Sponsor of the Month: Puerto Lucia Yacht Club

Created by doina. Last modified on 2006-07-20 11:46:35
Topic: Noonsite
Countries: Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela

The opening of Puerto Lucia Yacht Club at La Libertad, Ecuador, in 1994, was greeted with great enthusiasm by sailors as at long last there was a safe place to dock one’s yacht either en route to the South Pacific or other destinations in South America, or while visiting the interior of this fascinating country. Puerto Lucia Yacht Club is a country club-style complex centred around the marina, and featuring several blocks of private apartments, restaurants, bars, swimming pool and a hotel. The complex was a labour of love for Ricardo Palau, a local developer and passionate sailor, who wanted to create a world class marina that would welcome yachts heading into the South Pacific. Sr Palau clearly enjoys meeting long distance navigators calling at his marina and everything is done for them to feel welcome and comfortable.

The marina has 150 berths on land and in water, being able to accommodate yachts with a maximum draft of three metres and 40 metres in length. The marina operates its own repair and service yard and has a 50 ton travelift. There is also a fuel dock and diesel continues to be the cheapest in the area. The yard has a hard standing area where yachts are safely parked using massive steel tripod supports.

Recently, the marina has added a number of improvements to its facilities such as wireless access to the internet. Clearing formalities have also been streamlined as now arriving yachts tie up at the service dock where officials are at hand to complete formalities seven days a week.

Thanks to its excellent safety record, many owners choose to leave their yachts at Puerto Lucia Yacht Club for long periods, either to return home or to visit the interior of Ecuador or the neighbouring countries. There are no restrictions on the length of stay in the marina, and there are generous discounts for longer stays. For those who wish to move ashore, the nearby hotel offers sailors special rates at members’ prices.

As a tourist destination, Ecuador has it all: attractive colonial towns, the mighty Andes, live volcanoes, nature reserves and an unspoilt corner of Amazonia. In 2005, Ecuador was chosen as the best distant destination in a poll conducted among its readers by the British newspapers The Observer and The Guardian. Ecuador was also named as the country with the best climate in the world (International Living January 2005).

The small seaside resort of La Libertad, where Puerto Lucia is located, is 150 km from the international airport of Guayaquil, to which it is linked by a recently improved highway. Guayaquil has direct flights to a number of airports in Europe, as well as all over the Americas. It also has numerous daily flights to the capital Quito and to the two main airports in the Galapagos Islands.

Puerto Lucia Noonsite Pages