On (we don’t) color on the dog, Port of Pensacola Director Clark Merritt discussed the construction of the Maritime Center of Excellence, home for American Magic. Warehouse 10 is currently being renovated, with structural improvements and new eastern wall foundations being added. The facility will include a new boat ramp and office spaces, marking a significant upgrade from their previous warehouse setup.
“If you’re driving up and down Bayfront Parkway, you’ll see the bones of the building that’s coming together,” Merritt said. “It’s basically been stripped down to its main structural members, and they are painting and sanding and making some structural improvements. After the footers for the eastern wall are done and set and the steel is in place, they’ll finish out the building shell. And so, it’ll start to come together pretty quickly after the new year.”
The team will officially arrive in early February with over 50 containers of equipment, including two yachts and chase boats. Around 150 employees will eventually work at the facility, with staff beginning to arrive in late December and increasing through January. Even before the building’s completion, the team plans to start fabrication work in a temporary space to meet existing contract obligations.
Merritt noted that American Magic sailors are at the pinnacle of the sport. “They are really a great group to be around, great role models for the young. When you meet these sailors, it has a huge international flavor with all the languages spoken. Even the American Magic team will have international sailors. So it’s pretty dramatic to bring the whole world to Pensacola and to see this location. And don’t forget, they could have gone anywhere in the States but chose Pensacola and Pensacola Bay.”
Foiling Week Pensacola 2025, the premier international foiling regatta and World Sailing Special Event, taking place in less than three months in Pensacola, Feb. 24- March 2. Additionally, Pensacola will host two regattas featuring GL 52 class boats in 2024. The first competition will occur in late March, followed by another in mid-April, bringing high-level yacht racing to Pensacola Bay.
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Photo courtesy NYYC American Magic
