Bellingham Marine General Manager Jesse Ellenz has been appointed to the position of Vice President of Special Projects, effective May 15. Jesse will remain in his position as General Manager of the company’s Northwest Division until a suitable replacement can be found. In addition to his current duties, Jesse will also assume day to day oversight of the company’s efforts to expand its reach into projects beyond the typical marina market.
“Jesse has a strong construction background and an incredible amount of experience working on unique, one-off projects; we are excited to have him in this position,” said Everett Babbitt, President of Bellingham Marine. “He has an exceptional understanding of the challenges that often plague these types of projects and how to approach the design as well as the constructability to ensure their success.”
According to Babbitt, the company has taken on a number of unique projects over the past thirty years that are outside the traditional scope of a marina builder and dock manufacturer. “We’ve always been attracted to challenging projects that require a high level of technical expertise – the floating golf green at The Coeur d’Alene was one of the company’s first iconic special projects; there have since been a number of others including a 90’ by 150’ platform that was made to float 20’ below the surface of the water to support an overwater structure at Round Butte Dam.”
“Aside from the company’s expertise in floating docks and other floating structures, the Bellingham Marine team has a tremendous amount of experience in the precast /prestressed concrete industry,” said Ellenz. “Bellingham’s focus on innovation, leading engineering practices and willingness to think outside the box puts the company in a rare position to help individuals who are looking for unique solutions and one-of-a-kind products.”
“This is an exciting opportunity that I am extremely thankful to be granted. I am looking forward to working with the various divisions throughout the company to expand our offerings worldwide. I am extremely honored to work with the great people that we have here at Bellingham Marine and I thank them for their all of their support.”
Jesse joined Bellingham Marine in 2006 as a project Manager. Shortly after, he was promoted to the position of General Manager of the NW Division. He has over 15 years’ experience in the construction industry and holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Construction Management from Central Washington University. Prior to joining Bellingham Marine, Jesse worked in the commercial and heavy civil segments of the construction industry.
As the world’s leading marina design-build construction company, Bellingham Marine produces Unifloat® concrete floating dock systems as well as timber and metal frame systems. The company also produces Unistack® dry stack systems for marinas worldwide.
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, best known for hosting the annual Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, recently constructed a new hardstand area and installed new staging pontoons, adjacent to their crane, for vessels waiting to be loaded in and out of the Bay.
The Club hired world marina builder, Bellingham Marine to design and construct the new pontoons. The company has a long history with the club. “The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia has enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with Bellingham Marine for over 20 years, beginning with the design, replacement and installation of our 214 berth floating marina in 1999, and more recently with the extension and reconfiguration of the marina as part of stage one and two of a six stage redevelopment master plan”, said Mark Woolf, Chief Executive Officer of the CYCA.
The new pontoons skirt the existing wharf structure and follow along the new hardstand providing the club with over 99 meters of new moorage space in the club’s “pond”. The Pond is an open area at the front of the club which is used to accommodate short term berthing requirements for members and visitors. The new pontoons can accommodate up to 10 Etchells sailing boats with capacity to moor yachts up to 10 meters in length.
Composite I-beams were used to connect the pontoons to the hardstand area. Steel components would typically be used for this type of application; however, the Club wanted to use a material that would have a longer service life. “The composite beams were lightweight, durable and easy to work with,” remarked Gary Charlwood, Manager of Project Development for Bellingham Marine Australia. “They proved to be a success.”
The entire project was under a tight timeline, as the club’s was very anxious to have the project completed and have all material, personnel, and equipment off site at least one week before the 26th of December – the opening day of the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race. “Everything was completed on time and the Club is very happy with the new facility,” said Charlwood.
Bellingham Marine also manufactured and supplied six heavy duty stainless steel ladders, which were fitted to the new hardstand.
About Bellingham Marine
As the world’s leading marina design-build construction company, Bellingham Marine produces Unifloat® concrete floating dock systems as well as timber and metal frame systems. The company also produces Unistack® dry stack systems for marinas worldwide.
