The eastern yachting hub
Limassol Marina and Cyprus have quietly become the perfect year-round destination.
Since its inception, Limassol Marina, on the island of Cyprus, has established itself as the most comprehensive fullservice superyacht marina in the Eastern Mediterranean. Working in conjunction with the local authorities, and cooperatively with other developments on the island, Cyprus offers year-round capabilities for the fleet.
Tom Lord, marina manager at Limassol, highlights the continued growth for both the marina and the region’s evolution into the ideal superyacht destination.
“Part of our objective is to continue to develop Cyprus as a superyacht hub,” says Lord. “Cyprus is now showing what it can offer the industry. Being the easternmost European country in the Mediterranean, combined with the infrastructure, regulations, beautiful year-round climate and cruising, makes it a perfect destination.”
Limassol Marina offers berthing up to 110m and more than 650 total berths. Crucially, it’s a port of entry into Europe, making it an ideal port of call for vessels transiting Suez and beyond. It has the award-winning service, state-of-the-art facilities and support for any technical requirement to perfectly suit the full range of superyachts that visit, all in a truly unique location. The cruising, servicing and conducive regulatory framework remove as much of the red tape and stress as possible from captains, owners and managers.
Limassol is a multicultural city with a long history that is reflected in its diverse culture, and Limassol Marina’s location in the heart of the city itself is unique. Unlike many other European city destinations for superyachts, it’s not wholly reliant on tourism, and as such the winter experience closely matches the summer season. Guests and crew can expect the same authentic Cypriot experience all-year-round. Roughly equidistant from both international airports – merely 45 minutes by private car or 12 minutes via helicopter – transfers and access are relatively seamless.
One of the most popular experiences that Lord and his team have arranged for guests and crew alike is to journey into the world-renowned Troodos Mountains. The journey takes in some of the ancient villages, with traditional cuisine, as well as the historical archaeological sites dating back millennia.
Parallel to the history, and representative of Cyprus’s development as a modern cosmopolitan city, Europe’s largest casino resort is also due to open in the latter half of 2022, conveniently only a mile from the marina.
For cruising, the coastline has both pristine beaches and wild stretches of isolated coves. Scattered with five-star hotels and restaurants that are easily accessible by tender, guests and crew have much to discover along the 650km of coastline. Typical cruising itineraries can spend up to two weeks exploring the Cypriot coast before taking advantage of the relatively short crossings to the Turkish Riviera, Greek islands and the Middle Eastern coast.
Cyprus’s long maritime history now supports the superyacht industry. Yachts that decide to over-winter and conduct refit and repairs there can draw upon a wealth of local craftsmen. International contractors can work with ease, all of which is reflected in the scale of the work and size of the yachts that now visit.
Hosting a 100t travel lift and 40t trailer, with a large hard-stand service area, superyachts are able to lift tender and chase boats with ease within the marina. For more extensive refits, Limassol Marina works closely with the floating drydocks located in the adjacent commercial port.
The cruising and refit infrastructure are underpinned by significant cooperation across the island and, in particular, the understanding of the local authorities.
Lord explains, “We continue to work closely with the Cyprus authorities to establish a yachting-friendly environment for superyacht access, an example being the development of a clear and simple procedure for commercial yachts to import and export from the EU via Cyprus. This offers a great option for those switching between the EU and waters further east for their charter operations each season.”
As more and more yachts head to the Indian Ocean and beyond, vessels heading each way have the ideal place to complete their European paperwork, refuel, explore and relax. In much the same way Gibraltar has become central to the traffic flow at the western side of the Mediterranean, thanks to the hard work of the team at Limassol Marina and others, Cyprus can fill that role for the east – albeit with nicer beaches.