Porto della Madonna
Porto Madonna · Manto della Madonna
41°17.4'N 009°21.2'E
Depth
3–9m
Bottom
sand
Alarm Radius
40m
Holding
Good holding
Recommended Anchor Alarm Radius
40m
40m on a park buoy — enough for the buoy line and your length, tight enough that a parted strop or a dragging mooring block wakes you while you still have water under the keel. The lagoon is shallow, 3–9m over sand, and the granite is close on three sides: there is no room here for the 90–100m circles you would set in an open bay. This is a place where the alarm radius is set by the basin, not by the scope.
About This Anchorage
Porto della Madonna is the anchorage everyone remembers. Budelli, Razzoli and Santa Maria sit close enough together at the north-west corner of the archipelago to enclose a shallow sand-floored lagoon, and the water inside it is a pale, luminous turquoise that looks artificial in photographs and does not in life. The park maintains a mooring buoy field here and it is the correct way to spend the night: the lagoon floor is protected and anchoring is not permitted. Shelter is extraordinary for such an open-looking basin — the three islands take almost every direction between them — which makes this both the prettiest and one of the safest overnights in the archipelago. It is also, inevitably, the most sought-after: buoys are gone by late afternoon in July and August. The Passo dei Monaci between Budelli and Razzoli is shallow and should not be treated as a casual through route; enter and leave by the charted approach.
Protected From
N · NE · E · SE · S · W · NW
Exposed To
SW
Anchoring Rules
- Anchoring fee
- No anchoring in the lagoon — designated park buoys only.
- Maximum stay
- 3 days
- Permit required
- Yes
- Permit details
- La Maddalena National Park permit required for all vessels. Buy online at lamaddalenapark.it before you sail; fees scale with LOA and sailing yachts receive a discount.
Restrictions: Anchoring prohibited in the lagoon; use park buoys. Landing is restricted — the Budelli shoreline adjoining Zone A is closed, and the Zone A boundary at Spiaggia Rosa lies immediately south. Posidonia strictly protected throughout.
Hazards
- !Shallow sand banks: the lagoon carries 3–9m and shoals sharply at its edges — approach on the charted line and watch the sounder
- !Passo dei Monaci: the gap between Budelli and Razzoli is shallow and rock-strewn; not a route for a keeled yacht without local knowledge
- !Zone A immediately south: the Spiaggia Rosa exclusion boundary is close — know where it is before you settle for the night
- !Buoy availability: the field is full by late afternoon through July and August; have a fallback at Cala Santa Maria or Cala Corsara
Skipper's Tips
- →Arrive early — this is the single most contested buoy field in the archipelago
- →The dinghy is the point here: Razzoli's Cala Lunga, the Santa Maria beaches and the Budelli shoreline are all a few minutes away
- →Swim at first light before the excursion fleet arrives; the lagoon at 07:00 is worth setting an alarm for
- →Have a Maestrale plan: shelter here is excellent, but if a hard SW is forecast, Cala Corsara on Spargi is the better bolthole
Facilities
Nearest provisions: La Maddalena town (9nm)
Best Months & Season
May, June, September, October
May–October. June and September are the sweet spot — buoys available, water at its clearest, and the excursion fleet thinned out. July–August: arrive by early afternoon or plan to sleep elsewhere.
Recommended Anchor Types
Nearby Anchorages
Set Your Anchor Alarm to 40m
In Sardinia, the Maestrale can build from calm to Force 8 while you sleep. Safety Anchor Alarm monitors your GPS position continuously — alerting you the moment your anchor starts to drag.
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