Sardinia secrets

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Ms Teak

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Hi all
I wondered if anyone had any great anchorages to recommend in Sardinia? We are planning to travel there at least twice this season so all coasts are of interest.
Great beach bars, restaurants to visit with the boat (50ft mobo) etc will also be gratefully received. We are reading lots about it but know those who have cruised there will know all the good (quiet!) spots!
Thanks
MT
 
Mapism is the expert as he is based there.

I was there a few years ago. A few thoughts.

The north and south are lovely. There is not really that much that is really special in the middle.

The Maddalana islands ( north east ) and the mainland coast around that area is stunning.

The straights between Corsica and Sardinia can blow up with no warning and no forecast. Having anchored all day and nil forecast guests asked if now was the time to don life jackets in a 65 foot boat. I said no and we entered port but do treat them with caution.

Fuel is very expensive. E1.80 a litre. In bonafacio by tanker is was e1.20 ish. So it is worth the diesel to fill up in France.

Calaforte is lovely and where mapism is based. I will leave more details to him.
 
Hi and welcome (beforehand! :)) to my second home. Well, almost first, actually! :cool:
Where are you going to arrive from? That would be useful to suggest the most appropriate route to follow.
Forgive me for not expanding further for the moment, will follow up soon.
In the meantime, you might wish to have a look at the "Forum Cruise Reports" section.
There's plenty of interesting stuff that was already posted, together with pics and videos. :encouragement:
 
Guys, thank you so much for your help and recommendations thus far!
MapisM - let me double check with HWMBO.
Thanks!
 
Hi there
I'm already envious you get to call it your first/second home! :cool::cool:
We'll be coming from Italy, probably from the Naples coast though itinerary is still a little up in the air.
I'm eager to learn of the quieter spots, local gems and anywhere you would really pick out in lesser known parts.
I'll definitely take a good look through the Forum Cruise Reports - great shout. Thanks again! :)
 
One of the threads that MapisM is probably referring to is this one:-
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?421307-Sardinia-Summer-2015
A massive thread that documents our whole Sardinia Summer experience starting with our plan through the maintenance/preparations and the summer in Carloforte.
MapisM will tell you that Carloforte is located on the small island of San Pietro just off the southern west tip of Sardinia.
We had a fantastic summer - MapisM looked after us and showed us all his wonderful anchorages etc.

If you want to skip the boring stuff start at about post 150
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?421307-Sardinia-Summer-2015/page16

EDIT
I've just picked this video from that thread - shows the kind of anchorages that MapisM has on his doorstep.

 
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The north and south are lovely. There is not really that much that is really special in the middle
Click to expand...
Not entirely true. There is a stunning stretch of remote coastline just north of Santa Maria Navaresse which has quite the clearest water I think I've ever seen in the Med and has some beauriful fair weather anchorages

The straights between Corsica and Sardinia can blow up with no warning and no forecast
Click to expand...
In fact it seems to blow all the bloody time there. Having spent a season berthed in Olbia and exploring the Costa Smerelda/Maddalenas, we found many days blighted by strong winds. Yes the area is quite scenic (although not IMHO as scenic as its bigged up to be) but it also gets extremely crowded in July/August with superyachts and Italians coming from the mainland. The marina prices in July/August are also hilariously expensive (€400/night for a 20m berth). Personally I wouldnt go out of my way to visit again

Calaforte is lovely and where mapism is based. I will leave more details to him
Click to expand...
I will leave the details to Mapism too but having berthed in Carloforte for 2 seasons, I will just say that IMHO the S and SW coasts are the nicest parts of Sardinia for boating. They are less crowded and less blighted by strong winds although wind is usually always a factor in Sardinian boating. Carloforte is a delightful destination in itself with many cafes and restaurants, particularly if you like tuna with everything, and the marinas are very friendly and helpful. There are many fine anchorages around S Pietro island and on the S coast of Sardinia too so you can usually always find shelter from any wind direction. Its a different kind of boating to the Costa Smerelda. Not as sophisticated in terms of onshore facilities and you need to be prepared to be a little more self sufficient which we like but if you have a SWMBO who likes shopping for designer handbags or teenage kids who need a club every night, perhaps go elsewhere
 
I agree with you Mike. We keep a 7.5m rib there and have had a few days where it's just to windy to venture out. When it's calm the Maddalena Islands are beautiful but in August as you say it's gets rammed. I've never seen so many small boats around the anchorages on the islands apart from a boat show that is.

OP, if your'e looking for secluded anchorages avoid the Islands in July/August but there are some stunning places down the Southern area.

It's a stunningly beautiful Island but you need to pick your spots to visit otherwise it can be overrun with holidaymakers.
 
