PORTUGAL - LAGOS MARINA

The afternoon wind, the 'Nortada' blows strongly through the marina and, if your vessel has difficulty manoeuvring, ask for a berth suitable for the wind conditions (usually facing north).

The reception pontoon is on the starboard side of the river before the bridge. The bridge is raised during office hours on request using ch. 62. If leaving outside office hours it is necessary to check out the previous day and move out onto the reception pontoon.

Berthing charges are similar to Vilamoura and both are justifiably higher than other Portuguese marinas. 

All normal facilities are available either at the maina or, the nearby shipyard of Sopromar, Estalheiro Naval de Lagos. The travel lift has a limit of 35 tonnes. There is a large supermarket adjacent to the marina and it is possible to bring their trolleys over the cobbles to the marina.   There are two English Marine Engineers authorized to work in the marina. Good reports have been received about John Dransfied of Yacht "Zoe". Fiona, his wife, can arrange accommodation and, cheap one way charter flights to and from Faro airport.

It is worth leaving your berth for a day and anchoring off the network of coves with their grottos and tunnels which extend from the town to the Ponta de Piedade.

The town was founded by the Phoenicians. The Moors made it an important trading town before the re-conquest by christian armies in 1241. It was used by Henry the Navigator as a base for African trade and remnants of the first slave market in Europe can be found alongside the old custom house.  A visit should be made to the Igreja de Santo Antonio and the Museum next door being one of the few buildings which survived the 1755 earthquake.

The pedestrianisation of the town centre has been a major success and the town is very lively in the evenings. The statue there is of the youthful king Dom Sebastiao who led a disastrous expedition against the Moors in Morocco in 1578. He died together with most of the Portuguese nobility enabling Spain to annex Portugal for sixty years.

Marina de Lagos may be contacted by email at marina@marlagos.pt or, visit their website at www.marlagos.pt. The marina can also be contacted on VHF Channel 09.

The shipyard can be contcted by email at Sopramar@mail.telepac.pt

Suggested acccomodation in Lagos can be seen on Dom Pedro Meia Praia Hotel