The berths are spacious and deep. There are acres of dockside space for exhibitions. The clubhouse and waterside restaurants are new and offer views of clear blue water and gleaming yachts under warm tropical sunshine.
It's no wonder the Volvo Ocean Race chose to stop in Sanya, on Hainan island, instead of in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour.
Hong Kong has made two half-hearted attempts at winning the right to host a stopover on the world's toughest, most prestigious yacht race, and it has lost out both times. Unless it changes its strategy, it will continue to lose to other Chinese cities that offer new marinas, government support and an enthusiasm for the carnival atmosphere that follows the racing yachts into port.
'I would love to stop in Hong Kong for many reasons,' says Knut Frostad, the chief executive director of the Volvo Ocean Race, repeating an assessment that sailing fans in Hong Kong have heard countless times. 'First of all, it's a nice place to sail to and from, and there's obviously more of a sailing presence there than here [Sanya]. We did look at Hong Kong carefully before this race and we were in a good dialogue with them.
'We didn't push very hard from our side because when you have Chinese cities that are begging to have the event and will do anything you want, and then in Hong Kong we sort of feel that...' and Frostad shrugs his shoulders, displaying the level of commitment he felt from the Hong Kong government.
Hong Kong has mooted the idea of hosting the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), the Volvo Ocean Race and an event on the Louis Vuitton Trophy circuit. Only the latter, which was destined for Pier 10 in Central, has come close to reality, and it was cancelled due to factors out of the city's control.The HK$45 million regatta, set for January 2011 after securing up to HK$10 million of government funds, was scuppered when American, New Zealand and other top racing teams decided to skip the event to compete in America's Cup-related races. Hosting an international yacht race costs money and requires the right infrastructure. While other cities offer to build what is needed - the Serenity Marina in Sanya was designed specifically for the race - Hong Kong has offered the VOR berths alongside construction sites or on far-flung islands miles away from the spectators that sponsors require to make the economics of the race workable.
'Currently there is no single venue within Victoria Harbour capable of providing the location for a race village and logistics area required to host the stopover,' said Joachim Isler, vice-commodore of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club.