SHIPPING
Fort Pierce Yacht and Ship created this magnificent showpiece table for Double Down, a $35 million mega yacht refit. The table contains a motorized lazy
Susan with remote control to accommodate the dozen or more guests seated.
30
TREASURE COAST BOATING
PORT’S
NEW PEARL
Home team shipyard may have lost port
contract battle but still successfully afloat
BY CHRISTINA TASCON
Nothing exemplifies ultimate luxury like the mega
yachts that quietly make their way up and down
the Florida coast and occasionally take harbor in
coves from Key West to Jacksonville. These beautiful
ships may spend months crisscrossing the oceans, but
eventually they must come to port.
St. Lucie County is hoping to make Fort Pierce a mega
yacht destination for refueling, repair, painting and refitting
at the Port of Fort Pierce, which has long been ready for a
facelift. The former site of cargo boats and fruit shippers has
been left languishing for a while until interest was recently
sparked to bring in the big boats.
Perhaps you have heard about the David and Goliath saga
of Fort Pierce Yacht & Ship Ltd. versus Derecktor Shipyard
from Dania, which has been in the news since 2018. FPY&S
FORT PIERCE YACHT AND SHIP
was the hometown team looking to secure a contract from the
county to manage the port and bring mega yachts here.
Some people argued that FPY&S did not have a long
enough record of experience compared to Derecktor Shipyards,
which has businesses in New York, Maine and Dania.
But FPY&S managing partner Buddy Haack has 41 years
of personal experience in the mega yacht industry and he
has already been servicing mega yachts at the port for a few
years. Haack is already drawing in 200-foot-plus yachts and
currently has three ships, two mega yachts and one shadow
boat, in the port right now.
St. Lucie County commissioners unanimously chose
Derecktor Holdings to be awarded a $37-million lease contract
at its April 16 meeting. Commissioners said they were
excited to see the two shipyards working together to bring >>