Marina features 68 mooring berths for large vessels, ranging between 20 and 40 meters
A new marina for larger vessels, ranging between 20 and 40 metres, was inaugurated in Vilamoura on Saturday (November 23) during Vilamoura Marina’s 50-year anniversary.
“This new marina was something the country needed. In fact, boats coming from northern Europe used to sail past the Algarve on their way to the Mediterranean. Now, by stopping here, they inevitably fall a little in love, and we become part of an itinerary that wasn’t even considered by sailors aboard large vessels,” said João Bugalho, CEO of Arrow Global Portugal, which owns Vilamoura World.
With enough room for 68 yachts, the new marina started being built on January 23 and represented an estimated investment of €23 million – without support from European funding.
“There is no marina in Portugal capable of accommodating vessels between 20 and 40 meters,” Isolete Correia, director of Vilamoura Marina, told Barlavento newspaper. “The demand exists, and now we have a new marina equipped with everything the current market needs. We are already contacting those on the waiting list and will soon start marketing the occupancy of the spaces”.
Building a marina in 10 months was a “difficult task,” Correia recognised, but everything went according to plan.
“I am very happy because I saw the Vilamoura Marina being born, and now I am witnessing the birth of the second marina. It’s a very special day for me, and I believe also for the municipality of Loulé, for the Algarve, and even for the country,” she added.
Read more about this story in the Resident’s print edition, out on Thursday (November 28).
