14 MARINA VISIT
Ocean Village Marina, Southampton, England
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stablished in 1973, MDL Marinas is now Europe’s leading marina group currently operating 20 major marinas and boatyards and managing over 7,000 berths. Its flagship facility, Ocean Village Marina, is nestled in the heart of Southampton and is so much more than a marina. Surrounded by shops, bars, restaurants and a cinema, the waterfront is bustling and sophisticated, where eating out, enjoying a glass of wine or
MARINA INDUSTRY • APRIL 2022
watching a film at the Harbour Lights Picturehouse is as much a part of the nautical lifestyle as the sailing. The basin, formerly used for commercial shipping, is deep enough to offer mooring facilities for tall ships and large yachts. It has also become famous for hosting the start or finish of round-the-world yacht races. The marina is home to the luxury five-star Southampton Harbour Hotel and Spa, where berth-holders can access exclusive discounts
at its café, restaurant, and beauty parlour through MDL’s Platinum Berthing package. It also features the city’s tallest building and visitors can enjoy exciting new restaurant and retail experiences. Just a short walk from the city’s popular West Quay shopping centre, the marina was originally part of an ambitious expansion plan of Southampton’s dock area and enjoyed life as a busy ferry terminal for the France and cross-Channel ferries in the 1970s. Virtually abandoned
by the end of the decade, it wasn’t until 1984 that a developer sought to create the mixed residential marina development seen today. Set up for berthing vessels of all shapes and sizes, including superyachts, the deep-water Ocean Village Marina has 326 berths, with a maximum LOA of 60 metres. The nearest pumpout station is located at Hythe Marina Village and both petrol and diesel can be obtained from fuel docks at Port Hamble and Hythe.
