A new 2,500-acre resort development featuring a marina that can accommodate luxury yachts of up to 300 feet in length will transform the island of St. Kitts into a mega-yacht destination by 2010. The new marina follows other Caribbean developments building ports to handle the increasing numbers of oversized yachts in service.

An announcement made yesterday by developer Kiawah Development Partners, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, and the St. Kitts Tourism Authority detailed plans to transform Christophe Harbour on the Caribbean island into a resort and second home destination complete with a Tom Fazio-designed golf course, two five-star hotels, luxury shops and restaurants, and a marina with 40 to 60 yacht slips.

With over the 300 acres of water surface, the yacht club will be operated by one of the resort’s five-star hotels. Both Auberge Resorts and Mandarin Oriental will have hotels in the development. Services offered to yacht owners and guests will include access to the hotels’ amenities, a heliport at the marina, Wi-Fi access, laundry services, dockside provisioning and nighttime security. There will also be a variety of in-slip services such as waste oil removal, repair and maintenance, fueling hook-up for boats over 60 feet, and waste water and factory services for yachts over 100 feet. The development will also have harborside condominiums for sale.

There are other perks in the works. Yacht owners will enjoy an exemption from import duties, consumption taxes and other government charges for fuel. Green sailors will be happy to learn that the eco-friendly design of marina will preserve the shoreline, water and coral reefs of the area.

The designer of the marina, Applied Technology & Management also worked on mega yacht marina Yacht Haven Grande in St. Thomas, which opened earlier this year. Christophe Harbor was chosen for this development for its sheltered location on the southeast peninsula of St. Kitts, a prime locale for boaters who want easy access to both the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the West Indies.