What are the best stopover ports on Italy's West Coast?

Bertramdriver

Bertramdriver

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I'm just planning my crawl up from Messina to Marseilles. Does anyone have advice or experiance of any decent stopover ports. I would like to do the posh marinas but I don't have the cash to waste so I'm looking for reasonably economical bolt holes.
 
Bertramdriver said:
I'm just planning my crawl up from Messina to Marseilles. Does anyone have advice or experiance of any decent stopover ports. I would like to do the posh marinas but I don't have the cash to waste so I'm looking for reasonably economical bolt holes.
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None really unless you are rolling in cash.
Work your way up Sardegne - Cagliari, Carloforte, Alghero
I stick to Corse - usually W about (Bonifacio, Ajaccio, Calvi) or E about (Bonifacio, Porto Vecchio, Bastia) and then to Iles Hyeres, Port Mon, St Mandrier, Marseille.
 
Good anchorage (depending on wind direction) at E end of Ischia.

Fiumincino river adjacent to Rome - series of boatyards with little facilities, but very cheap compared to marinas (2011 - 18 euro/night for our 12m) but you have to wait for bridge openings early morning and evening). Easy transport into Rome
 
We managed to anchor at Anzio, Circeo, Ponza, Cala San Antonio, Salerno, Acciarolli and Tropea (outside the marina). We were fortunate with the weather, some of these are exposed and would not be possible in any seas. At the time the sheltered anchorage behind the marina at Salerno was excellent but this may not now be available. In the marina we paid €45 per night for a pontoon berth, no electricity or toilets! We paid relatively small amounts for overnight berthing at Fiumicino, Scario and Cetraro, Traiano. These were all in 2007 but I imagine few have changed significantly. Our trip was early in the season, prices at the low rate, around €30 for 10.6 metres. In several of them the cost would have doubled the following week.
 
Sail out of season, probably you then will not be charged at all. Sailed from tuscany vi elba snd corse to sardinia in march 2010 nd only psid once or twice, and then very little.
 
Worth doing the west coast and if you are careful as Viv says you can anchor alongside or just outside a few. We have sailed north on your route in 2010 and 2012 and never really paid over the odds when we did stop, just choose smaller less obvious marinas and get the hook out when you can save a bit. Giglio is worth a stop just to see the boat and then over to Corsica and up, or on our first trip up to Viareggio and then across the bay at the top, again with some smaller marinas worth going into. Many people miss so much by sailing long stretches just to avoid a slightly higher fee, don't see the point, enjoy it all while you can.
 
Most Harbours in Italy provide a couple of "free" overnight mooring spots, but you have to know where they are and convince the harbour master you know about them!
Otherwise I would suggest Tropea and Marina de Camerota as a couple of reasonably priced stops
 
vyv_cox said:
We managed to anchor at Anzio, Circeo, Ponza, Cala San Antonio, Salerno, Acciarolli and Tropea (outside the marina). We were fortunate with the weather, some of these are exposed and would not be possible in any seas. At the time the sheltered anchorage behind the marina at Salerno was excellent but this may not now be available. In the marina we paid €45 per night for a pontoon berth, no electricity or toilets! We paid relatively small amounts for overnight berthing at Fiumicino, Scario and Cetraro, Traiano. These were all in 2007 but I imagine few have changed significantly. Our trip was early in the season, prices at the low rate, around €30 for 10.6 metres. In several of them the cost would have doubled the following week.
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Salerno now impossible, use Cetara and pretend to be a tunny boat. Acciarolli town quay usually full of locals and it's too shallow (even with a lift keel) to anchor outside and off the fairway. Anzio, I'd agree is lethal in anything but a total calm (don't know how they ever landed the 8th Army there).
Don't know if you tried Volcano, it's quite sheltered (IMHO more than Ponza).
Farther up there is a reasonable anchorage near Gaeta (if the 7th Fleet hasn't enlarged it's anti-Quaeda barrage) and a quick fuel stop in the marina there. Fiumicino - the co-op @ Darsena Traiano is good for a laugh, but you do need shallow draft to get in, otherwise you have to essay the moving footbridge and tie up on the canal S bank or find somewhere in one of the yards above the roadbridge.
 
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