Contact:
Bellingham Marine, 22 Sinnamon Rd., 17 Mile Rocks, QLD 4073, Australia
Phone: 011-61-7-3376-6955 | bmi@bellingham-marine.com | www.bellingham-marine.com.au
What can compare to making port amongst the beau monde on the French Riviera? Monaco, Cannes, St Tropez…the names are legendary. But it’s virtually impossible to find berthing there in high season without a reservation made months in advance. And once you’ve squeezed your stern in and set your bow anchor, your privacy, peace and serenity may be rare and fleeting. For a different experience, cruise just 40 nautical miles east from Monaco to Loano on the sun-drenched Ligurian coast. Enter the 1,000-slip Marina di Loano and ease into an available finger-pier berth. If you arrive in a yacht up to 77m, you may be among the first to enjoy the just-commissioned section of the marina newly remodelled for superyachts.
While Loano lacks the celebrity glamour of Monaco or Cannes, this new marina has its own allure. Marina di Loano provides five-star service for guests who appreciate tranquillity and privacy. The marina is still new, having just opened in 2011, and bills itself as ‘a destination within a destination’.
Marina architecture
The facility is anchored by a spectacular three-storey yacht club centrally located in the marina. The design and architecture of the yacht club and surrounding facilities was accomplished by the renowned Florentine architect Guido Spadolini of the firm Spadolini & Architetti. Spadolini is himself an avid sailor, and it shows. For anyone building a new marina, Spadolini’s work will provide inspiration and is a hard act to follow. The large main lobby, stairwells and promenade deck of the yacht club give the illusion of being on a transatlantic ocean liner. The pool on the top deck is bracketed by dramatic fountains and surrounded by substantial cruise ship railings. A ‘control tower’ that serves as the harbourmaster office rises two storeys above the yacht club like the bridge of the ship. The theme has been tried before, but few have succeeded as magnificently as Spadolini has at Marina di Loano.
Port history
The plan for the Port of Loano was originally designed in 1938 by naval architect Filippo Bonfliglietti. Due to the war, the works he designed were not built until the 1950s. The massive rubble-mound breakwater is 60m wide, 6m high and 900m long, offering protection from a 6m (20ft), 100-year wave. A 300m long, 5m high inner pier completes the basin. The breakwater and inner pier offer excellent protection from prevailing winds and weather. A 70m wide, 5m deep entrance channel is accessed from the east.
Originally designed to support a fishing fleet of about 40 boats, the resulting basin was much larger than needed. That proved to be fortunate a half century later after the explosive growth of recreational yachting. Whether because of bravado or farsightedness, Bonfliglietti’s marvellous breakwater is sized for a modern, world-class marina. Bonfliglietti, who in the 1920s also designed an aircraft carrier for the Italian Navy (it was never built), didn’t live to see Marina di Loano nestled in the protection of his breakwater, but he would undoubtedly be delighted by the sight of 77m yachts in his harbour.
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A new boathouse has made its home on the Willamette River, in downtown Portland, OR, under the Hawthorne Bridge. The structure houses two emergency response watercraft for Portland Fire and Rescue.
Bellingham Marine supplied the floating docks for the project from their plant in Ferndale, WA and supervised the installation. The floating structure is comprised of two main sections. The section that supports the 4,200 square foot fully enclosed boathouse is a post-tensioned unit that provides two 60’ berths with a 5’ wide walkway around the boats inside the building. There is also a 15‘wide platform at the back of the building for staging of equipment.
Outside the boathouse is a triangular shaped “deflector” float. “The primary purpose of the deflector float is to keep floating debris from getting lodged under the boathouse floats,” said Bellingham Marine Project Manager, Derrick Ames. “That’s why the float is shaped the way it is and has such a low freeboard. “
The post-tensioned platform and finger piers that serve as the base for the boathouse were assembled in the water at Advanced American’s yard on the Willamette River and then towed to the site. A unique underwater truss system was added to provide rigidity to the floating foundation and tie the three finger piers together. “The truss system helps stabilize the floats and create a solid foundation for the building,” said Ames. The center finger is not post-tensioned, so the truss helps tie the middle finger pier into the post-tensioned floats.”
