If a long-planned marina renovation comes to fruition, Havana may become a haven for the superyacht set.
The news comes from Cuba Standard, an independent news service that provides analysis on the Cuban economy. It states that Netherlands-based Romar Finance, which has had business interests in Cuba for many years, is proceeding with the expansion of the marina at Tarará, a gated community. Tarará was established in the 1940s as its own village, complete with shops, residences, and a marina. Toward the end of the 20th century, it alternately housed children recovering from the Cherynobyl catastrophe, foreign businesspeople, Venezuelan eye-surgery patients, and Chinese students. Cuba Standard reports that the buildings and other facilities were not well maintained over the years, and by the 1990s, they were in disrepair. Earlier this decade the Cuban government took over and began renting some residences.
According to the article, Romar Finance’s subsidiary, Q-Hospitality, initiated plans to overhaul the marina and surrounding property about a year and a half ago. Q-Hospitality specializes in marinas and hotels. Naturally dredging would take place first, followed by rebuilding and expanding the available slips. Oddly, there are differing reports on how many slips the marina presently has. Cuba Standard’s article did not specify, though some news services that picked up the story state there are 270. However, an information page about the marina itself has the figure as 100, with 60 meters (197 feet) being the maximum length and 9 meters (29 feet) being the maximum depth.
No start or completion date were given in the article. It did add that Q-Hospitality plans to further build a hotel and extra residences, plus a restaurant, bars, shops, and an 18-hole golf course.
Leave a Reply