Anchorage

Étang d'urbin

Shelter: NW, W, SW
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Allowed

Open anchorage off the étang d'Urbinu lagoon on the east coast of Corsica, between Aléria and Solenzara.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from open sea with no outlying dangers. Drop on a clear patch of sand a few hundred metres off the shingle bar, in 4 to 8 metres; the sand shows plainly in the clear water and holds well, but keep the chain off the rocky patches that lie among it. Shelter from NW, W and SW only, fully open to the east and to the libeccio swell that wraps around the coast, so use it only in light winds.

Practical

No services ashore. Nearest fuel, water and provisioning at Solenzara marina, 12 nautical miles south. Port Taverna lies 17 nautical miles north.

Ashore

A long, empty sand beach backed by pines fronts the anchorage. The étang d'Urbinu is a coastal lagoon listed as a Natura 2000 site for its birdlife and fish-farming history. Aléria archaeological site and the Jérôme Carcopino museum are about 6 km north by road, with Greek and Roman remains from the ancient city of Alalia.