North Sydney club upgrading to attract more superyachts
Federal agency grants Northern Yacht Club $34,000 for wharf, website improvements aimed at lucrative market
The Northern Yacht Club in North Sydney, N.S., is setting its sights on a lucrative — and growing — market.
The club has received a $34,000 grant from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency to help it attract more superyachts to the wharf.
John Astephen, the club's commodore, said a superyacht visited the club in 2017 and the operator enjoyed it so much, he wrote a letter to the club.
That letter is framed next to the bar inside the club, and in it, the operator said he enjoyed the visit so much, he'd be back the next year.
Astephen said the operator was true to his word.
Repeat business
"They came back, and ... they brought four of their friends back," he said.
The Northern Yacht Club plans to use the federal grant to upgrade amenities and extend electricity to its wharf.
It also plans to increase its marketing efforts.
Astephen said offering shore power allows superyachts to turn off their generators, saving them money and reducing noise and pollution.
He said superyachts provide a financial boost to the club and to the local community, because the operators often need to buy provisions.
Sometimes the crew and clients are also looking to visit attractions in the area, Astephen said.
The Port of Sydney Development Corporation operates the marine terminal on downtown Sydney's waterfront.
General manager Paul Carrigan said the Sydney terminal offers shore power to superyachts, but there's room in the harbour for more berths.
He said any improvements at the Northern Yacht Club are good for the entire region.
"Any traffic coming into Sydney harbour is good," Carrigan said.
"The Port of Sydney, we try to assist when we can."
Carrigan said superyachts are a growing target market in Nova Scotia.
Topic of conversation
He said they're also a topic of conversation, as people speculate about celebrities who might be on board.
Astephen said the operators are typically tight-lipped about clients, and he said he doesn't get the inside scoop as a yacht club commodore.
"I haven't yet, anyway," he said with a laugh.
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