Advice on Sardinia or Corsica as base for a year

[Oryx]

Hi All

Thanks you all for all the useful advice I have found over the last year or so. I am now a new member. I have a South African built Lavranos Tosca 36 which is currently on the south coast of the UK. She is kitted out for water sailing">blue water sailing. I am looking to move her back into the Med where we spent a year in southern Spain and wintered in Almerimar Marina. (Great paint job by Chris from Almerimar Marine Services - Home) Plan to sail her to Almeriamar early next year and get deck painted there than move her to her next new home.

I was looking for some advice. I am looking to base the sailing boat which is 13mt drawing 1.9mt somewhere such as Corsica or Sardinia. The plan will be to spend our summer holiday (with kids) exploring the area and fly out for long weekends though out the year. So we are looking for a safe marina which allows interesting sailing areas for short trips, close ish to airport offering cheap flights to London airports. The other requirement is the marina fees are reasonable. We enjoy exploring coves, snorkeling, swimming and prefer to spend night in coves then marinas once we leave base.

We open to all ideas, spent summer on a charter out of Fethiye in Turkey which was awesome but a little to far east.

I have done some research but as always hard to judge from pilot guides. Any advice apreciated

[jckb]

Originally Posted by Oryx

I was looking for some advice. I am looking to base the sailing boat which is 13mt drawing 1.9mt somewhere such as Corsica or Sardinia. The plan will be to spend our summer holiday (with kids) exploring the area and fly out for long weekends though out the year. So we are looking for a safe marina which allows interesting sailing areas for short trips, close ish to airport offering cheap flights to London airports. The other requirement is the marina fees are reasonable. We enjoy exploring coves, snorkeling, swimming and prefer to spend night in coves then marinas once we leave base.

The most suitable area for a wide variety of anchorages and lots of day sailing options lies on the east side of the Bonifacio straits, stretching from Porto Vecchio in the north to Olbia in the south. See Sailing Sardinia | JimB Sail for a map and notes about the region. The Corsican coast is on the neighbouring page.

It will take quite a bit of research to find best value for money as well as security for your boat's base. Your benchmark price will be the moderately expensive but secure marina at Olbia, very close to the airport.

JimB

[Oryx]

Many thanks Jim for the reply. Very useful information on the link provided.

[JazzyO]

Funny, we have just arrived in Almerimar and are looking to get to Northern Sardinia before the winter hits. We might not make it, Almerimar is tempting.

I'm not sure I have a good solution for you as we are still looking ourselves. We have, however, sailed in Northern Sardinia before and it is an amazing area to sail. Lots of things to explore in short distances, very clear waters.

If I find out anything I will report back.

Onno

[Oryx]

Many thanks for the info. If you end up in Almerimar I would recommend selecting a spot away from the restaurants as you come into the port. It can get a bit noise'y at times. There is a bigger grocer just out of town. If you pop into the boat yard say hi to Chris for me.
Be great to hear your experience if you make it to Sardinia. The links to Jim's site is awesome.

[JazzyO]

Thanks for the tips. There is very large supermarket now only a couple of hundred metres from the port, I think it opened 3 years ago. Makes life easy.

I'll contact my Italian friend in Sardinia and see if he has any recommendations.


Onno

[Jacques2]

Hello,
I live most of the year in Corsica (house and sailboat) and I think it would be difficult to find a berth in an island's marina (they are crowded in summer).
Let' try in North Sardegna. As it has been said Olbia will be the most convenient but very expansive. I suggest either Cannigione (the marina is finished and protected from any wind or swell) or Alghero (W coast but very to close to an airport with fligts with Ryanair).
This is a very useful link with an italian pilot book or portolano with all the informations and contacts :
Pagine Azzurre Online - Ports and Marinas in Sardinia, yachting and touring services

[joemac4sail]

