Sardinia/Rome

[Nick_H]

Obviously i'm hoping MapisM will see this thread and respond, but happy to hear from any others who have visited.

Depending on weather, we hope to get to Sardinia later in the month. It seems the best cruising areas are in the north and south, and more limited down the west and east coasts. It's another 400 miles round trip to get to the south, so is it worth the extra time and fuel if we only have about 10 days in total?

Any tips on the best overnight anchorages and ports, and any must see towns, villages or beaches? I have the usual cruising guides, so particularly interested in any gems that aren't normally highlighted.

Also if we decided to go across to Rome, which is the best port for transport to the city?

 

[jfm]

Obviously i'm hoping MapisM will see this thread and respond, but happy to hear from any others who have visited.

Depending on weather, we hope to get to Sardinia later in the month. It seems the best cruising areas are in the north and south, and more limited down the west and east coasts. It's another 400 miles round trip to get to the south, so is it worth the extra time and fuel if we only have about 10 days in total?

Any tips on the best overnight anchorages and ports, and any must see towns, villages or beaches? I have the usual cruising guides, so particularly interested in any gems that aren't normally highlighted.

Also if we decided to go across to Rome, which is the best port for transport to the city?

Put Spargi into google maps. It's one of the first islands you'll come to in the Madellenas. The bay at about 2 o'clock, facing ENE and level horizontally with the red "A" blob on the google map, is very nice and has a sandy beach. One of my favourites.

 

[MapisM]

is it worth the extra time and fuel if we only have about 10 days in total?

Wow, the whole Sardinia in 10 days... So much to see, so little time... As much as I like the southern part of Sardinia better in more ways than one (not that the rest is shabby, by all means!), TBH the short answer to your question has to be no.
I mean, in 10 days it would be difficult to see much more than the marinas/cities where you would overnight along the route, while the most stunning attractions are the coastline, anchorages, swimming (and/or diving) spots.
Just to give you an idea, 10 days would barely be enough to see just the spots worth spending a day at anchor after a short daily cruise from my home port.
And I'm talking of reachable at D speed, in a time ranging from 15 minutes to 2 hours max.
By extending the range just a little bit, and overnighting elsewhere but still in the same area, it would take probably one month or so for a decent overview.
So, probably the most sensible plan is to cruise the northern part of Sardinia, which btw is a more convenient base also for reaching Rome, if that's in your plans.
Coming from SoF, I would head towards the Asinara Island first, then follow the coastline going NE, possibly stopping in Castelsardo or Isola Rossa, before reaching Capo Testa and Santa Teresa di Gallura, and eventually cruising the beautiful Maddalena archipelago, before going to Rome.
Otoh, if you already know that area and you wish to explore further South, you might go straight down as fast as possible along the W coast of Sardinia (maybe having a swim along the way in the beautiful Isola del Mal di Ventre, near Oristano), then explore the southern part, and cruise also a bit along the Eastern coast (Orosei Gulf) while heading N towards Rome.
I could give you some more detailed suggestions of course - aside from taking the opportunity to have a glass of wine or three together, obviously!
But you should probably decide between the two alternatives first, because they are very different not only in terms of places to see, but also of time spent cruising, possible weather constraints, etc.

Oh, and with regard to the best port for visiting Rome, this would probably be my choice:
http://www.pagineazzurre.com/english/port/id_laz001/info_ostia-porto-turistico-di-roma.htm

 

[Nick_H]

Thanks MapisM. I suspect we'll stick to the north, though we'll see how it goes. It seems a fairly windy area. How often does it get too windy to anchor out overnight (in relative comfort with wife and young kids)? Will we probably end up in port a fair bit, or do winds generally drop overnight in the summer?

 

[A&K]

Have you done the Maddalena yet? If not, that's a must see as Jfm and Mapism say. There are also some beautiful anchorages by Razzoli and Santa Maria - cala Santa Maria and g. Marino. Santa Teresa di gallura is a pleasant port on mainland Sardinia with a nice pool you can use. Beware of the marina charges at porto cervo in August if you're tempted! We're planning to head for Corsica from PV this w/e so give us a shout if you're around.

 

[Nick_H]

Have you done the Maddalena yet? .

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I did it at an office party a few years ago

We had a quick blast through some of the islands on our last trip around Corsica, but the wind was building and we wanted to get back across the straits before it got too rough. We arrive in Antibes tomorrow night, and have some things to organise on Fri, so we may well be heading over to Corsica at the same time, so we'll compare notes.

 

[MapisM]

Thanks MapisM. I suspect we'll stick to the north, though we'll see how it goes. It seems a fairly windy area. How often does it get too windy to anchor out overnight (in relative comfort with wife and young kids)? Will we probably end up in port a fair bit, or do winds generally drop overnight in the summer?

Yep, the area is definitely windy, but sorry, I'm not familiar enough with its weather patterns to give you a reliable estimate of the chances to be able to overnight at anchor.
Of course, the usual principles apply: check the most recent weather reports and see where also other boaters are staying - paying more attention to yatties, I must say, who are usually more keen on anchoring, also for long term stays.
Anyway, particularly in the Maddalena archipelago, where you can turn around the islands and find sheltered spots with any wind direction, I would think that it shouldn't be a big problem.
Otoh, the NW coast from Asinara island to Capo Testa is quite exposed to Mistral, but there are places well worth staying in the marina and visit the villages, like Stintino and Castelsardo.
Anyway, just as a reference, in my cruising grounds, so far this summer I had maybe 10 days (if that), where I couldn't have overnighted at anchor in decent comfort, if I wanted to.
And I'm talking of overnighting with my round bilge old tub, which when not underway rolls like a pig and doesn't have the luxury of zero speed stabs!

 

[Nick_H]

OK, thanks. Hopefully we'll have some light winds so we can explore a bit more of the coast.

 

[Portofino]

Hi ,if "Jobsworths" catches you @ anchor without one of these? In the islands !
http://autorizzazioni.lamaddalenapark.it/index.php?ssez=Tariffe

 

[Nick_H]

Hi ,if "Jobsworths" catches you @ anchor without one of these? In the islands !
http://autorizzazioni.lamaddalenapark.it/index.php?ssez=Tariffe

Blimey, 460 euros for two weeks. I'd heard permits were required but was expecting it to be a few euro a night.

edit: Actually my part 1 cert states 16.92m, so I should get away with the next band down, which is 195 euro, so only a tenner a night when you think about it.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Have you checked marina berth availability and cost? I kept my previous boat in Sardinia (Porto Rotondo) for a few months over winter in 2009. The winter berthing rates were ridiculously cheap but the summer berthing rates were ridiculously expensive. I was told that this was because the Italian Navy invades in July and particularly, August and prices of everything shoot up enormously

 

[Nick_H]

Yeah, i've heard they're crazy, I was paying 200 euro a night on the Italian mainland the year before last. That's why I asked about overnight anchoring, as we only usually go into port once every few days.