Sardinia secrets

Thanks for seeking out the links - v kind. And that video should surely be scouted by the tourist board... if I hadn't already booked our hols there I certainly would be now!
 
Thank you so much for this. Cracking read MapisM! Definitely up for the second instalment when time allows, of course.

We will be heading over for at least three weeks and there may be plans afoot to return again at the end of the season so all notes and tips much appreciated :encouragement:
 
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Ms Teak said:
Thank you so much for this. Cracking read MapisM! Definitely up for the second instalment when time allows, of course.
We will be heading over for at least three weeks and there may be plans afoot to return again at the end of the season so all notes and tips much appreciated :encouragement:
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Three weeks sounds good. It's a decent timeframe for circumnavigating the whole island, depending also on weather, as always.
Otoh, if you are sure to have to have time for coming again at the end of the summer, you might wish to split your time there between the northern and the southern part.
And if so, it's worth mentioning that the weather is usually good for much longer in the S, to the point that Sep and Oct have always been my preferred months.
Not crowded at all, sea water still warm enough (as opposed to early summer, when it takes longer for the sea to warm up compared for instance to the Adriatic, where the sea is nowhere near as deep as around Sardinia), restaurants and bars more likely to offer a royal treatment to their clients compared to when they are much busier, and so forth.
In this respect, it's nice to hear that you liked the video posted by Hurricane previously, which shows several boats moored in one of the anchorages around San Pietro island.
Now, depending on whether you are used to anchor say between the Lérins Islands or in the Kornati, you might call the spot in the video respectively empty or busy, I suppose.
By my own standards, in that moment (which IIRC was around beginning of Aug), the place was actually crowded.
The following video was made instead around mid of Oct (thanks again Scubaman for the excellent drone footage! :encouragement:), and in the first minute it shows exactly the same spot - together with others afterwards.
No need to explain further why I love boating there around the end of the season, methink... :cool:

Soooo... Now, where were we?
As I recall, we reached the white sand beaches and dunes of Piscinas in the last episode.
Apropos, I don't think I mentioned that there's no coastal road in that area, and also no constructions at all, for several miles.
If anyone knows how the shore looks like around for instance the CdA or Andalusia, well, just think of SW Sardinia as exactly the opposite.
The only buildings, barely visible from the sea, are those of this very charming hotel, which would be right at the top of my suggestion for anyone interested in a non-boating Sardinian break.
Way better than Cala di Volpe or any other posh Costa Smeralda places, imho.

But I digress. Let's continue our circumnavigation now!
Just a few miles S of Piscinas beach, after going round Capo Pecora (beware of the shallow rocks along its S side), we find a small village called Buggerru, which used to be an important mining center - an industry whose remains are now just a touristic attraction, that can be visited. Also a 4wd tour around the coast cliffs and inland is a great way to see the area.
Unfortunately, the marina right in the center of the village, which potentially could be a perfect base for exploring the SW coast, was built without studying the sea dynamics properly, and as a result mistral waves over time carried huge quantities of sand inside, making it next to useless.
There’s only a small area still accessible, and I doubt that it can accommodate a 50 footer. Definitely check in advance with a call to the harbor master, if considering to go there.
After leaving Buggerru, the coastline becomes very rocky and steep, with the only exception of a bay called Cala Domestica, with its small but stunning beach, whose pics are often used in Sardinia brochures.
I’m afraid that in the peak of the summer boats are not allowed to anchor inside it though, because it’s a popular spot among folks coming from inland to enjoy the beach.
Otoh, there are some anchoring spots just round the corner from there, some of which are large enough (just!) to anchor a decent size boat.
One of them, called Porto Canal Grande, is the place where a couple of esteemed forumites had an opportunity to exploit their anchoring skills with lines astern secured ashore, bringing their not exactly small boats (67 and 80 footers) up to just a few meters from the inner part of the bay.
I’m talking of tying that sort of vessels exactly in the middle of this spot, if you see what I mean…

