Corfu to Sicily

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jneale

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Anybody got info on ports, harbours & routing and etc. in this area ?

I would leave Orthoni heading West (of course) but don't want to do more than say 60 miles a day. Particularly interested Harbours within the Gulf of Taranto.
My only other time in Italy was when we got ripped off badly in Regio Calabria

Also whats Italian public weather forecasting like.

*** Maybe I should splash out on Heinkel !!!

ta
 
jneale said:
Anybody got info on ports, harbours & routing and etc. in this area ?

I would leave Orthoni heading West (of course) but don't want to do more than say 60 miles a day. Particularly interested Harbours within the Gulf of Taranto.
My only other time in Italy was when we got ripped off badly in Regio Calabria

Also whats Italian public weather forecasting like.

*** Maybe I should splash out on Heinkel !!!

ta
Click to expand...

Or even a Messerscmitt? Both were fun minicars in the 50s/60s but unless you have a large yacht, stowage and embarkation/disembarkation would be a problem without a dedicated ramp or lifting derrick!:)

Porto de Ragusa (Porto Touristica di Marina de Ragusa) is known to be reasonably priced and as to weather, the Italian Met broadcasts an automated forecast on VHF 68 in both English and Italian. It also has a good range. You will certainly pick it up on Orthoni.

Chas
 
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CharlesSwallow said:
Or even a Messerscmitt? Both were fun minicars in the 50s/60s but unless you have a large yacht, stowage and embarkation/disembarkation would be a problem without a dedicated ramp or lifting derrick!:)

Porto de Ragusa (Porto Touristica di Marina de Ragusa) is known to be reasonably priced and as to weather, the Italian Met broadcasts an automated forecast on VHF 68 in both English and Italian. It also has a good range. You will certainly pick it up on Orthoni.

Chas
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This needs qualifying I'm afraid. Ragusa has good winter rates at the moment but the summer visitor rates are far from cheap. We paid €94 for one night in July this year for 14.2m. And the place was nearly empty (I wonder why!). It would have been over $100 if we had been there in August apparently.

To the OP, the anchorage in Syracuse on the east coast of Sicily is free!

Bob
 
jneale said:
Anybody got info on ports, harbours & routing and etc. in this area ?

I would leave Orthoni heading West (of course) but don't want to do more than say 60 miles a day. Particularly interested Harbours within the Gulf of Taranto.
My only other time in Italy was when we got ripped off badly in Regio Calabria

Also whats Italian public weather forecasting like.

*** Maybe I should splash out on Heinkel !!!

ta
Click to expand...

I was travelling in the other direction 2009/2010, I don't imagine much has changed though?

Santa Maria di Lueca is delightful, and good to stop over in lots of sites etc! There is a great shop up the hill which is just a doorway with some fruit boxes outside! good value! No Internet, but the marina will let you check in the office.

Don't know anything about ports in the Gulf (I went straight across 70Nm from Crottone) but Crottone is OK. If you can get on the harbour wall immediately on entry, to the right, it is free (or was?) Internet cafes just outside marina.

Roccella Ionica is the next one that I know (fixed fee/any length). There was (assume is still) a sand bar stretching out from the end of the breakwater, just make sure you give plenty of room to clear! There was a great cafe with wifi, that didn't work!

My recollection is that there is NO SAFE harbour between here and Sicily Or Reggio!! There is a "marina" (or two) right on the southern coast, which is listed as silted up, that could be for anchorage in dire emergency!!, but there have been reports of boardings and aggravated assaults/robbery! I would avoid! :eek:

On Sicily, avoid Porto Rosa, you will get ripped off there! There are some lovely fishing harbours on the north coast though (don't know south) with some wonderful villages to walk around, great atmosphere etc! you might be asked for a "contribution" for mooring! ;)

Weather reports are fine, though found it strange at the time, you had to have your passport for internet access!! Don't know if that has changed!
Good Luck!
 
