The remaining boats on the East Arm of the North Beach car park have been hoisted back into the water today, after pontoon replacement in the QE2 marina.

Tractors took the boats from their dry stands on the East Arm, over to the ro-ro ramp, where a large crane lowered them back into the water.

The cabin cruisers and harbour equipment have been occupying more than 100 parking spaces since 8 January 2024.

Their removal from the QE2 marina has allowed two large pontoons from the 1980s to be replaced.

This is a part of a £1.4 million modernisation project.

Assistant Harbourmaster Kieran Higgs says he is grateful for the patience of the mooring holders.

“The location of D & E pontoons, closest to the marina gates, boasts the deepest water across all four of our marinas.

This makes it perfectly suited to larger vessels, particularly sailboats with deeper drafts, which are currently in high demand.

The project has not only enhanced our facilities, it has allowed us to optimise this area's layout to specifically address the demand for larger vessels and better serve our customers' needs.

We have been able to welcome most of our berth holders onto their new moorings and look forward to having the last few back shortly in time for the start of the boating season.”

More than half of the public parking spaces along the East Arm are expected to re-open in the next couple of days.

A small area of car park will remain closed off for the remaining electrical works and removal of old pontoons.