Simon Arrol, a marina guru speaks regarding the growth of marinas in the U.A.E..

We contacted marina consultant, Simon Arrol, to find out about marina development in Dubai and the way this has been affected by the worldwide recession. Before becoming the founding Director of Development & operations for the Island Global Yachting Dubai, Arrol was the MD of Camper & Nicholsons Marinas for a lot of years. He has developed marina projects all around the globe, in as many as twenty seven countries.

The Dubai Marina is one of the best identified marina in Dubai. A couple of kilometres were excavated in the dry and edged with precast concrete quay walls to construct this man-made sea lagoon. Like many such initiatives, Dubai Marina is principally a property development with the water and yachts creating the point of interest, the ambiance, and the added value. The first part of the project was built circa 2004 and was designed by HOK, the famend architectural firm headquartered in Canada, but the master developer subsequently sold plots and allowed individual builders to 'do their very own thing'. Whilst undoubtedly a profitable route for the master developer, the end result has attracted some criticism; some people really feel that the almost completed venture has turned out to be much less well-planned than it might need been. The pontoon berthing is spread along the length of the lagoon so in actual fact there are a number of marinas, albeit they are all managed from a central workplace located in a formidable 'yacht club' building. A small boatyard has been provided at the extreme end of the project site. When the entire development is full it would accommodate more than one hundred twenty thousand individuals in residential towers and villas.

Festival Marina which is a part of the Dubai Festival City, a multi-billion dollar multi function development on the banks of Dubai Creek is another instance of a marina developed and designed by Simon Arrol. Retail shops and motels are located all around the periphery of the marina's round basin of 240m diameter. By putting all the pontoon berthing within the centre of the basin and access from an secured single gangway, the problem of safety and privateness for yachtsmen was addressed. This arrangement is also advantageous to the members of the public utilizing the waterfront as a result of they see the boats from a distance rather than close-to. In order to create the curiosity and buzz that's observed at traditional harbours in Europe and North America, the quay walls is used for the berthing of visiting yachts.