Ms Teak said:
We'll be coming from Italy, probably from the Naples coast
Click to expand...
Ok, next question has to be for how much time will you be able to spend around Sardinia (which is a big island indeed!). Sorry if I didn't think to ask beforehand...
Time being, I will assume that you wish to circumnavigate and see the whole thing - for which I would strongly recommend to reserve at least 2 weeks, as a rock bottom minimum for at least scratching the surface of the whole perimeter.
'Fiuaskme, I wouldn't go round Sardinia unless I could use a whole month.

Now, coming from Naples, I would head towards La Caletta or Porto Ottiolu first.
It's a long passage btw, about 200Nm IIRC. You've got enough range, I suppose?
Anyway, from there you could follow the coast CCW, which is the direction with a bit less chances to have waves on your face.
There are several good anchorages in that area, up to Olbia, and also some of the best diving spots (if that's your thing) of the whole Med, around Tavolara island - though you can only reach them with authorized diving center boats, because it's a natural park with restricted access.
Further N from Olbia, and up to Santa Teresa di Gallura, there's the bling Costa Smeralda, a sort of small world inside the island, with all its pros and cons: plenty of islets, beautiful bays and some very luxurious marinas/hotels/restaurants, but also a lot of wind, crowded and VERY expensive, particularly in peak season. And anywhere in the Maddalena archipelago you must pay an entrance fee, even if you aren't overnighting.
A beautiful area it definitely is, but I'm with Deleted User in not rating it as my favourite way of enjoying Sardinia, though most VIPs with their boats seem to disagree with us... :)

The NW coast, from S.Teresa to Asinara island, has less sheltered spots and islets, but the sea is also beautiful and a bit less crowded - though generally speaking, August is pretty crowded just about anywhere in IT, tbh.
Just round the corner from S.Teresa, Capo Testa is a beautiful and very peculiar spot, always offering decent shelter, either along its N or S side, depending on wind.
Castelsardo marina is worth a stop, not because of the marina itself (before that, the smaller Isola Rossa is much nicer), but to visit the old village on the top of a hill, which is lovely.
Asinara island is also stunning. There are some restrictions, because it's another natural park, but you can overnight there, as long as you use one of their buoys (anchors are not allowed, IIRC).

From Asinara, you just follow the coastline heading S.
Now, I must say that I also agree with Deleted User when he argues that also in the middle of Sardinia there are nice places worth seeing.
I mean, it is true that around the central part of both the W and E coast there are fewer marinas and good anchorages, compared to the S and particularly the N.
But there are indeed some wild and breathtaking spots which are well worth visiting, and this is true both of the E (with its Orosei Gulf, which is the area Deleted User mentioned) and of the W, where we are now in our virtual circumnavigation.
So, after heading S from Asinara, you will soon see the steep cliffs of Capo Caccia, which definitely is one of these stunning spots.
Just behind it along the coast, there's Porto Conte, a large and well sheltered natural harbour.
From there, you're just a few miles from Alghero, whose marina has always been a bit of a mess (though as I was told they improved it lately), but the town is very lively and nice, and there are some excellent restaurants.
Further S, all the coastline between Alghero and Bosa is very nice, and hard to reach from inland, so you have plenty of chances to find spots which you can call your own - Mistral permitting, because it's the prevailing wind there, and the whole W coast offer very few sheltered spots. A constant eye on the forecast is essential.
Bosa Marina is the only place where to head for cover in that area, but it's actually a very pretty village well worth visiting anyway, time permitting.
Following our cruise S along the W coast, the coastline is again rather wild and exposed, the first sheltered spot being around the Capo Mannu peninsula - in front of which there's the small Mal di Ventre islet, a small jewel where it's common to be surrounded by small rays while snorkeling.
In a few miles from there, we reach the Oristano Gulf, which actually is nothing special, but gives you a choice of anchoring sheltered by the Tharros peninsula - which btw is the nicest part of the gulf - or go to the Torregrande marina, which is very near Cabras, home of the "Bottarga", a typical stuff made from fish eggs, which can be used with pasta and also in other recipes.
After leaving Oristano, you will find several long and white beaches, the most well known being the area called Piscinas, very nice for anchoring and swim an amazingly turquoise sea - Mistral permitting, as always along the W coast.
That's where the pic of my avatar was taken btw, and just to put the transparency it in perspective, the sandy bottom where you can see the shadow of my boat's hull was almost 10m down...
Sorry Solent boaters, but that's really how sea looks like down here, I'm not making that up...! :rolleyes:

Now, aside from running for cover after my last comment, I'm now due for dinner, and btw we are now just about half way in the circumnavigation, so forgive me if I'll postpone the second half to a next post which I'll make asap, if you will find the first half worth reading... :)
 
MapisM said:
Ok, next question has to be for how much time will you be able to spend around Sardinia (which is a big island indeed!). Sorry if I didn't think to ask beforehand...
Time being, I will assume that you wish to circumnavigate and see the whole thing - for which I would strongly recommend to reserve at least 2 weeks, as a rock bottom minimum for at least scratching the surface of the whole perimeter.
'Fiuaskme, I wouldn't go round Sardinia unless I could use a whole month.