Next stop, the Sugarloaf. It's a large stack, much smaller than the Rio De Janeiro island which inspired its nickname, but equally impressive.
It pops out of a 15 to 20m sandy and flat bottom, at just 200m or so from the coast, in front of a construction embedded into the cliffs called Porto Flavia, which was built to load steamships with the zinc and lead extracted from the local mines.
A very peculiar anchorage scenario indeed, where a bit of snorkeling around the islet is a must, swimming under a couple of natural arches while suspended above deep blue water. Arches which are large enough also for the tender btw, in case someone onboard ain't comfortable snorkeling in deepish water - even if the visibility is impressive, with the seabed clearly visible also in 15+m depth.
Nearby, there are also a few diving spots, including a very peculiar one inside an underwater cave with a fresh water spring, with an amazing trembling view where fresh and cold water meets the salted and warmer one. Not easy to find without a local guide, though.
We are now very close to the SW tip of Sardinia, with its two larger islands, Sant'Antioco and San Pietro - the latter often referred here as Carloforte, which is actually the name of the village on San Pietro island where my home port is, and which is the larger marina of the whole area, good for mooring vessels up to about 60m.
While arriving there from the Sugarloaf, keep your eyes wide open, because while crossing the wide gulf just S of the Sugarloaf it's very easy to see dolphins.
By and large, I think that I spotted them at least 60% of the times I made that route, so obviously they must like that area... :)

Now, I will skip San Pietro and Sant'Antioco altogether, on one hand because if I start writing about this particular area I might spend the whole day on the keyboard, and otoh because it was already widely reported and debated in the past, also from other forumites.
But of course, Ms Teak (or anyone else interested), just ask for any further details.
Time being, one thing which is worth mentioning is the Girotonno, an event entirely dedicated to the Bluefin Tuna, which is still fished with a traditional method based on large fixed nets deployed along the NW coast of the island, and that in Carloforte you can taste prepared in every imaginable way.
It's worth mentioning this event because it takes place early in the summer (end of May), due to the natural seasonality of the tuna migration from the Atlantic Ocean towards the southern Med.
And since it offers the unique opportunity of diving inside the fixed nets, surrounded by literally hundreds of giant tunas, it's an occasion well worth including in the bucket list of any diver.
Apropos, it's only allowed to licensed divers and together with local authorized instructors - if you just go to the net area with your boat and jump in the water, they might shoot you. :D

Now, assuming to have done the two SW islands, we are now heading towards Capo Teulada, the southernmost tip of Sardinia.
Which is - to put the location in perspective - 80Nm N of La Galite, the first African (!) island, with mainland Tunisia at just another 20Nm from there.
Oh, two things about the route from the S tip of Sant'Antioco island to Capo Teulada: firstly, that's another area where it's easy to spot dolphins (particularly around the islet called La Vacca). And second, with just a short coastal deviation from the straight offshore route there's the Porto Pino beach and dunes, an area somewhat similar to Piscinas (mentioned at the beginning of this post), another great anchorage for anyone who loves white beaches.
Capo Teulada is instead very rocky and wild, with the exception of Cala Zafferano, along its E side, which is a beautiful and well sheltered anchorage. Actually, strong mistral can find its way inside the surrounding hills and down into the bay, but with no waves the anchorage remains tenable anyhow. Not so with strong SE wind instead, in which case it's better to go for one of the two bays along the W side of the cape, Cala Aligusta and Porto Cogolidus, or for the marina nearby (more about it in a minute).
There's one caveat for the whole Capo Teulada area, though: inland, it's a restricted military base, used for NATO joint training - a sort of Army, Navy and Air Force playground.
And whenever those folks are doing their stuff, also access from the sea is strictly forbidden.
Actually, anchorage is never allowed in theory, regardless of whether there's any military activity going on or not, but depending on the mood of the local patrol boat captain, he might decide to not waste his time with pleasure boats.
Anyhow, the worst that can happen, if you are approached by a grey Navy boat, is that they ask to move elsewhere.
Which can be annoying if you are sipping your preferred drink in peace, but not worth arguing with, when asked by folks equipped with machine guns... :rolleyes:
Just past Cape Teulada, there's the last marina before Cagliari. It's called Porto Teulada, and it's very well sheltered but a bit lost in the middle of nowhere, and with no services at all aside from berthing - with water and alectricity, anyway.
Otoh, this very good fish restaurant is just a 5 mins drive from there, and they can come to pick you up and bring you back to the marina, if you ask them when booking.
Very convenient for those dinners where everybody around the table enjoys Vermentino, the local white wine which goes down beautifully with fish! :cool:
Besides, the marina is also used by local fishermen, so you might have a chance to buy some fresh fish in the morning, with the shorter food miles you can possibly dream of.

