09:00 CEST from Nettuno. Mid-morning, after the rest day at Nettuno.
Arrive
About 15:37 CEST at Ponza. In the mid-afternoon, with about 5 hours 5 minutes of daylight in hand (sunset 20:43 CEST).
Tides
Range about 0.2 m: no practical effect
Wind
Sea breezes; a scirocco or libeccio sends a swell into Ponza harbour
Boat
35 to 38 ft sailing yacht, 1.9 m draught, 6 kn under sail, 5.5 kn under engine
Crew
Skipper and 3 crew, 2 watches of 2
Track and waypoints 1 to 3, with ports of refuge as squares.
Go or no-go
Decide at 08:00 CEST. Go only if all of these hold:
No wind above force 5, and none from the south-east, which Ponza harbour faces.
Ponza berth or mooring confirmed, and the stationing ticket bought.
Visibility 3 nm or more: an open crossing with ferries.
If the weather is wrong, stay at Nettuno. San Felice Circeo is the mainland alternative.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 1.5 nm off land except at the harbour ends. Distances and courses are calculated from them. Plot every one on the current chart before use. Courses are true.
#
Waypoint
Latitude
Longitude
Course
Leg nm
Total nm
ETA
Notes
0
Marina di Nettuno
41°27.3′N
012°39.6′E
09:00 CEST
Depart.
1
Nettuno approach
41°26.5′N
012°40.0′E
159°T
0.9
0.9
09:13 CEST
Out to the south.
2
Between Ponza and Zannone
40°57.0′N
013°00.0′E
153°T
33.1
34.0
14:44 CEST
Into the channel north-east of Ponza. Zannone is part of the Circeo National Park.
3
Ponza approach
40°53.8′N
012°58.8′E
196°T
3.3
37.3
15:24 CEST
East of the harbour. Check on the chart
4
Porto di Ponza
40°53.6′N
012°58.0′E
252°T
0.6
38.0
15:37 CEST
Town harbour and moorings. Position approximate. Check on the chart
Tides and time
Nettuno · Mon 21 Jun · CEST (UTC+2)
LW
05:13
0.1 m
HW
11:01
0.2 m
LW
17:04
-0.0 m
HW
23:57
0.3 m
From the Anzio station.
Ponza · Mon 21 Jun · CEST (UTC+2)
LW
05:17
0.1 m
HW
11:02
0.2 m
LW
17:06
0.0 m
Monday 21 June 2027. Tides. The range here is 0.1 to 0.3 m: tides make no practical difference. Wind and air pressure move the sea level more than the tide does.
Tide times are predictions made for this plan from the TICON-4 harmonic constants (DGFI-TUM) with the Neaps tide predictor, because the official 2027 tables were not yet published when it was written. Tested against the official APDL table for Leixões on 23 July 2026, the predicted times were within 8 minutes and the heights 0.1 to 0.2 m lower. Heights are above lowest astronomical tide. Check every time against the official 2027 table before sailing.
Daylight. Sunrise at Nettuno 05:36 CEST. Sunset at Ponza 20:43 CEST.
Weather
Open sea. 30 nm with no shelter.
Ponza harbour faces east and south-east; in a scirocco boats move to Cala Feola or Frontone on the other side, depending on the wind.
Forecasts to check
Italian forecasts: Aeronautica Militare Meteomar and gale warnings (avviso di burrasca), meteoam.it. Forecast area Tirreno centrale, then Tirreno meridionale. Zone names and issue times: Check the pilot book
NAVTEX Roma: 518 kHz, station R. Cagliari: station T. Augusta: station V, further south. Check the times on the receiver.
Italian coast radio VHF weather broadcasts: Check the pilot book
Hazards
Ponza stationing ticket. The Ponza harbour office's summer ordinance (no. 74/2026, article 10) requires a ticket to stop, anchor or moor off the islands of Ponza, Palmarola and Zannone. The 2027 ordinance was not yet published. Buy the ticket before arrival and carry it. Chiaia di Luna is closed by land and by sea.
Zannone. Part of the Circeo National Park. Anchoring and landing rules could not be checked. Check on the chart
Ferries and hydrofoils from Anzio, Formia and Terracina into Ponza harbour.
Rockfall. The tuff cliffs of Ponza shed rock: keep clear of the cliff foot when swimming or anchoring.
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Nettuno
Start
Within the first hour
Marina.
San Felice Circeo
12 nm north of waypoint 2
Weather turns
Check the pilot book
Ponza
Destination
First choice
Town harbour and moorings. Check the pilot book
Pilotage
Leaving Nettuno
Leave the marina and head south-east for the gap between Ponza and Zannone.
Entering Ponza harbour
From the gap, head south-west to the harbour, watching for ferries.
Call the harbour or the mooring operator before arrival. VHF and phone: Check the pilot book
Lights on the way
Capo d'Anzio
Fl(2) 10s, 37 m, 22 M
Ponza, Punta della Guardia
Fl(3) 30s, 112 m, 24 M
Zannone, Capo Negro
Fl(3) 10s
Porto di Ponza
Fl Y 3s
Communications
Marina di Nettuno
VHF 9 · +39 06 980 5404
Ponza harbour office
Check on the chart
Emergency at sea, Italy (Guardia Costiera)
VHF 16, DSC 70 · 1530
Emergency on land
112
Contingencies
Ponza harbour full or exposed. Anchor in the lee of the island, outside any closed area.
Person overboard. Shout, point, throw the danger buoy, press MOB, DSC distress alert, Mayday on 16.
Before leaving
Forecasts read and logged before the go or no-go time
Italian notices to mariners (Avvisi ai naviganti) checked for the route
Waypoints entered and checked against the chart
Ship's log started in UTC
Crew briefing: route, watches, safety gear, MOB, fog
Ponza berth or mooring booked
Ponza stationing ticket bought and printed
Fuel for 7 hours under engine, plus a reserve
Water, food and hot drinks for 8 hours
Lifejackets with crotch straps, jackstays rigged, harnesses
Liferaft, grab bag, flares in date, handheld VHF
Radar, AIS and navigation lights tested
Passports, boat papers and insurance aboard
Sources
Ponza: Capitaneria di porto di Ponza, Ordinanza 74/2026.
Circeo National Park: parcocirceo.it.
Lights in Italy: Wikipedia, List of lighthouses in Italy (characteristics, heights, ranges); check against the Italian Navy list of lights (Elenco dei fari).
Italian harbour ordinances (Capitanerie di porto) could not be read for this plan: guardiacostiera.gov.it was unreachable. Check the pilot book
Tides: predictions from TICON-4 harmonic constants (Hart-Davis, Dettmering and Seitz, DGFI-TUM, 2025, doi 10.17882/109129) with Neaps (openwaters.io). Check against the Instituto Hidrográfico 2027 tables.
Sunrise and sunset: calculated (NOAA method).
Lights: The Lighthouse Directory (Rowlett), ibiblio.org/lighthouse, Portugal pages revised August 2024. Cross-check with the IH List of Lights, volume I.