Plans to expand Lagos Marina
Marina de Lagos opened in 1994 and is run by Marlagos, which has a 75-year concession with the maritime entity in Portugal, Docapesca, as all waterfront areas are public property. It was privately funded and built by MSF group, a family enterprise which owns and runs the fuel pontoon, waiting-pontoon, all the water areas, the main commercial block of cafes and shops and the Marina Club Hotel.
Despite Lagos Marina receiving 2000 boats a year from 45 different countries, it could become even bigger if expansion plans come to fruition following meetings between Marlagos and Docapeesca. I spoke to Ingrid Fortunato, the managing director of the Marina de Lagos, who explains that since 1994 boats have become bigger, in particular, their beam, meaning that Lagos´s double berths are not now big enough.
She said: “Although we have 462 berths, all of the larger berths have 100% occupancy so we would like to expand into the fishing harbour to create larger moorings for the new superyachts that are becoming more common.”
Ingrid thinks more could be done by the Portuguese Tourism Board to promote Portugal as a sailing destination as a whole. She said: “We have been trying for a number of years to get more support at the boat shows such as the ones in Southampton and Dusseldorf which we attend, where Turkey and Greece have a huge presence and Portugal does not.”
While visiting the marina I notice it is buzzing with people sitting in the cafes and bars enjoying a late breakfast or a coffee and enjoying the vista over the sailing masts and beyond to the historic town of Lagos. I ask her if the Marina is attracting too many people to come for their breakfast and not enough serious sailors? “
Ingrid said: “Our marketing mainly targets the UK and will probably continue to do so, due to a large customer base and quick and easy access to Portugal and Lagos. However, through our partnership with the World Cruising Club and participation at Boot, in Dusseldorf, we have been targeting the northern European countries, which have the largest boat per capita ratios, like Sweden.”
Ingrid does not see the success of the Marina being entirely down to marketing but world economics; “We had a steady increase in occupancy since the marina’s opening until 2008, our peak year so far. After that, the economic crisis started affecting our business and there was a decline until 2013, with consumer confidence on a low and leisure activities, not a priority. Since then we have again experienced solid growth.”
We’ll keep you posted about any concrete plans at the marina when the time comes..
Here three sailing enthusiasts tell us why Lagos Marina is one of the best in the world.
Augusto Pereira
Augusto is currently employed by the American owner of Spirit of Lusitania, as 57-foot Beneteau cutter sloop: As well as managing people´s boats he has also trained and prepared people for the Arc. “In my opinion the bay of Lagos is one of the best in Europe, in summer we enjoy a southerly breeze in the morning which gives a nice gentle sail then giving way to strong NW winds in the afternoon giving more challenging conditions and geographically we are in an incredibly important location. We are the last continental point before the Atlantic and for boats coming from the Med that need a quiet harbour to shelter.”
His partner Dai, originally from Holland, is trying to unite more sailors from all nationalities in Lagos with the Facebook page Best of Lisutania - We love sailing in Portugal. She told me: “Even if you are out on the ocean for just a few hours it feels like you have been away for a long time, it is such an intense experience.”
Augusto said: “Sailing is like dancing, it is not about getting somewhere it is about the moment.” Maybe now is Lagos Marina´s moment?
Valentina Vela
40-year-old Valentina Vela is from Rome in Italy, but after living in Dublin for seven years she took a leave of absence from her job in telesales, in order to complete a 10 week FastTrack course in Lagos to obtain her RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Certificate. She said: “I chose Lagos for the high quality of the sailing training provided by RUsailing and for the perfect sailing conditions of the area. The Algarve, particularly Lagos, is a paradise for sailors. Here, almost every day in summer, you got around 20 knots of wind with an absolutely flat sea. The air is always fresh, the sky bright and sunny, and the landscape magnificent with its sandy beach and rock formations along the coast, the luminescent blue water and the dolphins always ready to play with the bow of the sailing yachts. Lagos Marina is a fantastic spot to stay.”
Valentina has now quit her job for good in order to start a career in yachting and has a seasonal job in Greece as Flotilla Skipper. She set up her own Facebook page to inspire others to do the same and promote Lagos marina as a great location to take a Yachtmaster qualification.
@becomingYachtmaster
Guy Dodwell
Young sailor Guy Dodwell who grew up in Lagos. When I speak to him he is surrounded by incredible racing yachts as the finish of the Rorc600. This 600-mile off-shore race attracts many sailors to the paradise of Falmouth Harbour, Antigua. He and his girlfriend Roseanna are professional yacht crew and manage and maintain a privately owned charter yacht in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.
The glitzy life he now finds himself in, all started for in Lagos marina. He said: “I have been sailing all over the world and never out of all the tropics and other paradises, have I found somewhere that competes with the southwesterly Algarve. Throughout my 10 years of exploring and sailing all over the world, I have not come across another marina which has so much, a stone through away from its boundaries. At the very end of the Algarve train line, you have a world class beach, Meia Praia, Lagos marina for a large variety of yachts, a thriving city for all ages and most importantly a huge volume of vibrant, multinational people .”