After Teulada area, we are now heading E, along yet again a beautiful coastline, where the first lovely anchorage is on the E side of Capo Malfatano, around a small islet called Tuarredda.
But also after that, you can just follow the coast and drop the hook wherever you please, also because after going round Capo Spartivento the coast develops along the SW to NE direction, and is everywhere well sheltered from N/NW/W winds.
We are by now approaching Cagliari, the capital and main town of the island.
A very lively place, with plenty of attractions like theatres, museums, restaurants, folkloristic events... You name it.
But of course, if you're "just" interested in enjoying beautiful seas with your boat, towns aren't a great choice.
It can be a convenient base if you need to leave the boat there for some time though, because you can reach Cagliari airport in just a few mins by train, whose station is at very short walking distance from the central marina.
There's also a couple of other marinas in the SE corner of the large commercial harbor, which are possibly a bit quieter, and better suited for longer stays - depending also on needs/expectations, of course.
Further E along the coast, at less than 10Nm from the town, there's another marina called Capitana, which is still reasonably close to the airport and has a more "pleasure boating" flavor, so to speak.
Along the stretch of coast from Capitana to the SE tip of the island (Capo Carbonara) there's a sequence of nice bays, where you can just pick the one you prefer.
Just inside Capo Carbonara, there's Villasimius marina, which is well organized and nicely located.
Just round the corner from there, you can anchor either side of the cape, depending on wind, but always in crystal clear waters anyway.
The only marina drawback is that it's a bit far from the (very nice and lively) center of the village - a couple of miles, iirc.

So, we reached now the E coast, from where we started.
But actually, we started in the N part of it, while we are now at the southernmost tip, with another 120Nm or so to go for completing our circumnavigation... Phew! :)
I'd be tempted to say that along that route it's just a matter of more of the same, really... In fact, finding quiet anchoring spots is, yet again, just a matter of look around while cruising along the coast, and pick your preference.
But it's useful to have at least a reference on the marinas available in case of bad weather - which on this side of the island mostly means SE blows, which can happen also in summertime but are less frequent than NW (hence the choice of circumnavigating CCW).
The first port of call while heading N after leaving VIllasimius is Porto Corallo.
I wouldn't call it particularly attractive, but does offer a good protection, also for big boats.
After that, there's nothing else (also in terms of natural sheltering from NE/E/SE blows) for about 30Nm, up to Arbatax.
Which is the longer path with no marinas in between along the E coast, similarly to the one from Oristano Gulf to Carloforte along the W coast.
No big deal for any fastish mobo of course, but worth considering.
Once in Arbatax, there's a choice of berthing either in Arbatax itself, which is a busy marina inside the commercial harbor, or in Santa Maria Navarrese, about 3Nm further N.
The latter is arguably prettier, and has also the advantage of being a bit closer to the Orosei Gulf, the stretch of coastline that Deleted User already mentioned in his post #9.
An area with a well deserved reputation among... Well, among many folks, actually: hikers, climbers, bikers, speleologists, archaeologists, sea and nature lovers in general spring to mind.
Very wild and hard to reach from inland, it's graced with a sequence of utterly beautiful small bays, surrounded by a dramatic steep and rocky background.
The first coming from S.M.Navarrese and heading N is called Cala Goloritzé, which is the spot I believe Deleted User has in mind, followed by Cala Mariolu, Biriola, Sisine, Luna - pick your poison.
Just to give an idea, below is an example of the sort of parking spots which you can find along this stretch of coast... :)
Last but not least, Grotta del Bue Marino is worth mentioning: a very peculiar cave, accessible from the sea, extending almost 10 miles inland and whose first section can be visited (guided tours only).
CPGtItJV_o.jpg
 
