San Remo, Northern Italy to Gouvia Marina, Corfu at 10 knots!!

[Perudo]

Hi all,

We are planning to get down from Portosole, San Remo to Corfu in 21-28 days sometime between early May and end of June next year, we are in Perudo, our Trader 575 (17 metres) that doesn't really like it at much more than 10 / 11 knots so it will be a slow old trip.

I have a bunch questions and would love help on any of the following from anyone who has done this or a similar trip:

Anyone got a log or diary of this journey or similar?
Good marinas / secure anchorings to stop for a night or two along the West coat of Italy? We don't want to get stuck after a long day's motoring with no berth!
Must see stopovers on the West coast of Italy?
Thoughts on whether to keep to the coast of Italy or go via Corsica and Sardinia?
Good marinas for an overnight stop if we took the Corsica / Sardinia option?
Thoughts on where to start the crossing from Italy to Corfu? Is there a marina on the 'heel' of Italy to use as a staging post before the last crossing?
What is the Strait of Messina?
Any nice marinas on West side of Sicily?
Does anyone have any comments about a long-term mooring at Gouvia Marina?

I know it's a lot but any little nuggets that I can use to piece together a plan would be hugely appreciated!

Many thanks
Mike

 

[Hooligan]

That is a very interesting journey and so so much to see on the way. We have effectively over time done N Corsica to Corfu so a few thoughts in general. Elba is fantastic and you should see a bit of that if you have not already done so. Personally after that I would head straight down to Ponza and the Pontines where your real journey starts. Not a great deal to excite you between the two although you could stop in Rome. The main marina is ok but only as a base for heading into Rome. The Amalfi coast is a must stopover. So much to see and do but it gets very crowded in the Summer. Easy marina down there is Marina D’Arechi where we were based for a couple of years. Marina itself not a must be but it is efficient and easy place to explore Amalfi. From Amalfi head straight down to the Aeolian Islands - Stromboli, Lipari, Panarea etc. You could easily spend a week there. Post this Sicily is stunning. We spent a Summer circumnavigating it and the best bits are the West ie past Palermo. In your case this is a massive diversion so my recommendation is head down the Strait of Messina which separates Sicily from Italy mainland and spend some time in Syracuse. This is not the most direct route but This for me is a must see. You can base there for any number of days exploring the old town and using this as a base to explore inland. I would avoid Catania from a boating perspective personally but Syracuse is a must stop. From there you have a 18 hour journey probably to the bottom of Kefalonia. Then a cruise up past Ithaca, Meganisi, Lefkada, Paxos and to Corfu. That is great cruising ground and too much to discuss now. Strongly recommend you download Navily and use that app to plan. It is great for discovering bays to anchor in and also marinas that work.

 

[Hooligan]

I should add that another option is to head down the West Coast of Corsica and then down same coast of Sardinia. From there you could cross to the Egadi Islands which are the islands that I referred to above. IMHO these are very special and that area of Sicily is fabulous. The downside is that the south coast of Sicily is pretty dull boating wise although decent marinas to stop in. West Coast of Corsica is lovely and @MapisM is the expert on W Sardinia (and can help you re Italy as well) and may want to weigh in.

 

[DavidJ]

Just from memory from doing some of your plan 20 years ago
Bonefacio is amazing and worth a stop. Get there early and you may have to tip the boys for a place but they will find one. It gets windy up there.
Alghero is nice but try to get as far into the harbour as you can because of large swells in the outer parts
Porto di Roma, we had a whole year berthed there and did Rome to death. Amazing Roman remains at Ostia nearby (like Pompeii) Very close to the airport (if you take control of the taxi driver!!)
La Speiza, A great stopover for doing (by train) the Cinque Terres.
I must have a log somewhere rather than rely on memory

 

[Perudo]

Just from memory from doing some of your plan 20 years ago
Bonefacio is amazing and worth a stop. Get there early and you may have to tip the boys for a place but they will find one. It gets windy up there.
Alghero is nice but try to get as far into the harbour as you can because of large swells in the outer parts
Porto di Roma, we had a whole year berthed there and did Rome to death. Amazing Roman remains at Ostia nearby (like Pompeii) Very close to the airport (if you take control of the taxi driver!!)
La Speiza, A great stopover for doing (by train) the Cinque Terres.
I must have a log somewhere rather than rely on memory

Sorry for the slow reply, just wanted to say thank you for this info - much appreciated!