Portland Fire and Rescue Chief Erin Janssens said, “This boathouse is a critical part of a dual land-marine based modern fire and rescue station designed to withstand an earthquake and provide a quick response to both land and ever-increasing marine emergencies.”
Portland Fire and Rescue responds to emergency incidents along 149 miles of navigable waterways of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.
As the world’s leading marina design-build construction company, Bellingham Marine produces Unifloat® concrete floating dock systems as well as timber and metal frame systems. The company also produces Unistack® dry stack systems for marinas worldwide.
Contact: Bellingham Marine, P.O. Box 8, Bellingham, WA 98227; www.bellingham-marine.com.
Auckland Waterfront has awarded Bellingham Marine New Zealand a design/build contract for the construction of X and Y Piers at Westhaven Marina, located in Auckland, New Zealand.
The project consists of over 1,710 square meters of new concrete pontoons. The pontoons will be manufactured out of Bellingham’s plant in Otahuhu, Auckland, with production starting in April and delivery expected to commence in Mid-May.
The design /build contract requires Bellingham Marine to provide the pile and pontoon design and perform all installation work including all utilities and accessories from the security gates to the new pump out system. Having completed product testing in the Middle East and in New Zealand, Bellingham Marine is pleased to announce it will be using Fibre Reinforced Polymer through rods with glass filled nylon nuts offering a longer life span and reduced maintenance over time.
The new pontoon will become the bookend of the southern side of Westhaven, so a number of upgrades and features were included in the overall design. Upgrades include sewage outlets to individual berths and underwater lighting to the entire city side of the new pier.
Waterfront Auckland’s General Manager of Marinas; Tom Warren confirms that “The new Y Pier is the first major project to be delivered from the recently released Westhaven Plan. The pier completes Westhaven to the east, and allows Waterfront Auckland to deliver a project that not just expands the marina, but includes a significant fuel facility along the edge of the new berths”
Once complete, the two piers will add a total of 64 berths to the Marina facility, which already boasts 1,860 existing vessels within the expansive boat harbor. The new berths will help meet an existing demand for a variety of vessel lengths from 14m to 20m, including a number of multi-hull berths.
“We are very pleased to have been selected for this project after a robust procurement process completed by Waterfront Auckland,” said Bruce Birtwistle, General Manager of Bellingham Marine’s operations in New Zealand. “BMNZ has enjoyed a long association with Westhaven Marina and is looking forward to serving the Waterfront Auckland /Westhaven team as the design/build contractor on the project.”
Tom Warren confirmed that “Bellingham Marine’s capability to deliver pontoons and complete the installation only four months after the contract is awarded met with Waterfront Auckland’s desire to have the berths and fuel facility completed and operational well before the start of the busy summer boating season.”
Established in the 1940’s in downtown Auckland, Westhaven Marina is one of the largest marinas in the southern hemisphere – a boaties paradise nestled beside the Hauraki Gulf Islands, with shopping and dining only minutes away. Surrounded by a comprehensive marine service industry, Westhaven offers world-class facilities for vessels up to 30 meters.
As the world’s leading marina design-build marina construction company, Bellingham Marine produces Unifloat® concrete floating dock systems, Unideck® metal frame floating dock systems and Unistack® dry stack systems for marinas worldwide.
Public Relations Contact: Bellingham Marine New Zealand, 130 Portage Road, Otahuhu, PO BOX 51053 Pakuranga, Auckland, New Zealand; ph. 64-9-273-5311 fax. 64-9-273-5312; bmnz@bellingham-marine.co.nz; www.bellingham-marine.com
Unifloat, Unideck and Unistack are registered trademarks of Bellingham Marine.