TELL-TALES

Mediterranean Sailing

These pages will contain bits and pieces on sailing in the Mediterranean. Some pilotage. Weather. Yacht services. A bit of a pot-pourri on sailing in the Mediterranean.

FOR SUPPLEMENTS TO MY BOOKS GO TO THE CORRECTIONS PAGE ON THE IMRAY SITE.

THERE ARE ALSO SOME RECENT SUPPLEMENTS AS TEXT FILES HERE

EU regulations on AIS 2009 directive

Mediterranean weather forecasts on the net

Will there be any fish left?

Fish farms

Preface to 4th ed Mediterranean France & Corsica

Shoestring cruising: Mediterranean France

Shoestring cruising: Italy

Sardinian yacht tax

That silting feeling

On the Nose

13-03-10

This just came in from the Cruising Association and will make a lot of people, me included, very happy.

Michael Manton

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 There was a meeting held in Mugla on 17th February to discuss the proposed Blue Card scheme, due to be introduced on 1st March 2010. Around 100 people attended, including the Mugla Governor and his deputy, President of Special Environmental Protection Agency, district governors of Mugla, Mayors from several districts, coastguard commandants and harbor masters, General manager of marinas, the General Manager of TURMEPA and the presidents of the Chamber of Shipping branches at Bodrum, Marmaris, Fethiye and Antalya.
 
There was a lot topics mentioned during the meeting by attendants but here is only a few importants;
1.   Daily tripper boat numbers has to be fixed.
2.   Daily tripper boats have to sail on certain route.
3.   BBQ is vital important not to be forbidden.
4.   The impossibility of collecting grey water in smaller displacement yachts
5.   The cost of the Blue Card, and the need for free or very low cost pump out services to encourage pumping out
6.   High-pressure room required for divers at each district.
7.   Keep it clean is cheaper than clean it later.
8.   Present transit log will be used until 31st May 2010. Electronic card will be ready for use.
9.   VAT reduction is required for marine sector.
10. Turks cannot rent foreign flag yachts. Regulation needs to be changed.
11. Yacht agent cannot collect their customer from Airport. They wish to meet them at the airport.
12. Turmepa will bring another sewage removal boat to Göcek area. There will be small sewage removal station at Sarsala bay and Aribükü bay at Fethiye.
13. Blue card is available at 30 different stations and 3 coast guard boats will control the system.
14. There are many dirty information circulating around. Authorities have to make official announcement soon.
15. This local regulation needs to be announced by government to other countries.
16. Each marina built sewage removal system at the each berth.
17. Floating stations needs to be built for other sailors.
18. Restaurants are not in good quality at the bays.
19. Commercial yacht producing more sewage then others.
20. 70 TL is to much for blue card it has to be free.
21. Sewage disposal has to be free.
 
There were no specific decisions taken, and no official announcement from the meeting, but general expression and intent of the governor is postponing it for the future. As I understand from his expression that make it step by step when background is ready. They will start with gullets this year, may be over 15mt yachts next year and also include other commercial yachts another year may be include all yachts a few years letter. They are not planning to punish any yachts in a few years.
 
There is general support amongst the organizations to improve and control the environmental impact of boats using Turkish waters, and therefore it is planned to proceed with the implementation of the Blue Card Scheme in some form. Particular emphasis was placed on controls within Gocek-Dalaman bays (in practice Skopea Limani and offlying islands).
 
A further meeting is now planned at Ministerial level in Ankara on 22nd February after which there will be further consultations with industry representatives before any announcement is made.

I hoping to receive official announcement in 10 days. I don’t expect to hear negative and illogical regulation. Everyone can sail to this region as before and enjoy deeply.

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Updates in the Greek Ionian

From the Skylax blog 26-05-09

Ionian update for Vathi on Meganisi

Steve Miller on 'Ithaca' (his yacht not the island) sent in the following on Vathi on Meganisi in the Greek Ionian. Not South Pacific I know but useful info that ought to be out there. Many thanks Steve.

Text and photos © Steve Miller except for the useful photo sent by Joe at CYS in Levkas.

Hi Rod,
A couple of items of interest from the Ionian……………
 
Mitikas.
There are 12 new concrete floating pontoons in the “old” harbour at Mitikas and I suspect these will be positioned in the harbour running N-S providing extra moorings for visiting yachtsmen– unless the locals get there first!
 
 
Vathi (Meganissi)
The new marina / harbour is now almost complete and yachts are starting to use it; see attached pdf file with photographs and plan. There are no lazy lines at the moment and I don’t k now if these are planned.  The water / electric pedestals are fitted but not yet connected.
 
However, there are a few points about this new harbour that need mentioning; the last one is most important.
1.   The Meganissi ferry now docks virtually in the middle of the Marina and judging by the ramp / slipway, this looks to be a permanent arrangement and is not ideal for either yachtsmen or ferry.
2.  I have been told that ballasting rocks around the edge are inconsistent and that in some places only bows-to mooring is possible.  This isn’t helped by the water clarity; although not as murky as down in the village, it’s not clear enough (about 1m) to see the bottom.  There is plenty of depth inside the North Mole, no rocks since it was built of concrete blocks.
3.  There appears to be a submerged rock about 15 – 20m eastwards from the westernmost point of the “bay”.  Whilst I was taking the enclosed photographs, a Sunsail Beneteau 363 left the quayside (fortunately slowly) and came to a very rapid and hard stop.  This wasn’t mud – it almost certainly had to be Rock.  This “bay” was always very shoal and I do not believe the bedrock was too far down; there may be other hi-spots and I suspect a full survey from a dinghy is in order………….
 

