Montenegro - set to flourish for sailing

8:40 PM Sun 28 Feb 2010 GMT

'Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor' . Click Here to view large photo

Montenegro, once the stylish playground of Hollywood icons Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loran and Kirk Douglas, is due to flourish again. For years locked in as part of Yugoslavia, now the independent nation, with its deep waters and beautiful coastline, is attracting the attention of sailors - and developers.

Canadian businessman Peter Monk, who has himself chartered yachts in the Mediterranean for years, is betting his own millions on a grandiose marina development on the coastline, which will include not only 'normal' yacht berths, but will accommodate superyachts as well.

Picturesque City of Tivat - .. .

'Monte Carlo, Antibe, Caprera, Nice and Cannes - they've been there for years, and that's really my generation,' says Mr. Munk, the 82-year-old native Hungarian who came to Canada at age 20 and went on to build an empire. 'But for the younger generation, the current leisure ports are way overbuilt, way overcrowded, way over-restauranted, way overdeveloped. This is more in tune with larger boats of today than those ports that were built a generation ago.'

Mr. Munk, chairman of Toronto-based Barrick Gold Corp., the world's largest gold mining company, is the visionary and chief investor behind the new Porto Montenegro, which he promises will be the Mediterranean's most comprehensive nautical facility. The 24-hectare property is located near the city of Tivat in the fjord-like Bay of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the deepest natural harbour in southern Europe.

Because Porto Montenegro sits on the site of a former Austro-Hungarian naval base, the water depth can accommodate today's super-yachts, defined as more than 24 metres in length.

Once complete, Porto Montenegro will feature 500 regular berths and another 150 for super-yachts, with residences, luxury hotels, bars, art galleries, a nautical museum and a waterfront promenade all in the works.

To Mr. Munk's delight, the first 85 berths for yachts up to 100 metres opened for business last summer and were fully booked within three weeks.

'It's going to appeal to everybody who has a yacht but doesn't want to be in Monte Carlo or Nice or Cannes because they like nature more, they like ecology more, they like to have the Dalmatian Coast and natural islands, and the different type of geography and topography and much better weather,' he gushes.

Mr. Munk has spent holidays sailing in the Mediterranean every summer as his five children were growing up. They sailed to Sardinia, Italy, Spain, Greece and other Mediterranean hotspots and discovered fascinating beaches and ports along the way.

But with many of the older ports built decades ago, he says, they cannot accommodate the length and depth of today's luxury yachts and, on top of that, charge big bucks for mooring, water and power. Porto Montenegro will change that thanks to its naval base infrastructure, modern facilities and attractive pricing.

For comprehensive videos on the history of the area and future plans for the port of Montenegro, visit www.portomontenegro.com

by Sail-World/Kelowna.com

Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:

Newsfeed supplied by

#News #Cruising #Deep #Sailing

Cruising

Night Watch: Stay Useful After Dark

Watch stints, handovers and sleep that holds up

Cruising

The Bar Crossing: Wait for Slack Water

Cross on slack or the first of the flood.

Nearby
Tuggeranong (Isabella Plains), NSW	10 kn W	17°
Mount Ginini, NSW	12 kn WSW	8°
Mullion, NSW	15 kn WNW	13°
Windiest in Australia
Maatsuyker Island, TAS	38 kn WNW	11°
Most Windless in Australia
Frederick Reef, QLD	Calm	26°
Hottest in Australia
Kalumburu, WA	4 kn SW	38°
Coldest in Australia
Mount Buller, VIC	7 kn SSW	2°
Wettest in Australia
Mount Read, TAS	8.4 mm

General
	SUP Fishing Experience Survey — share your experiences here
	Replacement SUP paddle grip
	Starboard weight
Foiling
	Shark Deterrent?:-)
	The 9K Comparison
	New Foil Drive Assist Max
	Helmets (again)
	RIIFT _ foil assist
	Is there a general consensus on SUP Surf Foil board design yet?
	Foil dash

Montenegro - set to flourish for sailing

Night Watch: Stay Useful After Dark

The Bar Crossing: Wait for Slack Water

Live Weather

Nearby

Windiest in Australia

Most Windless in Australia

Hottest in Australia

Coldest in Australia

Wettest in Australia

(Other) Articles

Stand Up Paddle Forum Topics

Buy & Sell

2024 North Mode Ultra 4.8

2024 Naish Odyssey

2025 CodeFoils Mast 85 Hm +

2025 North Sonar Dw820 And S192 - Options

2020 Ecs Carbon Pro

2026 Core Halo

2023 Armstrong

Know before you go

Download the Seabreeze app for iOS or Android.

Weather

Activities

About

Other

Support