We did the trip west to east. From Messina we went straight to Crotone (Euro 20 a night, free wifi in the town) then on to Courfu. The write ups for the other places between Messina and Crotone didn't fill us with the desire to visit them, hence the long hops. Messina was expensive (Euro 90) and we were on a mission to get to Corfu so didn't explore Sicilly at all. See the blog for further details.
 
We crossed Sicily to Corfu in 2008. Santa Maria di Leuca has a marina, and boats sometimes also shelter with the fishing boats along the harbour wall and in the anchorage outside the harbour.

Crotone has two harbours - the northern one is big and for commercial boats but again yachts sometimes go along the wall there. The southern harbour of the two is more for yachts and had some shower/WC facilities when we were there riding out a storm. The man who collected the harbour fees had an unpleasant way with him, but the town was quite interesting and had good shopping and a market.

Le Castella (just round the corner westwards from Crotone) is a delightful little marina/harbour but there is not much of a town. There is a supermarket.

Catanzaro is a fishing harbour which we used for one night, although the harbour walls were in a state and finding the entrance was tricky so not recommended.

http://yachtvigdis.wordpress.com
 
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bob234 said:
Sorry, forgot about this.

We found the public Italian weather forecast (the lady computer voice thingy) to be very good and we used it from the Peleponese in the east to as far west as south of Majorca this summer.

Bob
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I already did that one Bob! Also, since the guy looked as if he was looking for a late entry wintr berth, I thought that Ragusa would fit his needs.

Chas
 
jneale said:
Anybody got info on ports, harbours & routing and etc. in this area ?

I would leave Orthoni heading West (of course) but don't want to do more than say 60 miles a day. Particularly interested Harbours within the Gulf of Taranto.
My only other time in Italy was when we got ripped off badly in Regio Calabria

Also whats Italian public weather forecasting like.

*** Maybe I should splash out on Heinkel !!!

ta
Click to expand...
Corfu - Otranto - le Castella - Siracusa.

Done the trip several times, both ways, single-handed in a 9.5m boat.

If you draw more than 2.1m use Crotone instead of le castella.

Metal Minnie is a repeat of NOAA GRIB verbatim - better than many forecasts but needs taking with a pinch of salt as it will be incorrect where geo-features change conditions. Better by far to download your own GRIB (zygrib or ugrib on internet) and derive your own forecasts.
 
gulf of taranto

Just a couple of things to add. I can confirm that shelter is better on the harbour wall at santa maria de lucca and its free. Due west about 90 nm across the gulf brings you to the marina at Laghi de sibari. this place has an ongoing problem with the entrance channel thats silts badly. Best to keep away unless you have good upto date information. About 20nm to the south is the small fishing port of Cariatti I believe that they have some visitor pontoons there now. Never been to Crotone. Further down just below punta alice is the small fishing port of Ciro, you will have to sqeeze in amongst the local boats. Nice little town, worth stocking up on the locally produced wine from the cooperative. Le Castell has been mentioned. Roccella is good. and the entrance is not usually a problem, a local official comes around every evening to collect E20 from visitors. if you are not onboard when he comes or he overlooks you its free for that day. After that its a long day sail to Siracusa which is a must.
 
