Tallinn Marina Haven Kakumäe is well known to Baltic yachtsmen, although the place is new: it has been hosting yachts here for several seasons, but the final completion of all works took place quite recently. MBY spoke with Haven Kakumäe for the latest news.
Keep the boat warm
Until last winter, yachts at Haven Kakumäe were kept sheathed ashore during the off-season. But at the end of 2018, a boathouse was opened – a modern hangar with an area of 4500 sq. m with two compartments – and it became possible to put boats in warm storage. A smaller compartment with a 9 m high gate is designed to accommodate about 90 boats, which are placed on racks using a forklift. This is a widespread way of storing small boats abroad (and not only in winter): the procedure for launching or re-installing takes only about 10 minutes. A large compartment with a gate with a height of 12 m, where a 130-ton mobile crane moves in completely, is intended for winter storage of large yachts (it was already full last winter). Despite the fact that the boathouse was just put into operation at that time, Russian yachts also came to winter, and they turned out to be the largest: Princess 72 became the record holder in length.
“We are extremely happy about this,” comments Haven Kakumäe. – Customers immediately entrusted us with storage. Many were here for the first time, several boats came to guest places in the summer. Previously, most of the yachts left for the winter in Finland, but now it turns out that we also open the gates of the Baltic for Russian shipowners. “
If this year you are going to Haven Kakumäe for the winter, the yacht does not have to be brought in at the end of the season, in October. You can come in September, and you will not be charged an additional fee for this: the yacht will stay in the marina waiting for lifting. Likewise in spring: launching takes place in late April – early May, and throughout May the boat can be kept at the pier for free and picked up at a convenient time.
Newly opened Maritime Center
There is a restaurant in the marina
Service and refit
In winter, the temperature in the boathouse is maintained at + 12 … 14 ° C: conditions that are comfortable not only for storage, but also for any repair work in the off-season. For example, last winter, Haven Kakumäe managed to carry out a large-scale refit of a large yacht from Russia. The list of tasks was impressive: the list consisted of 90 items. In addition to mechanics (engines, systems), a large amount of interior work was required: restoration of furniture, replacement of carpets, upholstery, household appliances …
Haven Kakumäe – the most complete yacht service in Estonia: everything on a turnkey basis
In the marina, they remember the story of how a 200-kilogram refrigerator was pulled out with a crane. He barely got through, even had to disassemble part of the cabin to take it out and install a new one. We changed the entire multimedia system, TVs, installed review cameras. The cockpit had to solve a non-trivial problem: there was a TV on a bracket, and this design looked “not very”, although the TV itself was often used. In order to implement a beautiful solution, we came up with a niche in the cockpit “roof”, from where the TV sets in a special lift. New suppliers were needed: the mounts came from the USA, and the TV itself came from England. The TV was chosen to be waterproof: it is still used outdoors. In addition, there was a lot of deck work: restoring and grinding teak, polishing stainless steel, sewing new awnings. The tender mounts were also replaced – another non-trivial task: the Williams tender, stored on the bathing platform, interfered with access to the aft compartment.
For Haven Kakumäe, this was the first large-scale refit project, and the customer (very picky!) Was satisfied with the level and timing: the work was completed in four months.
“We had to coordinate the simultaneous activities of different specialists,” comments the management of the marina, “so that different types of work could be carried out in parallel without compromising the timing and quality. Nevertheless, we adjusted to the schedule and prepared all the documentation for the client in Russian ”.
Marina plans to develop the refit direction, since the entire team of employees, including the management, has extensive experience in shipbuilding and ship repair works. Another important point is the absence of a language barrier. The people who manage the project, like most of the staff, are Russian-speaking, and it is always more convenient to discuss complex issues in their native language.
Estonian realities
In Estonian companies, the staff is usually small, in most cases – up to 10 people, so the work is often built with subcontractors. The network of subcontractors with which Haven Kakumäe cooperates includes mechanics, electronics engineers, interior designers, wood restoration specialists. The marina has good connections, which makes it possible to carry out completely different types of work. Here they know how to work not only with fiberglass, but also with metal cases. The only thing that does not exist yet is a large paint shop, so if it is necessary to polish the hull or to partially paint it, you need to agree in advance and make a special shelter to carry out such work conveniently and safely for other hulls.
