THE INDUSTRY
PAGE 38
MARINA ESTATE
ROYAL ALFRED MARINA
Location
The Royal Alfred Marina estate is situated in the
small fishing village of Port Alfred in the Eastern
Cape, almost halfway between Port Elizabeth
and East London and 30km west of Cannon
Rocks. The estate encompasses the Kowie River
estuary and offers one of the most exclusive
and unrivalled waterfront living opportunities in
the country.
History
The residential marina has been in operation
since 1989. A carefully scaled model of the
marina was constructed at the University of Natal
in order to simulate the movement of the tide
through the canals to achieve the best possible
tidal water quality and is, in fact, 21 times more
effective than recommended by the Moffet and
Nichols study in the USA. Each of the five islands
that make up the estate are linked by beautiful
arched bridges across the canals, affording
navigational ease for craft moving around the
marina. The original developer is still a resident
in the marina and the daughter of one of his
partners is currently the chairperson.
Homes
There are a total of 221 homes, of various sizes.
Each residential property within the marina is
freehold and has at least 15m of its own private
water frontage, with walk-on jetty and mooring
fronting onto wide, deep-water, natural stonewalled canals averaging 50m wide and 3.5m deep.
Homeowners are also able to access, by boat,
the main Kowie River, which is navigable for
approximately 25km as well as out to sea through
the relatively sheltered breakwaters constructed
by the 1820 Settlers. To date, the estate is
completely sold out.
Residents
The unique nature of the estate makes it a sought
after location for those who enjoy the great
outdoors and living near the sea. A wonderful
mix of local and international residents, not all
boat owners, calls the Royal Alfred home.
Facilities and Amenities
Spread over 45 hectares of private estate,
homeowners can enjoy the exclusive facilities at
the clubhouse, which is fully equipped with a pool,
bar and entertainment area and a function facility
for private parties, business functions, weddings
and other get-togethers, as well as regular braais
and estate meetings. A floodlit, all-weather tennis
and squash court are situated in close proximity
to the main entrance for the use of residents
and their invited guests and the marina also