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Geez... I had to split the post, I wasn't aware that there's a 15000 characters limit. Obviously it's the first time I reached it, after many years!

Anyway, just a couple of miles N of the Bue Marino cave, we reach Cala Gonone, a small village which is the northern base for exploring the Orosei Gulf (the southern one being S.M.Navarrese).
Actually, in terms of distances, the first would be more convenient than the latter, but the marina in Cala Gonone is barely large enough for the many local boats offering day trips to the cave and/or to Cala Luna, and I think you would struggle to get a berth for a 50 footer, particularly in high season.

Otoh, we are now approaching the area where we started, and which offers a wider choice of marinas and anchorages.
After leaving Cala Gonone, the coastline changes radically, and becomes flattish, with long straight beaches.
Nothing to write home about tbh, but the usual Sardinian crystal clear sea is more than enough to make also those beaches attractive for folks staying in hotels, campings, etc.
By boat, the only spot where you might wish to anchor for a swim, a lunch or whatever is just after going round Capo Comino, where a long and narrow rock right in front of the beach gives a decent shelter from southern winds.
From that spot, you can already see La Caletta, which is another 5 or 6Nm further north, and which is the area from where all this virtual circumnavigation started.

Hoping to see you around there, and looking forward to hearing if the real thing was up to the expectations and to my description - though I'm pretty sure it can only be better, at least when compared to the latter! :)
 
Eren said:
Can easily be the best info source of all times for boating at Sardinia. Thanks for the effort!
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I concur, that's why a link should be put in the Cruise Reports thread so it's not lost. :encouragement:
 
MrB said:
I concur, that's why a link should be put in the Cruise Reports thread so it's not lost. :encouragement:
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I'm not sure if it's correct that someone who ain't the OP of a thread posts a link in the Cruise Report section, but since Ms Teak is new to the asylum, I thought to comply with your request... :)
Here's the link.

Regardless, I'm glad if my long posts were appreciated.
It's actually good fun to prepare write-ups like these, which somewhat let the writer live again some good memories, regardless of whether anyone else eventually read them or not.
But if it's of some interest, even better of course! :encouragement:
 
MapisM said:
I'm not sure if it's correct that someone who ain't the OP of a thread posts a link in the Cruise Report section
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That's the reason I didn't link it there but it does make perfect sense for you to do it. Thanks again for all the effort you have put into the thread. :encouragement::cool:
 
Sorry all, didn't realise this was the form for the original poster and couldn't quitw work out how to actually action it.

I CERTAINLY concur that this should be placed in the Cruise Reports and anywhere anyone is looking for Sardinian gold! Apologies for my novice posting etiquette! Thank you again MapisM and everyone who contributed - will keep you posted on the adventures and we owe you a chilled bottle or two.
Roll on the blue.
MT :encouragement:
 
After having spend 2 weeks around costa smeralda and south corse,
And another week sailing south along the east coast of Sardegna, we can can confirm that it is stunning discovery !
While Mapism repeatedly mentioned the clear water around here, I have to repeat this again,
The clear water in combi with the white sandy bottom, here I’ve never seen, and is so inviting for a swim....

The costa s’meralda is ticked on my bucketlist, but don”t fancy going there again, its nice, but its all articicial, there is little to no heritage over there, just everything is buld for the rich and famous.
From the “posh” marinas, Porto Cervo, P Rotondo and Poltu Quatu , the latter we liked the most.
But we prefer the old town marina’s such as Maddelena, Cannigione,
but ofcause Bonifacio remains the juwel in that region.

