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Marina Quinta do Lorde lies near Caniçal at the eastern tip of Madeira, in the middle of the Atlantic and right by the Ponta de São Lourenço nature reserve. Here you can read where the marina is exactly, how you berth and arrive, what you need on board on the first day, how wind and swell affect the eastern tip and which trip destinations are reachable from here, from Porto Santo to the Desertas (as at: October 2026).
The essentials at a glance
- Marina Quinta do Lorde has around 140 berths on floating pontoons for boats from 6 to 25 metres, with its own fuel berth, minimarket, laundry and border control right at the marina.
- It is located in Caniçal, part of the municipality of Machico, approximately 7 kilometres from Madeira Airport.
- The prevailing winds blow from the north and northeast. The south side of the peninsula, where the marina is located, is generally sheltered, whereas the north coast is not.
- Porto Santo is approximately 30 nautical miles away, Funchal approximately 13 and the Desertas approximately 17 nautical miles.
- For the Ilhas Desertas you need a permit from the nature conservation authority; anchoring is only permitted in Doca bay.
Where is Marina Quinta do Lorde?
Marina Quinta do Lorde is located on the south side of the Ponta de São Lourenço peninsula, the easternmost tip of Madeira. It is a good two kilometres west to the village of Caniçal; the nearest larger town is Machico.
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More Information
The peninsula is approximately nine kilometres long, dry and volcanic. It is protected as a nature reserve and, with its yellow and brown slopes, looks quite different from the green main island. The marina is part of a holiday resort with a bar and restaurant. Berths here are quiet and somewhat off the beaten track, but essentials are available right at the harbour.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Position | approx. 32° 44.5′ N, 016° 42.7′ W |
| Location | Caniçal, municipality of Machico, south side of Ponta de São Lourenço |
| Berths | approximately 140, on floating pontoons |
| Boat length | 6 to 25 m |
| VHF | Channel 09, register before arrival |
| Phone | +351 291 969 607 |
| marina@quintadolorde.pt | |
| Harbour office | daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Fuel station | own facility, daily 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Border control | at the marina |
| Supply at the berth | Water and electricity |
| Additional facilities | Showers and changing rooms, laundry, minimarket, bar and restaurant, Wi-Fi, Campingaz, car park, workshop with boat supplies, slipway |
| Travelift | less than 1 nm away |
| Madeira Airport | approximately 7 km |
Services and contact details are on the marina's website, for current berth prices enquire directly at the harbour office before arrival.
How do you moor at Marina Quinta do Lorde?
Call ahead on VHF channel 09 or by telephone before arrival and you'll be assigned your berth. Marineros will meet you and help with mooring, and if needed they'll support the manoeuvre with a dinghy.
You moor alongside floating pontoons with water and electricity. Before entering, have bow and stern lines ready and fenders on both sides. Check the exact water depth at your berth when you call in, especially if your boat draws more than 2 metres. At the eastern tip the wind can be strong even when it's calm further west, so plan the manoeuvre with margin to spare.
What applies after mooring?
After mooring, check in at the harbour office with your boat and crew documents; it's open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Madeira belongs to Portugal and therefore to the EU and the Schengen Area. If you're arriving from outside — for example from Cape Verde, Morocco or Great Britain — you complete border control directly at the marina. Mention this when you call ahead on the radio or by telephone.
A note on the area: the sea around the peninsula is part of the Ponta de São Lourenço protected area. Rubbish and untreated sewage must not go overboard there, and fishing may be restricted. Keep your holding tank closed while you're sailing in the protected area.
Good to know for the first day at Marina Quinta do Lorde
There's a minimarket, bar and restaurant right at the marina; for a big shop or to see a doctor, head to Machico.
Shopping, parking and car hire
The marina's minimarket stocks the essentials for your first few days, and Campingaz cylinders are also available on site. For a big provision run before a week's sailing, drive to a larger town such as Machico or Funchal; the harbour office can arrange car hire for you. Anyone arriving with their own car can leave it in the marina's customer car park. Crew can store luggage there until embarkation, and there's a self-service laundry for washing.
Workshop and crane
For minor repairs the marina has a workshop with a chandlery and a slipway. A travelift for larger boats is located less than a nautical mile away.
Doctor and hospital
The Machico health centre (Centro de Saúde de Machico) runs an emergency department open 24 hours a day. The island's main hospital is the Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça in Funchal. Ask at the harbour office for the nearest pharmacy and which one is on duty.
