Fore Points Marina on schedule for mid-May opening

Portland, Maine is hoping its new Fore Points Marina will further transition the city from a provisioning layover to a destination. When the 150-slip luxury marina opens in May, it will be able to accommodate 15 superyachts with an “unlimited” maximum length.

“We’re going to have this whole other market of visitors coming from all over the world,” Vanessa Pike, director of marina sales and marketing, told the Portland Press Herald.

Plans for the marina include a Captain’s Lounge and bistro, and a 2,000sq ft marina office and store.

As of late January, 55 of 90 anchor blocks had been set, but the installation of new fuel tanks has been delayed after crews unearthed two old fuel tanks that were not registered with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The soil is being tested before the tanks and soil can be removed and new tanks installed.

Fore Points will become the largest of three marinas in Portland when it opens, although larger marinas exist across the harbor in South Portland.

“Portland has become so popular in the past few years that the demand for slips often exceeds the supply during our short boating season,” says Amanda St Peter, marina manager at nearby DiMillo’s Marina. “Having another marina in Portland will provide more comfort to those vessels that may have been hesitant to visit because they worried about not having a set schedule in advance and there not being space last minute.”

The marina is the first phase of a 10-acre redevelopment plan. The master plan for redevelopment calls for a mix of housing, office, retail, hotel rooms, structured parking and a marina. Some of the buildings could approach nine or 10 storeys in height. Each phase of the plan requires city approval.

Around 43% of the development property is designated a historic district and eight of 16 buildings are due to be preserved. One building will be disassembled and reconstructed elsewhere on the property, clearing way for the marina office.