A major superyacht marina and refit facility in Australia, Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard is changing hands. The family that helped establish it 30 years ago has sold it to a Sydney-based company.
The company is MA Financial, a global alternative-asset manager specializing in private credit, real estate, and hospitality. It already owns more than a dozen marinas along the east coast of Australia. According to Brad Couper, MA Financial’s head of asset management, the company identified an opportunity for long-term investment. “Certainly for us, it expands our capability and diversifies our alternative asset management and hospitality funds platform,” he notes. Furthermore, he says, “The Gold Coast City Marina is firmly in the sweet spot of our alternative investment strategy and supports our entrance into the international superyacht market.”
Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard is in Coomera, midway between Cairns and Sydney. Since it’s part of Australia’s famous Gold Coast, it’s a major tourism region. Megayacht owners use the marina as a base for exploring the area, for instance, and as a stop when heading farther through the South Pacific. Notably, the facility is 10 nautical miles from a dedicated point of customs clearance. Amid its 200 slips, Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard can accommodate yachts to 246 feet (75 meters). Dedicated concierge services and a restaurant are on site, too. The services are among the reasons captains and crew lauded it for an award in 2020.
For service and refit, meanwhile, upwards of 90 marine businesses have specialists on site. Additionally, the firm is the preferred service provider for Benetti, Majesty Yachts, Cantiere Delle Marche, and IGY Marinas’ clients, among others. Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard has 12 in-house and third-party project managers regularly on hand, familiar with all classification societies’ rules. It also can haul out yachts to 180 feet (55 meters) plus handle yachts to 246 feet on the hard. Larger yachts are still serviceable, however, at its Brisbane location. That yard can handle projects to 394 feet (120 meters).
Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard gccm.com.au
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