We used Mapism guide above for discovering the east coast, and visited a few nice marina’s,
And indeed the south part of the orosei gulf, is in my top list of nicest sailing regions ever.
Thanks P

We were unable to park Blue Angel in this spot: Spiaggia di su Achileddu, because she was occupied, and also it was very cloudy at that moment,

MapisM said:
CPGtItJV_o.jpg
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But we made a few nice pics while anchored close to cala di luna.














Atm we are around capa carbonara and marina vilassimus, (the most southerly point of sardegna)
Tomorrow dropping guests in Cagliari,
And hopefully later this week reach our final destination Mapism ‘s holiday hometown Carleforte !
 
BartW said:
But we made a few nice pics while anchored close to cala di luna.
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That bit of Sardinian coastline is absolutely stunning. We anchored near there on our trip from Carloforte to Antibes in 2016 and, as you say, the water is as clear and blue as anywhere I've seen in the Med. You just have to swim in it:D

IMG-0097.jpg


There is another bay on the S coast of Sardinia called Zafferano which has equally azure water and in which it is worth dropping the hook. However be aware that it is supposedly a military firing range and may be closed so check if it is open (which it should be in August)
 
Well almost all anchorages have azur blue water, when you anker close to the beach, yesterday the carabiniery told us that we were too close to the beach ;-)
 
BartW said:
Well almost all anchorages have azur blue water, when you anker close to the beach, yesterday the carabiniery told us that we were too close to the beach ;-)
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We were stopped once off Arbatax by the carabinieri but they were only interested in arresting Mapism + S:D
 
BartW said:
After having spend 2 weeks around costa smeralda and south corse,
And another week sailing south along the east coast of Sardegna, we can can confirm that it is stunning discovery !
While Mapism repeatedly mentioned the clear water around here, I have to repeat this again,
The clear water in combi with the white sandy bottom, here I’ve never seen, and is so inviting for a swim....

The costa s’meralda is ticked on my bucketlist, but don”t fancy going there again, its nice, but its all articicial, there is little to no heritage over there, just everything is buld for the rich and famous.
From the “posh” marinas, Porto Cervo, P Rotondo and Poltu Quatu , the latter we liked the most.
But we prefer the old town marina’s such as Maddelena, Cannigione,
but ofcause Bonifacio remains the juwel in that region.

We used Mapism guide above for discovering the east coast, and visited a few nice marina’s,
And indeed the south part of the orosei gulf, is in my top list of nicest sailing regions ever.
Thanks P

We were unable to park Blue Angel in this spot: Spiaggia di su Achileddu, because she was occupied, and also it was very cloudy at that moment,




But we made a few nice pics while anchored close to cala di luna.














Atm we are around capa carbonara and marina vilassimus, (the most southerly point of sardegna)
Tomorrow dropping guests in Cagliari,
And hopefully later this week reach our final destination Mapism ‘s holiday hometown Carleforte !
Click to expand...

Those are lovely crisp photos - what is the drone?
 
BartW said:
We used Mapism guide above for discovering the east coast, and visited a few nice marina’s,
And indeed the south part of the orosei gulf, is in my top list of nicest sailing regions ever.
Thanks P
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My pleasure, B. Can't wait to catch up soon!
I'm glad that you liked the area, also because your comments and comparison with Costa Smeralda perfectly matches my own view.
I couldn't have written it better! :encouragement:
Though just for the records, the southernmost point of Sardinia is Cape Teulada, not Villasimius… :rolleyes:

PS: some beautiful aerial pics indeed, but where's the video?! :)
 
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Hurricane said:
Those are lovely crisp photos - what is the drone?
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its a Mavic, (don't asc me more about it) ;-)

he is a professional photographer, but only a novice with a drone,
so didn't make any video's yet.

He was also very carefull not to land on water,
I was impressed how easy he could land on the bowbed of the boat.
 
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