Client
The Land Rover BAR America’s Cup team.
The inspiring British challenger team are a major contender to win the America’s Cup.
Our Task
The Land Rover BAR team, founded by Olympic sailing legend Sir Ben Ainslie was opening a new state-of-the art premises in Portsmouth. To support the team’s training for the challenging America’s Cup, they needed a first-class pontoon designed and installed at their headquarters so that they had easy and regular access to the Solent.
We needed to optimise the team’s berthing space without impacting Camber Dock, where it was located – it’s a working fishing harbour and home to the Wightlink Ferry. This meant we had to pay careful consideration to the location of the pontoon, and ensure we limited any impact to other harbour users and the local community as part of the development. It’s also in an exposed position which can suffer adverse weather – and we had less than a month to complete the project.
Our Approach
The first steps for us were to understand the Land Rover BAR team’s requirements for the pontoon and to identify a location that worked for everyone. Despite the time constraints, we undertook a full consultation with all stakeholders involved in the licensing, construction and use to ensure there was compliance with legislation, and to allay any environmental, technical and operational concerns.
We also had to think about the environmental factors, so we designed a pontoon that used heavier and longer than usual mooring pile sections. The pontoon has also been designed so that it flattens out the sea in adverse weather conditions.
The Result
The pontoon was officially completed in April 2015, in a record three weeks. Our careful planning and project management ensured the project was a success and everything was delivered on time and in budget. It was a complex but rewarding project and was unique in that the entire build took place at sea, including all material deliveries.
If you’ve got a marina project or development in mind, let’s discuss how we can help.
+44(0)23 8045 7155
