6-day Sailing Itinerary from Sardinia
Our bases in the north of Sardinina, in Portisco are Cannigione, are ideal starting points for heading northwards to the Maddalena islands - an area of natural beauty which is now both a nature reserve and a UNESCO world heritage site. The white sandy beaches, turquoise blue seas, rugged cliffs, lush vegetation, and minimal development of the islands means that they are beautiful and tranquil places to sail, with most of the best beaches only reachable by boat - indeed, only two of the 162 Maddalena islands have roads, and only three are inhabited.
Within the islands, the historic town of La Maddelena has a delightful old town to wander and admire, there's rugged granite at Spargi, a famous pink beach on Budelli, and Caprera was once where they imprisoned the Italian General Garibaldi - he liked his prison so much that he returned to the island upon retirement and spent the rest of his days there. The islands are opposite the Costa Smeralda - one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, and which is popular with the rich and famous, many of whom have multi-million pound villas or superyachts here. Porto Cervo is the place to go if you're interested in celeb-spotting or buying luxury designer goods.
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Our six-day itinerary heads through the outstanding Maddalena islands, around the Costa Smeralda, and takes in the incredible cliff-top town of Bonifacio, and visiting the must-see places in the area - the whole area is blessed with beautiful beaches and turquoise seas, so at times you'll feel like you're sailing in a rugged version of the Caribbean. This itinerary crosses the Bonifacio strait twice - be sure to check the weather forecast before crossing, as winds go up a force or two as they are funnelled through the strait (usually this is fine during the summer, but can get dangerously strong in winter).
This itinerary covers 112 nautical miles from Portisco (less if you follow this route from Cannigione), with an average of just under 20 nautical miles a day. A yacht can sail at an average of 5-6 knots (nautical miles an hour), which means that you should only need to be doing 4-5 hours of meaningful sailing each day, leaving plenty of time to explore your start or end points in more detail, to take a plunge at some beaches as you sail by, to stop for lunch properly somewhere, and generally to just take things easy at a holiday pace. If you're sailing from Portisco for the week, then the natural choice is to explore the stunning La Maddalena islands. A circumnavigation of the whole island is over 350 nautical miles, so if the plan was to sail around the island in a week, then think again!
Day 1. Portisco to Porto Massimo – 17 nM
Buon giorno, and benvenuti to Italia! You have chosen a superb place to sail, with some of the most bellissima views and beaches in the World! Get your crew and your provisions on board, and then it's time to go and see what the Costa Smeralda is all about!
Our journey today takes us through and into the heart of the Maddalena islands, with a destination of Porto Massimo, which is 17 nautical miles away. From Portisco, head North-east and checking out the gazillion dollar villas and hotels as you bob along the coast to the exclusive town Porto Cervo. Stop for a spot of lunch here and you'll likely see at least a couple A-list celebrities.
Heading North, we'll take the islands on the horizon on our port side, before tucking in to Porto Massimo for the night, which has a small and beautiful marina which their website claims will take your breath away. There's a small town here, a selection of shops, and a very well rated hotel and restaurant. What a place to escape to!
Day 2. Porto Massimo to Santa Teresa Gallura – 13 nM
Day 2 sees us heading from one picturesque place to another, but replacing the tranquillity of Porto Massimo with the vibrant and lively town of Santa Teresa Gallura, on the north coast of Sardinia. It's a sea-side town with fantastic beaches which is very popular with land-lubbing tourists.
Whilst the finish point is delightful, the highlight of the trip is taking on the Bonifacio strait for the first time. This is a place where the winds are accelerated as they squeeze between the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, which makes for some interesting sailing conditions. In summer, they're usually very passable, and more of a pleasure to sail, whereas in winter, the winds can be so strong as to get dangerous.
Nosing out of Porto Massimo, head north to get beyond La Maddalena island, then it's a case of pointing the nose of the boat pretty much due west, and following the coastline around. Founded by Italian king of kings, Vittorio Emmanuele, in 1808, Santa Teresa is named in honour of one of his wives and is loaded with lavish palaces, fortresses and towers. Its narrow streets now house chic bars, fine dining restaurants, and oustanding places to sit and admire the view.
Day 3. Santa Teresa Gallura to Isola Rossa – 22 nM
After the relative hustle of Santa Teresa Gallura, we're going back off the beaten track to one of the hidden gems in Sardinia: Isola Rossa. It's a quiet, rustic Italian village, where life moves at a different pace. It's another world here, and the stunning natural beauty and fine beaches are complemented by the local fishermen who dominate the marina and make it feel like you've almost stepped back in time.