And some sad news ... I never met Jim but we corresponded over the years. Hopefully now in some nautical Valhalla

Finally, I know Jim Parish made a number of contributions to you for your pilot books and regrettably I have to tell you that Jim died suddenly of a big heart attack on the 12th May whilst walking in Cumbria with his wife Zhi.  My wife and I first met Jim in Longos on Paxos in 2000; at that time, he was on “Scarlet O’Hara” an Etap 26 he sailed from Hull down the North Sea, through the French Canals and into the Med.  Sometime around 2002 Jim sold Scarlet and bought “Red of Hull”, an Etap 32i on which he spent sailing between Corfu and Cephalonia for another 5 seasons or so before setting off back to the UK although he did have a final circumnavigation cruise of the Peloponnese before doing so.  Red of Hull is currently in the French canal system somewhere.
 
All the best,
 
 
Steve Miller

These photos from Joe at Contract Yacht Services

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From the Skylax blog 20-05-09

New Turkish Regulations

This just in from Yusuf on the new Turkish Regulations. Things seem a bit fluid at the moment so you will need to play it by ear.

Many thanks to Yusuf at Yachtworks in Turgutreis.

New Procedure for Yachts entering Turkey
Further to our News of 11.4.2009:
The Transitlog can now only be activated through the Internet and only after Harbour Dues (For yachts with 11 NRT and more), Lighthouse Dues (for yachts with 30 NRT and more) have been paid in.
Two days ago attempts to the contrary resulted in the cancellation of the almost complete document by the Harbourmaster.
Although there is still some confusion prevailing, our preliminary understanding of  the procedure is as follows:
1)      Obtain a Transitlog Form, as usual, from the Chamber of Seatrade, from a Marina or from an Agent. The costs of the form have not changed.
2)      Register your data at the web site designated to that purpose. Obtain a registration number. Web site is in Turkish and a Turkish Citizency Number or an Agency Code is required.
3)      If vessel is over 11 NRT place “Harbour Dues/ Port of Entry Tax”. The amount is minimal. However, the tax has to be paid at a branch office of Türkiye Garanti Bankasý or, if an account is entertained with them,  through their Internet banking.
4)      If vessel is over 30 NRT place “Lighthouse Dues”. The Dues have to be paid at a branch office of Türkiye Ziraat Bankasý or, if an account is entertained with them,  through their Internet banking.
5)      Have your receipts checked at the Harbourmaster’s Office. The Harbourmaster will also print the data you have stored in their base onto the blank form you provide.
6)      Complete remaining stamps. Wet stamps and signatures are required.
7)      Done.
Agencies will carry out the required procedures for some service fee. I have heard service fees starting with Eu 35.00 approx, but I heard also about fees in the vicinity of Eu 150.00 – for the same amount of work. Agency fees are not regulated.
Some Marinas have applied for some sort of Agency Code, in the meantime they try to help out informally. This help is presently connived. Other Marinas support their in house agent and their clearance fees are nominal.
Recommendations for the time being:  Carry a Tonnage Certificate, or a document showing some tonnage value under 11 tons. Compare agency fees if you are compelled to use one. The Chamber of Seatrade may help to some degree, voluntarily and as time permits.
I will keep you informed.
Fair Winds.
 
Important:  The information above has been put together with care. However, yachtWORKS and the author will not assume any responsibility arising from inaccuracies in this information, which, by its very nature may also get outdated within time. Interested parties are strongly advised to seek up to date information prior to any action.

Yusuf Civelekoglu

Corrections

This page contains some recent supplements to my books. It is not intended to be all-encompassing and for a complete list of supplements you should go to the Imray site www.imray.com and click on corrections. The corrections on the Imray site are in pdf format whereas these are straight html.

Note: If you want to print off the corrections for a book from here I suggest you highlight the corrections for the book you want and then copy it into a word processor like WORD. If you simply press PRINT for this page it will print off all the corrections - a lot of pages and a lot of paper and ink. We are short enough on resources on this planet as it is ...

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2009 SUPPLEMENTS TO

Greek Waters Pilot 10th ed.

Ionian 6th ed.

West Aegean 1st ed.

Turkish Waters & Cyprus Pilot 7th/8th ed.

East Aegean 1st ed.

Italian Waters Pilot 7th ed.

Mediterranean France & Corsica Pilot 4th ed.

Below I've pasted the introduction to the supplements page with links to the various books including the new supplements. Just heed the warning on printing out supplements. Otherwise go to Supplements or to Imrays web site where they will be under Corrections. The latest are all appended 2009.

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From the Skylax blog 28-03-09

 EU regulations on insurance and AIS

Recent decisions by the EU may mean that yachts over 15 metres LOA will have to install Class B AIS transponders. The original directive was mooted in 2002 and again in 2006, before a final December 2008 version (see the summary below). It now appears it will be ratified. The directive is aimed at commercial fishing boats and it has been assumed by the yachting press that it will also apply to yachts over 15 metres LOA. That is not yet mentioned in any of the paperwork put out by the EU committee and I wish certain magazines and certain web sites would stop putting out ill-informed tabloid headlines before looking at the actual EU paper.

The 2006 directive being adopted is summarised below (C6-0004/2006).

In principle we are dealing with a single amendment, but one of great importance which concerns the requirement to equip fishing vessels over 15m in length with Automatic Identification Systems (AIS), the aim of which is to make it easier to locate the position of the ships. Provisions for this at present are undeniably inadequate. The high number of fishing vessels that go undetected by merchant ships has led to many serious accidents, especially in the North Sea, the Baltic and the Mediterranean.

The obligatory installation of these safety systems, as set out in the new Article 6a, is

accompanied by a schedule which aims to have ships over 24m in length fitted out by 2008 and ships over 15m in length by 2010.

If you want to read the directive (originally 08-12-08) that was adopted on 11-03-09 I have reproduced it below. I'd speed-read it if I was you, it's doesn't make great reading, though I'm beginning to feel like I'm the only one who has looked at it? It still doesn’t mention pleasure craft although there is the possibility that they could be included… though I personally doubt it. The logistics of getting a fishing fleet to adopt AIS Class B is much less work than getting all EU yachts over 15 metres to comply. If it is decided this will happen there will have to be a ‘grace’ period.

