Wednesday 28 May 2014

New Marina In Trogir, Croatia

SCT ready from above2

As regular readers will know, Trogir is one of our favourite places and was our first home when we moved to Croatia in 2002. Close to Split airport, it has a life all year round as well as being a popular tourist destination for its UNESCO protected medieval walled town, its cobbled streets, a plethora of shops, cafés, bars hotels and restaurants, and its wide Riva (seafront promenade) lined with luxury yachts on one side and more cafés, bars and restaurants on the other.

Unlike Dubrovnik, Trogir did not lose its soul to the mass purchase of old stone houses by foreigners and that’s part of the reason for Trogir’s still very “local” feel and all year round ambience. A school on the Riva and an active shipyard, across the way on Čiovo island, are two others.

There have been rumours for many years that the school’s prime location makes it a key target for various tourism projects but, so far it has managed to resist. And we are delighted to see that the now privatised shipyard in Trogir is making the most of its assets by building on its history as a shipyard, as well as embracing the opportunities of nautical tourism by turning some of this prime site into a deluxe marina.  We originally shared a landlord with a Finnish neighbour who was working at the shipyard. He told us that Finland has been doing business with the shipyard for many years so it’s no surprise to see that the owners of the newly privatised Brodotrogir are Finnish group Kermas who see the new marina as part of a wider strategy to diversify and modernise the activities of Brodotrogir, thus ensuring a sustainable future.

Marina Trogir should be ready for visitors by the end of June and will have 170 berths for yachts up to 120 metres in length, with a further 30 berths to follow by 2018. Modern, 5-star, purpose built, facilities will include 24/7 security, shops, bars and restaurants, and, of course,  repair and maintenance facilities including lifting services on floating docks for yachts up to 8,000 tonnes.

Trogir already has one marina in town, owned by state run ACI. However location, and the fact that it was built when the average size of yachts was smaller, means it can generally only handle smaller yachts. Superyachts have traditionally berthed alongside on the Riva but there’s only space for a handful and the channel can get quite busy, particularly when the cruise boats are loading and unloading their guests, so they should be particularly happy about the new marina.

Another alternative is the relatively new Yacht Club Seget, roughly opposite Marina Trogir, on the mainland, in the peaceful village of Seget Donji. In fact if you look at the photo on the following posting - Croatia Cruising Companion - 2011 Marina Prices – you can see the pontoons of Marina Seget, just to the left of the solitary tree. The new Marina Trogir lies on the tip of the peninsula across the channel  but bear in mind this photo and posting are a few years old!!

For more information, check out the following links:

Marina Trogir and Brodotrogir

ACI Marina Trogir

Yacht Club Seget

And just for fun, for the historians amongst you, you might be interested to read what we said about the Croatia shipbuilding industry way back in 2006 on sister site Croatia Online!

Croatia Online - Croatia Shipbuilding Industry Part One

Croatia Online - Croatia Shipbuilding Industry Part Two

Quite a lot has changed since then!

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Today’s photo has been kindly sent to us by Marina Trogir. Good luck to them with their opening and we’re sure their presence can only enhance Trogir’s reputation as a luxury yachting hub and all round idyllic Croatian destination. And keep an eye on owners, Kermas, as we’re expecting to hear plenty more exciting news from them before too long!

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