GlobeSailor tests a catamaran cruise in Sardinia

Everything you need to know about renting a catamaran from Marina Portisco

In early October, at the very end of the season, part of the GlobeSailor crew (100% female!) embarked on a catamaran cruise north of Sardinia aboard a magnificent 4.8 Bali belonging to the fleet of our local partner Boomerang Charter.  

Many thanks to this wonderful team for their invitation, their welcome and their professionalism!  

We were lucky enough to be immersed in Italian culture for one week, enjoying the beautiful weather (~80 F / 26 C). 

One week round-trip itinerary from Portisco

We sailed for a week on board the Bali 4.8 in northern Sardinia, departing from Portisco.   

Portisco is the ideal starting point for a sailing cruise in Sardinia. About 20 minutes from Olbia Airport, the marina is easy to reach by cab or transfer. There are small seaside restaurants, grocery stores, boutiques and numerous water sports activities. Forgot your sunscreen or some grocery items? No problem – you can pick them up at the local supermarket, Dettori Market! 

Thanks to our skipper, Luca, who knows the region like the back of his hand, we were able to discover little-known anchorages and lots of hidden gems. 😊 

Day 1: Portisco – Cala Di Volpe

In Portisco, we met our skipper Luca, loaded the boat with our pre-ordered provisioning and took some time to familiarize ourselves with the catamaran. We were anxious to set sail and departed the marina around 16:30. Our first stop was the beach of Cala Petra Ruja. After our first swim, we stopped for dinner and overnight at Cala Di Volpe, a bay just a short distance from Portisco.   

Day 2: Cala Di Volpe – La Maddalena

The next day, we set sail after breakfast. We sailed along Costa Smeralda (Emerald Coast), where you can find Porto Cervo, a town designed in 1960 by Italian architect Luigi Vietti for the needs of a billionaire prince.  

We then continued north, anchoring at Spiaggia Del Principe, then Spiagga Cala Gerda before stopping at La Maddalena. We wandered through the typical Italian alleyways before stopping for a Spritz on the terrace. We enjoyed the pizza back onboard in the saloon area, where we could all gather around the table together with a glass of wine.  

Day 3: La Maddalena

We decided to visit the famous “pink beach.” To preserve its natural beauty, you are able to enjoy it from a distance by walking on a boardwalk that borders the beach. There is a local tour guide who is happy to tell you about its history and showed us an example of the algae that is said to produce the beautiful pale pink color. The most likely hypothesis for this pale pink color is that it comes from the microorganisms present on certain algae (and not from rock erosion, as we thought).  

Day 4: La Maddalena – Balistra Beach (Corsica)

With the wind on our side, we set sail for Corsica.   

We dropped anchor by one of the most beautiful beaches in southern Corsica, Balistra Beach. The spot was so beautiful that we all jumped in, despite the reluctance of some of us at the start of our stay. It has to be said that, for October, the weather was particularly good.  As the anchorage was very calm, we took the opportunity to sleep at anchor, and the evening ended with board games and a few Italian cocktails. 

Day 5: Balistra beach – Porto Pollo

We were lucky enough to be able to anchor in the Lavezzi Islands and enjoy the few boats present (in summer, it’s unfortunately crowded…). We also learned that access to the islands will probably be restricted or even prohibited from next year. 

We sailed on to Porto Pollo, where we decided to drop anchor for the night. Porto Pollo is known as one of the top two destinations for windsurfing in the Mediterranean. A true watersports beach, you can windsurf, kitesurf and try the newest watersport: wing. There are various bars scattered along the beach where you can enjoy the sunset on a beautiful rooftop deck or even from a table in the sand. 

Day 6: Porto Pollo – Cannigione

We couldn’t have finished this cruise without a stopover in Cannigione. This little town is truly magnificent. There are lots of (relatively luxurious) stores, little restaurants and beautiful homes… it’s very lively! An obligatory shopping trip to please our colleagues, who weren’t all able to come on board with us. 😊 

Day 7: Cannigione – Portisco

Our cruise is coming to an end… We made a final anchorage to enjoy the fish our skipper had caught on the way back. A little tip at the end of the cruise: we were short of pasta to accompany the fish, and thanks to a short VHF call, we were able to find some pasta from a neighboring boat and have a good time with a very friendly Italian couple! 

Our catamaran charter: Bali 4.8

We were lucky enough to sail aboard Arianna, a luxurious Bali 4.8 built in 2021 (rental from €7000/week in low season). She has 5 double cabins and a single cabin for the skipper. The saloon is incredibly spacious, and we were all able to fit around the table and arrange our tasty Italian-style dishes and salads.  

In short, we had all the comforts we needed to have a great week! 

Life aboard the Bali 4.8

We set off as colleagues, and as we’re not necessarily all based in the same office (we have teams in Paris, Lorient and remote), it was great to spend time together and get to know each other better. We divided up the tasks on board, but we will admit that it was mainly Francesca and Laura, the 2 Italian members of the crew, who got their hands dirty and cooked us delicious dishes from their region all week long.  

We were also able to easily organize our provisioning thanks to the website: Spesati. Our groceries were delivered directly to the port on arrival. A big plus when arriving from the airport without a car! 

We ate a lot of pasta, of course! There are many recipes for pasta, and we never tired of discovering the different flavors. We also ate a lot of salads with Italian products (like stracchino, mozzarella…), Sicilian bread, and grilled eggplant with mozzarella and tomatoes. 

As for Luca, our skipper, he’s originally from Sardinia and knows the destination inside and out. It’s a dream to work on the water, to be out in the fresh air all year round and meet lots of people, but this job is also very demanding and tiring. We are so grateful for his willingness to give us tips on the region, itinerary options, and sailing on a 48 ft yacht. We were lucky enough to help him with maneuvers at sea and in port.  

The bonus: he’s a fine cook and an excellent fisherman! Luca managed to catch a splendid sea bream on the last day, and we were all very proud. Luca took the opportunity to show us his talents as a cook, preparing delicious gnocchi with sea bream in pesto sauce. A real treat!    

In any case, a big thank you to Luca! You made this cruise truly magical! 

Our review of this Sardinia cruise? 5 stars!

We’ll always have fond memories of this destination. The turquoise waters, the fish, the magnificent scenery, the ice cream, the Spritz every night… it’s a wonderful way to immerse yourself in Italian culture. The crew also plays a major role in the cruise’s success, and we’d like to thank Luca for taking such good care of us and making this experience unforgettable. 

Arrivederci!  

To find out more about our Sardinia cruise and see availability, click here.