The annual Yacht & Brokerage Show in Miami Beach will have additional megayachts on display at nearby Watson Island come 2016.
You may recall that in February 2014, Show Management, which co-owns the event, announced the displays would expand to Watson Island in 2015. Watson Island, in sight of the Perez Art Museum Miami, located downtown, is undergoing long-planned development that will include shops, a hotel, a public promenade, and a marina named Island Gardens. The marina will contain 50 slips and be devoted entirely to megayachts to 400 feet (121.9 meters). Dredging began last year. However, a good deal of construction work remains. Only three megayachts were at Watson Island during last month’s Yacht & Brokerage Show. Furthermore, the official website for the Yacht & Brokerage Show made no mention of Watson Island hosting exhibits this year. Watson Island’s developer, Flagstone Property Group, did have a display among the traditional exhibits at the show along Collins Avenue, though. Collins Avenue runs parallel to the Indian Creek Waterway, where the in-water displays have been for the past 27 years of the event.
Flagstone Property Group is continuing to work on the marina. It has a city-imposed deadline of November 29, 2016 to complete it, or face penalties. In November, a lawyer for Flagstone told The Miami Herald that Island Gardens will be finished by this December.
It’s too early to know how many megayachts will be able to dock at Island Gardens for the 2016 Yacht & Brokerage Show. However, it will handle megayachts exceeding 150 feet (46 meters). That’s due to the width and depth restrictions of the Indian Creek Waterway. The show will still have its primary foothold in the latter location.
On a related note, Show Management says that this year, the number of megayachts from 105 to 150 feet LOA on display increased 20 percent.
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