Chartering in Sardinia
Yacht charter in Sardinia - An island with one of Europe's most stunning coastlines; it's waters teem with fish; it's golden sands disappear into oceans of blue; it's rugged mountains are covered with flocks of sheep producing cheese so pungent, your palate will never forget.
Sardinia is completely unique and the perfect place for a yacht charter holiday that mixes excitement with the exotic. During the summer, yachts flock to Sardinia. With an average of 300 days of sunshine per year, concentrated from April to September and warm winds off the African continent, the Sardinian climate, can be quite delightful and not quite as hot as other yacht charter areas in the Mediterranean.
You'll find, despite their weird and wonderful ways, that the Sardinian ports compete rather well with the Mediterraneans other chic hot spots. Summers tend to attract lovely warm days and crowds of millionaires, supermodels and luxury yachts, especially to the prestigious Yacht Club Costa Smeralda at Porto Cervo, near Olbia.
For the bareboat charterer though, whose interests are a little more adventurous, Sardinia's humble bays and ports, will allow you to explore some sheer and stunning terrain. A good start is the Grotte di Nettuno (Neptunes Caves) on the beautiful Capocaccia to the north. .
As with other parts of the Mediterranean and Italy, the chartering season generally runs from April to the end of October. The summer season in July and August is the hottest and tends to have lighter winds.
This spectacular and unrivalled island presents a variety of shapes. In fact Sardinia is a surprising blend of "diversities" originated from its complex natural, historical and cultural richness, as it has been, since the most ancient ages, a meeting point for the various cultures of the populations which have landed on and colonized its coasts. In the northern part of the island, between Alghero and Olbia you'll find a rich coastline alternating beaches and bays while the landscape is predominantly rocky. A fantastic journey along the northern irregular coasts of Sardinia, where nature has been wonderfully moulded by a civilization, the roots of which stretch back at the time of the first inhabitants of the Mediterranean. Facing Palau is the Archipelago of La Maddalena, unquestionable natural attraction of extraordinary beauty, from where, reaching its highest point, Guardia Vecchia, you'll be able to enjoy a view of all the islands of the archipelago, sweeping all the way to Corsica .
In the short stretch of sea of the Bocche di Bonifacio dividing Sardinia from Corsica, many islands, of all sizes, rise from the waters, forming the Archipelago of La Maddalena considered one of nature's authentic masterpieces. They're grouped in the eastern (Santo Stefano, La Maddalena, Caprera, with the small islands of Monaci, Sperduti di Caprera, Pecora, Porco, Delle Bisce, Chiesa, Della Paura, Cappuccini) and the western ones (Spargi, Budelli, Razzoli, Santa Maria with the little islands of Spargiotto, Spargiottello, Barrettini, Barrettinelli, Corcelli, La Presa, Paduleddi). The archipelago is characterized by various forms of granite, moulded by the wind and rain: the phenomenon of the "tafoni", big round rocks with fantastic shapes, entirely excavated by the crumbling of the rock from within. One of the most renowned is the one at Capo d'Orso on the coast in the vicinities of Palau.
La Maddalena, is the most extended island and is mostly levelled. Along the southern coast lies the city of La Maddalena, delimited in the western part by the cape of Punta Tegge and in the eastern part by the ample bay of Cala Camicia and Punta Moneta; facing this bay, at a distance of 500 meters, is the isalnd of Santo Stefano. The natural environment is still wild and its coasts shelter small beaches overlooking fabulous waters. Going north, the coastline forms the coves of Spalmatore and Porto Massimo, then the cape of Marginetto with Point Marginetto, the most northern of La Maddalena. The coast goes back down south-west, forming, with the peninsula of Abbatoggia, the deep gulf of Monti di Rena; the granite, here, is finely levigated by the violent west wind forms vast sandy dunes. You'll find the same phenomenon going just a little further south, past Punta Abbatoggia and past the little island with the same name, in the area of Spiaggia Bassa or Trinit where the sandy landscape is even more fascinating, with its dunes of very fine white sand. The coastline continues with the steep massif of Guardia Majore, penetrating just a little further in the bay of cala Inferno, rocky and irregular; from there it goes back up west and then turnes definitely south with Punta Testiccioli. The whole area is one of the most inaccessible and the granite is marked by the sea's fury and by the strong north winds. A good refuge is Cala Francese, just a little further south, overlooked by a large granite quarry.
Caprera,This island is smaller than la Maddalena but its total coastline is longer, 45,5 km, because of th long and narrow cape of granite that stretches all the way to Punta Rossa, seat of a Navy Military base since 1887. The extreme southern coast of Caprera is a morphologically very frail and unsteady area; a profound opening of the sea forms the marvellous Porto Palma. The entire eastern coast of Caprera and also the northern one, are formed by striking cliffs of granite, almost totally unaccessible, so evocative and beautiful, formed by the more steep side of the long massif of Mount Teialone.
The island of Asinara situated in the north-western part of Sardinia has an extension of 5.200 ha., while the sea's surface extension is 21.000 ha. The coastline is 110 km.long. It belongs to the Government and is part of the territory of the town of Porto Torres. The island is 17,5 km. long and its maximum width is 6,14 km. The western part is characterized by high schistose falaises, steep rocky slopes with numerous landslides and ravines, large canals and crevices, while in the eastern part you'll find wide bays and small beaches with the tipical rough sand of the granite morphology with ample rocky outcrops. This island is famous for its unique landscape and for the environmental beauties, but also and mostly for the rich wildlife: many are the species living on the island, some are very rare and, unfortunately threatened with extinction.
The southern part of Corsica is separated form Sardinia by the legendary Bocche di Bonifacio, a short strait, only few miles long. The coast, together with the turqoise and transparent sea, with the immense granite peaks, with the vast woods, the uplands and limestone slopes, form one of the most astonishing region of the island. Bonifacio marks the southern extremity of Corsica. A mediterrenean city located in a tortuous area, with its antique districts lying on top of white cliffs falling vertically to the sea and its port: a gully, deep cove with steep rocky faces, which separate it, almost completely, from dry land. Bonifacio is a tourist center most popular among the more exigent visitors. Portovecchio is an antique Genoese citadel close to the famous beaches and to some minor little islands such as Lavezzi and Cavallo.