25 in 2025!
Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard, widely known as GCCM, is the iconic shipyard that, 25 years ago, boldly changed the face of Australia’s marine industry by adopting a ‘one-stop shop’ approach to refit and repair for vessels of every shape and size.
Older boaties will remember the days when your annual maintenance period involved struggling to find a suitable location to lift a boat out of the water and then having to painstakingly razzle various trades from the farthest reaches to undertake the required works. Invariably repairs were difficult and stressful to coordinate and both costly and time consuming with vessels being taken out of the water for unnecessary durations.
“If you build it, they will come”
Well come they did, in droves. GCCM was a game changer infrastructure for Australia and the South Pacific region and unquestionably bolstered the Gold Coast’s status as Australia’s marine capital. The facility was rapidly embraced by the industry as boaties from the Gold Coast and right along the East Coast of Australia tuned into the convenience of being able to undertake refit and repair in one clean, expansive and professionally managed location.
Twenty-five years on from its opening in January 2000, today GCCM is the most experienced and awarded shipyard in Australia. The internationally RE-accredited 5 Gold Anchor marina plays home to Australia’s largest concentration of marine trades servicing all size vessels from ‘jet skis to superyachts’.
It is renowned around the world for being home to the pinnacle of marine trades people and craftsmanship. Vessels travel from as far afield as the USA, Europe and all parts of the Asia Pacific region to undertake their repairs there. GCCM is regularly talked about at international boat shows and attracts a roll call of some of the most famous boats in the world.
GCCM is privately owned and operated by the visionary Gay family. For the last 25 years the family has been leading the charge to position the Gold Coast as the Pacific region’s leading marine re-fit and repair destination.
Their tireless investment and high-profile lobbying efforts have included being instrumental in the Gold Coast becoming a customs and immigration clearance point for foreign flagged vessels in 2017, pushing for dredging and maintenance of Gold Coast waterways and establishing the Australian Superyacht Rendezvous to put a global spotlight on our marine capabilities and cruising grounds. They have also thrown their support behind the ongoing push to amend charter regulations to entice more foreign flagged vessels to cruise and charter in Australian waters which was passed on in Decembre 2019.
The GCCM team have powerfully and persuasively promoted the Australian marine industry across the globe and developed an impressive range of international strategic alliances that have certainly helped to propel both GCCM and the Australian yachting brand, into the global marketplace. GCCM is a recognised member of the MIA, BIA, Superyacht Australia, Seal Superyacht and US Superyacht Association.
Today GCCM plays home to more than 90 individual leading marine businesses employing well in excess of 700 contractors and growing. Whilst their reputation as a Superyacht hub has flourished, the marine team of staff and onsite contractors constantly aim to ensure that whether you have a 10-foot tinnie, a sailing boat or a 200-foot superyacht, they roll out the welcome mat for vessels of every shape and size to come and enjoy the seamless repair and refit services.
GCCM Chair and patriarch, Pat Gay reflects on how GCCM came to be.
It was the eighties and Pat had been appointed as Co-Chairman of the Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA), formed to construct the Gold Coast Seaway. The GCWA quickly realised that the land on the spit was fast becoming too valuable for commercial marine works, so a new more viable location or precinct needed to be found. It was then that the industry body earmarked a portion of farming land in the middle of Coomera. At that time the now thriving growth corridor, was undeniably considered the back blocks of the Gold Coast.
With a keen engineering background, Pat had developed several waterfront projects and set about the planning and construction of GCCM in collaboration with also famed boating family, the Leigh-Smiths, who had a wealth of experience in managing marinas on the Gold Coast.
Together, this formidable collaboration took on the risky move to develop GCCM. In 2014, the Gay family became the sole owners.
Pat says their original intention was to be the “biggest and best marina and shipyard in Australia” something which was achieved in GCCM’s first year of operation.
“I am very proud of GCCM and the many awards we’ve received but more importantly I am enormously proud of the opportunities that have been created here for so many businesses and families over the years. It really is a community, and we’ve been able to bring together some of the smartest minds and most talented craftsmen in the Australian marine industry. It’s been rewarding to watch the eco-system continue to grow, strengthen and thrive”.
Welcome to Service Paradise!
Today, Pat’s son Trent Gay is the CEO of GCCM. Since taking over the reins in 2014 Trent and his newly strengthened management team have significantly upgraded the services and facilities at GCCM and have been rewarded with a raft of industry accolades and awards including being inducted into the Marina Industries Association (MIA) Hall of Fame, being awarded Superyacht Service Provider of the Year and proudly also receiving twice the prestigious 5 Gold Anchor accreditation.
“We’ve always focused on ‘continual and sustainable improvements’, Dad has drummed this philosophy into me from a very young age, and that’s why we have been in a position to continue investing, innovating and upgrading our infrastructure to suit the needs of the market.
“At the same time, we are also very aware that the infrastructure is nothing without the right human capital. The marine maintenance business is people driven and that is why we are always encouraging and attracting the industries best contractors to call GCCM home. That’s what our customers have really come to appreciate – the quality of our trades and the confidence in their work.”
“We hear it often when we are travelling overseas, that GCCM is amongst the best in the world and that’s pretty special. When you get endorsements from industry and customers from around the globe, it makes you feel good and you know you are steering the ship to the right direction. We keep evolving and improving on it always.”
