Sailing & Boating in Liguria

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Sailing & Boating in Liguria

Did you know

• Italy has 7,600 Km of coastline
• Italy is surrounded by the Ligurian, Tyrrhenian, Adriatic, Ionian and Mediterranean seas
• The largest of its lakes, Lake Garda measures 370 sq Km
• Apart from the large islands of Sicily and Sardinia, Italy also has many smaller islands including Capri, the Lipari Islands, Ischia, Ponza, the Aeolian Islands, Elba and the Tremiti Islands

Safety at Sea

It is important to check weather reports before setting out to sail, go boating or practice any other water sports as weather conditions can change very rapidly particularly in the Ligurian sea, where the storms in autumn can be ferocious. 

The Agenzia Regionale Protezione Ambiente Ligure runs the Meteo Liguria site, providing on-line marine and land weather reports for the Liguria region.

• See Meteo Liguria (in Italian)

Additional weather information can be found at the following sites:

• Italian sea forecast from Meteomar
• Italian forecasts from EuroMETEO

Sailing Areas

Most popular Italian waters include: 

• off Elba Island in Tuscany
• the Ponza Islands in Latina
• the Aeolian islands in Sicily
• the Archipelago della Maddalena between Corsica and Sardinia 
• the waters around Sardinia (there are seven main islands and the coastline is largely untouched) 
  • for information on all Sardinian ports: Click here 

Inland waters include:

• the Italian lake district in the north, Lake Garda, Lake Iseo, Lake Como and Lake Maggiore. 

Sailing (Vela) Clubs & Marinas

The first sailing club was founded in Como in 1852 and the first in Liguria was the Regio Yacht Club Italiano, founded in 1879 in Genoa. 

• A list of sailing clubs in Liguria (of which there are 68) can be found on the Italian Sailing Federation website for the Liguria region: Click here

There are ports in all of Liguria's provinces (Imperia, Savona, Genoa and La Spezia). Information about ports and berths as well as sailing, rowing and kayaking organisations can be found at the Turismo in Liguria website.

• For the Turismo in Liguria website: Click here

Legislation for Yachts and Boats 

The Italian Coast Guard website provides comprehensive information in English on the legislation and obligations and definitions of boats and yachts. 

Note: Craft defined as "boats" do not need to bear a flag.

• Boats: legislation, and documents required on board: Click here
• Yachts: legislation, and documents required on board: Click here
• See the Safe Sea index for more information: Click here

Boat permits

A person must be 18 years and older to qualify for a boating license. 

The boating license is obligatory to:

• pilot all boats and yachts, when sailing beyond 6 nautical miles from the coast
• pilot all craft (motor boats and sail yachts) with a motor over 40.8 HP
• drive a jet ski

Jet ski regulations

The following rules apply to driving jet skis:

• the driver must be over 18 years and have a boat licence
• jet skis are allowed to operate during daylight hours only
• driver and passenger must wear a life vest or life belt
• special corridors must be used for launch and return
• the exhaust tube must be kept beneath the water
• the maximum speed limit in corridors is 3 knots

Certificate of Competence

International Certificate for Operators of Pleasure Craft (known in the UK as the International Certificate of Competence or ICC) was a European Union resolution (Resolution 40) introduced to impose legislation on powerboat owners and drivers. It proves skills in helmsmanship, navigation and collision avoidance. Italy is a signatory to Resolution 40 and requires an ICC. Those who already have some boating experience, skippering British flagged yachts in Italy, can follow a two day course provided by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA). The ICC is free for Royal Yachting Association.

• Further information from the RYA: Click here
• Resolution 40: Click here (PDF)

Protected Marine Areas

Italy has 18 protected marine areas of environmental interest. 

In these areas it is forbidden to:

• sail near the coast (minimum of 1,000 to 2,000 metres)
• fish, pick shellfish, sea plants or seafoods
• sail motor boats or anchor
• swim or practice water sports except in limited zones

The marine protected areas include: Cinque Terre, Arcipelago Toscano, Isole Tremiti, Miramare, Arcipelago di La Maddalena, Isole Egadi, Isole di Ustica, Porto Cesareo and Ventatene e Santo Stefano.

The Marine Protected Area of Portofino (Area Marina Protetta di Portofino)

The Marine Protected area of Portofino (Area Marina Protetta di Portofino) includes the municipalities of Camogli, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure. The area lends itself well to sport fishing, yachting and swimming (only in zones B and C).

Information can be obtained from the Santa Margherita Ligure tourist office.

• Santa Margherita Ligure
  At: Via XXV Aprile 4, 16038 Santa Margherita Ligure
  Tel: 0185 292 91
  Website
• For information on the swimming zones: Click here (in Italian)

Further Information

• World Port Source