Repairs and Maintenence tips

Agreeing Completion & Delivery Dates

In general, remember you are in Southern Europe and there is a different culture here. The attitude to business is still very laid back – and the people are so polite they don’t like to tell you “it can’t be done in x days”.   UTC, BST or GMT,  can be translated as PMT – “Portuguese Maybe Time”. In the summer, expect tradesmen and companies to be extremely busy.

A genuine cause for confusion can arise from the Portuguese names for the working days of the week.

These are Segunda-feira, Terça-feira, Quarta-feira, Quinta-feira and Sexta-feira, i.e. the Second - (market day) to the Sixth - (market day). The “feira” is almost always dropped in speech, and they are referred to as Segunda to Sexta and are written 2ª; 3ª; 4ª; 5ª; 6ª.

Conversely, the days of the month are known as “day 1 of December” up to “day 31” – not the First to the Thirty-first. So, if something will be ready on Friday – you may be told “Sexta” – and understand this to be the Sixth.  But if Tuesday is the Sixth of the month – you will turn up 3 days early, and he will seem to be 3 days late.

If the date is important, get out the calendar and count the days, together!

Do-It-Yourself - on Your Own Boat!

While in Marina de Lagos there are no restriction on owners, crew, other yachtsmen and friends working on your yacht – though your crew members and friends may well have different ideas.

Approved and insured tradesmen are also welcome within the Marina – and none of those shown on our “Contacts” list has had a problem.

Sopromar are happy for owners and crew to work on your own yacht – but if they have the requisite skills in-house, outside tradesmen are not allowed.

The staff of Sopromar are, however, very helpful and can be prepared to give advice and guidance; they want to see you get the best possible result.

Note that other Marinas and yards may have different rules – and Spanish Marinas can be particularly strict on ALL work being done by their own staff. Check before arranging a lift-out.

Independent Tradesmen

There are over 20 qualified, independent tradesmen, covering a wide variety of skills, who are available to assist the owner on any necessary work while in the Marina.

We have a section for tradesmen and marine service companies together with contact details. They are all based in Lagos, unless another town name is shown in italics.

Lift-out/Haul-out & Repair Facilities

"Sopromar" is the local boatyard and chandlery.  The yard lies adjacent to the marina, with hoist access from the Doca da Pesca, the main fish dock. The hoist can lift up to 35 tonnes.

Sopromar employ a full range of fully qualified craftsmen and they can carry out any refit, repair, modification or maintenance – and the summer temperatures make osmosis treatment almost painless!

There is no restriction on owners or their crew working on their own boats while in their yard – and if you continue to live aboard, there are toilets and showers for your comfort.   A new workshop block and Chandlery has been built  with superb toilet/shower facilities. There are also several apartments available for rent, for those owners who cannot live on board their boat whilst work is being carried out. Enquire at Sopromars.