The other resolution adopted is that pleasure craft must have 3^rd party insurance, something they are already required to have by all the EU states national legislation… so no change there.

Resolution adopted 11-03-09

The Commission accepts in full 27 amendments to the common position, adopted by the European Parliament in first reading. These are amendments which:

• improve the Commission proposal on the question of places of refuge, as regards the plans for accommodating vessels in places of refuge and insurance;
• relate to the establishment of the LRIT European Data Centre for the long-distance tracking of vessels, the SafeSeaNet maritime data exchange network, fair treatment of seafarers, navigation in ice conditions, and requirements concerning the shipment of dangerous goods;
• relate to comitology, correlation tables and the entry into force of the Directive;
• incorporate elements of the proposal for a directive on civil liability and insurance for shipowners, another part of the Third Package which, on the date of the second reading by the European Parliament, had not yet been approved by the Council.

The amendments partially accepted by the Commission are as follows:

• amendments on the compensation for economic losses suffered by ports which accommodate vessels in distress. The Commission fully supports one of the objectives, which is to stress how important it is that the Member States ratify and/or implement international conventions on compensation for pollution damage. However, the obligation on Member States to reimburse all the costs and compensate for the damage resulting from a decision to accommodate a vessel is excessive and poses legal and practical problems. In the view of the Commission, it is desirable that Member States have a legal framework in place that allows for compensation for such damage whenever necessary;
• an amendment intended to oblige the Member States to comply with the IMO guidelines on fair treatment of seafarers. In the view of the Commission, Member States should take the guidelines into consideration, but it would be difficult to envisage making them compulsory in Community law, given that they relate essentially to questions of judicial and criminal procedure, and are not directly connected to the objectives of the Directive;
• an amendment on the scope of the comitology procedure.

Lastly, the Commission accepted in principle and/or subject to rewording, amendments on:

• incorporating AIS systems for short-distance monitoring of vessels into VMS systems used for fisheries control;
• the decision-making process for the accommodation of vessels in places of refuge and 'place of refuge' plans;
• the establishment of the LRIT European Data Centre for the long-distance tracking of vessels flying the flag of an EU Member State and operating off the EU coast;
• the confidentiality of information obtained under the Directive, whether relating to information sent by vessels using AIS or LRIT systems, or information circulated among Member States using the SafeSeaNet maritime data exchange network;
• enabling the development of the constituent parts of the SafeSeaNet maritime data exchange network within the content of Annex III to the Directive;
• the use of information obtained under the Directive for the purposes of maritime safety;
• strengthening checks on compliance with building and maintenance requirements for navigation in ice filled waters;
• obliging vessels to inform the coastal authorities of the quantity of bunker fuel, irrespective of the volume on board;
• strengthening the provisions of the Directive relating to the information to be provided by the shipper when dangerous or polluting goods are offered for carriage;
• alleviating the burden on scheduled services using Community ports to provide notifications of entry into port.

No amendments were rejected.

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Mediterranean weather forecasts on the internet

General forecasts for the Mediterranean

UGRIB   Grib files from www.grib.us where you download the UGRIB viewer and can then select areas for up to a 5 day forecast. Easy to use and frighteningly accurate for computer only generated data.

Weather online uk   www.weatheronline.co.uk   Go to sports weather/sailing in the left-hand menu and choose area. 7 day forecast.

JCOMM GMDSS (Meteo France) http://weather.gmdss.org   Official text forecast for GMDSS MSI. Select METAREA III.

Windfinder   www.windfinder.com   Originally a windsurfing forecast site that has expanded. 7 day forecasts.

Meteosail    www.meteosail.com   Uses various other sites with links to get there.

FRANCE    www.meteofrance.com   Go to mer and point to vents (in Km/h). Four day coastal forecast.

ITALY   www.meteoam.it    Go to Tempo Reale and Sezione Nautica and then Stato del mare e vento a 10 metri. Up to 84 hours on buttons.

CROATIA   http://meteo.hr/index_en.php   Simple 7 day forecast and more useful text forecast in English.

GREECE & TURKEY

Poseidon   www.poseidon.ncmr.gr/weather.html    Easy to use 5 day forecast.

Hellenic Meteo   www.meteo.gr/sailingmapf.asp   Excellent interface. Click on area and then on forward arrow on right. Up to 5 day forecast.

TURKEY   www.meteor.gov.tr   Go to marine meteorology. Simple 3 day forecast.

ISRAEL   www.ims.gov.il    Synoptic map.

Note   Most of the general Mediterranean forecasts and most of the regional forecasts now use GRIB files. It should always be remembered that these are computer only generated files, though in my experience the accuracy is as good as many human interpretations of weather data.

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From the Skylax blog 27-04-09

Will there be any fish left?

In the Observer an article on the over-fishing going on in most parts of the world highlights an old problem that must be addressed soon. In the Mediterranean I've noticed the number and size of fish, especially tuna and swordfish at the top of the food chain, have dramatically decreased in numbers and size.

The following extract is from the article by Andrew Purvis. To read the full version go to the Observer

Photo by Romass Foord from the Observer

... such gatherings often ride roughshod over the scientists' recommendations - as happened at a meeting of ICCAT (the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) in Luxembourg in 2007, where quotas were being thrashed out for bluefin tuna from the Mediterranean. Scientists recommended an annual catch of 15,000 tonnes a year, with a preference for 10,000 tonnes - but EU ministers agreed a quota of 29,000 tonnes, enough to guarantee the collapse of the species. (Last year, quotas for 2009 were again set far higher than scientists were advising.)

In fact, the real amount of bluefin landed was 61,000 tonnes - four times what scientists had recommended - due to illegal and unreported fishing. Last month, the European Commission implemented a two-year control and inspection programme for bluefin tuna fisheries in seven Mediterranean countries, to clamp down on things such as illegal spotter planes used to track down tuna schools. Globally, black-market fishing is worth US$25bn (£17bn) a year. In Europe, 50% of the cod we eat has been caught illegally.

