Much has changed at the Yacht Havens Group as they celebrate their 50th anniversary. Their first marina, Lymington Yacht Haven, opened for business in May 1972 – 12 years after plans were first conceived by a group of local yachtsmen, including Dutch dredging contractor Hems Kalis, with one shared vision: to build a marina.
In the early days, the 200ft vessel Medina served as the temporary marina office, and any servicing or maintenance was undertaken in the workshop barge Actief until 1977, when construction began on the main office building. By the late 1980s, the Yacht Havens Group were well established and had become involved in building and operating a number of marina projects around the UK. Fast-forward to 2022 and the group now successfully operates from nine locations in the UK and Jachthaven Biesbosch in the Netherlands.
MD Dylan Kalis told us: ‘It is thanks to the vision, drive and persistence of the original shareholders that Lymington Yacht Haven was built, and we remain indebted to our many loyal customers who have chosen to berth their boats with us since 1972.’