Now, coming from Naples, I would head towards La Caletta or Porto Ottiolu first.
It's a long passage btw, about 200Nm IIRC. You've got enough range, I suppose?
Anyway, from there you could follow the coast CCW, which is the direction with a bit less chances to have waves on your face.
There are several good anchorages in that area, up to Olbia, and also some of the best diving spots (if that's your thing) of the whole Med, around Tavolara island - though you can only reach them with authorized diving center boats, because it's a natural park with restricted access.
Further N from Olbia, and up to Santa Teresa di Gallura, there's the bling Costa Smeralda, a sort of small world inside the island, with all its pros and cons: plenty of islets, beautiful bays and some very luxurious marinas/hotels/restaurants, but also a lot of wind, crowded and VERY expensive, particularly in peak season. And anywhere in the Maddalena archipelago you must pay an entrance fee, even if you aren't overnighting.
A beautiful area it definitely is, but I'm with Deleted User in not rating it as my favourite way of enjoying Sardinia, though most VIPs with their boats seem to disagree with us... :)

The NW coast, from S.Teresa to Asinara island, has less sheltered spots and islets, but the sea is also beautiful and a bit less crowded - though generally speaking, August is pretty crowded just about anywhere in IT, tbh.
Just round the corner from S.Teresa, Capo Testa is a beautiful and very peculiar spot, always offering decent shelter, either along its N or S side, depending on wind.
Castelsardo marina is worth a stop, not because of the marina itself (before that, the smaller Isola Rossa is much nicer), but to visit the old village on the top of a hill, which is lovely.
Asinara island is also stunning. There are some restrictions, because it's another natural park, but you can overnight there, as long as you use one of their buoys (anchors are not allowed, IIRC).

From Asinara, you just follow the coastline heading S.
Now, I must say that I also agree with Deleted User when he argues that also in the middle of Sardinia there are nice places worth seeing.
I mean, it is true that around the central part of both the W and E coast there are fewer marinas and good anchorages, compared to the S and particularly the N.
But there are indeed some wild and breathtaking spots which are well worth visiting, and this is true both of the E (with its Orosei Gulf, which is the area Deleted User mentioned) and of the W, where we are now in our virtual circumnavigation.
So, after heading S from Asinara, you will soon see the steep cliffs of Capo Caccia, which definitely is one of these stunning spots.
Just behind it along the coast, there's Porto Conte, a large and well sheltered natural harbour.
From there, you're just a few miles from Alghero, whose marina has always been a bit of a mess (though as I was told they improved it lately), but the town is very lively and nice, and there are some excellent restaurants.
Further S, all the coastline between Alghero and Bosa is very nice, and hard to reach from inland, so you have plenty of chances to find spots which you can call your own - Mistral permitting, because it's the prevailing wind there, and the whole W coast offer very few sheltered spots. A constant eye on the forecast is essential.
Bosa Marina is the only place where to head for cover in that area, but it's actually a very pretty village well worth visiting anyway, time permitting.
Following our cruise S along the W coast, the coastline is again rather wild and exposed, the first sheltered spot being around the Capo Mannu peninsula - in front of which there's the small Mal di Ventre islet, a small jewel where it's common to be surrounded by small rays while snorkeling.
In a few miles from there, we reach the Oristano Gulf, which actually is nothing special, but gives you a choice of anchoring sheltered by the Tharros peninsula - which btw is the nicest part of the gulf - or go to the Torregrande marina, which is very near Cabras, home of the "Bottarga", a typical stuff made from fish eggs, which can be used with pasta and also in other recipes.
After leaving Oristano, you will find several long and white beaches, the most well known being the area called Piscinas, very nice for anchoring and swim an amazingly turquoise sea - Mistral permitting, as always along the W coast.
That's where the pic of my avatar was taken btw, and just to put the transparency it in perspective, the sandy bottom where you can see the shadow of my boat's hull was almost 10m down...
Sorry Solent boaters, but that's really how sea looks like down here, I'm not making that up...! :rolleyes:

Now, aside from running for cover after my last comment, I'm now due for dinner, and btw we are now just about half way in the circumnavigation, so forgive me if I'll postpone the second half to a next post which I'll make asap, if you will find the first half worth reading... :)
Click to expand...