Those figures, and the Luxembourg debacle, are recorded in The End of the Line - the documentary, based on Charles Clover's book of that name, to be screened in UK cinemas from 8 June. However, the blatant disregard for science it portrays is not an isolated case. "We have analysed the decision-making of European fisheries ministers over the past 20 years," says Professor Roberts, "and systematically, year on year, they have set quotas that are 25 to 35% higher than the levels recommended by scientists."

How can our politicians get away with it? "There is no obligation upon them to take scientific advice," Professor Roberts explains. "What they will tell you is that it is only one of the things they have to consider. While they might be protecting a fisherman's livelihood in the term of one or two years, short-term decision-making like that guarantees stock collapse. It is not just a possibility, it is a certainty. The only uncertainty is how long it will take."

According to Professor Roberts: "What politicians should be deciding is how the catch is allocated within different nations. That is politics. What they shouldn't be deciding is how big the catch should be in the first place. That is science."

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This is a bit on fish farms from the Skylax blog

04 July 2007, 14:27:00

Fish farms

Recently I had an email about the fish farms in the Gulf of Gulluk on the Turkish coast.

Dear Rod Heikell,

The reason we email is about the Gulf of Gulluk. We were taken by surprise by the large increase in the number of fish farms in this bay from last year to this. Nearly all of them are uncharted and most of them display no lights at night. As few sailors sail at night in these waters so we suppose the navigation hazard should not be overplayed. However, the effect these farms appear to have had on the water quality seems to be substantial. Last year for example the water in the bay at Iassos was clear and so too was the water in Paradise Bay. This year much of the water is very cloudy and unpleasant.

A fish farm expert told us that there are approx 12 million fish in farms in the Bay. This apparently equates to pollution from a town of 650,000 people. If this is correct it is hardly surprising that the water in this bay is fast becoming contaminated what with a west wind as normal and no tides to clean things out.

We wonder whether your next edition of your Guide should perhaps make more mention of all the above. Also do you know if the Turkish authorities are trying to do something about this or are the big businesses owning these farms winning the day? We are all in favour of sustainable fish farming as locals have to make a living and produce food but what is going on in the Bay of Gulluk seems rather excessive.

Hope you can spare a moment to reply to this.

Best wishes

Alison and John Epton

Fish farm in the Gulf of Gulluk off Salih Adasi (see home page on Slylax)

Everyone cruising around the Mediterranean has noticed an explosion in the number of fish farms around the coasts and islands. In the beginning the fish farms were just an annoyance as they destroyed the ambience of a deserted bay or actually took up the best space in a bay. Now concerns have moved on to the environmental impact of the farms.

·         When you approach a fish farm the water turns to a cloudy green entirely different to the deeper water in the approaches and in bays where there are no fish farms. I suspect that this cloudy water is a form of eutrophication where uneaten fish food falls to the bottom and so enriches the water that it favours algal species which then deplete the amount of oxygen in the water and the diversity of marine life is drastically reduced. This cloudy green colour is typical of eutrophication and the water on inspection has lacked much in the way of marine life growing on the bottom or swimming in it. I have seen areas which are virtually bereft of weed cover.

·         The debris around the shore from the farms (and I suspect on the sea bottom), the increased number of flies around the fish food stocks, and the awful smell, reminiscent of factory farmed chicken or intensively reared pigs, is environmentally damaging.

·         It does not sustain wild fish stocks. As we point out below it takes 5 tons of fish feed to produce 1 ton of farmed fish.

·         Fish farm operators should attend a course and train the workers who distribute the food which includes antibiotics and trace minerals and other chemicals to keep the fish healthy in an enclosed environment – much like antibiotics fed to intensively reared chickens and pigs. Having been to a fair number of these farms, often located in remote locations, I don’t believe for a minute that the operatives here keep accurate records or accurately dispense the fish food and any additives fed to the fish. My guess is that badly paid workers are pretty much left to their own devices with the occasional visit from a ‘qualified manager’.

·         There is a danger that farmed fish escape into the wild fish stocks and breed with them, in so doing introducing the farmed fish gene pool to wild fish. How the two gene pools might differ is a matter of contention, but marine scientists have expressed concern over it.

·         Fish farms are not confined to the Mediterranean and it is growing at a staggering rate with environmental fears expressed in many other countries. Farming prawns in SE Asia has led to fears of eutrophication and increasing the salinity of coastal land.

I for one always ask if fish has been farmed and if it has I won’t eat it. Apart from anything else sea bass and bream from fish farms has an unpleasant muddy taste to it and god knows what else in the flesh.

Extract from Greek Waters Pilot 10^th edition

Fish Farms in the EU

Aquaculture is the fastest growing sector of the world food economy, and represents 31% of the total value of EU fish production. Greece, Italy and Spain account for 75% of all EU sea bass and sea bream production; in all over 100,000 tonnes of farmed fish. Other aquaculture sectors account for 160,00 tonnes of salmon (mainly Scotland and Ireland), and 750,000 tonnes of molluscs (France and Italy).

It is the development of sea-cage fisheries for fin-fish such as salmon, trout, sea bass and sea bream in the Mediterranean that carries concerns based on environmental, health and sustainability issues. Greece produces 50% (60,000 tonnes) of all EU farmed sea bream and sea bass (Italy has a 14% share). The continued expansion of captive blue fin tuna fattening farms in Spain, Malta and Italy is also raising concerns for the viability of wild stocks. Farmed fish has been seen as a solution to the natural poverty in fish in the Mediterranean, but it is becoming evident that these systems are causing more problems than they solve. They threaten the sustainability of wild fish stocks; it takes over 5 tonnes of wild fish to produce 1 tonne of farmed sea bass or sea bream. Fish farms pollute the coastal waters with toxic chemicals, and some farmed fish have also been found to be carrying unacceptably high levels of toxic chemicals.

