Anchorage

Golfe de Girolata Sud

Shelter: E, S, SE
Seabed: rock
Anchoring: Allowed

Anchorage on the southern side of the Golfe de Girolata, western Corsica, within the Scandola nature reserve zone inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1983.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Enter the gulf from the west between Punta Rossa and Punta Muchillina. Rock bottom with patches of sand, set the anchor firmly and back down. Daily summer breeze turns westerly in the afternoon, pushing swell into the gulf.

Practical

Forain anchorage, no services on site. Port de Girolata 1.3 NM N has a summer harbour master, a few restaurants and a path to the Genoese tower. Porto-Ota 5 NM SE offers fuel and provisioning.

Ashore

Village of Girolata reachable by dinghy or on foot along the mule track from the Col de la Croix, around 2 hours. Genoese tower built in 1551 above the hamlet. The Scandola reserve itself is a no-anchoring zone to the north, accessible only by boat tour from Porto or Calvi.

History

Girolata has no road access and is supplied by sea year-round. The Scandola peninsula was the first French site inscribed by UNESCO for both natural and cultural criteria, jointly with the Calanches de Piana and the Golfe de Porto.