Emergency numbers in Portugal
- 112: ambulance, fire brigade and police, free from landlines and mobiles
- At sea: VHF channel 16 and DSC; sea rescue around Madeira is coordinated by the navy rescue coordination centre in Funchal (MRSC Funchal)
How do you get to Marina Quinta do Lorde?
Most easily via Madeira Airport near Santa Cruz, which is only about 7 kilometres away. From the airport you can reach the marina by taxi or hire car in a few minutes.
By air
Depending on your departure point and the season, you fly direct to Madeira or change along the way, for instance in Lisbon or Porto. The airport is known for its windy conditions: in strong winds, flights are regularly diverted or cancelled. If you have a fixed starting date, it's better to arrive a day earlier.
By bus
From Funchal, bus route 113 runs to Caniçal and on to Baía d'Abra at the end of the road on the peninsula. Route 9 connects Funchal with the airport. Check journey times, stops and the stop nearest the marina before your trip on the regional government's timetable portal.
By ferry to Porto Santo
The car ferry Lobo Marinho runs regularly between Funchal and Porto Santo; the crossing takes just over two hours. Handy if someone from the crew is joining or leaving there. In winter the ferry takes a few weeks' break each year for an overhaul, so check sailings before planning.
How do wind and sea state behave at Madeira's eastern tip?
The prevailing winds blow from the north and northeast, especially frequent in summer. The peninsula's north coast is fully exposed to them, with high swell and heavy surf, while the south side around the marina is usually calm.
Expect more wind and sea at the cape of Ponta de São Lourenço than in the harbour. If you round it on the way to Porto Santo, it's best to reef beforehand. Along the south coast towards Funchal the wind can be lighter and more variable than at the eastern tip, so plan for some motoring stretches as well.
There's one special case affecting the marina in particular: about two or three times a year an easterly wind sets in, and that hits Ponta de São Lourenço and Caniçal especially hard. The normally sheltered south side is then no longer in the lee. In such conditions, wait before setting out and check on channel 09 for conditions at the entrance.
The water is around 16°C in winter and around 26°C in summer. Most rainfall occurs between the start of autumn and the end of winter, but the eastern tip remains noticeably drier even then than the north of the island. More about the sailing area, anchorages and sailing season across the whole island can be found in our article Madeira holiday on a sailing yacht.
Which marine weather forecast applies around Madeira?
The official marine weather forecast for Madeira is issued by the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere IPMA. Two forecasts are important for you: the coastal forecast up to 20 nautical miles off the archipelago and the offshore forecast for the Madeira sea area.
Both are available on the IPMA marine weather page, also in English. They begin with possible warnings, followed by the weather situation and forecast for wind, visibility and sea state with direction and wave height. For Porto Santo and the Desertas use the coastal forecast; for passages to the Canaries or the mainland add the offshore forecast.
At sea you receive weather and navigation warnings via NAVTEX. The Portuguese Navy transmits them from its radio station on Madeira on 518 kHz in English and on 490 kHz in Portuguese, with a range of around 400 nautical miles. It's worth checking the forecast before every passage around the eastern tip, as conditions at the cape can be rougher than they appear from the marina.
Which cruising destinations lie near Quinta do Lorde?
From Quinta do Lorde you can reach Porto Santo, the Desertas and Madeira's south coast each with a day's passage. The distances are rounded over-water distances on the usual course; for precise planning use the chart.
| Destination | Distance | Kurs |
|---|---|---|
| Machico | around 3 nm | along the coast westwards |
| Funchal | around 13 nm | south coast westwards, past the airport and Ponta do Garajau |
| Ilhas Desertas (Doca) | about 17 nm | south-eastwards over open water |
| Calheta | just under 30 nm | all along the south coast westwards |
| Porto Santo | about 30 nm | around Ponta de São Lourenço, then north-eastwards |
| Las Palmas (Gran Canaria) | around 285 nm | southwards, west of the Desertas |
Porto Santo
Porto Santo is the smaller neighbouring island to the north-east, known for its beaches. The marina lies in the commercial harbour on the south coast, behind two breakwaters with lights, and has around 140 berths for boats up to 30 metres. It's around three kilometres to the main town Vila Baleira. The route first rounds the eastern tip and then crosses open water where the Atlantic swell runs full. Plan the passage with an early start so you arrive in daylight.
