DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO
There will soon be a spot for mega-yachts – lavish boats that can stretch 100 to 400 feet – to dock on San Diego Bay along a high-profile stretch of the Embarcadero near the Star of India.

The Port Commission has voted to approve a two-year pilot program that will allow San Diego Mooring Co. to operate a mega-yacht mooring service on the bay across from the County Administration Building on Harbor Drive, a stretch that once was home to a thriving fleet of tuna-fishing boats.

No construction is needed, Unified Port of San Diego spokeswoman Marguerite Elicone said Thursday. Bollards already in place will secure the yachts' mooring lines, she said.

Four to eight mega-yachts can be accommodated, depending on their size, Elicone said.

The port on Tuesday approved a two-year lease with San Diego Mooring Co. to run what is known as Mediterranean-style mooring, commonly used in European harbors for large yachts. The boats are backed in alongside each other in parallel formation.

The area for mega-yacht mooring is between the Grape Street piers and the Maritime Museum of San Diego, north of the B Street Pier, the port said in a statement.

San Diego Mooring Co. will provide services for mega-yacht clients including anchoring, loading and unloading.

If the pilot program is successful, the port will issue a request for bids from companies to run a long-term mega-yacht mooring operation.

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