Harbour

Porto-Ota

4.4Marine de Porto, FranceCorsica

Maximum length: 19 ft
VHF channel: 9
Maximum draught: 5 ft

Small harbour of 120 berths at the mouth of the Porto river, inside the Golfe de Porto on the west coast of Corsica.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the west between Capo Rosso to the south and the Scandola peninsula to the north. The entrance is narrow and exposed to westerly swell. The harbour takes small craft only, with beam limited to about 3 metres and draught to 1.6 metres; larger yachts are turned away, the few big berths kept for trip boats. It opens for the season only and may be closed to visiting yachts in spring. Call on VHF 9. Shelter is poor in strong Libeccio.

Practical

120 berths with water and electricity, and a diesel fuel berth where staff give a hand with the lines; a short stop for water and shopping is usually tolerated. The harbour office is often reachable by telephone only. Limited services on site. Restaurants and a small grocery on the quay, larger shops in Ota village 5 km inland.

Ashore

Genoese tower of Porto on the rocky point north of the marina, built around 1549. Calanques de Piana start 10 km south by road, UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983. Boat trips to the Scandola nature reserve leave from the quay, typically 3 to 4 hours.

History

The Golfe de Porto, together with the Scandola reserve and the Calanques de Piana, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1983 for its red porphyry cliffs and marine biodiversity.