New Port Royal marina will host a few luxury superyachts along with boats of all sizes

It might not be long before recreational boaters that cruise up and down the Atlantic Coast each year in search of adventure and warmer weather are coming ashore in Port Royal to refuel, rest and explore the historic town.

Safe Harbor Marina is on the verge of beginning construction of what was originally billed as a megayacht marina in the Beaufort County town on Battery Creek. While there are no official size guidelines for megayachts or superyachts, these ultra luxury boats are generally agreed to be between 130 and 590 feet in length. Various slips for smaller boats will also be available, according to the plans. Superyachts often come complete with a crew and are either enjoyed by the owner or chartered to guests.

Safe Harbor, the company developing the property, is counting on coastal travelers because of its location between New York and Key West. Once owned by the South Carolina State Ports Authority, the mothballed facilities are being torn down or refitted to fit the new recreational purpose. The developer and the town are still working out the details and differences. But the long-awaited marina, which is part of a larger redevelopment of two miles of Battery Creek waterfront, appears close to getting off the ground after years of false starts. Slips and moring for local vessels of all sizes will also be available.

“The town’s right for it,” Peter Clark says of the Port Royal marina. “It’s a very beautiful Lowcountry town.”

Clark, the chief development officer of Safe Harbor Marinas, the Dallas-based marina owner and operator that’s building the marina, says the company should have the permits within the next few months from the state Department of Health and Environmental Control and Army Corps of Engineers needed to proceed with construction.

“Once permits are issued,” Clark said, “the installation will be fairly quick, in a phased approach.”

In advance of construction of the marina, which will be situated in Battery Creek at the end of Paris Avenue, Safe Harbor already is procuring docks at the site.

What makes Port Royal location unique?

Safe Harbor is capitalizing on the deep water of the Port of Port Royal, where depths measure at 25 feet at low tides. And no overhead bridge restrictions block access to open water. Its location between Charleston and Savannah is a bonus.

Clark sees the marina as meeting demand for facilities that can service all sizes of transient traffic, from a 50-foot-long catamaran to a 200-foot-long yacht. He believes the Port Royal marina will become the “shining star” of marinas in the region, Clark said.

“It’s got deep water and it’s got no air draft issues with bridge clearances,” Clark said.

A 3,284-linear-foot “flexible side tie” dock will provide dockage for transient boats, which typically stay a couple of days but may stay longer if there’s a weather window, giving them time to shop and eat.

The marina also will have 150 to 200 dedicated wet slips for local boats in the 30- to 50-foot range.

Also planned are 40 floating Jet Docks, which are floating docks that boats can drive onto, and various marine utilities including shore power, potable water, fuel and a marine pump out for waste. A floating harbormaster’s office would be found on the docks next to the outside tie dockage and fuel dispensers. Two new concrete piers would be added to accommodate a new marine travel lift.

A noteworthy feature of the marina development, Clark said, is that the massive 15-foot-wide and 65-foot-long docks will be assembled on site. If those docks were not constructed on site, Cloak said, they would need to be built by a company in Sweden. Building them locally, he says, removes that barrier.

“The most robust docks being built in the world right now are being built in Port Royal,” Clark says, “and those docks will be deployed in Port Royal.”

Assembling those docks has been ongoing in Port Royal for months. But up until now, the docks have been shipped to Charleston for a marina expansion project there. Having the docks built in the town — but used in other installation on the eastern seaboard — hasn’t sat well with residents. Dock construction, Clark said, will not continue indefinitely.

“We’re going to wind it down once we complete the docks on Port Royal,” Clark said. “It would not be complimentary if we had a dock manufacturing facility at the head of the gangway. We need to be the front door of the town.”

A clubhouse with showers, restrooms, lounge facilities and parking also are planned where the marina will flow into “upland” areas farther from Battery Creek. Safe Harbor and Port Royal are still working through what those projects will look like, Clark said.

“It’s as nice as marinas get,” Mayor Kevin Phillips said.

The path from state owned to Safe Harbor

Safe Harbor bought the project from Grey Ghost properties in late 2020 for $20 million. Grey Ghost, which bought the property from the State Ports Authority, received the necessary state and federal permits but Safe Harbor is asking for modifications, Clark said.

The marina is at the center of a multi-faceted, two-mile development along Battery Creek. The vision for the prized property, as outlined in town planning documents, includes waterfront homes with deep water access, as well as shops, bars, restaurants and the possibility of a hotel. Public parks and a promenade, a new shrimp dock and an seafood processing facility are also part of the ongoing discussions.

Safe Harbor’s marina permits also will allow the town to proceed with construction of new commercial shrimp dock and an associated seafood facility where the catch could be processed. Those facilities would be located at Fishcamp on 11th Street and Shellring Ale Works. The State Legislature has allocated the town $2 million for that work.

Issues still need to be worked out between the town and Safe Harbor. Most notable is an unpopular plan for rental townhomes that The Beach Company, a builder working with Safe Harbor, pitched last year. Town and Safe Harbor officials, including Clark, met Feb. 1 to begin a new dialogue they hope will resolve those issues. The marina part of the plans, however, does not appear to be a sticking point.