Anchorage

Porto-Vecchio

Shelter: W, E, SW, S, SE
Seabed: mud
Anchoring: Allowed

Anchorage in the Gulf of Porto-Vecchio on the south-east coast of Corsica, mud bottom with good holding, protected from W, SW, S, SE and E.

Pontoon
Beach

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Enter the gulf between Punta di a Chiappa to the south and the Cerbicale islands offshore. Buoyed channel leads up to the town bay. The bottom is thick black mud in 5 to 10 metres; holding is reliable but set the anchor firmly, as two or three tries are common and it comes up heavy. The water is turbid and green, not for swimming. Exposed to N and NE winds that funnel down stronger from the Alta Rocca massif, raising a short chop. Wash from motorboats and jet skis running in and out of the marina channel makes it lively by day, calm at night, while the ferries move slowly and raise little swell. A wreck is marked by a white canister.

Practical

Marine Group marina 0.5 NM NW for fuel, water and repairs. Port de Porto-Vecchio town marina 0.5 NM W for visitor berths, provisioning and customs. Leave the dinghy in the marina by the fuel berth or in the second row by the orange boxes on the main pontoon, asking at the office, and note the gate is locked around 21:00 but easy to pass. Watch for unmarked steel spikes near the fuel berth left by harbour works. Auchan supermarket 5 to 10 minutes on foot, take a trolley and leave it at the office, with a Casino nearby and a Leclerc further out.

Ashore

The Haute Ville of Porto-Vecchio sits on a rocky spur above the port, a steep 15 minute walk or a free shuttle bus from the stop by the tourist office, with Genoese bastions from 1539 still forming the old town walls. Santa Giulia and Palombaggia beaches lie within 7 km by road to the south.