berth bookings in Bonifacio and Olbia

[BartW]

this summer our plan is to sail to south Corse and Sardegna, (from Salerno)
we have guests changes In Bonifacio and Olbia,
I have send emails for booking berths there (between 7 and 30 july)
is this about the right time to make these reservations ?

any other advice or experience for these locations ?
we have no resident berth in the region.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Hi Bart, Jfm is your man for this - but in the meantime, isn't Bonifacio bookable via resaport corse? I think it covers all the ports in Corsica.

 

[MapisM]

Click here for the contacts webpage of Olbia Marina - which btw is VERY near to the airport.

 

[jfm]

Hi.
Olbia needs to be booked directly by phone or email.
Bonifacio is much better booked via resaportcorse.com. Now is the perfect time of year to reserve for the summer.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I have visited Bonifacio 3 times during our season in Olbia and never booked once. We just turned up relatively early in the day and the harbourmaster found a space. With regard to Olbia marina, yes, like every other marina on the Costa Smerelda (yes I know technically Olbia isnt on the Costa Smerelda!), it gets very crowded in July/Aug so best to book. As I said we spent most of the 2014 season based in Olbia Marina and whilst it is modern and well organised, there is not much to recommend it except for the fact it is close to the airport and a huge supermarket. Olbia town itself has a bit of an old town but not much else. One factor which did irritate me a lot is the fact that it always seems to be windy in Olbia especially in the afternoons when visitors are arriving and bertholders are returning. They often won't allow boats to proceed to their berths without the assistance of a dory in order to avoid any berthing mishaps. Jolly wise too but it does mean you are often waiting outside the marina for a considerable time before being allowed to enter

Generally speaking, the Costa Smerelda has this fantastic reputation but in all honesty I wasnt that taken with the area. It is very crowded with boats in July and August, visitor berthing charges in the hotspot marinas like Porto Cervo, Portisco and Rotondo are just stupidly high and, as I said, it always seems to be windy. In addition you have to buy a permit to visit the Maddelena islands with your boat which isnt cheap and they do have people going around checking. The islands themselves are nice but no nicer than anywhere else in the Med and the anchorages are crowded. If you like superyachts then there are plenty around to gawp at, if thats your thing. I won't be in any big hurry to go back there and I much preferred the S and SW coasts of Sardinia myself

 

[MapisM]

A perfect summary of Sardinia, M.
Could you just avoid advertising the latest bit on public webpages?
We like it as it is, you know... No point in making it a Costa Smeralda 2... :encouragement:

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

A perfect summary of Sardinia, M.
Could you just avoid advertising the latest bit on public webpages?
We like it as it is, you know... No point in making it a Costa Smeralda 2... :encouragement:

OK here goes. Carloforte is shit. You can't eat anything but tuna, the supermarkets run out of beer and it takes for ever to get there. Is that better?

 

[BartW]

thanks Mike for the detailed comment,
Costa smeralda is on the bucket list (actually more south of Corse),so..

I'm surprised that you experienced that easy booking in Bonifacio, its the cheapest place in the region...

beginning august, we will sail south, and plan is to leave the boat a few months in a marina near Cagliari, probably also for the winter
nothing booked yet,
your boat has also been in that region for a while, iirc, any advice to share ?

I have been in Carloforte a few years back, so I know the challenges over there ;-)

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

beginning august, we will sail south, and plan is to leave the boat a few months in a marina near Cagliari, probably also for the winter
nothing booked yet,
your boat has also been in that region for a while, iirc, any advice to share ?

Mmm, thats more difficult. When I planned to leave my boat on the south coast of Sardinia for the winter of 2014/15, I did look at both of the big marinas in Cagliari, Marina di Cagliari and Karalis. On the plus side, both are right in the city centre but on the negative side, I got the strong impression that both have security problems. When I was in the office of Karalis asking about security, the guy in the office was telling me that there were no security problems and just a minute later, a German walked into his office to complain that his boat had just been broken into. I dont want to go into the rights and wrongs of the situation but the fact is that Cagliari is an interesting place but it is one of those cities on the southern edge of Europe which has a migrant problem. There is no way I would leave my boat unattended in a Cagliari marina for any length of time. There are other marinas on the outskirts of Cagliari but your boat is too big for them. That leaves you a choice of 4 marinas, 2 west of Cagliari and 2 to the east. About 30nm west of Cagliari, there is Teulada which is a very large marina literally in the middle of nowhere (built with EU money) with zero facilities. Its safer than Cagliari but I wouldnt leave my boat there either. Then of course, further west there is Carloforte. To the east of Cagliari, there is Capitana where I did leave my boat for the winter of 2014/15. It is quite a pleasant place and the security seemed good. The office staff are helpful and there is a yard on site but their hoist wont be big enough for your boat. Then right on the SE tip of Sardinia there is Villasimius which is quite an upmarket marina in a lovely setting but its pretty dead in the winter and again, their hoist wont handle your boat

In your position, I would leave your boat in Carloforte. The marina is cheap but secure and there is plenty to do on the island even in winter. Then you have an excellent yard called SACIRN at Sant Antioco which does have a hoist which is plenty big enough for your boat and they are good experienced people who can take on most jobs. Of course, the icing on the cake is that Mapism will keep an eye on your boat

 

[MapisM]

OK here goes. Carloforte is shit. You can't eat anything but tuna, the supermarkets run out of beer and it takes for ever to get there. Is that better?

100% correct!
Actually, there's plenty of beer in supermarkets now, since a notorious group of Brit boaters left...
But replenishment of just about anything depends on ferries and (limited) trucks capacity, so the place is best avoided in peak season anyway.
My personal strategy is to trade with local friends: we bring them out during the day, and they cook great dinners for us!

 

[MapisM]

the guy in the office was telling me that there were no security problems and just a minute later, a German walked into his office to complain that his boat had just been broken into.

Blimey! I don't think you told me about that, because we are also considering to stay in Cagliari next winter.
In fact, as you say, it's an interesting town in more ways than one, very lively, and a few of our friends who are based in CF during the summer actually live there.
Nothing fixed yet, but if we shouldn't arrange one of our usual home exchange overseas trip, we would probably stay in Cagliari instead.
And as you know, the other (gated) marina on the E corner of the harbor is not as conveniently located as the very central one you inquired about.

I'm saying this also for BartW benefit, though if he should do anything requiring the boat to be sheltered, I believe that there is no yard capable to store BA in Cagliari.
Which might sound weird, considering that it's the largest town in Sardinia, and a very maritime one, but it's mostly dedicated to commercial traffic.
The only large yards for pleasure boats (also VERY big ones) are in Olbia, on the N side of the gulf, opposite to the marina. But you'd rather not pay the bills they are used to charge to football players, actors, and so on...
Other than that, afaik it's either Arbatax on the E coast or Sant'Antioco, near CF.