La Maddalena Archipelago National Park and Marine Reserve (Part 3)

The east side of Isola Caprera   

Having seen what looked like a nice anchorage from Garibaldi’s house we left Cala Stagnali at 1400 on 7 July to make our way around there. The afternoon departure was partly aimed at allowing the wind to build but it never did. We joined a line of yachts, some really quite large, motoring around the east side of Isola Caprera. There are several prohibited areas in the Marina Reserve on the east side of Isola Caprera and so we had to go a few miles offshore to avoid them. Not so the RIBs; every single one went on the direct route straight through the prohibited areas and diving precautionary zones. One motoryacht, however, got his come-uppance when he got around into the anchorage; of which, more later…….

Porto Garibaldi   

Tucked into a deep bay behind a couple of small islands on the western side of Isola Caprera was our anchorage. The bay is called Porto Garibaldi and as we approached we saw that there were already several other boats anchored there. It was a nice looking anchorage with clear water and a sandy bottom. We dug the anchor in well and relaxed in the cockpit. We’d had our permit checked a couple of times by Park Rangers and so we got our paperwork ready when one of their RIBs came into the bay. The black motorboat pictured in the photo above was checked first and clearly did not have a permit and, from the shouting match that ensued, it seemed that the crew was refusing to buy one. The Park Rangers retired to a discrete distance and made a lengthy telephone call. Shortly thereafter, a Guardia Costiera RIB appeared, the crew had a chat with the crew of the black motorboat and then they escorted the black motorboat out of the anchorage and presumably round to the La Maddelena Coast Guard office, where their papers could be inspected at leisure.

Porto Garibaldi   

We weren’t the only ones watching all this with interest. It was also studied carefully by a gentleman in a small blue motorboat anchored next to us. He had the special job of monitoring all activity in the bay, whilst holding up a green parasol, which he did without a break for 4 hours.

By ‘green parasol folding time’ most of the boats had moved on leaving just a handful of us staying overnight. Garibaldi’s house was visible on the ridgeline; we were closer here than we had been in Cala Stagnali. With the house so clearly visible we joked that we had sailed motored 12.7 miles just to move 2 miles!

The thatched accommodation huts of the closed Club Med resort   

Our pilot book had warned that at the head of Cala Garibaldi there was a Club Med resort, which potentially means quite a lot of noise in the evening. However, when we visited it was clear that the resort had closed down at least one season before. It meant that the evening peace was not disturbed by loud music and the amplified voices of presenters of ‘fun’ events but it also meant that the bay was less picturesque in some directions; whilst the thatched bedroom huts still looked in good condition, the yellow (why yellow?) paint on many of the concrete buildings closer to the beach was peeling, giving the place an understandable forlorn and unloved air.

Porto Garibaldi in the morning   

After a quite night, we left Porto Garibaldi at 0945 on Saturday 8 July to head up to the north-western islands, to a bay close to Deadman’s Reef passage.

Cala Santa Maria    

It was a 6-mile motor (still no wind) to get to Cala Santa Maria which is on the south-eastern side of the small Isola Santa Maria. The bay was busy with tripper boats but justifiably so because the water here is beautifully clear and turquoise.

Cala Santa Maria

Cala Santa Maria

We anchored quite a long way out, close to a small reef. BV sat over a lovely sandy area where, yet again, we felt a bit as if we were anchored in a swimming pool, whilst the reef provided excellent snorkelling entertainment. It was a lovely spot but not one we wanted to stay at overnight because the wind was expected to build from the southeast and the bay is open to that direction.

Cala Stagno Torto   

So, at 1700 we fired up the engine again and headed 3 miles to the southeast into Cala Stagno Torto, a deep bay on the northern side of Isola La Maddalena. Here too we saw little accommodation huts for a resort but these were inhabited, so we wondered if we were going to have the pleasure of sharing their evening music show.

When we arrived, there was a sailing yacht and a motor yacht anchored in the bay, one a long way out and the other very close in. We split the difference between the 2 and anchored on what we hoped was a good patch of sand. Unfortunately, the water was not perfectly clear here and when we swam we saw that the anchor was only partly dug in on what appeared to be sandy shale and light weed. Given the forecast, we were secure but Nicky went for a longer swim to see if she could find a better spot. She didn’t, but she did have the good fortune of spending 5 minutes watching a moray eel swimming across the anchorage whilst it was trying to eat a long thin fish which protruded from each side of its mouth    

Happily, the holiday resort’s main entertainment area seemed to be on the opposite side of the ridge from us. We did hear some rather dodgy compering (but we don’t speak Italian well, so maybe it was great compering) and a little music but it was all surprisingly quiet. The anchorage proved to be very sheltered so the slightly dug in anchor was not an issue. The following morning we had the great excitement of wind in the anchorage, so much so that when we came to leave we put a reef in the mainsail! As we reached the entrance to the bay, however, it became clear that the wind had been accelerated down the valley and into the bay and that, actually, there was very little wind. Damn! So we mostly motored [Ed: Again!!] around to Porto Palma, arriving around lunchtime. Compared to our first visit, Porto Palma was very busy with all types of sailing and motor yachts but there was still plenty of space for us. We tucked ourselves in and then moved position as the wind (eventually) picked up from the northwest. Porto Palma had been out first anchorage in the Maddalena Islands this time around and, with our permit expiring on Monday 10 July, would be our last as well. Not only was it a good spot for the forecast wind direction, it is conveniently close to Cannagione, which meant that the next day the chores could be started all that much sooner – oh joy!

La Maddalena Archipelago National Park and Marine Reserve, Sardinia, Italy