Sailor's Wharf Yacht Yard was founded September 1, 1978 by Sandy and Johannes "Jopie" Helsen - on property they have owned since 1971. Jopie Helsen is a second generation boat builder and yacht designer, having produced some two thousand sailboats under the Helsen Yachts and Universal Marine names, the most popular of which were the Helsen 22 and the Montego 19, 20 and 25. Jopie is a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and was a past vice chairman for the southeast. Jopie and Sandy organized and chaired Sail St.Petersburg, which in 1995 became Sail Expo St.Petersburg and is now part of Sail America, one of the largest sailboat shows in the USA.

Sailor's Wharf has become the premier boat yard on Florida's West Coast. Someone said, a long time ago, "it's the people who make the difference", and Sailor's Wharf is a perfect example of this. Sandy and Jopie search out experienced professionals for their team and then invest in them for retention. This means a service staff that knows how to do the job right, a sales staff that knows the boat market place, a support staff that knows customer service, and owners committed to quality. This means Sailor's Wharf.

Sailor's Wharf now has on its premises Murray Yacht Sales, the Beneteau and J Boat dealer with locations in New Orleans, Mobile, Pensacola and now St Petersburg. We also have Sailing Florida/ Sunsail and Ronstan International’s Southeast office.

Sailor's Wharf Storage Yard with capacity to store 40 power and sail boats up to 60’. Water and 15 amp service available. There is a 3-month minimum. Please call the office to make reservations.