On Saturday, June 2, Hinckley COO Michael Arietta cut the ribbon on the company’s newest full-service yacht yard in Stamford, Connecticut. And rarely has a ribbon been so resoundingly snipped: Arietta handed out gold-plated scissors to a half-dozen men instrumental in the planning, construction and operation of the yard, including Stamford mayor David Martin and Harbormaster Eric Knott. Appropriately, the ribbon was stretched between two jackstands; like everything else in the yard, they were brand new.
The Stamford yard is the eighth under the Hinckley banner, covering the waterfront from the original boatbuilding shop in Southwest Harbor, Maine, to Florida’s west coast. For ninety years, Hinckley has been building and servicing sail and power yachts, and, if all goes according to plan, that tradition will carry on in Stamford. “We’re here to provide excellent care of excellent boats,” said Pete Saladino, chief marketing officer of The Hinckley Company.
Situated on 4.25 acres on the West Branch of Stamford harbor, the Hinckley yard has straightforward access from Long Island Sound, with 12 feet of water at the fuel dock at mean low tide and slips for up to 24 boats. (At the grand opening, a big cruising catamaran was taking up four of them.) There’s a 75-metric ton Marine Travelift, a 35-ton self-propelled transporter to shuttle boats around the paved yard, and a 12-ton forklift to service the 46 inside storage racks. All the machinery is brand new, still sparkling clean with that new-boatyard smell. The paint bay can take up to a 55-footer.
Stamford, an affluent city with a long maritime history, has been without a full-service yard, or even a fuel dock, since the last one fell victim to gentrification in 2011, so the Hinckley yard is a welcome addition to the waterfront. The ribbon cutting didn’t come a day too soon for local boaters.
