A premier marina and a place to hang out

Published April 14, 2007

A premier marina and a place to hang out

By VINCENT WEE


(SINGAPORE) If there was a premier address for berthing a boat in Singapore, it would be One Degree 15 Marina. The waiting list for the 130 berths in the already completed Phase 1 of the project is unheard of in recent years.


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Mr Tay: The One Degree 15 Marina Club brings together all the elements of the new waterfront lifestyle that is fast emerging in Singapore


In fact One Degree claims demand for berths is so strong that the 74 berths originally planned for Phase 2 have been increased to 140, giving the marina a final capacity of 270 berths, over 30 per cent increase on the 204 berths the marina was initially going to build.

The strong demand for berths at the prestigious marina may be due to the recent popularity of waterfront living.

The accompanying marine-based lifestyle also seems to be taking off. At the soft launch yesterday of the marina's luxury lifestyle club, One Degree 15 Marina Club, it said that even before the club's official launch in the third quarter of this year, it has already reached close to half of its target of 4,000 members.

In explaining the attraction of his new club, chairman Arthur Tay said: 'The One Degree 15 Marina Club brings together all the elements of the new waterfront lifestyle that is fast emerging in Singapore - it will be more than just a world-class marina where you can admire some of the world's most beautiful boats and mega-yachts, it will also be the place to hang out with the who's who in industry and society, watch the sunset and enjoy the finer things in life.'

It's no wonder then that Mr Tay confidently says that many of the handful of superyacht owners in Singapore are planning to move their yachts to his marina. These include prominent names like Goh Cheng Liang and the man who brought McDonald's to Singapore, Robert Kwan.

Where the rich yacht owners go, the rest will follow and judging by yesterday's event it seems likely that even those with less than nautical inclinations may sign up for the sheer prestige of rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous.

The lineup of guests at yesterday's media preview of the club ranged from those keen on the chi chi aspects of socialising to those genuinely interested in stepping up to the marine leisure lifestyle that they wish to experience for themselves.

The club is busy at the moment preparing to accommodate the Boat Asia show next week and they envisage that full operations for members will begin in May.