Fertiia marina north of Alghero in Sardinia isn't a bad place for the winter, good shelter , small supermarket and a couple of resteraunts open all year round, but the place is quiet. There is a regular bus into Alghero and its close to the airport. On the North coast, Castlesardo and St Theresa Di Gallura marinas are the best. The staff in St Theresa marina are lovely and very helpful. Good haulout facilities in both. St T has good ferry access to Corsica and the Magdalene island group is close by for a quick sail during the winter month's. The Bus service on the North coast is not as good during the winter, but the daily rates on car hire are not bad. Joe

Sent from my ME173X using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Jacques2

Hello,
I live most of the year in Corsica (house and sailboat) and I think it would be difficult to find a berth in an island's marina (they are crowded in summer).
Let' try in North Sardegna. As it has been said Olbia will be the most convenient but very expansive. I suggest either Cannigione (the marina is finished and protected from any wind or swell) or Alghero (W coast but very to close to an airport with fligts with Ryanair).
This is a very useful link with an italian pilot book or portolano with all the informations and contacts :
Pagine Azzurre Online - Ports and Marinas in Sardinia, yachting and touring services

Alghero, beautiful town and not faraway from Olbia. Certainly if money was not a problem that would be what I chose:





If the money is a problem I would chose Arbatax, but of course it is very dificult to arrive there from the airport. Great place to leave a boat, with Paolo Muras shipyard as a reference (left there my boat for the winter some years ago).

[StuartX]

I grew up in Sardinia, and now that I live in Asia I still go back every year. I never get tired of that amazing sea. Here my thoughts:

Sardinia is great base. I am considering it too as a base to keep a boat for Med cruising.

Any part of it has a lot to offer, so I'd suggest you pick what works best in terms of airport convenience and how exposed a marina may be (some marinas just 20 miles apart will have a huge impact).

I would advise on the NW side (Ryanair to Alghero airport is 5 minutes to Fertilia and 10 minutes to Alghero or Porto Conte), all 3 have marinas. If you don't know that area, it is really beautiful and sheltered.

The NE side (Maddalena arcipelago) probably gives you even more sailing areas, but Olbia airport is not as close to the marinas as Alghero airport and it gets really too busy for me. I really like the area, but to put it in perspective, I chartered a boat last summer (last week of August) and could not go to places I wanted to because it was jam packed and where I found place to anchor, it was so busy you had to be careful not to be hit every half hour. You should go there, but to really enjoy it I would only suggest it for the low season (Until early June and from September).

Places that are more exposed to weather and may spoilt your flight over are Capo Testa and Bosa (both very nice, but just more exposed).

Let me know if you need names of specific marinas or have other questions.

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by jckb

The most suitable area for a wide variety of anchorages and lots of day sailing options lies on the east side of the Bonifacio straits, stretching from Porto Vecchio in the north to Olbia in the south. See Sailing Sardinia | JimB Sail for a map and notes about the region. The Corsican coast is on the neighbouring page.

It will take quite a bit of research to find best value for money as well as security for your boat's base. Your benchmark price will be the moderately expensive but secure marina at Olbia, very close to the airport.

JimB

agree with jim on this but will add a bit. we wintered over in tunisia and sailed into calliari. a couple of good marinas there and traveled the west side by train and bus. then sailed the east side up to bonoficio - one of the greatest harbor entrances in the world. arbatrax was inexpensive, in olbia we tried up for free on the wall or you can anchor, but beyond olbia marinas get very very expensive. there are anchorages north and some great islands.
in corsica we tird up for free and the movedover to port vecchio which has a nice marina that is reasonable. you may be able to anchor out there.
we headed to rome from there.

[barnaclejim]

Hi we spent a season in Olbia and it was fantastic. Well protected, great anchorages close, great hikes and beaches, airport in walking distance, good groceries also very close. the best peccorino anywhere not to mention wine, porcheddu, seafood etc. Winter rates when you want to be in a marina are much cheaper. You may find some real bargains on winter rates in the Costa Esmarelda NE end of the island but some towns completely close down in winter and and you will have to bus or bike to a year round town for supplies. best of luck