Liveaboard marinas are a specially equipped parking lot for yachts and other watercraft. Such a place also provides the crews with various services: boathouses, lifts, repairs, refueling, water, connection to the power grid, hotels, restaurants, and shops.
The demand for boats, jet skis, and watercraft is increasing. It means that the demand for marinas will also grow.
So what should you keep in mind when choosing a marina? Windrider of the Rockies‘ experienced sailors will give you the best advice.
At the end of the post, we mention the three best marinas in the world. For starters, let’s take a look at the benefits a standard marina can provide.
What Do You Can Find In Liveaboard Marinas?
Liveaboard Marinas Offers Repair Services, Restaurants, Hotels, And More.
All yacht marinas are similar in the range of services offered, equipment, and simple internal functions. The differences lie in the location, number and size of vessels served, and infrastructure.
As a rule, the best marinas should have:
- restaurants,
- shower-toilets,
- laundry,
- various companies repairing and servicing yachts,
- yacht shops,
- yacht brokers,
- gas station,
- meteorological service,
- small hotels,
- marina office,
- the parking lot for sports yachts,
- rescue ships and charter fleet.
Types Of Liveaboard Marinas
Marine Marinas
Liveaboard marinas are very different. You need to understand their nature to avoid turning around while entering, or worse, punishment.
Get acquainted with the following three types of marinas:
Marine Marinas
Most of the world’s marinas lie on the ocean and sea coasts. Like the Mediterranean, the Atlantic coast of America and Europe, the Caribbean, etc., the warm seas are always busy year-round.
Due to the peculiarities of demand, in the season when all the berths are full, it isn’t easy to find a place to stay for your yacht.
In the off-season, it is preferable to keep the yacht in warm places. Therefore, during this time, there is also a high demand for berths.
For example, there are marinas on the east coast of the United States that can accommodate up to 15,000 boats. Sailboats make up about 90-95% of the entire fleet.
Marina Inland Waters
River travel is more organized and carried out on specially designed vessels, mainly motorized for obvious reasons.
Most of the rivers belong to the territory of one country. So local marinas have all the national characteristics that have historically formed in this region.
Laws and manners vary from place to place. Therefore, to enter such waters, you need to contact local authorities in advance to obtain a permit and read a lot about local regulations.
Freezing Marinas
The climatic features of the marina’s location, the air and water temperature, the degree of its salinity, and the freezing of the water area are important factors. They determine the features of the structure of marinas, the services they offer, and their client base.
In freezing marinas, people must pull the ships out of the water and store them in boathouses. In winter, there are practically no clients in the marina.
How To Book A Place In The Marina? Tips And Useful Services
It will not be possible to take a seat in the marina just like in the high season. Many people want to anchor, so there is a practice of booking a place in the marina.
Going on an interesting and exciting trip on a yacht, you need to decide not only on the route but also on the marinas of the parking lot. To make your plan go smoothly, we have the following tips.
Determine The Location
Determine The Destination Before The Cruise
The sooner you start planning all the nodal points of the route, the more likely you are to find favorable places and save significant money.
Each marina has its small network presence: a website or a page. Therefore, you need to clarify prices, conditions, and services separately for each marina in each case.
Find out if there are sports clubs and government yacht ports near each waypoint. There is a possibility that the price for parking there will be lower.
Everything is not very difficult here, because there are many instructions for booking yachts and boats. With such a course in place, you can start choosing places in the marinas.
Learn more about finding and picking a marina here!
Check The Cost Out
Check The Cost Out Before The Trip
It is very profitable to book in advance not only yachts but also places for them. This way you can get significant discounts.
In many marinas, the cost of a one-day stay will be higher than a multi-day one. It is especially important if you plan to go out to sea for several weeks and want to make long stops along the way.
Check what the price includes. Does the price include electricity and water, or do you need to pay for them separately? Such knowledge will help you plan your expenses more accurately.