Come visit
Coming here under the Russian flag, of course, you need to formalize the importation of a yacht into the European Union. However, there is a customs clearance point in the marina: if you notify three hours in advance, the border and customs service will arrive and fulfill all the formalities. It is known that in many Finnish marinas, in hangars or on the territory, special places are allocated, which are a customs zone, that is, a boat can be stored there for 18 months without customs clearance. At Haven Kakumäe, the design process for such a zone has not yet been completed, but it will appear soon.
The compartment for large ships began to accept yachts for winter storage last season.
Marina is equipped with the latest technology
The signing of contracts for filling the warm boathouse next winter is in full swing at the marina. If you reserve your seat in advance, you can get a discount on the services provided by Haven Kakumäe. The boathouse is filling up not only at the expense of Russian, but also Finnish shipowners, who are becoming more and more due to the democratic prices for anchorage.
For yachts and people
The entrance to the marina is convenient: there is no ferry traffic and there is no need to cross the fairway. In addition to the well-equipped berths, there is a gas station, yacht washing, and sewage pumps. The maritime center has just opened – a whole complex where there is everything you need for yachtsmen. On the ground floor there are crew quarters, showers, changing rooms, four saunas, a conference room, and a children’s sailing school. There is a supermarket, yacht shops and more.
At the beginning of June, a gourmet restaurant Puri (Sails) opened on the second floor. The chef of the restaurant, whom they had been looking for for a long time, had previously worked in a well-known restaurant group. Last summer, he opened a summer cafe with a veranda in the marina, and it instantly became popular. The new restaurant with a fireplace, views of the marina and sunset – 110 seats, orders are accepted à la carte, but there is also a special chef area where you can taste a gourmet set of 16 dishes. Scandinavian cuisine, interspersed with Italian and French classics. The wine list is not only rich, but also interesting: the sommelier has collected not only high-quality and well-known wines from different countries, but also interesting examples from Eastern Europe.
Another goal is to become the first marina in the Baltic with a five-star rating
The schedule of activities in the marina this season is busy. The central event of the summer is Sea Days (13-14 July 2019), when the marina is filled with sailing yachts, including from Russia: last summer boats came here from St. Petersburg to participate in the festival. In August, the Helsinki-Tallinn regatta is planned, in which over 150 yachts will take part. There will be many other events: concerts, street food festivals, dance evenings. There are plenty of opportunities for water sports – from jet skiing to SUP-surfing. And, of course, Estonia itself is worth seeing from a yacht: the sunsets are even more beautiful here than in Bali.
Vsevolod Eremkin, Marketing Director of Haven Kakumäe
“I would like to achieve a balance, because the Russian market is one of the priority areas for us, we are very glad to see shipowners and captains from Russia here. At first there were doubts: will they come to us? Still, from St. Petersburg it is closer to Finland. But I will say this: not only distance should be taken into account, but also travel opportunities. Tallinn is a beautiful city, there is a lot to see. The marina itself and its surroundings are very beautiful. “
Territory of life
Many people think that Haven Kakumäe is located far outside the city limits. In fact, the marina is located in Tallinn itself, in the western part, and the road from there to the historic center takes 10 minutes by car or half an hour by bike (you can rent it at the port). There is also a bus, and the staff of the marina can arrange any transfer.
The Kakumäe Peninsula, which gave the name to the marina, is a quiet green area with low-rise buildings, where a respectable audience lives. Cycle paths are everywhere, and three kilometers away is a shopping center, one of the largest in Tallinn, with many shops and cafes. And, of course, there is where to take a walk: open-air museums, a zoo, a beach … In general, a well-developed infrastructure, but without city noise and dust. Moreover, you can not just come here – you can live here: the construction of a residential complex has been completed in the marina.
Haven Kakumäe’s idea is “turnkey everything”. Previously, Estonia did not have such a complex of yachting services to literally give the marina staff the keys to the boat and be sure that the yacht will be taken care of properly. The next challenge for Haven Kakumäe is to become the first marina in the Baltic with a five-star rating.
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Olga Selezneva
Chief Editor
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