New Marinas Overseas

In the 1980’s, Croatia was one of the most exciting emerging destinations for overseas travel and investment, with almost half a million visitors annually from the UK alone. The devastating war in the region saw the former Yugoslavia ripped apart by a civil war of devastating proportions. Now, over 15 years on, this small country is slowly returning to some of its former glory.

Croatia became an independent state in 1991 as part of the break-up of former Yugoslavia. The Zagorje region, north of the capital Zagreb, is a land of rolling hills, while the fertile agricultural region of the Pannonian Plain is bordered by the Drava, Danube, and Sava rivers in the East. Over one third of Croatia is forested. The best known feature of Croatia is the Dalmatian coast with its hundreds of islands and the historic cities of Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar which are a magnate for yachtsmen and sailors from around the world. These are some of the finest sailing waters anywhere in the world, and indeed this is the first of several new super yacht marinas recently announced.

Marina Preko will be situated in the beautiful Dalmation island of Ugljanu a short ferry ride from the port of Zadar and in the middel of one of Croatia’s finest sailing areas. With a Mediterranean feel to the island and bars and restaurants lining the shore, Preko offers the traditions of Croatia, combined with the simplicity of the local fresh delicacies which are a delight for the visitor to the island. Preko provides the delights of an island, yet has easy access to other anchorages in waters sheltered by the other islands, providing a wonderful location for ‘island hopping’.

The marina has been under construction for some time, and is due for completion in the Spring of 2008, and will provide a total of 87 secure berths for vessels up to 20 metres, and 3 berths for superyachts up to 60m. The marina will include a host of modern facilities, within the cost of the mooring fees. These include laundry facilities, Wi-fi access, water, electricity and refuse disposal, a modern shower block and marina office on site, as well as the village bars and restaurants nearby. Shops, including a regular local fruit and vegetable market are within 50 metres of the marina. Other facilities include a bank and regular bus and ferry service.

Marina Preko offers a depth of up to 6 metres with a minimum depth of 2 metres and easy 24 hour access with good all-round shelter. In addition to the berths detailed above, several berths will be made available for visiting yachts.The marina is just a short ferry ride from the mainland port of Zadar which is just two and a half miles away by water. A frequent ferry service runs between the island and the mainland, whilst the nearest airport is also at Zadar and which has regular connections to the main European airports.

Croatia has been on the overseas property radar for some time, and with its application in progress to join the EU, this could be a good time to invest in a berth in one of the most beautiful cruising grounds in Europe. If you are thinking of buying overseas you might need some advice on changing your euros to pounds - if so just follow the link for a free resource site which provides guidance on the tricky issue of foreign exchange.