 

[Perudo]

I should add that another option is to head down the West Coast of Corsica and then down same coast of Sardinia. From there you could cross to the Egadi Islands which are the islands that I referred to above. IMHO these are very special and that area of Sicily is fabulous. The downside is that the south coast of Sicily is pretty dull boating wise although decent marinas to stop in. West Coast of Corsica is lovely and @MapisM is the expert on W Sardinia (and can help you re Italy as well) and may want to weigh in.

Sorry for the slow reply, just wanted to say thank you for this info - much appreciated! I am starting to build a plan entering interesting places in order and building the journey up. Jury is still out on whether to stick to Italy or cut the corner and head to Corsica and Sardinia. Thanks for the tip on Navily, I hadn't come across it before but am loving it. What a great App for anyone on the move.

 

[Farmer Piles]

Never cruised through there but I have holidayed in the area. As Hooligan said, Elba is lovely, full of Italians on holiday and we saw no Brits at all.
Re Sardinia. Isola Maddelena off the northern tip is lovely. Very sheltered in around there and utterly charming. You can go to the neighbouring island od Caprera and visit Garibaldi's home. Very pretty islands.
To the sounth around the Costa Smerelda it is very lovely but very expensive and lacking in charm as we saw only new developments and no old characterful coastal villages.
Hopefully a little more info for you.
Good luck.

 

[ontheplane]

Gouvia marina is lovely. A few points.

The restaurant is very nice (the main one) - and surprisingly well priced for a marina.
The kids play pit (sand) is a breeding ground for some sort of biting insect - our kids played their once and even after just 5 mins they were covered head to foot in bites.

I think it's well priced for a Marina, as most Corfu marina's are. Staff seem pleasant, and helpful. Some very nice boats there.

 

[Portofino]

At 10/11 knots I would creep round .Genoa marina first night or Varrazzi just W .
Bay where Portofino is 2 nd day .Plenty of shelter to anchor or nip across the bay 10 miles to delightful Chiavari ( sp ? )

Thing is you need with a D speed tub to able to wait out the weather and sea states / wind .
You can’t out run it ! But you know that .

Next day trundle down to La Sepzia try and get in @ Porto Veneri , ( sp ?) but plenty of safe bays ( islands ) and other marinas .
Then Pisa ……good stop over .
Then head down to Elba ….try punta Ala ( sp ?) on the mainland .
Elba ….you can spend a season there but the cherry on the cake is worth a night ( or anchor off in the safe bay ) is Portoferiano ( sp ?)
When , or ever if you are done with Elba head to Argenterio ( sp ? ) peninsula .
Try Roma next great stop over .
Then do a long day to Naples .
Then try Capri ,
Hang around the Amalfi.Why not ? Anchor off Positano ( sp ? )

The problem for you crossing to Corsica from San Remo is the weather and N Corsica can be windy .The E side is boring .
The Magellas ( sp ? ) are expensive and you need a permit and it’ full of rocks hardly relaxing if passing through .
ThE NE of Sardinia , Samereldi ( sp ? ) is stupid € marina prices draining bank account territory.
Again the hop to Sicily for you chugging around at 10 knots could be “ interesting “ due to the wind / wave .

Stick to the coast in your tub .You can’t out run weather point and squirt coving 100 miles in 3 hrs .

For you theoretical fuel savings flagged up by some online 1/2 arsed passage planning site will be burnt in marina fees, many times over going the big island direct route.
And it’s not as if the longer hugging way is boring .It’s pure Italy , inc the food ! .

 

[Portofino]

Just caught this on utube .
Could be any IT marina .It’s winter so livens up the thread . Recommend first stop from me .

 

[Forty_Two]

My route to Elba is usually San Remo, Varazze, Lavagna, Pisa, Cala De' Medici & Elba. Punta Ala is nice for shelter & is close to Elba.

Tried the marina in central Genoa once, never again. The water was disgusting, couldn't get away fast enough!

Did manage a berth in Portofino once, also Rapallo nearby but hard to get a berth.

Viareggio is nice but again hard to get a berth, persuasion needed. S. Vincenzo is very lively with good shopping but noisy nightclub & cost us €200 for our 13m in 2016!

Pics show breaking water at Pisa entrance with westerly blow & moored in Portofino.

 

[Perudo]

Never cruised through there but I have holidayed in the area. As Hooligan said, Elba is lovely, full of Italians on holiday and we saw no Brits at all.
Re Sardinia. Isola Maddelena off the northern tip is lovely. Very sheltered in around there and utterly charming. You can go to the neighbouring island od Caprera and visit Garibaldi's home. Very pretty islands.
To the sounth around the Costa Smerelda it is very lovely but very expensive and lacking in charm as we saw only new developments and no old characterful coastal villages.
Hopefully a little more info for you.
Good luck.

