The Hindu Business Line : Florida of the East?

LAST week's India International Boat Show at Kochi, now an annual event that brings together leading manufacturers of boats and boating equipment from all over the world in what is billed as `South Asia's definitive boat show,' was also the occasion for Kerala Tourism to trumpet a new sobriquet for the State: `Florida of the East' — the hopeful outcome of the Rs 50-crore project to build a marina at Kochi.

The marina — a facility for the mooring, berthing, storing or securing of watercraft; in other words, a fancy dock for small yachts and cabin cruisers, which can supply fuel, water and other services — will probably come up on a seven-acre plot on the picturesque Mulavukad island in the Kochi backwaters.

The Kuala Lumpur-based Trans Resources Corp and the State Government joint venture with the Taj group, Tourist Resorts Kerala Ltd, will build the marina, which can be completed in a year and can break even in six years, according to Kerala Tourism officials.

Gulshan Rai, a former Joint Commissioner of Customs and former Commodore of the Royal Bombay Yacht Club, was quoted as saying that Kochi was strategically the best place for a marina, compared to Mumbai or even Colombo. In Sri Lanka, he says, boating activity has shifted to Galle due to fears of terrorist attacks in Colombo. The Kochi marina will be the first one in India to sport the capacity to anchor 60 luxury yachts at a time.

Ultimately, this number will rise to 150. Though cruise liners will not be able to berth at the marina, the small yachts they carry with them can be berthed there, taking advantage of the close proximity of the port.

During the tourist season from September to April, Kerala manages to attract about 100 yachts each year. Most of them are from Europe and Australia. At present, between Dubai and destinations in the Far East, there are no intermediate berthing facilities available. The Kochi marina hopes to plug this gap.

As an idea, the marina is a winning proposition. But, as one marina consultant said, marinas are not mere parking lots for boats.

As an example, consider the Harbor Towne Marina at Dania Beach, Florida. Not long ago, it was an eyesore of docks in disrepair. But last year, 2003, it bagged the Marina of the Year award, having evolved into a sparkling facility, which undergoes substantial forms of renewal annually.

It has 165 wet slips, dry storage to accommodate 454 boats, and haul-out capabilities that are punctuated by an 88-ton travel lift. Employees are trained in fuel spill cleanup, emergency response and hurricane response.

A major source of revenue for Harbour Towne is its dry storage facility. A two-phase building project several years ago allowed the marina to increase its dry storage capacity by 200-plus boats.

The current dry storage offerings are a direct response to the trend towards bigger boats, and to customer demand, as many owners do not want their boat bottoms to be fouled by the saltwater elements.

These are some of the standards the proposed marina will have to meet if Kochi is to truly become the "Florida of the East."

The writer can be contacted at kgkumar@gmail.com

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