Leg 52 of 97 · Passage plan · RYA Yachtmaster standard
Messina to Giardini Naxos
South out of the strait with the scendente along the Ionian coast of Sicily, under the hill town of Taormina, to Giardini Naxos, the first Greek colony in Sicily.
09:30 CEST from Messina. Mid-morning, after the rest day at Messina. The exact time is set by the current in the strait.
Arrive
About 14:37 CEST at Giardini Naxos. In the early afternoon, with about 5 hours 50 minutes of daylight in hand (sunset 20:24 CEST).
Tides
Range about 0.2 m, but the strait's current runs to the south end of the narrows: time the departure
Wind
Sea breezes; Etna's slopes bring gusts off the land
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 5, with ports of refuge as squares.
Go or no-go
Decide at 08:30 CEST. Go only if all of these hold:
The current tables give a scendente at Messina at the planned departure.
No southerly above force 4 against the current.
Giardini Naxos berth confirmed.
If the weather is wrong, stay at Messina. Riposto, 10 nm south of Naxos, is the alternative.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 0.5 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
Messina, Marina del Nettuno
38°12.2′N
015°34.0′E
09:30 CEST
Depart on the scendente.
1
Off Messina harbour
38°11.0′N
015°35.5′E
136°T
1.7
1.7
09:50 CEST
Clear of the port entrance and the eddy off Punta San Raineri. Ferries.
2
Off Scaletta
38°03.0′N
015°31.0′E
204°T
8.8
10.4
11:18 CEST
1.5 nm off.
3
Off Capo Sant'Alessio
37°55.0′N
015°23.0′E
218°T
10.2
20.6
13:00 CEST
1 nm off.
4
Off Capo Taormina
37°50.5′N
015°19.5′E
212°T
5.3
25.9
13:53 CEST
1 nm off. Isola Bella is a nature reserve.
5
Giardini Naxos approach
37°49.5′N
015°17.5′E
238°T
1.9
27.8
14:21 CEST
North of Capo Schisò. Check on the chart
6
Giardini Naxos harbour
37°49.3′N
015°16.5′E
256°T
0.8
28.6
14:37 CEST
Small harbour and pontoons behind Capo Schisò. Position approximate. Check on the chart
Tides and time
Messina · Sat 3 Jul · CEST (UTC+2)
LW
07:57
0.0 m
HW
12:06
0.1 m
LW
20:24
0.0 m
Giardini Naxos · Sat 3 Jul · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
03:15
0.1 m
LW
08:58
0.0 m
HW
15:36
0.2 m
LW
22:19
0.0 m
From the Catania station.
Saturday 3 July 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.
Giardini Naxos uses the Catania station.
The strait. The current at Messina runs as on leg 51. Leave on the scendente, so the boat is carried south out of the strait.
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 Messina 05:39 CEST. Sunset at Giardini Naxos 20:24 CEST.
Weather
The Ionian coast is open to the east and south-east.
Etna. Ash from an eruption can fall on the coast and reduce visibility.
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
Strait traffic. A traffic separation scheme runs through the strait, with a vessel traffic service at Messina. Ferries cross between Villa San Giovanni, Reggio Calabria, Messina and Tremestieri every few minutes, and fast craft run at speed. Small-craft reporting rules, the VTS channel and the Capitaneria's ordinance for the strait could not be read for this plan. Listen on VHF 16 and the VTS channel, cross the lanes at right angles, and keep to the Sicilian side.
Giardini Naxos harbour. Small, with pontoons run by private operators. Berths, depths and VHF could not be checked. The bay is a common anchorage in settled weather. Check the pilot book
Isola Bella below Taormina is a nature reserve. Keep off.
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Messina
Start
Within the first hour
Marina del Nettuno.
Riposto
10 nm south of Naxos
Naxos full or exposed
Marina dell'Etna. Check the pilot book
Pilotage
Leaving Messina
Leave on the scendente and head south, clear of the port entrance and the ferry routes.
Into Giardini Naxos
Round Capo Taormina 1 nm off and head south-west into the bay.
Call the pontoon operators for a berth, or anchor in the bay north of Capo Schisò. Operators and depths: Check the pilot book
Lights on the way
Capo Peloro
Check on the chart
Capo Sant'Alessio and Capo Taormina
Check on the chart
Communications
Marina del Nettuno, Messina
+39 090 344139
Giardini Naxos pontoons
Check on the chart
Emergency at sea, Italy (Guardia Costiera)
VHF 16, DSC 70 · 1530
Emergency on land
112
Contingencies
Current against. Wait in the marina until it turns.
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
Strait current times for 3 July worked out
Giardini Naxos berth booked
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
Strait of Messina: Italian Wikipedia, “Stretto di Messina” (currents, eddies, ferries); English Wikipedia, “Strait of Messina”.
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.