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The Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard is celebrating two decades at the forefront of Australia’s marine service industry.
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Hewn from what were canefields along the Coomera River, Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard, widely known as GCCM, has evolved into one of Asia–Pacific’s most comprehensive refit and repair facility, able to cater for superyachts up to 75 metres.
The Gay family – initially Patrick and now his son Trenton – have steered the business with an unwavering commitment to “undertake and deliver” for their clients, regardless of the size of their vessel.
The company’s core values of integrity and their overarching commitment to carry out a job once it has been taken on has meant that GCCM has carved out a preeminent position in the Australian industry, attracting a swag of awards along the way.
With a $100-million expansion plan and several exciting new partnerships in place, GCCM is about to embark on the next chapter of its impressive history.
GCCM is one of the shipyards that boldly changed the face of Australia’s marine industry by adopting a one-stop-shop approach to refit and repair for vessels of every shape and size.
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Old boaties will remember the days when the annual maintenance period involved struggling to find a suitable location to lift a boat out of the water, and then having to painstakingly razzle various trades from the farthest reaches to undertake the required works.
When the concept of GCCM was first tabled in the late 1990s, industry sceptics and much of the marine world thought the vision behind this trailblazing development was crazy. “Would the boats come?” was the question on everyone’s lips.
Well, come they did. In droves. GCCM was an infrastructure game-changer for Australia and the South Pacific region, and unquestionably bolstered the Gold Coast’s claim to being Australia’s new marine capital.
The facility was rapidly embraced by the industry as boaties from the Gold Coast and right along the East Coast of Australia tuned in to the convenience of being able to undertake refit and repair in one clean, expansive and professionally managed location.
Twenty years on from its opening in January 2000, GCCM is the most awarded shipyard in Australia and one of the most comprehensive facilities of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
The internationally accredited 5-Gold-Anchor yard is home to Australia’s largest concentration of marine trades servicing vessels of all sizes.
Recognised around the world for the outstanding quality of its marine tradespeople and craftsmanship, vessels travel from as far afield as the US and Europe as well as all parts of the Asia–Pacific region to undertake repairs. GCCM attracts a rollcall of some of the most famous boats in the world, including M/Y Dragonfly, M/Y Pangaea, M/Y SuRi, M/Y Pursuit and M/Y Playpen.
GCCM is privately owned and operated by the visionary Gay family. For the last 20-plus years, they have been leading the charge to position the Gold Coast as the Pacific region’s leading marine refit and repair destination.
Their tireless investment and high-profile lobbying efforts were instrumental in the Gold Coast becoming a customs and immigration clearance point for foreign-flagged vessels in 2017.
They also pushed for dredging and maintenance of Gold Coast waterways, and established the annual Australian Superyacht Rendezvous, turning the global spotlight on our marine capabilities and cruising grounds. Not least, they have supported the successful push to amend charter regulations, enticing more foreign-flagged vessels to cruise and charter in Australian waters.
The GCCM team have powerfully and persuasively promoted the Australian marine industry across the globe, developing an impressive range of international strategic alliances that have helped to propel both GCCM and the Australian yachting brand into the global marketplace.
Today GCCM offers a full suite of marine services, including hardstand areas of 50,000 square metres, 250-tonne and 50-tonne travelifts based on site, and eight purpose-built superyacht refit sheds and a dedicated superyacht basin.
More than 80 individual marine businesses and 700 contractors are on hand to meet any requirement.
In 2018, GCCM unveiled ambitious plans for expansion, including more than doubling the size of the facility by developing an adjacent 20-hectare site in the Gold Coast Marine Precinct.
The new stage will encompass facilities for superyachts, wide-berth catamarans and sailing yachts that is equal to any in the world. There will 130 new wet berths to accommodate vessels up to 80 metres.
Construction will get underway sometime in 2020 once approval has been granted. GCCM’s CEO Trent Gay believes the new development represents an important boost for the region’s marine capabilities and will be a significant inducement for larger vessels to dock at the Gold Coast.
Additionally, the shipyard is forging new collaborations with various highly respected industry names – Seal Superyachts, Hill Robinson, Benetti Yachts, Sunseeker, Gulf Craft and IGY Marinas – in order for these brands to support their clients in Asia–Pacific.
Integral to GCCM’s success has been a highly dedicated team whose diverse skills and backgrounds ensure the best possible result for the customer.
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