Sorry for the late reply, been away and come back to loads of helpful contributions on the forum - thanks for taking the time.

 

[Perudo]

Never cruised through there but I have holidayed in the area. As Hooligan said, Elba is lovely, full of Italians on holiday and we saw no Brits at all.
Re Sardinia. Isola Maddelena off the northern tip is lovely. Very sheltered in around there and utterly charming. You can go to the neighbouring island od Caprera and visit Garibaldi's home. Very pretty islands.
To the sounth around the Costa Smerelda it is very lovely but very expensive and lacking in charm as we saw only new developments and no old characterful coastal villages.
Hopefully a little more info for you.
Good luck.

Sorry for the late reply, been away and come back to loads of helpful contributions on the forum - thanks for taking the time.

 

[Perudo]

Just from memory from doing some of your plan 20 years ago
Bonefacio is amazing and worth a stop. Get there early and you may have to tip the boys for a place but they will find one. It gets windy up there.
Alghero is nice but try to get as far into the harbour as you can because of large swells in the outer parts
Porto di Roma, we had a whole year berthed there and did Rome to death. Amazing Roman remains at Ostia nearby (like Pompeii) Very close to the airport (if you take control of the taxi driver!!)
La Speiza, A great stopover for doing (by train) the Cinque Terres.
I must have a log somewhere rather than rely on memory

Sorry for the late reply, been away and come back to loads of helpful contributions on the forum - thanks for taking the time.

 

[Perudo]

My route to Elba is usually San Remo, Varazze, Lavagna, Pisa, Cala De' Medici & Elba. Punta Ala is nice for shelter & is close to Elba.

Tried the marina in central Genoa once, never again. The water was disgusting, couldn't get away fast enough!

Did manage a berth in Portofino once, also Rapallo nearby but hard to get a berth.

Viareggio is nice but again hard to get a berth, persuasion needed. S. Vincenzo is very lively with good shopping but noisy nightclub & cost us €200 for our 13m in 2016!

Pics show breaking water at Pisa entrance with westerly blow & moored in Portofino.

That entrance to Pisa is looks lively!! Thanks for the info

 

[Perudo]

That is a very interesting journey and so so much to see on the way. We have effectively over time done N Corsica to Corfu so a few thoughts in general. Elba is fantastic and you should see a bit of that if you have not already done so. Personally after that I would head straight down to Ponza and the Pontines where your real journey starts. Not a great deal to excite you between the two although you could stop in Rome. The main marina is ok but only as a base for heading into Rome. The Amalfi coast is a must stopover. So much to see and do but it gets very crowded in the Summer. Easy marina down there is Marina D’Arechi where we were based for a couple of years. Marina itself not a must be but it is efficient and easy place to explore Amalfi. From Amalfi head straight down to the Aeolian Islands - Stromboli, Lipari, Panarea etc. You could easily spend a week there. Post this Sicily is stunning. We spent a Summer circumnavigating it and the best bits are the West ie past Palermo. In your case this is a massive diversion so my recommendation is head down the Strait of Messina which separates Sicily from Italy mainland and spend some time in Syracuse. This is not the most direct route but This for me is a must see. You can base there for any number of days exploring the old town and using this as a base to explore inland. I would avoid Catania from a boating perspective personally but Syracuse is a must stop. From there you have a 18 hour journey probably to the bottom of Kefalonia. Then a cruise up past Ithaca, Meganisi, Lefkada, Paxos and to Corfu. That is great cruising ground and too much to discuss now. Strongly recommend you download Navily and use that app to plan. It is great for discovering bays to anchor in and also marinas that work.

Great info - many thanks.

 

[Perudo]

At 10/11 knots I would creep round .Genoa marina first night or Varrazzi just W .
Bay where Portofino is 2 nd day .Plenty of shelter to anchor or nip across the bay 10 miles to delightful Chiavari ( sp ? )

Thing is you need with a D speed tub to able to wait out the weather and sea states / wind .
You can’t out run it ! But you know that .

