New Life for an Old Shipyard Town
CreditMarlene Awaad for The New York Times
LA CIOTAT, France — After scuba divers checked the supporting mounts, a massive submerged boat elevator slowly raised the 661-ton, 51-meter-long yacht M/Y Sky clear of the Mediterranean, gradually revealing its black matte hull.
When the entire ship, replete with helicopter pad and five staterooms, reached the height of the quay, it rode a motorized dolly sideways onto a grid of metal rails. Then