Yacht Charter & Sailing Holidays in Sardinia

Day 1 - SATURDAY - Arrival in Portisco

The taxi from Olbia airport to Marina di Portisco was about €55 for two people with luggage and took 20 minutes. There is provisioning in the marina minimarket, this is small but has a reasonable selection to stock up including speciality items for BBQ and a fantastic deli (as to be expected in Italy). The fresh fruit & veg selection was not great but this may be due to arriving late on a Saturday afternoon. It is also quite expensive as there is no other option nearby and there are no niche items eg. gluten-free, vegan etc. There is no delivery service but you can easily push the trolley back to the boat. I would probably recommend pre-provisioning for a large crew or late arrival.

After a busy day, there are two restaurants in the marina plus some snack bars/cafes. Food is reasonably priced and you can always just have a pizza for the cheap option!

Day 2 - Sunday

Heading South!
The full and thorough area briefing by Sergio on Sunday morning is not to be missed. Full of great local information about procedures, safe harbours, and hazards. Due to the strong winds north of the harbour on our first day, we decided to head south and take it easy.

Moresca (lunch stop)

This was a pretty little bay but a bit too close to a fish farm and also busy with local “day boats” from Olbia because of the weekend.

Tavolara (overnight)

A great anchorage with lots of space, a nice sandy beach and impressive scenery. There are mooring buoys but these are for the stylish Italian speed boats so are expensive and unnecessary, holding is good for anchoring and free-swinging. I would suggest avoiding the weekends as you get a lot of day trip boats from Olbia, but they usually leave between 5-7 pm so it is very relaxing overnight. Two restaurants in the bay (one casual, one upmarket), most of their trade comes from the day trip people at lunchtime so they are not always open for dinner in the low season but if there are enough yachts they will.

Day 3 - Monday

Exploring La Maddalena

Setting off early we navigated around the eastern end of Tavolara to keep a clear heading north towards La Maddalena National Park. The permit for which is easily purchased in advance online. We perused many of the potential stops on route to our final destination for the evening.

Porto Cevro – Pop in

This is a very tight and exclusive marina for upmarket superyachts and elegant classic vessels. There wasn’t much going on in the early season but I am sure the atmosphere in July & August is great if you are looking for a night out in the Monaco of Italy. You can also moor on the quay or floating pontoon in nearby Porto Vecchio for a quieter (and cheaper) night.

Caprera, Porto Palma

This is a very "nice" bay, nothing overly special but the approach is easy without too many hazards, the water is good for swimming and there is lots of space and it is well protected from nearly all wind directions. You can take a buoy or anchor.

Cala di Villa marina, San Stefano

This is a tricky rocky little bay but it offers great shelter and scenery if you can get a space, it is suitable for lunch or overnight. The sculpture of Garibaldi in the rockface on the cliff is not to be missed!

Maddalena Town, Maddalena Island

This looked very large and busy so we avoided it as we were already fully stocked with food and water so there was no need for a pit-stop yet. It would be great if you need shelter as there are lots of harbour options with 4-5 different marinas/quays!

Palau, Sardinia – this looks cute from a distance, not as large as Maddalena town but still with a good number of berths and is very close/accessible for an overnight if you are struggling to get in elsewhere.

Cala Corsara, Spargi Island

At the South end of the island, this is a great lunch stop or overnight anchorage with a great beach and some fantastic scenery. All of the “day boats” and motor yachts leave around 5-6 pm when it becomes very peaceful and the local pigs frolic on the beach!

Day 4 - TUESDAY

Fantastic sailing to Bonifacio, Corsica The journey from La Maddalena park area to the southern tip of Corsica is a sailor’s blue moon with the right angle and amount of wind for a perfect passage. We set off first thing and arrived by lunch to enjoy the afternoon sightseeing.

Bonifacio is incredible and definitely worth a visit. You should definitely pre-book a mooring online in advance (a few days should be sufficient) as we nearly struggled to get a space in May. The cost with power and water was approximately €70 for a 38ft monohull.

There is plenty to do, see, eat and drink in town. You can stock up on French pastries and wine but you will need to break out your French! When it's warm I recommend catching the tourist train up the hill into town and then walking back down later. There are several walking trails around the down with fantastic views so if you prefer exercise then definitely take a stroll out of town.

Day 5 - WEDNESDAY

Lavezzi Island, France We left Bonifacio late and full of croissants so opted for an easy afternoon and overnight anchorage in nearby Lavezzi island en route back to Italian waters. While from a distance this island does not appear to offer enough shelter overnight, once inside the bay we were well-protected and comfortable. Navigation around the many rocks is a little hair-raising but quite manageable with a good look-out and there is plenty of space and good holding. As usual, the day boats disappear before sunset leaving just sailors and seagulls.

Day 6 - THURSDAY

Cala Coticcio & Cala Portese
Fantastic sailing again across the straits of Bonifacio, downwind this time, as we watched on in awe as a regatta of high-performance and classic sailing vessels steamed past us with ease. Stopping at Cala Coticcio for lunch is one of the most popular beaches in the Maddalena Archipelago. It is a gorgeous spot but does get quite busy and is not great for an overnight anchorage as the hills create some interesting wind gusts throughout the evening and overnight as the temperature changes. Heading just south to Cala Portese is the popular option recommended.

Day 7 - FRIDAY

Cala do Volpe & Portisco Marina We spent a lazy final day ambling down the Sardinian coastline and anchoring for lunch in Cala di Volpe, a huge bay with long beaches and a perfect pit-stop before returning to Portisco marina for check-out and departure.

Day 1 - Portisco

A short 20 mins transfer from Olbia airport to the base at Portisco and straight onboard  our Sun Odyssey 490 ‘Aurora’.