Early Booking Implies Discounts
Early planning of stops allows you to find a good berth for a yacht at an adequate price.
This rule applies to both yacht rentals and yacht seats. It is also worth learning about it “on the shore”. In some marinas, the price per day will be lower when staying for three days or more.
Use Existing Booking Apps
Make Reservations On Websites
A few years ago, startups emerged that helped make it easier to find places in marinas, such as Dockwa, MarineBook, MySea, and a few others.
You can search for marinas on the main screen. It will help if you enlarge the areas of the map or check the Berthing Facilities filter.
MySQL service works in Croatia, Turkey, Greece. By default, the application offers the most popular points located at the bottom of the screen.
After going to the page of the corresponding marina, you can see the photos, the amenities offered, the parameters of the wind, the depth, the capacity.
You can leave reviews, comments and recommend restaurants, cafes, and attractions located nearby.
The service features registration via Facebook, simple control, information about arrival rules, booking, payment. All this will take no more than two clicks.
Top 5 Most Stunning Marinas In The World
Marinas are more than just a parking lot. From here begins your unforgettable journey through the most luxurious and famous resorts in the world.
And this is exactly what we will tell you today. It’s about the marinas that have conquered the whole world with their beauty and the uniqueness that surround them.
Marina di Capri, Italy
Marina di Capri, Italy
The first point where we arrive with you on our literal journey is the sea pearl of Italy – Marina di Capri.
It is an amazing place surrounded by mountains, beautiful Italian architecture, and the blue waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
You will be delighted with the picturesque landscapes, magnificent nature, majestic mountains, and stunning views when you get there. The promenades of Capri are simply mesmerizing, and the atmosphere in this place is extremely romantic.
Port de Saint-Tropez, France
Port de Saint-Tropez, France
Port de Saint-Tropez is the main port in the Mediterranean. Thanks to innovative solutions, sustainable standards, and quality of service, this marina has earned the title of the most famous in the world.
Despite the international status of Saint-Tropez, the harbor has managed to maintain its social and cultural diversity.
Thus, it becomes a renowned meeting point for industry captains and an unrivaled entertainment center.
New England, USA
New England, USA
Almost the entire Atlantic coast of New England is a popular yachting region, primarily among US yachters.
Maine alone has a coastline of more than 2,500 nautical miles with varied landscapes, many natural bays, and marinas that provide sailors with excellent service.
Although the yachting infrastructure in New England primarily serves yacht owners, it is possible to rent a yacht here with or without a crew.
Kos island, Greece
Kos Marina
Kos Marina has everything you need in the parking lot, including laundry, travel agency, yacht shop, repair shops with boat lift, and car rental. The only negative is that during the season, especially on Friday and Saturday, book your seat in advance.
Royal Yacht Club, Russia
Royal Yacht Club, Russia
The mooring area of the Royal Yacht Club can hold 190 yachts from 20 to 130 feet in length. The depth of the water area is 6.5 – 26 feet, which makes it possible to accommodate water transport even with a large draft.
In addition to parking for yachts and cars, the port offers other services:
- Wi-Fi throughout the territory;
- food and beverage delivery, technical supply;
- mooring services by coastal sailors;
- representative offices of major yacht manufacturers, offices of medical centers;
- round-the-clock security and video surveillance;
- one-time and major repairs of boats and yachts;
- accommodation in apartments with access to the barrier.
The berth provides you with a water supply, power supply, and drainage systems. On the Royal Yacht Club territory, there is a Vodny restaurant to enjoy delicious food and listen to live music. Here jazz evenings, and musical performances, fashion shows take place.
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Final Thoughts
Liveaboard marinas are places where the most passionate yachtsmen of the world gather. There are harbors among many destinations where exquisite luxury overflows the shores and fills with beauty to those who are lucky enough to visit them.
Hopefully, our tips will help you find the perfect stopover station.
We wish you exciting travels and a fair wind!
Reference: The Liveaboard marinas