(Figures above have been taken from a paper presented at the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries public hearing on ‘Aquaculture in the EU: Present situation & Future Prospects’ by Don Staniford (Oct 2002).

 Fish farm in the Ionian in Greece

03 July 2007, 11:15:00

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From the Skylax blog 25-09-07

Well, the final lot of proofs have gone and its looking moderately good for the off on Thursday heading for Sicily, probably Siracusa. It's late in the season to be heading west, but I'm counting on Lu's weather forecasts (don't talk to me about GRIB files and RTTY or I'll scream) to guide us through.

Most of the work on the boat is done and I'm out of here before anything else happens or any more paperwork arrives. Below is the preface for Mediterranean France & Corsica 4th edition.

Shoestring cruising: Mediterranean France

Sailing around the Spanish and French Mediterranean coasts is a bit of a challenge for those on a tight budget and over the years I have pottered in and out of the anchorages along this coast numerous times. Inevitably you will need to stop in a marina here and there and besides it would be a dull thing if you did not. For the most part this coast is pretty straight without a lot of islands or deep gulfs where you might find good anchorages. In the high season marina prices can be three times what they are in the off-season and there has been a tendency of late to extend the high season price time so it starts earlier and now to introduce a mid-season price structure covering late spring and early autumn.

The following section on ROUTES and SHOESTRING CRUISING was written for the fourth edition of my Mediterranean France & Corsica Pilot (published by Imray www.imray.com) and I reproduce it here in case it is of any help to those of you intending to cruise the French Mediterranean coast.

In my books I use a charge band system to give an idea of what charges are likely to be. The charge bands are per day for a 12 metre (c.40ft) yacht in high season and you will have to interpolate for smaller and larger yachts. 

Charge band 1      No charge

Charge band 2      Under 25 Euros (c.£15)

Charge band 3      25-40 Euros (c.£15-£25)

Charge band 4      41-55 Euros (c.£26-£35)

Charge band 5      Over 55 Euros (£35 +)

 Shoestring Cruising around Italy

The following section on SHOESTRING CRUISING is a rough draft for the next edition of Italian Waters Pilot and will be refined before it goes in the book. I'm putting it up here as I thought it might be useful for anyone cruising around the coast. All the harbours and anchorages mentioned here are in Italian Waters Pilot so I haven't included details on the holding and shelter except in a general sense. Italian Waters Pilot is published by Imray.

Sailing around the Italian coast is a bit of a challenge for those on a tight budget and over the years I have pottered in and out of the anchorages along this coast numerous times. Inevitably you will need to stop in a marina here and there and besides it would be a dull thing if you did not. In the high season marina prices can be three times what they are in the off-season and there has been a tendency of late to extend the high season price time so it starts earlier and now to introduce a mid-season price structure covering late spring and early autumn.

 In General

Many parts of Italy are expensive to cruise in the peak summer season. High season prices generally run from the beginning of June to the end of August or the middle of September, but in some marinas will run from the beginning of June until the end of October. In some it will be only the month of August. To complicate matters many marinas now have a mid-season rate as well as the winter low season rate. The difference between low and high season rates can be anything from half the price to one third the price for low season compared to high season prices. Mid-season prices are somewhere in between low and high season prices. If this all sounds complicated it is because it is – tracking down prices for marinas is the bane of our lives.

To complicate this the amount charged varies from year to year (and not in line with inflation) and the period of low/mid/high seasons is varied as well. The only way you can find this out is to look on the web site for a marina if there is one and it has been updated with the prices for the current year or phone ahead if your Italian is good enough or there is someone in the marina office who speaks English (or your own language if not English). Phoning ahead is especially important where ormeggiatori run a section of quay or pontoons. Some have email which may be easier if you have time.

My advice is to research on the web and plan the route according to prices in marinas and anchorages available. For example you could cruise the Ligurian coast early in the season and then cross to Corsica and Sardinia for the high season where there are a reasonable number of anchorages which avoids high season prices in marinas. Then at the end of the season cross back over to the Italian mainland coast and cruise down it to whatever your destination is. If you are on a tight budget then avoid cruising areas where the only option is a marina or ormeggiatori leased areas in high season and try to do so in low season or at worst in mid-season. Where there are options for anchoring then you are better off, though in some areas the best areas for anchoring have moorings for which a charge is made. Charges for moorings can vary widely but can be very high in the high season. In addition some good anchorages are buoyed off for swimming areas and this means you have to anchor further out where there is less shelter and deeper depths to anchor in.

In some harbours you will find that there is a ‘Bancino di Transito’. This is essentially a free or moderately charged berth for craft in transit. It’s important to know that it is not solely for yachts. It may also be full of local craft. There always seems to be some confusion when the locals and even the officials realise that you know of the existence of the ‘Bancino di Transito’ and in some cases officials have ordered yachts to leave. Whether this is from associations with the local ormeggiatori or a genuine confusion over whether foreign yachts can use the quay is difficult to know, but probably a bit of both.

It used to be a general rule that the further S you went down the coast of Italy the cheaper marinas and ormeggiatori leased quays and pontoons got. That is no longer true and around Sicily and parts of Sardinia some marinas will charge astronomical fees in the high season. Around the Ligurian coast some marinas have very reasonable charges in the low and mid-season. Although not a general rule, it seems that older more established marinas don’t charge what new-build marinas charge, possibly because the infrastructure for a new marina costs relatively more these days. It’s not a hard and fast rule but might be useful.

Shoestring Cruising along the Ligurian Coast

Anchorages

There are not a lot of good natural anchorages around the Ligurian coast although there are a number that can be used in settled weather.

