THE Quepos and Manuel Antonio area could have a marina within two years. U.S. expatriate Harold Lovelady, the developer of Pez Vela Marina (777-9069), said he received the concession for his 17-hectare (42-acre) site in April and should break ground in November when the rest of his documentation goes through. He envisions a marina with 240 slips for boats from 35-150 feet.If the $17-20 million project is completed, it will be bigger than the marina up the coast at Playa Herradura, Los Sueños. The difference, Lovelady said, is that Pez Vela will not be tied to a condominium or any other kind of development.“It will be a sportfishing marina and nothing else,” Lovelady told The Tico Times. “It will be a place to come fishing and have a good time.”The marina will change the way people fish, he said, smoothing out the differences between the rainy and dry seasons, allowing anglers to fish all year.“It’s just a matter of keeping your boat safe,” he said.The biggest hitch was getting approval for the concession, he said.“And getting people to understand that it’s not a resort – it’s a marina,” he said. “It’s not about selling houses; it’s about fishing.”“It’s doable,” he added. “This is the right thing to do in Costa Rica. The country needs this facility. The fishing community and all of the Pacific need this kind of facility – a place to park a boat and get boat maintenance.”
