Super Yachts Coming To Baltimore?
BALTIMORE (WJZ)--Putting the Chesapeake back on the map for millionaire yacht owners. The state legislature changed a law to do just that.
Alex DeMetrick has more on what backers hope will be trickle-down economics from super yachts.
Right now, this is the only mega yacht in local waters. It's visiting the Annapolis Yacht Basin, before heading off for the Mediterranean.
Vessels this size are a rare sight in the Chesapeake, because to navigate, it takes a state licensed bay pilot.
"Years ago when they did start to put the pilots on the boats, they started diverting the bay altogether and staying outside the fees they had to pay," said Steve Grace, Dockmaster Annapolis Yacht Basin.
All large commercial vessels require a bay pilot to direct its travel. After all, there are some valuable obstacles to avoid, and unseen hazards under the water. When Maryland law required pilots and their $268 an hour fee on all boats longer than 79-feet, visits like these to the Inner Harbor vanished.
"It's also the inconvenience. So an owner would come in, they'll want to go from the fuel pier back to their slip, and they'd need a pilot on hand," said Jessie Bowling, Baltimore Marine Centers.
The state legislature has now upped the limit. Pilots only on boats over 200 feet long.
Steve Grace says, "There's enough commercial traffic on the bay to keep the pilots busy enough."
And after decades of handling yachts of all sizes.
"It's very rare to find captains and crews on these larger yachts that are not extremely well trained," Grace said.
And there's space for them in Baltimore.
"They'll spend thousands and thousands of dollars on one fuel bill, not to mention the food, the entertainment, spending when they visit the city," said Bowling.
Well a spokesperson for Governor Hogan says he will sign the bill in an effort to bring in more mega yachts and their money to Maryland.
