Partner: Blankenberge

But there were problems from the start: it was almost impossible for the boats to sail out when there was a wind from the west and there was insufficient draught for the keel boats later on. There were plans to build a new harbour on the western side of the present fairway in 1912. The project was restarted after World War I, but eventually, through a lack of money, this plan was abandoned.

The fishing industry in Blankenberge had a steady decline between the two world wars. There were only 41 vessels in the Blankenberge fishermen’s fleet in 1928; this number dropped to 20 in 1937. The entire harbour infrastructure was destroyed by the Germans in June 1944. The key question was whether the port of Blankenberge was to be maintained or not. Eventually it was decided to preserve and restore it, but ... the fishermen’s vessels, that left at the end of the war on command of the occupying forces, did not return and the harbour pined away.

It was in the period 1953-1954 that a few people suggested switching over to a marina. The council then also saw a new future for the harbour and obtained permission in the beginning of 1955 to build the first jetty in the harbour. The fairway was dredged and the Blankenberge marina was inaugurated in the presence of many personalities on 9th July 1955.

The number of yachts grew strongly, new jetties were built and the old fishing harbour became saturated. In the second half of the sixties the idea was introduced to use the flushing basin as a marina. The work on this started at the end of the seventies and this new section of the marina opened on 21st June 1980. Since then the Blankenberge marina has been able to accommodate approximately 750 sailing yachts.

The most recent chapter in the Blankenberge harbour history was written in the year 2000. It started with a new marina extension that offered space for an additional 250 sailing yachts. The vicinity of the marina also had a facelift: the northern quayside (barcadère) was renewed, the small peninsula at the little fishing mine disappeared, there was a new walkway and the Franchommelaan was redeveloped. The expanded marina, good for about 1000 berths, was officially opened on 21st May 2004.

Although the general transformation from fishing port into yacht harbour is almost completed there are still some ‘minor’ private and public transformations ongoing or planned. Blankenberge wants to invest in further strengthening the integration of the Blankenberge marina into the town society. Concretely Blankenberge wishes to invest in (partial) renewal of buildings for the Sea Scouts. This is a local group that aims to familiarise and engage local youth in activities related to the coast and sea. The group have their premises in the yacht harbour area. The investment will combine the improvement of the scout’s quarters with the creation of facilities for overnight stays. In particular these will be geared to individuals and other youth groups visiting the harbour.