Laguna di Marano
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Laguna di Marano
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The Laguna di Marano (Marano lagoon) lies at the northern end of the Adriatic sea between the harbors of Venice and Trieste in Italy. At its western end is the entrance channel and port of Lignano and at its eastern end the entrance and commercial harbour of Porto Buso. Unlike that of Venice, the lagoon is a largely unspoiled and peaceful sanctuary for a wide variety of migratory birds and rich in marine life. Traditional fishermen’s shelters, constructed of reeds, line the banks of its channels and large parts of its salt and freshwater marshes are a designated nature reserve. Although most of the lagoon is relatively shallow, yachts can navigate most of its channels with care and find berths in a total of six small to medium-sized marinas around its shores and in the rivers which drain into the lagoon. Working clockwise around the lagoon from Lignano, the marinas are as follows: Marina Punta Gabbiani, Marina Aprilia Marittima, Marina Capo Nord, Portomaran - Marano Lagunare, Marina Sant’Andrea and Marina San Giorgio. The last two are up the channel of the river Como at the NE end of the lagoon.
Charts
- British Admiralty
- 204
- 1471
- Italian
- 924
- 235
- 39
Weather
During the summer months, the prevailing winds in the Adriatic are light to moderate coastal sea breezes. In spring and autumn, northerly winds are more frequent and can quickly rise to near gale force, especially in the northern Adriatic, where the much-feared “bora” is caused by high pressure over the mountains to the NE coupled with low pressure over southern Italy. Fortunately, the fiercest “bora” is normally to be expected in the winter months. Thunderstorms are occasionally experienced in spring and especially autumn and can be accompanied by violent winds of gale force and above. Luckily they are rarely long-lasting. Fog is a further hazard often encountered in the lagoon of Venice, especially in the early and late season.
Sources for weather information:
- There is a continuous (computerized voice) weather forecast on VHF 68 - first in Italian and then followed with an English translation
- The same forecast is given in Italian and English on VHF coastal stations following a notification on channel 16
- Navtex weather forecasts covering the Adriatic are broadcast from stations at Roma, Trieste, Kerkyra (Greece) and Split (Croatia)
Passages
See Aegean to West Mediterranean Passages.
Islands
- Isola de Martignano
- Isola di Sant’Andrea
- Isola di Porto Buso
Communication
Add here VHF channel for coastguard, harbor masters. etc.
Also see World Cruiser's Nets
The lagoon may be entered either via the entrance of Porto Lignano [[Laguna di Marano#Porto Lignano|Porto Lignano]] 45°41.996'N, 013°09.459'E , the main westernmost entrance or, in the case of the last two marinas, the entrance of
Porto Buso [[Laguna di Marano#Porto Buso|Porto Buso]] 45°42.933'N, 013°14.923'E .
The entrance of Porto Lignano lies immediately E of the peninsula of Lignano Sabbiadoro, between it and the low island of Isola di Martignano. Dangerous sandbanks extend offshore for over a mile on either side of the entrance and the safe water between the banks (which shift constantly) is marked by a red and white fairway buoy situated about 1.5 miles SSE of the channel. Yachts entering should pass within 50 metres of the buoy, which is moved to reflect the shifts, before turning on a course of c. 355 degrees to cross the bar and pick up the channel, which is marked with wooden posts (white to starboard and red to port). Depths in the channel are around 6.0 metres, but can be as little as 2.5 metres over the bar. An entry should therefore only be attempted close to high water and on a rising tide and never in strong onshore winds. Porto Lignano is the best entrance for access to Marina Punta Gabbiani, Marina Aprilia Marittima, Marina Capo Nord and Portomaran - Marano Lagunare. A yacht will experience minimum depths of 3.0 metres up the channel as far as Marina Punta Gabbiani, Marina Aprilia Marittima and Marina Capo Nord, but as little as 2.0 metres in the channel to Portomaran.
The entrance of Porto Buso lies four miles E of Porto Lignano, between the islands of Isola di Sant’Andrea and Isola di Porto Buso. The channel is protected by two long breakwaters nearly a mile long and is dredged to a depth of 7.5 metres. Access is therefore possible at all states of tide and in all conditions. As such, the Porto Buso entrance is a safer point of access to the lagoon in heavy weather. A yacht will experience depths of 6.5 - 7.0 metres up the river Como as far as Marina Sant’Andrea and 4.0 - 5.0 metres as far as Marina San Giorgio.
Berthing
Marinas & Yacht Clubs
There are seven berthing options in the lagoon:
Marina Punta Gabbiani

