The port
A historic marina and boatyard at Nanny Cay, on Tortola's south coast in the British Virgin Islands - one of the Eastern Caribbean's largest yachting complexes, founded in 1961 and marked by more than half a century of twists, from the Guinness family to Barclays' longest-ever receivership.
Nanny Cay Marina occupies a former cluster of three uninhabited cays on Tortola's south coast, west of Road Town in the British Virgin Islands. Development began in 1961, when British developer Gary Turpin secured the Charles family's permission to build an access road to the cays for a marina project; the first eight fixed docks followed, and Raldo Charles (1927-2010), who returned to the island in 1977 with a background in construction, became the site's foreman and a defining figure for more than forty years. The marina passed through several owners over nearly three decades - including the Guinness brewing family - and endured what is documented as Barclays Bank PLC's longest receivership, lasting more than twelve years through the 1980s and 1990s, before Cameron McColl and John McCoach acquired it in 2000. It now holds around 300 berths split between an outer marina (monohulls up to 100 feet plus large motoryachts) and an inner marina with room for one motoryacht up to 150 feet (45.7 m); fuel and water are available at both service stations, VHF 16 and 68. The adjoining boatyard, among the largest in the Eastern Caribbean, runs two Travelifts (50 and 70 tons, the latter sized for catamarans up to 32 feet of beam) and roughly 320 dry-storage spots. Customs clearance is not handled on site: arriving yachts register through SailClear and clear in at an official BVI port of entry.
