Book your berth for the London Olympics

Photo courtesy of Canary Wharf Group

A new superyacht berthing facility has been opened by British Waterways and their partner the Canary Wharf Group. The new facilities at Wood Wharf will provide 20 moorings for superyachts ranging in size from 25m – 60m. Situated perfectly for access to the Olympic Games, it is anticipated that demand will be high and according to Gareth Stephens, British Waterways’ Harbour and Waterspace Manager
“The demand we’ve had for superyacht berths over the Olympics in our London Docklands facilities gave us the confidence to launch the Wood Wharf berths.”

Although the facility and service has just been launched, Stephens confirmed the operators have “already had about five superyachts make firm bookings for the Olympics”.

Wood Wharf is situated within Canary Wharf, which is of course at the centre of London’s financial district and it has been predicted that those who berth their yachts here will be able to combine business with pleasure for the duration of the Olympics. Canary Wharf Group are also offering event space adjacent to berths furthering business opportunities for clients.

Businessman and former Bobsleigh Olympian Nicholas Frankl is one who is planning to make the most of this opportunity. He is berthing the 45m FeadshipHarle here for the summer as part of his company My Yacht Group, which offers turnkey luxury hospitality.

Other interested parties who want to make the most of the Olympics include Mark Upton of MGMT, who runs The Superyacht Concierge service,who said:
“I would estimate London will see around 30 superyachts, if not more. We’ve had a lot of enquiries so far and there’s still a sense of plans being made at the last minute, so we should see many more bookings in the run-up to the Olympics. ”

The facilities have been made available following the Superyacht Destination UK summit 8 months ago. Discussions took place by industry leaders as to how to make the most of the opportunities available to increase superyacht traffic for the duration of the Olympic Games.