Anchorage

Marine de Bussagghia

Shelter: NW, N, NE, E, S, SE
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Allowed

Sand anchorage in the Golfe de Porto on the west coast of Corsica, just north of Porto-Ota, inside the UNESCO-listed Golfe de Porto zone that includes the Calanques de Piana and the Scandola reserve.

Beach

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the west from the open gulf. A line of yellow buoys about 300 m off the beach marks the swimming limit, and the water there is deep, around 20 m, so anchor between the buoys and the beach, best on the sand on the western side in 11 to 15 m. Holding is good and has taken 30 knot gusts. Some white mooring buoys lie off the beach, a few free. Shelter from NW round to SE, open to the west, and katabatic gusts off the Spelunca valley reach in with strong easterlies.

Practical

No port facilities on the beach. Porto-Ota marina, 0.8 nm south at the mouth of the Porto river, offers a small pontoon with water, limited depth. Port de Girolata, 5.3 nm NW, is the next mooring option inside the reserve.

Ashore

Beach of Bussaghja with a restaurant on the shore, Mare Chiare, serving fresh fish and lobster, and a small floating dock for the dinghy. Village of Porto-Ota 1 km south with restaurants, grocery and the Genoese tower of 1549 at the river mouth. Gorges de Spelunca hike starts 5 km inland from Ota, a classic mule path with Genoese bridges. Calanques de Piana, a UNESCO World Heritage site, lie 8 km south by road.

History

The Golfe de Porto, the Calanques de Piana, the Scandola reserve and the Girolata inlet have been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983 for their granite coastal landscapes and red porphyry cliffs.

Key facts

Type: Anchorage
Coordinates: 42.27929, 8.68657 (42°16.76'N 8°41.19'E)
Country: France
Shelter: Sheltered from north-west, north, north-east, east, south, south-east winds
Seabed: sand
Anchoring: Allowed
Services: Beach
Boaters' rating: 3.4/5
Updated: October 15, 2026