Along the Italian Riviera from the French border to Genoa the coast is fairly straight and there are just a few anchorages off some of the marinas where you can anchor and get a bit of shelter from the presence of the marina itself in settled weather. Try anchoring off the coast under the entrance of Marina degli Aregai, just N of Imperia Maurizio, just S of Diano Marina there is a breakwater you can anchor N or S of, just N of the entrance to Finale Ligure, and in the bay immediately S of Noli. None of these anchorages are tenable in onshore winds, although it is worth bearing in mind in the summer that the onshore sea breeze will usually die in the evening and a light offshore land breeze will kick in. There will still be swell rolling into these anchorages but at least there will be good shelter nearby.

From Genoa down the coast to Marina di Carrara there are a few more options for anchoring compared to the Italian Riviera. You can anchor in several coves around Golfo Marconi depending on wind and sea. Some of the coves up from Portofino are now buoyed off to for swimming areas, but you can anchor off near the entrance clear of the buoys. Just N of the entrance to Santa Margherita Ligure clear of the mooring is The best place is up around Rapallo at the head of the gulf. The authorities here are not keen on you anchoring, but if you get there late-ish you may not be bothered. Anchor off on the E side. You can also anchor in a cove on the E side opposite the marina.

Going SE the anchorage at Sestri Levante is OK in settled weather. Past Sestri Levante you cruise along the Cinque Terra where there are several bays that are suitable in settled weather though there invariably seems to be some swell coming in. Golfo di la Spezia provides one of the best anchorages along this coast and you can usually find somewhere to anchor in and around the gulf whatever the weather. The anchorages off Ile Palmaria, in Le Grazie and off Lerici are favourites.

Marinas and harbours

Marinas along the Italian Riviera are surprisingly reasonable in low to mid-season. The following marinas are reasonably priced: San Remo Porto Communale (if you can get in), Imperia Maurizio, Alassio, Loano (at present though prices likely to increase), Finale Ligure, Darsena Vecchia in Savona and Genova Marina Aeroporto (in Sestri Ponente).

Marinas along the Ligurian coast from Genoa to Golfo di la Spezia that are reasonably priced are as follows: Camogli (if you can get in), Santa Margherita Ligure (low season), Lavagna, and Le Grazie. Yachts that go up the Magra River can find some reasonably priced berths (usually alongside) though in some places the charges are high for what is there.

The inner town basin in Savona

Shoestring cruising in the Tuscan Islands and adjacent coast.

Anchorages

If you are cruising S down from the Ligurian coast there are few anchorages until you get to the Tuscan Islands. Even around the islands and the adjacent coast there are not as many useable anchorages as you might imagine.

Along the mainland coast you can anchor off the S side of Livorno (just off Nazzaro Saura) and then, with the exception of a few exposed coves, there is really nowhere until you get to Porto Baratti. Further along the coast you can anchor off Forte Rochetta, Cala di Forno, off Talamaone, in a few shallow bights around Monte Argentario, and just N of Cala Galera. None of these are all round anchorages and in bad weather you will need to go into a marina or harbour.

Around the Tuscan Islands there are useable anchorages around Capraia and fore and aft moorings off Porto Capraia. Around Elba the best anchorages are along the S coast at Golfo di Campo, Golfo della Lacona and Golfo Stella. You can anchor on the SW side of Porto Ferraio although there have been problems reported here and yachts have been moved along. You can also anchor off in the bay at Porto Azzuro clear of the moorings. Around Giglio there are anchorages on the W and E coast depending on wind and weather. Cala Canelle and Cala Capazzollo on the E side are usually OK in settled weather. Around Giannutri anchoring is much restricted by the marine reserves and Cala Schiavone is really the only practical place.

Marinas and harbours

Marinas in this patch of Italy can be very expensive in high season and even mid-season. The following marinas and harbours/catwalks are more reasonably priced than others in the vicinity, though you are better off here in mid-season compared to high season prices.

Marina di Carrara is usually welcoming and not too expensive. The town ashore is also just great. Further down the coast inside the Bocca River at Marina di Pisa there are catwalks you can go alongside at a reasonable price. Other marinas are Porto Mediceo inside Livorno, Castiglione della Pescaia (limited  by the bar at the entrance), Talamone, and Porto Vecchio at Santa Stefano.

Around the Tuscan Islands Porto Capraia, Marina di Campo and Marciana Marina are reasonably priced.

Shoestring cruising: The Tyrrhenian Sea

Anchorages

There are clusters of anchorages down this coast that can be used in settled weather. Like the coasts to the N there are really no good all round anchorages.

The anchorage off Santa Marinella is usually tenable in light winds. After that the next useable anchorage is off Anzio and although it looks quite protected, there is often a big swell rolling in out of all proportion to the wind. In Rada di Gaeta the anchorage N of Flavio Gioia is usually tenable. Around the Pontine Islands there are several anchorages on the W side of Ponza. You can anchor in Ponza itself inside the buoyed area which is supervised by the Guardia Costiera. At Ventotene you can anchor off the old harbour in calm weather, though it will still be rolly.

In the Gulf of Naples you can anchor in Porto Miseno where there is good shelter, off Baia under Fortino Tenaglia, and on moorings in Senno di Ieranto. Around the islands there are several anchorages on the S side of Procida and off Castello on Ischia. The anchorages around Capri are very exposed and for calm weather only.

From the Bay of Naples down to the Strait of Messina there are anchoring possibilities on the SE side of Capo Palinuro, in Sapri, and under Diamante. Not a lot, but at least there are some reasonably priced harbours and marinas down the coast.

Marinas and harbours

Going S from Monte Argentario you can try getting into the basin in Civitavecchia, but it is usually crowded and near impossible to do so. A better bet is Riva di Triano which is reasonably priced. Heading S Fiumocino is the next best bet up the canal or try up the Fiumare Grande. In the Fiumare Grande some of the yacht marinas/yards here charge pretty high prices and you need to pick and choose carefully. Porto Turistico di Roma at Ostia is expensive in the high season, but has reasonable rates out of season and has been used by boats to winter over. Anzio has some cheap options as well as expensive ones and in calm weather you can always anchor off.