Ilhas Desertas
The Ilhas Desertas lie south-east of Madeira and are a nature reserve where, among others, the rare monk seal lives. To visit you need permission from the regional nature conservation authority IFCN. With your own boat you may only anchor in the bay Doca on Deserta Grande; overnight stays and anchoring at other locations are only permitted with separate authorisation. In the strictly protected zone fishing is completely forbidden, and you must not dive near monk seals. Apply well in advance of your trip and only go in calm weather, as there is no harbour around the islands where you can find shelter.
Funchal and Calheta
Marina do Funchal lies right by the old town of the island's capital and has around 210 berths. Calheta on the south-west coast has a large marina with over 300 berths. Both are good destinations for a cruise along the south coast; more on this can be found in our article Madeira holiday on a sailing yacht.
Further into the Atlantic
For many yachts Madeira is a stopover on the route from the mainland to the Canaries and on to the Caribbean. From Quinta do Lorde to Las Palmas on Gran Canaria it's around 285 nautical miles, so depending on the boat two to three days at sea. What the harbour is like there and why every year in November the Atlantic rallies start in Las Palmas can be read in our portrait Las Palmas harbour for sailors.
What is there to do on shore around Quinta do Lorde?
On shore, the main attractions are the walk on Ponta de São Lourenço, Prainha with its dark natural sand and the whale museum in Caniçal. That's easily enough for a harbour day.
Distances are as the crow flies from the marina; walking times are approximate.
Ponta de São Lourenço walking trail
The marked trail PR 8 begins at Baía d'Abra, about one kilometre as the crow flies east of the marina, and runs four kilometres to Casa do Sardinha; you return on the same path. Reckon on about two and a half hours' walking time. The trail is moderately difficult, hilly and almost without shade; take water, sun protection and a windproof jacket. Along the way you'll see one of the region's largest gull colonies and, with a bit of luck, a monk seal. For visitors over twelve years old the trail costs €4.50, payable in advance via the regional government's SIMplifica portal (as of October 2026). There may be short diversions; follow the signage on site.
Prainha beach
Prainha lies just under half a kilometre as the crow flies west of the marina and is one of the few beaches on Madeira with natural, copper-coloured volcanic sand instead of pebbles. There is a restaurant, changing rooms, toilets, and sunshades and loungers available.
Whale museum in Caniçal
The Museu da Baleia is in the village of Caniçal, about 2.7 kilometres as the crow flies from the marina. It tells the story of 20th-century whaling on Madeira, displays life-size whales and dolphins, and provides information on current marine research. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Machico
Machico lies a good 5 kilometres as the crow flies to the west and is the place where, in July 1419, the seafarers João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira came ashore. The bay invites a stroll and is a good spot for an evening outside the marina; cover the distance by bus or taxi.
Trips from Quinta do Lorde on Törnfinder
On Törnfinder you'll find trips from Quinta do Lorde and around Madeira, from week-long trips around Madeira, Porto Santo and the Desertas to deliveries to the Canary Islands. All current offers can be found in the trip overview, trips around Madeira and along the Portuguese coast under Sailing in Portugal. Anyone wanting to build up nautical miles on a longer passage should look under Mile building.
Frequently asked questions
Where exactly is Marina Quinta do Lorde located?
On the southern side of the Ponta de São Lourenço peninsula in eastern Madeira, a good two kilometres east of the village of Caniçal in the municipality of Machico. Madeira Airport is about 7 kilometres away.
How many berths does Marina Quinta do Lorde have?
Around 140 berths on floating pontoons for boats from 6 to 25 metres in length. Water and electricity are laid on at the pontoons; the marina's own fuel station is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
How far is it from Quinta do Lorde to Porto Santo?
About 30 nautical miles across the water, around Ponta de São Lourenço. At the cape expect more wind and sea state than in the harbour, so reef early and plan for daylight.
Can you go to the Desertas with your own boat?
Yes, but only with a permit from the nature conservation authority IFCN. Anchoring is only allowed in Doca bay; you need a separate permit to stay overnight.
How do I get from the airport to Marina Quinta do Lorde?
By taxi or hire car in a few minutes; the distance is about 7 kilometres. By bus you go via Funchal and from there on line 113 towards Caniçal and Baía d'Abra.
