Larnaca Marina

 

Larnaca Marina


Larnaka Marina was a great little village. It had good facilities and staff and a friendly community of both local yacht owners and cruising folk from all parts of the world. See our opinion of the current state of affairs in Larnaca Marina for 2008 and in 2014

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Find the rates and rules here

For more information contact us here
If you wish to book your Yacht in...Here is the form

Info you might like to know when 
arriving at Larnaca Marina by sea

VHF is monitored on;  Listening Ch. 16      Working Ch. 08.    24 hours a day
Normal (ha ha) Wind directions  : Winter (Nov.- Apr.) N/E Summer (May - Sep.) S/W

Normal wind speed. Mornings (early) are perfect for water-skiing and wind generally picks up by 11 am.
Winter 30  Knots. 
 Summer 15 - 25 Knots it then usually dies down by 6.30 p.m.

Entrance lights:

1. S. B/ Water Head LT. FL.(5) W.R.15 sec. W.16 Miles, R.13 Miles Orange Mast
2. N.B/Water Head LT. F.G. 1 Mile 2 Metres
Entrance is safe in all weather

Draught maximum recommended in the marina is : 3.5 Metres
Maximum length allowed is :  40 Metres

The marina has 2 50 ton hoists and maximums are: Length 25 metres . Beam 5 metres

 

An article by long term marina resident Nick
to give his view from experience.


Larnaca Marina is one of the crossroads of the circumnavigator, a gateway to the East or West depending on which way round you are going.
A safe haven to catch your breath after that long hard slog up the Red Sea or a place to stock up if you are going down.
It is a wintering hole for all nationalities living aboard in the Med.
A boatyard for repairs major or minor. You name it Larnaca marina has it, you want it ? the chances are that you will find it.

A little frayed at the edges, but you will be made welcome by the staff and the locals.
There are activities for all. Regular barbecues, boat jumbles, classes for keep fit, bridge and even line dancing. As the residents organise most of these events they can change as the population does and new skills are always welcome.

Situated in the heart of Larnaca town you have easy access to modern supermarkets such as Woolworth's and the shopping is generally excellent.

The International Airport is only ten minutes drive and access to the whole island is simple via service taxi or bus.

There is room for about 450 boats afloat and more on the hard. A 40 ton travel hoist and there is water and electricity available.

Formalities are comparatively minimal and straightforward. You would be well advised to make a reservation well in advance if you wish to visit as this is a very popular marina and pretty full all year, but especially in the winter.

Bon voyage Nick

Here you will find a chart of Larnaca Bay. It takes a couple of minutes though.

A personal view from another Larnaca Marina resident

It is under threat as a place that we know and love in order to make way for greedy people, gin palaces and more profit for the boys.

The privatisation of Larnaca Marina is a scandal and should be stopped immediately.
I am not against private Marinas, far from it, I think that Cyprus should have more of them, however to take the only public Marina on the Island and privatise it, basically because there is them that wants to buy it with obvious influence is absurd..... let them go and build their own.

What benefit is there for anyone? Maroula, Glafkos and the other staff who have been working there for years will all be moved to desk jobs in Nicosia, outcome, they lose - they lose a great outlook in a job they know and love.

The residents - they lose, we all know the prices will rise and nepotism being what it is, anyone who complains about anything will just be slung out with no recourse to anyone.

The town, they will lose the custom of the residents, who will move, the people left will be the Cypriot boat owners, Sunday business only.

It is bad enough that a 5 year maximum was put on visiting boats, for instance. If you wanted to cruise the Med, using Cyprus as a base to winter in, and spend money in, 5 years was the max before you either have to import your boat officially and pay the duty etc or leave. We have now sold 2 yachts so affected and watched others leave to go to Turkey to spend their money. I didn't realise our job was to promote Turkish Tourism !

Please leave Larnaca Marina Alone.   It is a success story as it is !

Express your views here

2006 Update. Well having run the gauntlet of the threatened privatisation again, we have allegedly come out the other side with a ' well it's not going to happen yet' So the probability is that it's imminent.

2008 Update. Yup it is imminent again. New pontoons have recently been added (I thought that would be at the expense of the new owners!) but quite possibly, if the rumours are correct, they are being paid for by the tax payer so that the new owners won't have that added expense when they take over, they will just be able to cream the profit with very little real outlay.

