Pilot: Italian Waters Pilot by Rod Heikell. Fifth Edition. Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson.
To download this document as an RTF file, Click here
|
Isola Capraia |
Lat |
43° 02' 7 N |
Long |
009° 50'.3 E |
|
Information Date: |
May, 2000 |
Pilot Page Number: |
82 |
Cost per night: |
10,000 L |
An absolute gem! We loved Capraia – it is one of our favourite harbours of the year. We had to moor bow to our anchor and stern to the quay for the first time. To our delight, we found the process easier than expected as, once the anchor was down, we had control over the position of our bows which normally blow downwind in the merest whisper of a breeze. Although the pilot talks of indifferent holding we had no problems and held fast in a near-gale. We moored on the western side of the harbour on the main quay. The berths shown in the pilot on the inside of the harbour wall are suitable only for very small boats and, in any case, are fully occupied by local boats. There appear to be some vacant spaces near the outer end of the wall but the water is very shallow and there is nothing to attach your lines to.
Capraia is a common first port of call for the very many
charter boats from
The anchorage shown in the pilot just outside the harbour is very close to the spot where the ro-ro ferry drops her port anchor whilst berthing at speed. It would take a stout boat and an even stouter heart to feel secure here!
Water is available only from the harbour master and is metered. We paid 15,000 lire for 200 litres. There is a small supermarket on the quay though, as one would expect, the stock is limited and prices are quite high. There are several restaurants along the quay.
There are some excellent walks on the island. Some of the tracks are quite rough so strong shoes are advised.
|
Portoferraio Isola Elba |
Lat |
42° 48' 7 N |
Long |
010° 19'.8 E |
|
Information Date: |
May, 2000 |
Pilot Page Number: |
84 |
Cost per night: |
nil |
We moored bows to our anchor, stern to the quay on the south-east side of the harbour, and we were extremely pleased that we had. The berths on the north-west side border a very busy road and are very noisy indeed. By contrast, the berths on the south-east side border a car park and are very much quieter.
Whilst
we were in Portoferraio work was being completed on
new service points to provide water and electricity to both quays. Whereas we paid nothing in May, quay-side
gossip suggested that the authorities were going to start charging from the
beginning of July. A fellow sailor we
met later in the year confirmed this to be so – he had been charged 80,000
lire. This is a considerable departure
for Portoferraio, for long a Porto Comunale that lived up to its name. Quite what has happened to the large number
of semi-permanent live-aboards we saw there we do not
know. Nor do we
know if the charges will remain all year or only in high season. Anyone hoping to over-winter in
Portoferraio is an interesting town to visit and the walk
to the top of the Citadel is well worthwhile.
There is a very large supermarket behind the ferry port and a
coin-operated laundrette behind it. As
both are as rare as hen’s teeth in
One of the live-aboards in the harbour told us that the smaller of the two boat yards in the south-west corner of the Rada di Portoferraio has been bought by the owner of the larger one. Whether or not this will have an impact on prices at these very popular yards for over-wintering remains to be seen.
|
Isola Elba |
Lat |
42° 45' 7 N |
Long |
010° 24' E |
|
Information Date: |
May, 2000 |
Pilot Page Number: |
92 |
Cost per night: |
nil |
We anchored at the head of the inlet west of Porto Azzuro, first in 9m and later, a little further inshore, in 5.6m. We spent a peaceful night with no disturbance from wash. The commercial quay shown in the pilot on the south side of the bay opposite Porto Azzuro now seems to house a charter fleet.
|
Golfo Stella Isola Elba |
Lat |
42° 45' 6 N |
Long |
010° 19'.3 E |
|
Information Date: |
May, 2000 |
Pilot Page Number: |
92 |
Cost per night: |
nil |
We anchored in 5.5m to the east of the rough harbour wall in the north-west corner of the gulf. In the northerly winds prevailing at the time we enjoyed a quiet, peaceful night.
The pilot states that a small boat could anchor fore and aft behind the rough harbour wall. It would have to be a very small boat and, even then, would be lucky to find room!
|
Golfo della Lacona Isola Elba |
Lat |
42° 45' N |
Long |
010° 18' E |
|
Information Date: |
May, 2000 |
Pilot Page Number: |
93 |
Cost per night: |
nil |
Another delightful anchorage. We anchored off the beach at the head of the gulf in 4.8m. The anchorage is a huge, wide area over clean sand with room for 50 boats or more. Fortunately, we had it to ouselves.
|
Golfo di Campo Isola Elba |
Lat |
42° 44' 5 N |
Long |
010° 14'.4 E |
|
Information Date: |
May, 2000 |
Pilot Page Number: |
93 |
Cost per night: |
n/a |
We motored into Golfo di Campo but did not stay. We felt that Marina di Campo was rather small and it only had room for 2 to 3 visiting yachts. We felt that in suitable weather it would be much better to anchor off in the bay which is much, much wider than the plan in the pilot suggests.
|
Fetovaia Isola Elba |
Lat |
42° 43' 5 N |
Long |
010° 09'.5 E |
|
Information Date: |
May, 2000 |
Pilot Page Number: |
94 |
Cost per night: |
nil |
A quite delightful spot.
We anchored in 5.2m, 170 metres off the beach. Whilst we were there the lifeguard laid a row
of buoys outside us. We asked if they
meant we had to move but he said not.
Bylaws in
|
Marciana Marina Isola Elba |
Lat |
42° 48' 5 N |
Long |
010° 11'.8 E |
|
Information Date: |
May, 2000 |
Pilot Page Number: |
94 |
Cost per night: |
nil |
Marciana Marina is not a marina at all but a fishing harbour. We moored bows to our anchor, stern to the quay in the zona transito in the north west corner of the harbour just under the tower marked on the plan in the pilot. We ignored the Yacht Club pontoons to starboard as we came in, though they would have been useful had we required water or electricity.
|
Cala Canelle Isola del Giglio |
Lat |
42° 21' 5 N |
Long |
010° 55'.4 E |
|
Information Date: |
August, 2000 |
Pilot Page Number: |
98 |
Cost per night: |
nil |
We anchored in 8m over sand and rock. The water was crystal-clear allowing the anchor to be dropped in a sandy patch. With little or no wind the anchorage was calm but, when the wind turned to the south-east we had to clear out. We did not go ashore.
|
Seno di Compese Isola del Giglio |
Lat |
42° 22' N |
Long |
010° 53' E |
|
Information Date: |
May, 2000 |
Pilot Page Number: |
99 |
Cost per night: |
nil |
We anchored in 6.5m over sand. With the wind in the south-east we had a comfortable night. We did not go ashore.