You haven't even got to the good bits down south yet ;)

"........half way in the circumnavigation"
Well there wasn't much in the way of an official announcement of the actual departure date?
Are you going to submit a staged report on your progress or wait until your arrive back in CF.

Personally I'd prefer a staged cruise report, I'm not good at waiting :)

All the best anyway, I'm particularly keen to see the Dalmation Islands again.
 
Glad you appreciated folks, I'll post about the second half (SW to NE) as soon as I'll have a bit of time, busy atm.

AndieMac said:
You haven't even got to the good bits down south yet ;)

"........half way in the circumnavigation"
Well there wasn't much in the way of an official announcement of the actual departure date?
Are you going to submit a staged report on your progress or wait until your arrive back in CF.

Personally I'd prefer a staged cruise report, I'm not good at waiting :)

All the best anyway, I'm particularly keen to see the Dalmation Islands again.
Click to expand...
Thanks C, no announcements yet 'cause we have some familiar affairs to deal with for a while, and it's unlikely that we'll be able to start the delivery trip before end of May/beg of Jun. I'll definitely try to post updates as we go, though.

Btw, during the last US trip, eventually I couldn't resist purchasing a small drone.
Just a toy actually, 100 Eur stuff, but unless it'll land in the water upon first attempt, hopefully I'll be able to shoot some aerial views...

Apropos, what are your plans for the down under winter? Any chances to see you around here?
 
MapisM said:
Glad you appreciated folks, I'll post about the second half (SW to NE) as soon as I'll have a bit of time, busy atm.


Thanks C, no announcements yet 'cause we have some familiar affairs to deal with for a while, and it's unlikely that we'll be able to start the delivery trip before end of May/beg of Jun. I'll definitely try to post updates as we go, though.

Btw, during the last US trip, eventually I couldn't resist purchasing a small drone.
Just a toy actually, 100 Eur stuff, but unless it'll land in the water upon first attempt, hopefully I'll be able to shoot some aerial views...

Apropos, what are your plans for the down under winter? Any chances to see you around here?
Click to expand...

Great stuff
You have an eye for videos and photos so I, for one, will be waiting for some new input.
I still can't get over the great footage you have taken with a cheap underwater camera.
I still haven't taken my new Mavic Pro out of the box yet - it will probably be a museum piece soon!!
 
Because of all the great information posted so far, maybe this thread needs to have a link in the Cruise Reports section so the information won't get lost.
 
all very informative indeed, especially as we have similar plans like OP,
first (beginning july) we go from Naples region (Salerno) to NE Sardegna and south Corse, and stay there 2 or 3 weeks,
and around beginning of august we navigate south towards Carloforte all tbc.

we might cross path, or even navigate together with OP ?
 
Hi B, this is just to quickly confirm that from our part it's very unlikely that we will come up to Salerno.
We will follow the shorter route along N Sicily coastline instead, possibly including the Aeolian islands and surely the Aegadian islands, crossing straight to CF from there.
1200Nm or so is already long enough, as a shakedown delivery trip... :cool:
Anyway, all going well, you will find us in CF ready to open a bottle or three together upon your arrival! :encouragement:

PS: sorry folks, be patient, I'm dealing with some other stuff atm, but I won't forget to post chapter 2 asap.
 
MapisM said:
Glad you appreciated folks, I'll post about the second half (SW to NE) as soon as I'll have a bit of time, busy atm.


Thanks C, no announcements yet 'cause we have some familiar affairs to deal with for a while, and it's unlikely that we'll be able to start the delivery trip before end of May/beg of Jun. I'll definitely try to post updates as we go, though.

Btw, during the last US trip, eventually I couldn't resist purchasing a small drone.
Just a toy actually, 100 Eur stuff, but unless it'll land in the water upon first attempt, hopefully I'll be able to shoot some aerial views...

Apropos, what are your plans for the down under winter? Any chances to see you around here?
Click to expand...

Looks like I jumped the gun a bit assuming you had already started the cruise, I thought that was an amazing quick departure timeframe, I'm glad I didn't miss anything though.

Our intentions had certainly been to be located somewhere along your cruise course, in an attempt to catch up, but trying to organise coinciding itineries for even us three proved too difficult, so we won't be crossing the equator again this year unfortunately.

I'm sure it won't matter how inexpensive your new drone is, you will be able to produce some excellent footage.
Btw, Andie just bought a Parrot Disco FPV and having a lot of fun with that, although without the ability to hover like conventional drones.
 
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