From Santa Teresa Gallura, it's a straightforward south-westerly sail alongside the coast. If the winds are arriving from the Northwest, that's a simple reach across the wind, and you can make the journey in a single tack.
The town of Isola Rossa is actually not an island as the name suggests - it is named after the small island of red granite which sits 500m out to sea from the old town. The area is most famous for the quality of the sea and the vibrant reefs and wildlife which you'll find here: it's supposed to be an exceptional place to snorkel. There's also red granite beaches which look spectacular (but pink), and are given a chilled out vibe by the local surfers. The town itself is only small, but has a good selection of places to eat, and, obviously, has some of the freshest fish imaginable. It is also a great place to watch the sun set.
Day 4. Isola Rossa to Bonifacio – 26 nM
Isola Rossa is as far away as we are heading on this itinerary, but Castelsardo and Stintino and the Asinara national marine reservation are well worth a visit. One of the reasons for heading out in this direction in the first place, though, was to visit the incredible medieval cliff-top town of Bonifacio.
We're technically sailing from Italy to France as we head north-east to the southern-most tip of Corsica to a natural marina that has a long and glorious history, but, more importantly, is one of the places that looks even more extraordinary in real-life than it does on the pictures. But keep your camera handy as there are some marvellous shots to be had.
The marina is tucked in-between the cliffs below the cliff-top town. There's been a town in this position since pre-Roman times, and there's an ancient flight of 187 steps which have been cut into the cliff-side to aid the journey from sea to land. It's a pleasant enough hike now, and the views at the top make it worth the effort, but it would be terrible to negotiate the steps with much cargo. Nowadays, there is a tourist train that can save you breaking a sweat, but that would be cheating! Enjoy a night in one of the most memorable marinas in the Med!
Day 5. Bonifacio to La Maddalena – 17 nM
As you might have guessed, the Bonifacio strait is named after the Bonifacio town and fortress which overlooks the narrowest distance between Corsica and Sardinia - so we certainly don't have far to head to get back through it. This crossing should be a less nervy passage than a few days ago, but do check the weather just in case something has whipped up in the mean-time - bigger boats are banned from negotiating this part of the Med (though that was principally because of environmental reasons).
From Bonifacio, we're heading south to nose out of the marina, then south-east, with the wind most likely on our backs, back towards the marine wonderland of the Maddalena Archipalego. If you have time, it's an amazing place to explore, and you don't need to go too far to find your own secluded sun-kissed beach with crystal clear waters. Tonight, our destination is La Maddalena, the capital town of the islands, but that doesn't mean it's a big town.
The Maddalena islands are probably best known for being the training ground for a certain Napoleon Bonaparte - indeed, the first place that the Corsican tried to conquer was the island of Maddalena itself, but he was unsuccesful, and the islands would go on to become the base for Horatio Nelson to lead the rest of Europe against France. The island of Caprera is almost as well-known for being the prison for Giuseppe Garibaldi, who was central to the unification of Italy. He was actually imprisoned in the archipalego, but liked the islands so much that, upon his release, he bought a plot of land here and stayed here happily for the rest of his days.
Day 6. La Maddalena to Portisco – 17 nM
Oh no. Time has flown and we're already on the last leg of the itinerary. Hopefully over the last week you've found some amazing places, enjoyed the sunshine, and have developed into a happy, hearty and fun-loving crew.
It's not the end just yet, though, and we still have a day of sailing to do. There's only 17 nautical miles back to Portisco, so you can afford to take your time exploring the myriad islands, bays and beaches of the archipelago, or heading to sail closer to the Costa Smeralda to take in the most exclusive coast-line in the World. Once you've had your fill, you need to head south and follow the coats back past Porto Cervo and on to Portisco. On entry, you'll need to refuel the boat (there's a fuel berth on the breakwater - you can't miss it!), before taking the boat back to where you found it a week ago... There should be someone there to help you moor up.
Later, someoneo will come and check the boat is still in one piece, but the full check-out is bright and early tomorrow morning, before you disembark, and wave farewell to your trusty boat. If you haven’t yet visited Portisco town then it is worth a visit, and you should find a number of fellow sailors there tonight who you can impress with tales of your voyage.
And eventually, you'll be on your way home. Hopefully you’ve had a truly memorable week in the sunshine, and are leaving with even better friends than you arrived with. If it's a really good crew, you'll already be starting to think about planning another sailing adventure together! Have a safe flight, and thanks for sailing with us! We hope to see you soon!
Italy is famed for it's beautiful weather, and it's likely their dependably hot summers which inspired them to get on and make the best ice cream in the World. They have mild winters, but temperatures pick up just in time for the sailing season, when it's not uncommon to see temperatures above 20 degrees in May, rising to over 30 degrees in July and August.
