The development of marinas, past, present and future

摘要

The word "marina" is European in origin and means an esplanade or shelf of land between the mainland and the sea. In the late 1920s the Americans adopted the word and redefined it as " a modern waterfront facility for recreational boats". Europe was rather late on the scene and marina development did not get underway to any significant degree until much later. Development in Britain, where the American nomenclature was rather stuffily shunned in favour of the "Yacht Harbour", commenced in the 1960s. At that time, recreational boats were kept on buoy moorings or piles in rivers, harbours and estuaries. The new marinas with walk-ashore access and improved facilities provided a quantum leap in service. Most marinas built at this time were located in sheltered water often as an ancillary service to existing boat yards. Costly civil engineering works were kept to a minimum with some dredging, perhaps a sheet pile wall and pontoon berths secured on piles.