Along the coast to the Bay of Naples Terracina and Formia are possibilities. In the Bay of Naples try Acqumorta, Torre del Greco and Torre Annunziato. Around the islands you may be able to go on the fuel quay in Porto d’Ischia after closing hours or haggle with the ormeggiatori in the harbour. Forio d’Ischia and Sant’Angelo are also possibilities. Avoid Capri in the high season and mid-season.

From the Bay of Naples to the Strait of Messina things get better. Salerno has some cheap pontoons (ask around) and even Amalfi can be reasonable if you can get a berth. Agropoli is reasonably priced and Acciaroli is good if you can find a spot. A lot of yachts skip over to the Lipari islands from here, but it is well worth following the coast around where there are delightful spots. Camerota, Scario, Sapri, Cetraro, Vibo Valentia and Tropea are all reasonably priced and convivial spots. Tropea has been used to winter over. Around the corner Gioia Tauro and Bagnara Calabria are useful stops as Reggio Calabria is often full in the yacht basin.

                                                              Scario

Shoestring cruising: Sardinia

Anchorages

Around Sardinia there are good anchorages in the N and S and some down the W and E coasts. On the N coast there are numerous anchorages around the coast and off-lying islands. Some of these around the La Maddalena group are now designated as marine reserves and you can only pick up moorings for which a charge is made. There are still sufficient anchorages around La Maddalena and Caprera so that you do not have to use moorings, though you should take care not to anchor on Posidonia sea grass which is the habitat the moorings are preserving. A cursory look at the pilot will show you that you can pretty much traverse the whole northern coast using anchorages and there are enough places affording good shelter for this not to be a problem even in bad weather. If it does blow up in an unsuitable anchorage there are useful marinas nearby.

On the E coast there are again a good selection of anchorages as far as Capo Coda Cavallo S of Olbia. After that the coast straightens out and there are few good anchorages until you turn the corner at Capo Carbonara. You can anchor off Arbatax and try Frailis and Pira in calm weather.

On the S coast you can anchor off near the entrance to Villasimius and then there is not much until Malfatano and Teulada (it shallows quickly in the bay to the N).

On the W coast anchoring in Carloforte is now sadly prohibited. Try anchoring just S of Calasetta although depths come up quickly. From here it is a long haul up to Oristano where you anchor under Capo San Marco although some swell tends to creep around into the anchorage. Going N there is Bosa Marina and then Porto Conte where the best anchorage is usually N of Porto Conte Marina.

Marinas and harbours

Marinas in Sardinia can be very expensive in the high season. Even some superyachts think twice about berthing in marinas around the Costa Smeralda. Marinas on the E coast S of Capo Coda Cavallo are reasonable as are a number of marinas on the S coast. There are also some reasonable deals at Oristano and Alghero on the W coast and in places like Castelsardo on the N coast.

Basically it is a matter of finding out what the high season charges are and working out a strategy from there. You can cruise most of the coast using just anchorages with maybe a few stops in marinas over the longer stretches in places like Porto Torres, Castelsardo and Cala Magiavolpe on the N coast, Olbia, La Caletta, Arbatax, and Porto Corallo on the E coast, Cagliari and Porto Teulada on the S coast, and Carloforte (on the public quay), Portoscuso, Torre Grande, and Alghero (on the town quay or negotiate at the pontoons) on the W coast.

Shoestring cruising: Sicily

Sicily is a good option for summer cruising as long as you plan it well. There are sufficient anchorages and cheaper harbours to make it around the island without too much damage.

Anchorages

On the N coast there is a pretty precarious anchorage N of San Vito Lo Capo (it is prohibited to anchor in the bay now) and then it is a fairly long haul to the anchorage under Porticello. After that there is Cefalu and then the anchorages around the Lipari Islands. Some care is needed around the islands in the anchorages as many of them are exposed and in unsettled weather you will need to be careful.

Down the E coast the first useful anchorage is at Taormina although it can be rolly in here. After that it is a bit of a long haul to Brucoli where there is an open anchorage. A bit further on the anchorage under Capo Santa Croce off Augusta is a better anchorage with good shelter in Augusta if it blows up. Down the coast there is a good anchorage in Siracusa with all-round shelter.

Along the S coast try Porto Palo although it is crowded and the bottom foul in places. You can no longer anchor in Licata as they are building a marina here, but in calm weather you anchor just E of the harbour. At Mazaro del Vallo there is quite a good anchorage outside the harbour where some protection is gained from the long breakwater. Proceeding around the coast the moorings at Trapani have been free up to now.

Note   There have been lots of dinghy theft around Sicily and you should hoist it up on deck. Leaving it in the water, even with a chain or cable locking it onto the boat, is no guarantee it won’t be stolen.

Marinas and harbours

Along the N coast you may be able to negotiate a berth at Castellamare del Golfo which has reasonable charges. Palermo main harbour needs some polite haggling, but lots of us have negotiated quite reasonably priced berths in here even if the surroundings are a bit mucky (the city more than makes up for it). San Nicola L’Arena, Cefalu and Capo d’Orlando (if you can get in) are all reasonably priced.

Along the E coast Naxos, Acitrezza, Catania on the outer harbour berths, and Marzamemi are all reasonably priced. The main quay in Siracusa has been upgraded but is still bumpy in the afternoon with the onshore breeze.

Along the S coast the berths outside the marina are reasonable, though when the marina is complete these may not be available. Porto Empedocle, Sciacca, Mazzara del Vallo, and Marsala are all reasonably priced.

On the W coast it is a matter of seeing what price you can get on the various pontoons along the front. Usually there will be one or two reasonably priced deals going.

Shoestring cruising: The Ionian

There are virtually no good anchorages along this coast. The good news is that the harbours and marinas are all reasonably priced even in high season, though you need to keep an eye on charges in Crotone. There are even one or two harbours where no charge has been made to date, though that may well change in the future.