It is for good reason that the Boomerang team are consistently one of our top rated fleets in mediterranean.  

‘Aurora’, as we would expect, was in immaculate condition.  Boomerang maintain and clean their yachts to the highest standards but it is the thoughtful touches they provide that sets them apart especially for a special occasion.  The abundant fruit basket and sparkling wine were very much appreciated.

A friendly and thorough show around the yacht and a briefing of the area was given by Sergio; useful tips, highlights and hazards all pointed out.

Our pre-provisioning was delivered by Gusto Cambusa.  As a largish crew it was a good idea to have the heavier items brought straight to the yacht.  A top up shop was then required in the adequate supermarket within the marina to top up with fresh fruits, salads, deli meats and cheeses.

Some obligatory bunting strung around the cockpit for the birthday boy ! and then we were lucky to be able to take advantage of our early embarkation and set sail.

All in all an early morning flight and a long day so we moored up not far away from Portisco and cooked a lovely meal onboard.  Let’s get the party started.

Day 2 - Arzachena Bay

Early morning and the weather looks to be fair for our  first dip in the ocean followed by a hearty breakfast

The plan had been to sail to the north side of the Maddalena National Park however a squall mid passage caused us to double back.

These things happen and we found shelter in ‘Arzachena Bay’ with its impressive Neptune sculpture where we were quickly joined by dolphins to lift our spirits

There is a nice restaurant here which looked to be popular despite the weather but we decided to cook onboard and make our own fun.  

Day 3 - Maddalena National Park

A beautiful sunny day to wake up in the wonderful Maddalena National Park is nestled between Sardinia and Corsica.

We made a brief stop at Gavetti Marina to enjoy a wander around the so pretty, venetian style streets with pastel coloured buildings.  We enjoyed boutique style shopping and there were some wonderful bars and restaurants.  There is also an excellent fish market right in the marina and a whopping supermarket just on the outskirts of the town.

Skipper Tim was happy that we finally managed to secure a basil plant for the cockpit.

Back on track we had a fun afternoon at Cala G Marino, a beautiful bay between Isola Razelli and Budelli. Paddleboarding, diving competitions, water hammocks and a friendly visiting Seagull. 

While it is necessary to obtain a permit to visit the Madalenas in mid and high season. During our visit in early June it was not possible to advance purchase one and the authorities, although visible, did not charge us.

Like many people we had been under the impression that this exclusive area, playground of the rich & famous, would be pricey and this is undoubtedly true in the high season. However, by eating onboard (not every night !) and choosing our moorings carefully we managed to avoid costly marina fees and permits.

It was so lovely here we decided to stay overnight. More great food and hilarity and a stunning full moon.

Day 4 - Corsica

 And we head to Corsica !

Up and coming captain Gus was put through his skipper skills today! Sailed to Cala di Zeri on Ile Cavello for lunch and afternoon anchorage.  An equally stunning location with fabulous holiday homes discreetly nestled amongst the rock face.

Lots of relaxing and swimming.  As the afternoon progressed a flotilla of jet skis came through to dramatic effect.

Our overnight anchorage at Baie de Rondinara.  There is a restaurant here that is open until around 6 o’clock. In the mornings they also provide french pastries for breakfast - mouth watering pain au chocolat, pain almond and croissant; all at such reasonable prices it would be rude not to!

Day 5 - Bonifacio

Bonifacio! has to be high up the bucket list of destinations for any sailor and a place I have been longing to visit for many years.

An epic sail along the rugged coastline escorted by pods of dolphins, to the jaw dropping cut in the cliffs where the old town teeters above and leads to the historic town of Bonafacio.  The entrance only visible when you are right on top of it winds it way into this charming, bustling harbour. 

Here you will find yourself neighbours with some of the world's largest superyachts.  Watching ‘‘Cocoa Bean’ mooring at the far end of the harbour with her crew of around 25 was a sight to behold.

Being early June we paid 85€ for our 49 footer which was pretty reasonable whilst this is likely to be more in the high season is worth every euro and definitely not to be missed.

Climb the steep steps up to the old town to experience incredible views where you will find} plenty of restaurants and bistro’s offering delicious french cuisine; corsican mussels, wild boar (sanglier) followed by an icecream down at the harbour to finish off the evening nicely.

Day 6 - Spargi and La Maddelena

The next morning some of the crew walked up to the cliff top again to take one of the nature trails - the left hand fork this time away from the town rewards you with unbelievable views of the ocean.

A good day sailing to Isola Spargi, Cala d’Alga; a relaxing lunch onboard and then an afternoon swim ashore.  We were surprised and delighted to see a wild boar frollicking on the sands.

We then headed back to La Maddelena to explore this delightful town and have the obligatory team pizza night. It’s worth booking Gavatta Marina ahead of your visit as it is understandably popular, we hadn’t but found a newish marina ‘di Punta Nera’  just a short walk over the hill into the main town.

The marina crew were very friendly and charged just €60 and the small bar serving sundowners and snacks was our perfect pre supper Sundowner spot. For a group meal we can highly recommend the rustic pizzas and jugs of very good house red wine at Il Curciareddhi - simple but delicious and well set up for larger groups.

Day 7 - Back to Portisco

A good day under sail  back to Portisco excellent winds - 8.8 knots made it good fun for all of us. Just a couple of yachts ahead of us on the fuel pontoon then a guide was sent to bring us back to the Boomerang jetty.

Day 8 - Farewell

Our return flight was mid afternoon. The lovely Boomerang staff were happy for luggage to be left and we were given directions to the nearest beach, a short stroll over a hill. We whiled away a few hours at the fabulous beach bar enjoying a leisurely brunch before heading back to say farewell to our great friends at the base and jump in our minibus transfer back to Olbia Airport.

 Arrivederci (and Au Revoir!)