Marina Aprilia Marittima

Marina Capo Nord
Portomaran - Marano Lagunare

Marina Sant’Andrea

Marina San Giorgio

Cervignano del Friuli

Anchorages
Yachts can anchor, with care, anywhere in the lagoon providing they do not obstruct the channels.
Note: Fore and aft anchors are necessary to avoid swinging into the channel with the tides.
Amenities
Facilities | |
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Water | In Marina Punta Gabbiani, Marina Aprilia Marittima, Marina Capo Nord, Portomaran - Marano Lagunare, Marina Sant’Andrea, Marina San Giorgio, and Cervignano del Friuli |
Electricity | In Marina Punta Gabbiani, Marina Aprilia Marittima, Marina Capo Nord, Portomaran - Marano Lagunare, Marina Sant’Andrea, Marina San Giorgio, and Cervignano del Friuli |
Toilets | In Marina Punta Gabbiani, Marina Aprilia Marittima, Marina Capo Nord, Portomaran - Marano Lagunare, Marina Sant’Andrea, Marina San Giorgio, and Cervignano del Friuli |
Showers | In Marina Punta Gabbiani, Marina Aprilia Marittima, Marina Capo Nord, Portomaran - Marano Lagunare, Marina Sant’Andrea, Marina San Giorgio, and Cervignano del Friuli |
Laundry | In Marina Aprilia Marittima, Marina Capo Nord, and Marina Sant’Andrea |
Garbage | Bins in Marina Punta Gabbiani, Marina Aprilia Marittima, Marina Capo Nord, Portomaran - Marano Lagunare, Marina Sant’Andrea, Marina San Giorgio, and Cervignano del Friuli |
Supplies | |
Fuel | Station in Marina Aprilia Marittima, Marina Capo Nord, and Marina San Giorgio |
Bottled gas | ? |
Chandlers | In Marina Punta Gabbiani, and Marina Sant’Andrea |
Services | |
Repairs |
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Internet | WiFi in Marina Punta Gabbiani, and Marina Capo Nord |
Mobile connectivity | ? |
Vehicle rentals | Rental outlets in Lignano Sabbiadoro |
Provisioning
Minimarket in Portomaran - Marano Lagunare.
Eating out
Restaurant in Marina Punta Gabbiani, Marina Aprilia Marittima, Marina Capo Nord, Portomaran - Marano Lagunare, Marina Sant’Andrea, Marina San Giorgio
Transportation
List transportation (local and/or international.)
Tourism
History
Give a short history of the port.
Places to Visit
While the town of Lignano Sabbiadoro has the beaches, the other ports in the Marano lagoon have the beautiful landscape and abundant wildlife of the lagoon surrounding them. The charming old port of Marano Lagunare at the head of the lagoon is well worth a visit. For details of walking trails and other attractions in the lagoon, click on the link below to the website of the two natural reserves in the lagoon. For information about the port of Marano Lagunare click on link to municipal website.
Friends
Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.
Forums
List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)
Links
References
See Italy.
Comments
We welcome users' contributions to the Wiki. Please click on Comments to view other users' comments, add your own personal experiences or recommend any changes to this page following your visit.
Verified by
Date of member's last visit to Laguna di Marano and this page's details validated:
- Data compiled from web research (please update if possible)--Athene of Lymington 18:18, 28 January 2011 (UTC)
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Names: Athene of Lymington |