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naples, italy

5K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  Lauren Schmitt 
#1 ·
has anyone sailed the Bay of Naples and surround islands or hear any rumors on the subject?
 
#3 · (Edited)
Rumors on the subject? what you mean?

I crossed the bay late September. My Wife wanted to visit Capri and called the marina to see if out of season the prices were reasonable. Well, they were not, for a 41ft boat 140€.

We stayed on anchor at Baia on the North end of the gulf, in what was once one of the most luxurious place of the Roman empire. Well, what a waste, a beautiful natural site spoiled by bad architecture not controlled planning...a mess. We stayed on anchor near a half sunken old big trawler. We where the only cruising boat on anchor (several smaller boats were more near shore on permanent moorings).

I cruised the South of Italy and most of the time was the only boat on the anchorage, it seems that Italians prefer marinas.

From there I sailed to the Island of Ponza. A nice place with good anchorages and this time there was plenty of sailboats there. I guess that was because it was weekend and the place is at only a day sailing from Rome.

Regards

Paulo
 
#4 ·
I am of the impression that the Bay of Naples area is characterized by big, very very crowded, expensive marinas. And that the anchorages are mainly for settled weather. And there is not much wind in the summer except for passing thunderstorms. I base this on reading the cruising guide and rumors from third parties. So, I am looking for people that have actually sailed in the Bay or the Pontine Islands.
 
#5 · (Edited)
There are the one in Baia that is spoiled by that big wreck that is on the best place to anchor and that can take few boats, you have more in Miseno, nearby and also several on the Islands of Ischia and Procida. None is a big one that takes many boats but the holding is good and the protection has to do with the wind direction.

They do not offer perfect or exceptional shelter but are adequate for summer protection, if the wind blows from the right direction, with the exception of the one in Miseno that gives a good protection from several winds.

If you go to the googlearth you will see where you can lay your anchor. On the bay near Napoles there are a several buoy camps. The resolution on google earth is very good and if you zoom you will see them.

Regards

Paulo
 
#7 ·
Unfortunately, 2012 was Pedsto's last post. I doubt you'll get an answer.

There just aren't a whole lot of members posting from that part of the world. Unfortunate.
 
#11 ·
What a wonderful area!!!!!!!!!

Take LOTS of chain! Capri outside the town is 25 meters deep in less than 100 meters and the shallow spots are already taken.
I dont like anchoiring deeper than 23 meters because the dead lift of 75 feet of chain makes my windlass groan a bit and I am too scared to burn it.

We found Salerno full of character, young people, marina for 60 euros/night was cheap(!!) to let us train it to Rome etc.

Can anchor directly opposite Pompeii.

You can anchor in lots of places, but it doesnt appear so because the locals dont do it so much... they can afford marinas.
 
#12 ·
Yes, I did. Unfortunately a Mistral was building so we headed for Gaeta on the mainland and spent three nights there. Nice town actually and the marina fees were reasonable. We were a group of seven and two boats did go to Capri and Amalfi --- too crowded and very expensive. Capri does have a mooring field on the back side of the island. Tte mistral was bad enough (25 knots in the marina) that a Wind Star ship sought shelter in Gaeta, the Six Fleet flag ship didn't even go out and the fishing fleet stayed in. Wed we went to the island of Ventotene (old harbor). They were having their 199th annual festival for their patron saint. It was a blast so much so we stayed another night (wx was also a factor). And Friday we sailed back to Procidia. Summary: Do Capri and Amalfi by land, sail to the more distant islands.
 
#14 ·
...Summary: Do Capri and Amalfi by land, sail to the more distant islands.
Yes, even if I) have managed to stay one night at anchor in Amalfi: it was some protection from the prevailing winds but it is uncomfortable with the boat rolling a lot. Fornia is the only place I know on that coast were you can pass a night in town not paying much.

Good anchorage on that zone only in Ponza, more to the North.

One of the reasons why it is dificult to anchor on the Thyrrenean Italy coast is the wind not to be a prevalent one in direction, like in Greece. Very variable winds and the local weather services are many times wrong about their direction, even with strong winds that many times have a strong local component.
 
#15 ·
We are planning on chartering out of Procida for a week in September
and are looking for an 'optimal' itinerary. While sailing is important, what we really want to do is see the Amalfi coast. Looking for a 7 night itinerary (with night 1 in Procida marina and maybe night 7 as well). I love to sail, wife tolerates sailing for opportunity to visit and see coasts that would otherwise be inaccessible.
 
#16 ·
On the exploring side, you'll be able to cover most of Prochida on foot as it's a small island. If you do Ischia I recommend a car rental once you land. They have a bunch of Mini Mokes (which are kind of neat) right next to the Port of Ischia, as opposed to Casamicciola on the same island further west. An alternative would be to spend a night in Ischia and just walk around the local scene, and then sail to the other side of the island to Sant'Angleo which is a neat little tourist town on the south coast.

From there it's approx. 18 miles to Capri to give you some scale. Once at Capri you're just off the tip of the Sorrento Peninsula which is the start if the Amalfi coast. The towns most of "our people" tended to spend time in were Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, and Salerno.

Harbour facilities will all be very similar in these locations. If you choose to anchor, make sure you have a lot of rode as it rocky and gets deep very fast. As some previous post state, you can find your self exposed in some locations at anchor as there aren't very many natural harbours you'll be able to find on your own. We day sailed in this area, but our overnight sails were out of Malta.

Have fun!
 
#17 ·
Thanks for the reply, John. One of my concerns is that from what I've read, it's very difficult to find a berth at Positanoand Amalfi, two of the towns we most want to visit. For the reasons you cite, we are hesitant to anchor and we don't want to get to Positano and find that we can't overnight and have to head back to Capri in the late afternoon. Any more info on the harbor facilities in Positano and Amalfi or any resources you can point me to to find out more?
 
#19 ·
For the reasons you cite, we are hesitant to anchor and we don't want to get to Positano and find that we can't overnight and have to head back to Capri in the late afternoon.
I wouldnt worry about not anchoring. Everyone there does. Its just depth can be scary before you are used to it.

As the depth increases you can decrease your scope so you can do 3:1 where in shallow water you would use 5:1
 
#18 ·
Too bad we just moved to Montgomery AL (where there's lots of sailing :rolleyes:). I could have just driven down the road to find out whatever you needed.

If you are going through Sail Italia they will be able to guide you through some of the local methods that marinas tend to use.

Positano does not have a harbour/marina, just a mooring field right off the main beach. Amalfi does have a harbour/marina and a few mooring balls and some spots you could try to anchor if your braver than I think you want to be. I have been to both places ashore but never via boat, so I would have to investigate process myself.

For sites to give you more specific information you can try:
World Cruising and Sailing Wiki - a Cruising Guide on the World Cruising and Sailing Wiki or http://www.noonsite.com/ which are pretty comprehensive. Otherwise I would be "Googling" away.
 
#20 ·
These areas along the Amalfi Coast can be extremely busy during high season so the best bet would be to go around September. Sorrento is a fantastic place along the coast and is home to charming town as well. Another recommendation would be Capri! The ports are also quite expensive and can differ between €50/€100 night, so keep that in mind!
 
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