marina at Somers Wharf, capable of holding 60-foot boats.

Dredging is slated to begin by month's end, according to Lawrence Marine president Mr. Bill Lawrence, who is responsible for the development. The entire project, to be called the Boathook Marina, is expected to be open for business by May next year.

Mr. Lawrence said the plan was to rent the moorings on a temporary basis, for visiting yachtsmen and local boaters.

The development has been met with enthusiasm from both St. George's Mayor the Wor. Henry Hayward and Mr. David Rowntree, chairman of the St. Geroge's division of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce. Both men believe the marina will provide a healthy boost for business in the East End, in shops and in restaurants.

Mr. Hayward said that any business that caters to boaters will help increase the number of yachts entering St. George's each year and thereby help local business. "There is a tremendous amount of yacht traffic in St. George's in the spring and autumn,'' he said, adding that the Corporation supported the development.

While Mr. Rowntree said he had not discussed the project with the St. George's Chamber committee, he said as a boater he fully supported the plan.

"This weekend, for example, I have rented a berth at the Dockyard Marina,'' he said. "If that is the intention in St. George's, and if the rents are reasonable, I think it's a great idea.

"My only bone of contention is that we still have a problem with the $30 head tax for visiting boaters. Government says they can prove the numbers visiting by boat are the same as they were before the tax was increased, but the word is spreading, and I think it will eventually create a problem.'' According to the drawings submitted by Mr. Lawrence and architects Onions, Bouchard & McCulloch, the existing wharf will be partially replaced and extended to a total of 1,800 square feet.

The moorings will sit side by side with boats facing St. George's Harbour.

Two portions of the waterway will be dredged, one on the eastern side of the marina and a larger one on the western side. Mr. Lawrence said that at low tide the water would still have to be at least eight feet deep.

While parts of the waterway are approximately 12 feet deep now, others are just five feet deep.

He said it was unlikely that all 13 moorings would be used at any one time -- probably 10 at the most.

Showers and toilet facilities will also be built along the wharf, bordering Trimingham's, and Mr. Lawrence said the marina would hopefully be permitted to hook up to the Corporation of St. George's sewage line.

Mr. Hayward said the Corporation was considering building a breakwater along the reef line between Hunter's Wharf and Ordnance Island using concrete slabs from the old Ordnance Island bridge. But he said that would not take place for at least two years, possibly not for another five years, or until the Corporation's financial position improves.

SIGN OF THE TIMES -- Work on the the new Boathook Marina is set to begin by month's end at Somers Wharf in St. George's. Lawrence Marine's Mr. Bill Lawrence, who is responsible for the development, said dredging will be the first part of the development.