahaven Superyacht Marina takes place from 6-8 p.m. at 301 NE 5th Ave. in Dania Beach (33004). No RSVP necessary. Just bring a smile and some business cards to build your network of contacts. For more details about the marina, visit www.seahavenmarina.com or call +1 954-416-1860.