 Tropea

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Sardinian Yacht Tax

The tax is in place and applies to craft over 14 metres who moor in any Sardinian port, or pick up moorings during the period June 1st to September 30th. There is an ascending scale depending on length.  For 14-15.99m motor yachts pay 1000 Euros and sailing yachts 500 Euros. This tax applies for one day or a year.

Check for any additional news on our supplement for the Italian pilot which goes up on the Imray web site www.imray.com in the late summer.

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That Silting Feeling

On the Nose

From the Skylax blog 11-03-08

Bob and Liz on Yanina, a Warrior 35 currently in Almerimar, have just started a website to publicise their yet-to-be-published very excellent adventures in the Mediterranean with lots of very excellent cartoons. Their web site gives a flavour of the book and also has 'Letters Home'.

Go to On the nose...

Home

From the Skylax blog 21-03-08

SESAME:

The Southern European Seas: Assessing and Modelling Ecosystem changes, a bit of a mouthful of an acronym to produce the sweet sounding SESAME, is a project to investigate and model climate change and it's effects in the Mediteranean and Black Seas. It is an intergovernmental project and hopefully will provide some data on what has happened (water temperatures in the Aegean are already 2 degrees celcius higher than average) and what will likely happen as temperatures increase. All of this will impact on sailing in these seas so the project has a direct relevance to those of us who sail there.

For more info go to the SESAME website

Background Information

From the Skylax blog 23-01-09

Preface for the 8th edition of Turkish Waters & Cyprus Pilot

Due out May-June-ish 2009

Yassica Adalari in Skopea Liman. One of Kadir's pics in the new edition.

Preface TW&CP 8^th edition

 Turkey has emerged into the 21^st century as a very different country from what it was in the 20^th century. Gone is the rampant inflation, up to 60% at times, and in its place is the relatively stable ‘new lira’. Gone is the moribund manufacturing industry. It no longer makes counterfeit jeans but instead manufactures the real thing. Perini yachts, including Maltese Falcon, are built in Tuzla near Istanbul. Everywhere you look ashore there is increasingly modern infrastructure with newer cars on tarmac roads and service stations seemingly every few miles or so.

The new infrastructure ashore is mirrored around the coastline with many recent new developments. New marinas have been built and older projects are being completed. Some of the new marinas like Alanya are the completion of projects which began nearly a decade ago. Others like Didim Marina demonstrate the speed with which new projects are being completed. Like all marinas in Turkey the facilities and services are first class and the coastline boasts some of the finest marinas in the Mediterranean. And of course prices have gone up.

Along with our expectation of 5-star facilities is the growing assumption of an equally proficient repair and maintenance side. By and large this is true, with skilled teams producing top-quality work, but as you find anywhere in the world, there are exceptions and it is up to the individual to choose who to trust your pride and joy to. The best recommendation is from a recently satisfied customer.

With the 21^st century has come the nascent environmental movement in Turkey. While Special Environmental Protected Areas have been established in a few places over the last decade, the reality is that there has been little support for the projects and they have produced little in the way of real conservation or environmental benefit. A recent new initiative from conservation group SADAFAG hopes to involve the government Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), and the Environmental Protection Agency for Special Areas (EPASA). This project, based in the Gulf of Gokova will hopefully mark the beginning of real progress in developing sustainable conservation and fisheries management, and as such should be supported.

SADAFAG has also been deeply involved in the protection of the Mediterranean Monk Seal. ‘Badem’ is a young seal that has been recently released back into the wild, and may be seen around the Carian coast. While Badem remains unafraid of humans, she (or any other seals for that matter) should not be approached as continued contact with humans will not help her rehabilitation, and may well prove to be her ultimate undoing. For more information on SADAFAG and Badem see www.sadafag.org

Yachtsmen should be amongst the first to embrace these environmental initiatives and most do. One of the questions I’m most often asked is whether holding tanks are mandatory in Turkey. Well for private yachts they are not, but you can face a substantial fine if you pump out black water (toilet waste) or the bilges within three miles of the coast and few yachtsmen can disagree with this requirement. Who wants to go swimming or boating in someone else’s toilet waste. It’s likely in the future holding tanks will be made mandatory on private boats and most of the new marinas are installing pump-out facilities as a matter of course. Other environmental regulations are also being introduced. In the Gulf of Fethiye you may be fined if you take a rope around a tree and bollards have been installed around many of the bays and coves so the trees are not damaged by ropes.

This new edition includes all of the changes we have been able to find out about. Inevitably we will have missed some. Many of the new projects are still being built so it is difficult to judge when they will be finished and just what they will look like in reality. For this edition there are over forty new aerial photographs from Kadir Kir and our thanks to him for his time and devotion to yachting in Turkey. Hasan Kacmac has as ever provided lots of new information, especially on marina developments east of Antalya, and continues to promote yachting in Turkey with fervour and good humour.

For the cruiser on a shoestring budget the new marinas are not the bargain they once were, although they still represent very good value for money. Part of the reason for British yachtsmen is that at the time of writing the weak state of sterling against just about every currency in the world makes cruising anywhere outside the UK more expensive. It’s a matter of pulling in your belt and being a bit more picky about where you eat and what you spend your money on. And in any case you don’t have to go into a marina if you don’t want to. There are still all those anchorages along the indented coastline and in the deep gulfs. Municipal harbours offer good value without the five star service. And a lot of restaurants around the coast provide jetties and moorings for yachts to tie up to. Oh, that restaurants in other Mediterranean countries would do the same.

Finally, we hope you enjoy cruising the Turkish coast, whether long term or on a short visit, and find this book useful in your travels. As always we welcome any correspondence from readers which will help to keep the information as up-to-date as possible for everyone.

Fair winds, warm seas and calm anchorages.

Serefe!

Rod Heikell & Lu Michell

London, January 2009.

Sigacik, another of Kadir's pics in the new edition.

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