Belfast - Open since march 2011, the Front Street Shipyard in Belfast has grown to be one of the most successful yacht yards in the region.


"We did grow fast we were really out of the box quickly," said JB Turner, president of Front Street Shipyard.

With 65% of the nearly 90 employees, and counting, from Waldo county, the activity at the yacht yard warranted a visit from Governor LePage.


And, it wasn't the vessels that were the highlight of his tour.


"The best thing about the tour was the young work force. That is something that we need here in Maine is to provide good quality jobs for our young people," said LePage.

And as the number of employees grow, the yacht yard is also expected to expand.

A finalized sale and purchase agreement should be wrapped up soon on the neighboring Belfast Boat Yard, which will made operations even more ideal.


"It gives us more waterfront. It gives us deep water, at the waterfront, right on the buLlhead, which we don't have right now and you know, we're really interested in servicing the boats on Penobscot Bay and throughout Maine," said Turner.

It would also provide more storage; essential for the changing seasons.


"So we need more storage and they have seven acres inland which is a mile away with five sheds there that we're immediately use for our storage needs this coming winter. We can keep more boats coming in, which creates more jobs and more work," said Turner.


And the crew on Front Street is proud to be apart of it.

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