A PROJECT of some 16 years in the making is about to be realised by the Whitsunday Sailing Club.

Construction of a new 28-berth marine facility specifically for club use is now underway at the Port of Airlie site and is expected to be finished by April.

Whitsunday Sailing Club training manager Kaye Williams said the club first took up the permit to occupy the land in about 1997 and had long dreamed of using the asset to expand its training facilities.

Ms Williams said due to a lack of amenities, the club had been running its practical training activities off-site for a number of years, but this would now change.

"Port of Airlie is a perfect venue for practical training, as it offers both a sheltered harbour with calm waters and surf conditions at Boathaven Beach," she said.

A group of 13 students were among the first to test the waters at the Port of Airlie site, with a Certificate of Sea Safety program conducted at the marina last week.

Ms Williams said the venue proved ideal for the students who needed to jump into the water from a height of at least three metres and use a vertical ladder to emulate boarding another ship. "I believe our college is the only one in Australia that doesn't do this exercise in a swimming pool," she said.

Ms Williams said she hoped to expand the club's sail training and commercial safety certification services over the coming year, in line with an anticipated increase in demand on the back of the move to Port of Airlie.

Port of Airlie's receiver and manager appointed BDO partner Ken Whittingham said he was thrilled to be partnering with the sailing club, to improve boating and marine training in the region.

"We are keen to establish an ongoing working relationship with the club, with the aim [of drawing] on their expertise, to ensure the whole marina continues to operate smoothly, and to help further educate the community about the importance of safety in all boating practices," he said.