Andrew Chapman CMM, Chief Operating Officer says “the secret to the longevity at GCCM is the incredible Team that operate the Marina & Shipyard. The customer focus and can-do attitude of the team demonstrates the pride that has evolved over time. With the majority of the key Team members being long term at GCCM its inevitable that relationships have been built between customers and our team, and we look to build on that for many years to come”
Chapman says GCCM has matured over recent years by tendering to build vessels in the Defence & prototype space Project Managing teams of the onsite business partners. This utilises each business’ core strengths to deliver on time in the new spaces created worldwide and to interphase with ever changing technologies. This is a very satisfying division that has been established at GCCM under the “GCCM Built” banner.
Chapman says in recent years GCCM has led the way with a safety focus on the shipyard by engaging a specialist Health & Safety Manager. This has shifted the focus to understand why we have procedures and how they improve not only safety but also workflow. Safety is our major focus for the Team which has major benefits for our customers.
AMSA Accredited Surveyor and marine industry stalwart, Joe Akacich commenced his first business Blackline Shipping when GCCM opened its doors in 2000 and today operates BlackPond Marine Consultants.
“The word on the street when GCCM was first conceptualized was everyone was a bit scared that this could be a white elephant. It sounded flash but would there be enough boats,” Joe said.
Joe speaks fondly of the Leigh-Smith and Gay families and their support of his business endeavours, along with them really setting this great foundation for many marine businesses operating today.
GCCM has been instrumental in the development of the Coomera Marine Precinct
“GCCM has helped grow our industry in stability and sustainability. It became where you could safely and cleanly repair and refit your vessel with a continuance of use and service from trades,” he said.
GCCM continues to go from strength to strength and is set to double in size with the development of an adjacent 20-hectare site which will further cater for burgeoning growth in the marine industry.
Once Stage 2 is complete, GCCM will occupy 37.5 hectares within the Gold Coast’s 250-hectare marine precinct.
Timeline
1996 Land purchased on Waterway Drive
1998 Sitework and construction begins
2000 GCCM formerly commences operation
2003 First 40 metre superyacht built and launched for completion
2003 MY Pangaea the first 60m+ Superyacht to visit the marine precinct
2004 Site expansion to include Dedicated Superyacht sheds
Mercury Queensland headquarters developed at GCCM
2005 First shipyard in Australia to introduce water recycling for boat washdown
2007 Site expanded to include ‘GCCM West Wing’ facility on Shipper Drive to accommodate demand in retail factories and showrooms
2009 GCCM team of contractors famously repair ‘Ella’s Pink Lady’ so Jessica Watson could become the youngest person to sail solo and unassisted around the world
2010 GCCM hosts inaugural Gold Coast Marine Xpo – Australia’s Working Boat Show to support and stimulate the local marine industry in the wake of the GFC
2013 MIA Boatyard of the Year Award 2013/14
2014 Gay family takes sole ownership of GCCM
2015 New 270-tonne straddle carrier commissioned
GCCM becomes the largest solar-powered marine facility in the world
MIA Boatyard of the Year Award 2015/16
Superyacht Australia Service Provider of the Year Award 2015
MIA Dry Storage Facility of the Year Award 2015/16
2017 GCCM inducted into the MIA Hall of Fame for Best Boatyard Facilities in Australia
Introduction of a dedicated superyacht work basin and dedicated onsite recycling yard
Trent Gay named Australian Marine Exports Export Industry Champion 2017
5 Gold-Anchor Global Marina Accreditation
Inaugural Australian Superyacht Rendezvous
MIA Best Environmental Initiative by a Marina 2017/18
Trent Gay is awarded by MIA for Outstanding Individual Contribution to the Australian Marine Industry 2017/18
2018 GCCM appointed Preferred Service Provider for Benetti Yachts
Superyacht Australian Service Provider of the Year Award 2015
100% clean marina audit result
Trenton Gay appointed to MIA Board
GCCM released plans for GCCM Stage 2 ‘Titan Yard’ expansion to the market
2019 MIA Best Innovation by a Marina Award 2019/20
Hill Robinson and Sunseeker open new offices at GCCM
Australian Superyacht Rendezvous – Second edition
2022 ACREW – Best International Superyacht Shipyard
2023 5 Gold-Anchor Global Marina re-Accreditation 2024 Major sponsor Garmin Billfish Shootout Certificate of appreciation
Endorsed the circumnavigation of Australia by Xavier Doerr: check out the “little Aussie Lap”
Introduced The Scooter Awards, dedication to a GCCM great. It is awarded to a GCCM resident who goes above and beyond to help others.
Introduction of the #GCCMBuilt initiative – showcasing onsite GCCM business partners and their achievements.
Wildthing 100 formerly Stephan Racing 80 footer
Lumark 20m High-speed landing craft
Hybrid Composites custom-built power catamaran
2024 World-first multihull Autonomous surface Drone via the EMAP project #GCCMBuilt
Introduced the GCCM VIP Southport yacht club membership.
Launched and major sponsor in the inaugural Gold Coast to Mackay yacht race organised by the Southport Yacht Club.
Opening of the AkzoNobel Training Centre located at GCCM