Next day trundle down to La Sepzia try and get in @ Porto Veneri , ( sp ?) but plenty of safe bays ( islands ) and other marinas .
Then Pisa ……good stop over .
Then head down to Elba ….try punta Ala ( sp ?) on the mainland .
Elba ….you can spend a season there but the cherry on the cake is worth a night ( or anchor off in the safe bay ) is Portoferiano ( sp ?)
When , or ever if you are done with Elba head to Argenterio ( sp ? ) peninsula .
Try Roma next great stop over .
Then do a long day to Naples .
Then try Capri ,
Hang around the Amalfi.Why not ? Anchor off Positano ( sp ? )

The problem for you crossing to Corsica from San Remo is the weather and N Corsica can be windy .The E side is boring .
The Magellas ( sp ? ) are expensive and you need a permit and it’ full of rocks hardly relaxing if passing through .
ThE NE of Sardinia , Samereldi ( sp ? ) is stupid € marina prices draining bank account territory.
Again the hop to Sicily for you chugging around at 10 knots could be “ interesting “ due to the wind / wave .

Stick to the coast in your tub .You can’t out run weather point and squirt coving 100 miles in 3 hrs .

For you theoretical fuel savings flagged up by some online 1/2 arsed passage planning site will be burnt in marina fees, many times over going the big island direct route.
And it’s not as if the longer hugging way is boring .It’s pure Italy , inc the food ! .

Thanks for this excellent info - much appreciated!

 

[Perudo]

Perudo's journey is done, this was our route with nautical miles shown along the way, I have also shown our fuel costs which may interest people, we travelled at just under 2000 revs giving us a speed of about 10-11 knots depending on the sea state. All the stops were fine, however highlights were Elba, Ischia, Amalfi, Gaeta, Porto Bolaro, Vibo Valentia, Crotone. No outright bad places. Amalfi is very expensive and I only got that price by paying cash and begging!! Porto Bolaro needs booking a couple of days in advance but is a fabulous and unique experience, more like a private dock than a marina.

As we spread it over three legs, the costs of the moorings reflects this, obviously we could have saved a few quid by just getting on with it. Rome and Sapri were great for mid-term stopovers but are probably the least nice marinas of the lot, Rome is a good way out of town so we flew back and had a night in a hotel in the city before picking up the boat the next day. Both marinas gave a good discount for staying for a while. Sapri is a nice little town but its a 3km walk to the village along a main road and there is literally nothing at the rather unloved marina but there is a very good pizzeria about 1km walk away along the main road.

We are very happy in our new home, the boating in Corfu is amazing and Gouvia is a first class marina.

Hope this helps anyone heading that way, and thanks for the help that I received from the forum, I am happy to answer any questions if someone is planning a similar trip:

	BOAT MOVE	MOORING FEE - £	FUEL - £	MILES
19-May​	San Remo	£0.00​	Half full	0​
20-May​	Varazze	£141.00​		55​
21-May​	La Spezia	Did not charge		62​
22-May​	Marina Di San Vincenzo, Marciana, Elba	£111.00​	£2,827.00​	78​
23-May​	Marina dei Presidi in Porto Ercole	£130.00​		55​
24-May​	Rome - 12 NIGHT STOPOVER	£0.00​		61​
04-May​	Rome	£619.00​		0​
05-Jun​	Nettuno	£129.00​		25​
06-Jun​	Gaeta	£161.00​		55​
07-Jun​	Cala Aragonesi, Ischia	£164.00​		32​
08-Jun​	Cala Aragonesi, Ischia	£164.00​		0​
09-Jun​	Amalfi - 2 NIGHTS	£600.00​		22​
11-Jun​	Sapri - ONE MONTH STOPOVER	£0.00​		67​
11-Jul​	Sapri	£1,579.00​	£2,146.00​	0​
12-Jul​	Vibo Valentia	£124.00​		85​
13-Jul​	Porto Bolaro, Messina Strait	£150.00​		57​
14-Jul​	Porto Della Grazie, Rocella Ionica	£102.00​	£2,855.00​	58​
15-Jul​	Crotone	£162.00​		64​
16-Jul​	Santa Maria Di Leuca	£124.00​		71​
17-Jul​	Erikoussa - 3 nights	£150.00​		60​
20-Jul​	Gouvia	Annual Contract	Half Full	29​
		TOTAL MOORING FEES	TOTAL FUEL	TOTAL MILES
		£4,610.00​	£7,828.00​	936​

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[Hooligan]

Fantastic journey. We had our boat in Amalfi and did a similar journey moving it to Lefkas. Gouvia is part of the same marina group so you get 7 free nights in any of their marinas. The Ionian is in my view the best cruising ground that we have been in with so much to do. We are down in the Laconian Gulf now which is fabulous. I wrote a cruise report last year with some pictures which will give you an idea of the area. You should write up a cruise report of you have time and post it. They are great sources of information which I for one have used so really valuable. If you are ever in Lefkas Marina do get in touch.

 

[BartW]

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