Corfu to sicily

In Sept we came back from Corfu day hopping to Othoni, Sta Maria de leuca, Crotone, Rocella then Taormina, Riposto, Catania, Siracusa, Marsamemi then Malta. We enjoyed all these stops except Catania (marina was fine - 2nd marina on right - but town unpleasant). Sta Maria good marina, chandelry, restaurants - quite busy with Italian tourists. Crotone a commercial port but very friendly/helpful club pontoons on right on entry; great fish shops on quay in town. Rocella ionica - marina good but out of town - so we ate at pizza bar beside marina - wonderful pizza. As highlight above watch out for the sand bar off outer breakwater - watch fishing boats going in they give it a very wide berth. Taormina - we stayed on George Rizzo's buoys in bay - great service and Taormina is stunning. Riposto good marina opposite centre of town - town is nothing special but another great fish market and excellent fish restaurant just outside the market at rear. Siracusa one of the gems of the Med for me - friendly pontoon owner on N side of isthmus but anchorage in bay to S looks a reasonable option in good weather to avoid marina charges; Greek and Roman sites, the Museum and the Duomo in Ortygia are all quite wonderful - if you enjoy history! Also great restaurants in Ortygia. Marsamemi a good marina and well sheltered - only concern for us was a bouy almost in middle of entrance - we left it to Stbd on entry and proceeded very slowly but had good depth. Didn't find out what it was there for! But closest marina for hop over to Malta - or would be useful stop if going on to Ragusa. Its a longish walk from marina in Marsamemi into town but worth it to see old centre - restaurant on left side of old town square was excellent although expensive. We'll happily call in at all the same places again as we go to/from Adriatic/Corfu.
 
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santelmo said:
Just a couple of things to add. I can confirm that shelter is better on the harbour wall at santa maria de lucca and its free. Due west about 90 nm across the gulf brings you to the marina at Laghi de sibari. this place has an ongoing problem with the entrance channel thats silts badly. Best to keep away unless you have good upto date information. About 20nm to the south is the small fishing port of Cariatti I believe that they have some visitor pontoons there now. Never been to Crotone. Further down just below punta alice is the small fishing port of Ciro, you will have to sqeeze in amongst the local boats. Nice little town, worth stocking up on the locally produced wine from the cooperative. Le Castell has been mentioned. Roccella is good. and the entrance is not usually a problem, a local official comes around every evening to collect E20 from visitors. if you are not onboard when he comes or he overlooks you its free for that day. After that its a long day sail to Siracusa which is a must.
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Crotone (IMHO) is the most depressing city in Italy - no wonder Socrates, Marcel Mastrianni and Silvano Mangano couldn't wait to get out of it.
Big advantage you can get diesel there.

Roccella Ionica is OK when the channel has been dredged, but I know of 5 boats who had to be low-loaded and taken to le Castella to get out again after a winter there.

Both Siracusa and le Castella are well up in the gastronomic stakes - Don Camillo in Siracusa (if you can find it) and l'Anibale in Castella.
 
charles_reed said:
Crotone (IMHO) is the most depressing city in Italy - no wonder Socrates, Marcel Mastrianni and Silvano Mangano couldn't wait to get out of it.
Big advantage you can get diesel there.

Roccella Ionica is OK when the channel has been dredged, but I know of 5 boats who had to be low-loaded and taken to le Castella to get out again after a winter there.

Both Siracusa and le Castella are well up in the gastronomic stakes - Don Camillo in Siracusa (if you can find it) and l'Anibale in Castella.
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Rocella had been dredged in 2010 in the channel near the break water. You don't need to do the long dog leg anymore - unless its crudded up all ready.
 
santelmo said:
Just a couple of things to add. I can confirm that shelter is better on the harbour wall at santa maria de lucca and its free. Due west about 90 nm across the gulf brings you to the marina at Laghi de sibari. this place has an ongoing problem with the entrance channel thats silts badly. Best to keep away unless you have good upto date information. About 20nm to the south is the small fishing port of Cariatti I believe that they have some visitor pontoons there now. Never been to Crotone. Further down just below punta alice is the small fishing port of Ciro, you will have to sqeeze in amongst the local boats. Nice little town, worth stocking up on the locally produced wine from the cooperative. Le Castell has been mentioned. Roccella is good. and the entrance is not usually a problem, a local official comes around every evening to collect E20 from visitors. if you are not onboard when he comes or he overlooks you its free for that day. After that its a long day sail to Siracusa which is a must.
Click to expand...

When we were in Santa Du Leuca there was a strong westerly and the pontoons were like bucking broncos - not at all pleasant - who on earth would build a harbour open to the prevailing winds. That was in 2010 and you could not go the the harbour wall opposite the marina - no mooring notices. Unless there is another wall somewhere?
 
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