2014 Update. Oh boy more imminence.                                                     

Larnaca Marina Historical Developments


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This drawing by John Evelyn was sketched in 1672 and shows the town of Larnaca
 


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This was 'Marina, Larnaca' as it was known in 1878
 


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The opening of the new pier. 8th of November 1882

''On Wednesday, November 8th, Sir Robert Biddulph, the High Commissioner, with Lady Biddulph and his Staff, visited Larnaca for the purpose of opening the New Iron Pier and Custom House which have been erected during the past year.
His Excellency and suite having landed at the and of the Pier, a procession was formed (headed by the band of West Kent Regiment and a guard of honour comprised of the Military Police) which proceeded to the shore and where congratulatory addresses were delivered by Mr. Pierides and the Cadi, in which reference was made to the growing prosperity of the trade of Larnaca, the chief port of Cyprus. His Excellency subsequently entertained about a hundred of the leading inhabitants both Turks and Christians and the principal officials, at the held in one of the warehouses of the New Custom House''.

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In use in 1922. The wagons are carrying export goods which will be loaded on to barges and taken to waiting ships.


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This is a French nautical map of Larnaca and Famagusta from 1758
If you click on it, it will get bigger.


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The Marina in 1998. You can see the arm to starboard.

LARNACA MARINA EXIT
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The new 'Exit' to the Marina

The state of Larnaca Marina 2008

Well it has been a while now that we have heard the stories of the new marinas and the other stories of the privatisation of the only decent liveable marina that we have. Again we are getting the stories, through the grapevine that it is imminent.  We had a few live aboards come in over 2007 but in the beginning of 2008 we again 'shot ourselves in the foot,' as it was put to me, by a very disgruntled full timer.

These particular people are avid sailors who go out in the bay to sail even in the winter months so they were not too impressed when they were asked to leave their nicely accessible finger pier to go to an inner berth which would be a nightmare to get in and out of with a long keeled sailing boat. The motorboat which currently occupies the berth has no such problems, not only because he doesn't actually go out in the winter, but also because it is a shallow draft motor boat. Well they will be joining the other sailors who have fled to the Turkish coast and their relatively cheap and functional marinas in the last few years. They don't seem to like us Brits, was one of the qualifying comments, and we don't see why we should stay here, where the facilities are rapidly going downhill and when we are not wanted. Did you know that the cranes are not even insured! Well, no I didn't. I was told that everyone is now asked to sign a disclaimer when they want their boat lifted out of the water for maintenance or anti fouling. The gossip has it that as they have dropped three boats recently, "that doesn't exactly inspire confidence or comply with EU regulations. Also, considering you are not allowed to bring in an outside contractor to do the job who is insured - what was the phrase, cake and eat it?" I was asked semi jokingly. But in all seriousness, we are yet again biting the hand that feeds us, the news has travelled amongst the sailing fraternity that Cyprus is no longer a friendly place to the intrepid traveller, very few Kiwi's or Australians pass by here anymore on their journeys to Europe, as they used to, they go instead to Turkey. Why do we consistently try to send our business to the Turks?

I also heard the story of a young entrepreneur trying to make an honest living who is being given grief whilst he tries to set up a new business and a new addition to the water sports options available here. He has put together a very nice package of a sport which is not covered by anyone else, so he isn't standing on any ones obvious toes. He has been told that he is not allowed to take his punters out to deep blue water via the marina because they don't want boats going out and coming in all the time. From a marina ! Now I have heard it all, we have finally gone just slightly doo lally tap.

 

2014 Update.

Most have left. A few die hards left who put up with the nonsesne.

The facilities are slowly disintegrating, the laundry facilities are pretty bad with only 1 machine working for which only a few coins are available.

The lift in and out has become ridiculously expensive at around 800 euros for a lift in and out for a 38 footer. I could go on but it's too depressing.

Larnaca Marina Photographs

The Marina office and centre of operations, providing a birds eye view over the dwindling full time residents.   The garden at the yacht club - yes it has been said that there is more interest than appropriate in gardening and window boxes than yacht racing - burn!
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The Marina Office & Customs House.    The Garden of the Yacht Club.

 Both remnants of the crane war now grace Larnaca Marina - just make sure about the insurance   The North quay at Larnaca marina has been home to many of the larger sailing yachts and motor boats who have passed by over the years, such names as Kauhrangi, Magic, Sinbad Severn and others
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The 2 Travel Hoists            The North Quay

 Looking from the North quay towards Larnaka town and the seafront. One of the most cnvenient marina locatios in the world. You don't even need a bicycle - certainly on a par with St Tropez without having the sightseeing tourist watching whilst you cook !   The bar at the yacht club in Larnaca Marina - Bonatha - You can get a drink, a meal and a sailing story or two
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From the North Quay                 Bonatha Yacht Club
 

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