North Sardinia

[Charlie]

Hi All:

This summer we plan on sailing from La Spezia in Italy to Elba and then from Elba to Sardinia. The crew is my wife and three teenagers (son, daughter, and friend). Our boat is a Wauquiez 33. We plan on 4 to 5 knots as our travelling speed. The distance is about 100 nm. This will give us a 20 to 24 hour run. When we arrive it would be nice to get a berth, take a shower, and have a meal. Can anyone recommend a spot to aim for that will allow us to get the things without breaking the bank.

Charlie

[joemac4sail]

Depending on what time of the summer you intend arriving in Sardinia. All the marinas bump up their berthing fees to astronomical levels for the high season of July and August. St Theresa de Gallura in northern Sardinia was very reasonable for may and most of June, but the cost of a 46 ft boat went from 24 euros at the start of June to near on 100 euros for July and August. In saying that, keep an eye out for an irish boat , I'll be there from the last week in May and for the first two in june. Regards Joe

[Charlie]

Thanks Joe. We are planning on leaving La Spezia in late June and arriving sometime before July 1. We will only be looking at docking for one night at those rates. Just to get a shower, fill the water tanks, and such. We plan on anchoring out as much as possible. Do you know how the permits for the Magdalana(sp?) National Park work? I see where you can buy them on line but don't know how long they last?

[goboatingnow]

Can anyone recommend a spot to aim for that will allow us to get the things without breaking the bank.

in Northern sardinina, quite frankly No.

dave

[boatman61]

I only know Alghero which I found to be really nice.. and prices varied from medium to high depending what/where you eat..
My favourite was a great sandwich bar overlooking the harbour.. man those were huge, made with fresh baked local bread.
The 37 footer cost 25euro/night with W&E.. like Sicily you'll have a couple or 4 ribs meet you and then start arguing who gets you..
we did discover later that we could have tied up at the Public dock area for free for up to 3 nights... pay in the high season but still cheaper than marina's.
Paid W&E available on request.
Lovely people...
Enjoy

[letsgetsailing3]

It's just for a day or two, so a "stopover" will be worth it after that 20-24 hour sail. That one day of protected rest and reprovisioning will be a nice respite for the crew.

A recent cruising guide for Sardinia will tell you what you need to know.

Oh, and there are some beautiful anchor spots between Sardinia and Corsica as well.

[Charlie]

@GBN It will only be for one night and it is only a 10m long boat.

@Boatman Alghero sounds great from what I have heard about it but is too far around the corner for the first night's landing from Elba.

@Letsgetsailing3 I have a good cruising guide but am looking for more current recommendations.

[athene]

Take a look at the World Cruising and Sailing Wiki, which has entries for all the harbours in Sardinia. Better still, if you haven't registered, why not do so and update the information after you've visited?

If you're prepared to sail through the Straits of Bonifacio, you could consider Castelsardo, which is probably a lot cheaper than many of the other marinas.

GORDON KNIGHT

[joemac4sail]

With reference to the permits. We were there before the season got going so we were using the marinas most of the time and basically forgot about the permit. La madalena has all the facilities and will keep you in the islands and I have to agree with Gordon, in that castlesardo might be better priced. Porto Torres was the most expensive even early in the summer. But I have to say that st Theresa had the best reception for the visitor. Fuel might work out cheaper in Bonafacio. As it is only a few miles away from Sardinia it may be worth comparing prices.
We kept the boat in Fertilia for the winter and all was ok until we wanted a lift out do antifoul the bottom, they would not let us work on our own boat in the yard. They mentioned coastguard regulations. Has anyone come across this problem in Italy and is there a marina or yard available where there is not a problem in doing your own work. Regards Joe.

[boatman61]

Oh... regarding fuel.. if your tight fisted like me and if there's a garage nearby (comfortable walking distance) jerry can your fuel rather than fill at a marina pump.. difference of 30cents/litre..
with 100litres that's a night at the marina paid for

[Charlie]

@ Athene: thanks for the link. That site had some good info on the Med. I will join and give more info when I get there.

@ JoeMac: in Italy the places I have been to like to do the bottom painting. Some let me do the prep work and then just painted. One place allowed me to paint the epoxy coat and then they would spray the bottom paint. Is Fertila in Corsica?

@ Boatie: We were in Portoferrario, Elba Island, Italy last summer. There they had a gas station that serviced cars on one side and boats on the other. The price was the same. My tank is pretty small so a couple of 20 liter jerri cans will fill the tank and then I keep a couple of 20 liter jerri cans as spares.

[jckb]

Charlie,

Google "Sardinia Harbours Anchorages" and you'll find lots of good sites describing the area from different points of view. My site has a convenient link to "Pages Azzurre" which lists all the harbours in Italy - obviously including Sardinia.

[AngeW]

We were in Northern Sardinia late June and early July in 2012. In spite of what our Pilot book said, we found Palau was a good place to visit, there was not room for us in the marina, however the visitors' moorings just outside were very cheap, and gave us access to hot showers ashore. The shopping and provisioning in Palau was great (rosemary music bread from the bakery, and a very good butcher), and we swam lots. We bought our permit for the Maddalenas in Palau – a 3 day one from memory.

After a couple of nights in the Maddalenas, we headed down towards Olbia via Cala Volpe, which is in the Costa Smeralda, a stretch of coast developed by the Aga Khan in the early 60s for the uber rich and their big boats. A free and sheltered anchorage. Olbia we tied up for free alongside the city dock, and paid again for hot showers at the nearby marina.
hope this helps
Ange

[Charlie]

@ AngeW. Palau and Olbia sound like good places. We are meeting crew members there.

@ Jim Thanks I have looked over your website more then once. It is quite well done.

[S/V Alchemy]

By sheer chance, I've just stumbled onto a site for a steel boat owner who had to lay up for extensive repairs in Sardinia and makes note of what is and is not easy to accomplish, and how much it costs:

Windway Sailing: Refitting Windway

I haven't read everything, but I have the distinct impression that Sardinia is a very pleasant place with very high prices. Aside from Portugal, where I have a few connections, and Turkey, which is still reasonable, and a couple of places on the African side, I would stock up on spares and take a few night classes on diesel and electrical maintenance rather than submit my boat and wallet to nearly anywhere in the Med. Undeniably beautiful and diverse a cruising area as it is purported to me, it seems geared to a different type of cruiser than I am.