The Marina

The marina of Santa Maria Navarrese, inaugurated in 1998, was built by adapting the bay enclosed between the rocks north of St. John’s beach and the rocky spur of “Sa Cadrea”. In truth, however, it must be said that the idea of building a port in Santa Maria dates back to the late nineteenth century. The proof is a resolution of the City Council of Baunei, dated 21 November 1886, by which the mountain village proposed the construction of a port on the beach of Santa Maria that should have facilities “for docking, disembarkation and embarkation, in the exclusive interest of trade”. The foresight of the late nineteenth century administrators did not impress the institutions at the time, and it took more than a century for the port at Santa Maria to be built. For the Baunei community, the construction of the port represented a real turning point in tourism-economic terms. From April to October, boats and rubber dinghies set sail from the marina docks on excursions along the coastline. Since opening in 1998, the marina of Santa Maria has been popular with sea lovers, both for its location, sheltered from the harsh winds, and the quality services it guarantees. It can accommodate four hundred vessels (up to 40 m in length). In addition to water and electricity, the docks also provide a number of services that make the marina one of the best equipped on the coast of Sardinia: a 40 ton Travel Lift, assistance and boat storage, restrooms with showers, boat rentals, a laundry, parking, car rentals, a diving centre and a bar/ice cream parlour. Since 2005, one of the main cutting edge services is the “Pequod”, a lift that allows disabled people to board vessels. The numerous “Marina Blue Flags” conferred to the Baunesis port (an award given every year by the FEE, the Foundation for Environmental Education, an NGO based in Denmark), testifies to the great attention paid to environmental issues. A curiosity worth noting: inside the port, along the limestone wall called “Sa Cadrea”, the expert free climber Maurizio Oviglia has set up some spectacular climbing walls. “There are about fifteen climbs, most of which are easy – writes Oviglia in the sport climbing guide called “Moonstone” – near the shoreline, with artificial light at night, spotless bathrooms and a sandwich bar… in one of the emerging tourist areas in Sardinia. What more could you wish for? If Riccione or Portofino only had this….”.