Leg 50 of 97 · Passage plan · RYA Yachtmaster standard
Stromboli to Vulcano
South-west through the Aeolian Islands, past Basiluzzo and Lisca Bianca to swim at Cala Junco on Panarea, then down the east side of Lipari to Porto di Levante on Vulcano.
About 17:20 CEST at Vulcano. In the late afternoon, after the Panarea stop, with about 3 hours 10 minutes of daylight in hand (sunset 20:28 CEST).
Tides
Range about 0.3 m: no practical effect
Wind
Light; sea breezes
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. The Panarea stop depends on the reserve's rules: see Hazards
Track and waypoints 1 to 4, with ports of refuge as squares.
Go or no-go
Decide at 08:30 CEST. Go only if all of these hold:
No wind above force 5.
Porto di Levante berth confirmed, or the anchorage clear.
For the stop only: anchoring at Cala Junco allowed, and the sea calm.
If Stromboli is untenable, leave early. If the weather is wrong further south, stop at Panarea or Lipari.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 0.8 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
Stromboli, off Scari
38°48.2′N
015°15.2′E
09:30 CEST
Weigh anchor.
1
East of Basiluzzo
38°40.0′N
015°09.5′E
208°T
9.3
9.3
11:03 CEST
1 nm east of Basiluzzo and Lisca Bianca, integral reserves.
2
Cala Junco, Panarea
38°37.6′N
015°04.6′E
238°T
4.5
13.9
12:34 CEST to 14:34
Swim stop at anchor, only if allowed. Position approximate. Check on the chart
3
East of Lipari
38°27.5′N
015°00.5′E
198°T
10.6
24.5
16:20 CEST
1.5 nm off Lipari's east coast. Ferries to Lipari.
4
Porto di Levante approach
38°25.0′N
014°59.0′E
205°T
2.8
27.2
17:01 CEST
In the channel between Lipari and Vulcano.
5
Vulcano, Porto di Levante
38°25.0′N
014°57.8′E
270°T
0.9
28.2
17:20 CEST
Pontoons and anchorage. Position approximate. Check on the chart
Tides and time
Stromboli · Wed 30 Jun · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
06:13
0.3 m
LW
12:41
0.1 m
HW
19:27
0.3 m
From the Strombolicchio station.
Vulcano · Wed 30 Jun · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
06:23
0.3 m
LW
12:47
0.1 m
HW
19:16
0.3 m
From the Ginostra station.
Wednesday 30 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.
Vulcano uses the Ginostra station on Stromboli.
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 Stromboli 05:37 CEST. Sunset at Vulcano 20:28 CEST.
Weather
Sheltered water among the islands, except in a strong maestrale, which funnels between them.
Porto di Levante is open to the east and north-east.
Forecasts to check
Italian forecasts: Aeronautica Militare Meteomar and gale warnings (avviso di burrasca), meteoam.it. Forecast areas Tirreno meridionale, Stretto di Sicilia and Ionio. Zone names and issue times: Check the pilot book
NAVTEX Augusta: 518 kHz, station V. Roma: station R. Check the times on the receiver.
Italian coast radio VHF weather broadcasts: Check the pilot book
Hazards
Aeolian Islands reserves. Strombolicchio, Lisca Bianca and Basiluzzo are integral nature reserves: landing is allowed for science only. Panarea and the rocks round it are in a reserve on land. Whether a marine protected area or anchoring bans apply round these islands in 2027 could not be checked. Ask the Capitaneria at Lipari before anchoring.
Gas. Vulcano's fumaroles give off toxic gas and may be approached only with authorised guides; the mud-bath area has been closed since 2020. Gas also bubbles from the seabed near the shore at Vulcano and between Bottaro and Lisca Bianca off Panarea. Do not swim or anchor in bubbling water.
Wrecks and rocks round Lisca Bianca and Bottaro. Keep 1 nm off.
Hydrofoils and ferries between Milazzo, Lipari and Vulcano, at speed in the channel.
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Stromboli
Start
Within the first hour
Anchorage.
Panarea
Waypoint 2
Weather turns
Moorings off San Pietro. Check the pilot book
Lipari
2 nm north of Porto di Levante
Alternative
Marina Lunga or Pignataro. Check the pilot book
Pilotage
Leaving Stromboli
Weigh anchor and head south-west, east of Basiluzzo.
Into Porto di Levante
Pass east of Lipari, 1.5 nm off, then into the channel between Lipari and Vulcano.
Call the pontoon operators for a berth, or anchor clear of the ferry quay. Operators, VHF and fees: Check the pilot book
Lights on the way
Strombolicchio
Fl(3) 15s, 57 m, 11 M
Vulcano and Lipari lights
Check on the chart
Communications
Porto di Levante pontoons
Check on the chart
Capitaneria di Lipari
Check on the chart
Emergency at sea, Italy (Guardia Costiera)
VHF 16, DSC 70 · 1530
Emergency on land
112
Contingencies
No stop allowed at Panarea. Swim off the boat in open water.
Porto di Levante exposed. Go round to Porto di Ponente on the west side of the isthmus, or into Lipari.
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
Porto di Levante berth booked
Panarea anchoring rules confirmed, or the stop dropped
Fuel for 6 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
Aeolian Islands: Italian Wikipedia pages for Stromboli, Strombolicchio, Vulcano, Panarea, Lisca Bianca and Basiluzzo (secondary).
Capitaneria di porto ordinances for Lipari, Milazzo, Messina, Catania, Siracusa and Pozzallo could not be read: guardiacostiera.gov.it was unreachable. Check the pilot book
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.