#greysyonesharbour – Greystones Harbour Developer Sispar has published an upbeat newsletter in the first weeks of 2014 outlining a growth of visitor numbers to the east coast port in 2013. It's all thanks to the new town marina now operated by BJ Marinas Ltd since last April. Over 1000 boats visited Greystones in County Wicklow over the Summer months according to Sispar and nearly 100 boats and 500 sailors attended the 'Taste of Greystones Regatta' weekend last September.
The town now has a purposes built modern facility at a cost of some €70m as opposed to the 200–year–old harbour wall that was badly silted up, the newsletter says. The benefits are being felt by local business and a Chamber of commerce spokesperson says the marina in only its first season has made a 'great difference'.
There are now 60 dinghies in the sailing club pen, 40 boats in the rowing club and 90 on the marina, according to the latest Sispar figures. It's part of a strategy of making Greystones one of the top three east coast harbours.
The North Pier will open to the public with the access route to be determined by future safety requirements and as Afloat reported previously, a new 30–ton travel hoist allows visiting an resident boats to be lifted for maintenance and repairs.
