Sardinia to Sicily via TUNISIA

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Alyssa

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Planning to spend 2-3 weeks in Tunisia in late May/early June this year en route to Sicily from Sardinia. I have the 2005 RCC North Africa Pilot, but would appreciate any inputs , particularly on ......
1) Port of entry - Bizerte looks to be the obvious place to aim for?
2) Entry/visa issues - looks to be fairly straightforward??
3) Ports/Marinas/Anchorages recommended...or to be avoided!
4) Best place to stop to visit Tunis, Carthage etc
5) Any other hints or tips based on your experiences????
Thanks in anticipation.

Dave
 
We anchored off Stromboli, (NE corner), for 5 days August 2007, and loved it.

Anchored in Vulcano for 4 or 5 nights... quite a strange place, but worth a visit.... beware, the bay is very deep, so your anchor may be in 5m or 10m, whereas the boat may be in 50m! very reliant on the wind blowing you offshore.

I spent 3 weeks anchored off Taormina which was like a dream come true.... a beach bar, (on the beach???), and a couple of euros on the bus, and you were up in Taormina which is one of the poshest resorts on the Island. Riposto about 6 miles South for a bit of R & R, good showers, fuel and water.

3 Weeks anchored off Syracusa..... again very nice, with lots of history, and great for supplies. Beware your boat, dinghy, and anything else in the water will grow barnacles like you wouldnt believe..... so take the dinghy out each day. I watched a couple doing this every time they returned to the boat, and wondered why.... I found out when I hauled the dinghy, engine, stern ladder... what a mess /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I would avoid the Aeolians for July/August if you can..... very very busy, like the rest of the Med.

have a great time, and if you want any specific advice on the above, just ask.

Richard
 
In the Aeolians do not miss Lipari and Salina, and sailing past Stromboli in darkness.
The RCC North Africa pilot proved invaluable in Morocco some years ago.
 
Agree that Stromboli is a must do. Either at anchor, or on a passing visit. Planned an arrival at dawn, so saw both the night time glow and the incredible view of a live volcano rising from a calm, misty sea.
 
With the wind in the wrong direction Bizerte could be a very dangerous harbour (3 years ago). We were in the harbour hit by a storm and got serious damage on our boat. The pontoons are very lively and when the waves are getting in the harbour it will become dangerous. The cleats where torn of the pontoons and several boats got serious damaged. But when the wetter is good Bizerte is a visit worth. We were there in April and coming from Sardinia
 
This is EXACLY what we did last year in June.. Crossed from Cagliari to Bizerte were storm bound (not a good berth) so we took the train to Tunis, fascinating. We then sailed to Trapani in Sicily and subsequently cruised the Aeolian Islands and on to Greece.
Entry and exit from Tunisia is not unpleasant simply tedious. We reckoned on nine officials being involved in the total process.
There is an expectation of gifts but if you say in a rough Scottish voice "we were not prepared" the problem disappears.
You first meet Immigration (who take your Passport), the Customs, then the Port Police,then the regular Police,then Immigration to return your passport (someone else), then the Marina Staff and thats just to get in. Allow 2hours to get out!!!
Fuel was about €0.50 perlitre so arrive dry!!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Planning to spend 2-3 weeks in Tunisia in late May/early June this year en route to Sicily from Sardinia. I have the 2005 RCC North Africa Pilot, but would appreciate any inputs , particularly on ......
1) Port of entry - Bizerte looks to be the obvious place to aim for?
2) Entry/visa issues - looks to be fairly straightforward??
3) Ports/Marinas/Anchorages recommended...or to be avoided!
4) Best place to stop to visit Tunis, Carthage etc
5) Any other hints or tips based on your experiences????
Thanks in anticipation.

We are in Tunisia over winter having arrived in late summer. We haven't done much cruising yet although we did track along a couple of hundred miles or so of coast. Below is what we can pass on so far

1. We used Tabarka as our port of entry as we were coming from Menorca. The entry procedure is straightforward enough, but a bit bureaucratic, just be patient of the "olde world " ways and allow an hour for some pretty pointless form filling. The Tunisians are keen to encourage tourists so they are keen to help. Can't comment on Bizerte as we haven't yet been
2. We experienced no entry difficulties and a visa was not required.
3. We are currently in Port Yasmine, Hammamet, and can recommend it as a modern, well run, economical marina built with a large complex of resturaunts etc etc. We did find the chandleries a bit limited
4 & 5 Don't yet have the experience to recommend but we can definitely recommend Tunisia as a welcoming, friendly place for a visiting yachtsman with miles of picturesque coastline and well worth the visit. The Tunisians are very tolerent but I would recommend respecting their sensitivities on dress and booze when outside the main tourists spots.

Do remember also that it is not the wealthiest of countries so things can be a bit basic at times. The flip side to that coin is that marinas are much cheaper than on the European coast.
 
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There is an expectation of gifts but if you say in a rough Scottish voice "we were not prepared" the problem disappears.


[/ QUOTE ]

Now practicing rough Scottish voice /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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