06:15 CEST from Marzamemi. 25 minutes after sunrise (05:50 CEST).
Arrive
About 18:20 CEST at Riposto. In the early evening, with about 2 hours of daylight in hand (sunset 20:22 CEST).
Tides
Range about 0.1 m: no practical effect
Wind
Sea breezes from the south-east; afternoon gusts off Etna
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. A 12-hour day
Track and waypoints 1 to 5, with ports of refuge as squares.
Go or no-go
Decide at 05:30 CEST. Go only if all of these hold:
No wind above force 5, and no easterly above force 4.
Porto dell'Etna berth confirmed.
Visibility 3 nm or more.
If the weather is wrong, stay at Marzamemi. Siracusa, 25 nm north, splits the leg.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 1.2 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
Marzamemi
36°44.2′N
015°07.3′E
06:15 CEST
Depart at sunrise.
1
Marzamemi approach
36°44.0′N
015°08.5′E
102°T
1.0
1.0
06:30 CEST
Out to the east.
2
Off Vendicari
36°48.0′N
015°09.5′E
011°T
4.1
5.1
07:11 CEST
2 nm off the reserve.
3
East of the Plemmirio area
37°00.0′N
015°22.0′E
040°T
15.6
20.7
09:47 CEST
Outside the area's eastern limit.
4
Off Capo Santa Croce
37°14.5′N
015°18.0′E
348°T
14.9
35.6
12:15 CEST
2 nm off. Augusta to the west.
5
Riposto approach
37°43.5′N
015°13.5′E
353°T
29.2
64.8
18:06 CEST
South-east of the harbour. Check on the chart
6
Riposto, Porto dell'Etna
37°43.7′N
015°12.7′E
288°T
0.7
65.5
18:20 CEST
Position approximate. Check on the chart
Tides and time
Marzamemi · Mon 12 Jul · CEST (UTC+2)
LW
04:27
0.1 m
HW
11:57
0.1 m
LW
18:30
0.1 m
HW
23:25
0.1 m
From the Catania station.
Riposto · Mon 12 Jul · CEST (UTC+2)
LW
04:27
0.1 m
HW
11:57
0.1 m
LW
18:30
0.1 m
HW
23:25
0.1 m
From the Catania station.
Monday 12 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.
Both ends use the Catania station.
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 Marzamemi 05:50 CEST. Sunset at Riposto 20:22 CEST.
Weather
Settled in summer. Sea breezes from the south-east.
Gulf of Catania. Open to the 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
Plemmirio marine protected area, round Capo Murro di Porco. Zone A (no navigation, anchoring or mooring) off the cape between 36°59.94'N and 37°01.04'N, east of the coast to 15°20.45'E. Zone B: sail allowed, engine at 5 kn, no anchoring, mooring only on the park's buoys. Zone C (the rest, out to 15°21.15'E and down to 36°59.44'N): engine at 10 kn, anchoring only on sand in 2 marked areas. Buoys need a paid authorisation bought online (pagoPA), which asks for an Italian fiscal code or the country of residence. Consorzio Plemmirio 0931 449310, [email protected].
Augusta. Tankers anchored off, naval ships and restricted areas. Keep 2 nm off. Check on the chart
Etna. Ash from an eruption can fall on the coast and reduce visibility.
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Marzamemi
Start
Within the first hour
Harbour.
Siracusa
Waypoint 4
Weather turns or behind time
Porto Grande.
Catania
6 nm west of the route
Emergency
Check the pilot book
Pilotage
Leaving Marzamemi
Leave at sunrise and head north, 2 nm off the coast.
Into Porto dell'Etna
Approach from the south-east.
Call the marina on VHF 74 (+39 095 779575). Depth 5 m.
Behind time. If Siracusa is not abeam by 11:00 CEST, stop there.
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 dell'Etna berth booked
Fuel for 12 hours under engine, plus a reserve
Water, food and hot drinks for 13 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
Porto dell'Etna: portodelletna.it.
Plemmirio: plemmirio.eu (decree of 15 September 2004; disciplinare 2022; ormeggio).
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.