Top 10 Marinas in Morocco
Stand on the breakwater of Tanja Marina Bay on a November morning and you can almost feel the Atlantic pulling you south. The air smells of salt and diesel and fresh-baked bread drifting from the medina, and the anchorage is packed with masts from a dozen countries. Morocco sits at the precise hinge where Europe ends and the downwind trade wind run to the Canary Islands begins, making its string of Atlantic and Mediterranean harbours essential staging posts for the ARC, the RORC Transatlantic Race, and a growing number of private blue-water passages. From the Strait of Gibraltar to the southern port of Agadir, the Moroccan coast offers more sailing infrastructure than most sailors expect — and far more cultural depth than any Caribbean waypoint.
Tanja Marina Bay, Tangier
Opened in stages between 2010 and 2016, Tanja Marina Bay is Morocco's flagship yachting facility. It holds 850 berths, a full boatyard with a 70-tonne travel-lift, electricity to 32 amps, potable water, diesel pontoons, and a customs and immigration office right on the quay. Tangier's old medina is a twenty-minute walk, and the ferry terminal connects to Tarifa in under an hour. Most ARC participants clear customs here before pushing south past Rabat and Casablanca.
Marina Smir, M'Diq
Some 30 kilometres south of Ceuta, Marina Smir tucks into a sheltered bay flanked by the Rif Mountains. The marina has around 600 berths and attracts a strong local racing scene from Tetouan and M'Diq. Berths are significantly cheaper than Tangier or Gibraltar, fuel is available, and the beach resort town offers good provisioning. The approach from the north is straightforward, though the bar at the entrance shallows to about 2.5 m at low water, so arrivals on a falling tide should proceed with care.
Bouregreg Marina, Rabat–Salé
The Bouregreg river mouth between Rabat and Salé hosts one of Morocco's most architecturally striking marinas. The project, completed in the early 2010s as part of a major urban regeneration scheme, provides around 240 berths inside a river basin that is well protected from Atlantic swell. Depths vary from 2.5 to 4 m. The historic Kasbah des Oudaïas, a UNESCO-listed citadel, overlooks the basin, and Rabat's Hassan Tower and Mohammed V Mausoleum are walkable. Fuel and a small chandlery are on site.
Marina Saidia, Oriental Region
In the far northeast, near the Algerian border, Marina Saidia was built as part of the Mediterrania-Saidia resort complex. It is the largest marina on Morocco's Mediterranean coast, with capacity for over 800 boats, a dry-stack facility, a 50-tonne travel-lift, and a full-service boatyard. The approach from the sea is clean and well buoyed. Saidia itself is a purpose-built tourism town, which means chandlery supplies are limited, but Oujda, 60 km inland, covers most needs.
Port de Nador, Nador
Nador's commercial port includes a sheltered basin used by visiting yachts. The town is unremarkable but functional: fuel, water, basic provisions, and a welcoming yacht club make it a viable overnight stop when bashing to windward along the Med coast. The lagoon behind the city, the Mar Chica, is a notable windsurfing and dinghy sailing venue — flat water, reliable afternoon thermals, and a growing school infrastructure.
Mohammedia Yacht Club
Between Casablanca and Rabat, Mohammedia hosts a modest but friendly yacht club with around 80 berths. The club has been a centre of Moroccan racing since the 1950s and runs regular offshore and inshore events including the classic Mohammedia–Casablanca race. Facilities are basic by international standards, but the welcome is warm and the chandlery stocks surprising amounts of French and Spanish gear.
Port de Plaisance Agadir
Agadir was devastated by the 1960 earthquake and rebuilt as a modern resort city. Its marina, tucked inside the commercial port, has around 300 berths and handles a large volume of charter traffic. It sits at roughly 30° 25' N — the latitude at which many skippers choose to turn southwest and pick up the northeast trades. Fuel, water, a boatyard, and the sprawling Agadir souk are all close at hand. The Atlas Mountains, rising to over 4,000 m at Jebel Toubkal, are visible from the anchorage on a clear day.
Port Kabila
Between Tangier and M'Diq, Port Kabila is a smaller facility that often escapes the rally crowd. It offers around 150 berths in a sheltered lagoon, making it a quiet alternative when Tanja Marina Bay is overwhelmed in November. Depths are suitable for most cruising yachts drawing under 2 m, and the local fishing village provides fresh produce and an authentic slice of northern Moroccan life rarely seen from a marina pontoon.
El Jadida and Safi Anchorages
El Jadida, 90 km south of Casablanca, has a small but serviceable fishing harbour that accepts visiting yachts on anchor or alongside the quay wall by arrangement with the port captain. The Portuguese fortified city — another UNESCO site — is worth at least a day ashore. Safi, 200 km further south, is primarily a commercial fishing and phosphate export port but offers fuel and provisions and a convenient overnight stop on the long leg to Agadir.
Planning Your Morocco Passage
The optimum season for southbound Atlantic passages through Morocco runs from late October to early December, when the northeast trades are established and the risk of Atlantic depressions diminishes. Northbound passages in spring, April through June, benefit from lighter conditions and calmer seas. Customs formalities are handled efficiently at the main marinas; a ship's paper-pack, crew list, and CEVNI certificate will cover most requirements. VHF channel 16 is monitored at all major ports; Agadir Radio (channel 26) broadcasts weather in French twice daily.
Explore on the map
Morocco's sailing infrastructure is spread along over 1,800 km of coastline, from the Strait of Gibraltar to the southern tip of the country, and the interactive map makes it easy to locate every marina, anchorage, and yacht club from Tangier to Agadir. Search Morocco on the map to overlay waypoints, plan your staging stops, and measure distances before you cast off.