Leg 64 of 97 · Passage plan · RYA Yachtmaster standard
Brindisi to Monopoli
North-west past the Torre Guaceto marine reserve and the dunes and olive groves of the Brindisi coast to Monopoli, a white fishing town with an old harbour inside its walls.
09:30 CEST from Brindisi. Mid-morning, after the rest day at Brindisi.
Arrive
About 16:58 CEST at Monopoli. In the late afternoon, with about 3 hours 20 minutes of daylight in hand (sunset 20:17 CEST).
Tides
Range about 0.3 m: no practical effect
Wind
The maestrale is on the nose in the afternoon
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:
No wind above force 5, and no north-westerly above force 4.
Monopoli berth confirmed: see Hazards.
Visibility 2 nm or more.
If the weather is wrong, stay at Brindisi. Savelletri and Torre Canne are small harbours on the way.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 1 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 Brindisi
40°39.6′N
017°57.8′E
09:30 CEST
Depart.
1
Brindisi approach
40°40.0′N
017°59.5′E
073°T
1.4
1.4
09:50 CEST
Out of the harbour, north of the Pedagne.
2
Off Torre Guaceto
40°45.0′N
017°52.0′E
311°T
7.6
8.9
11:06 CEST
Outside the marine protected area.
3
North of Torre Guaceto
40°47.5′N
017°46.5′E
301°T
4.9
13.8
11:55 CEST
Outside the area's northern limit.
4
Off Torre Canne
40°51.0′N
017°29.5′E
285°T
13.3
27.1
14:08 CEST
1 nm off the light.
5
Monopoli approach
40°57.8′N
017°19.0′E
311°T
10.5
37.6
16:45 CEST
North-east of the harbour.
6
Monopoli, Cala Curatori
40°57.3′N
017°18.4′E
222°T
0.7
38.3
16:58 CEST
Lega Navale basin. Position approximate. Check on the chart
Tides and time
Brindisi · Wed 21 Jul · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
05:42
0.2 m
LW
11:21
0.1 m
HW
17:52
0.2 m
From the Taranto station.
Monopoli · Wed 21 Jul · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
06:02
0.2 m
LW
11:27
0.0 m
HW
18:00
0.3 m
From the Bari station.
Wednesday 21 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.
Brindisi uses the Taranto station and Monopoli the Bari 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 Brindisi 05:35 CEST. Sunset at Monopoli 20:17 CEST.
Weather
Maestrale on the nose in the afternoon.
Monopoli is sheltered from the north-east swell by its breakwaters.
Forecasts to check
Italian forecasts: Aeronautica Militare Meteomar and gale warnings (avviso di burrasca), meteoam.it. Forecast areas Ionio, Adriatico meridionale and Adriatico centrale. Zone names and issue times: Check the pilot book
NAVTEX: Italian stations cover the Ionian and Adriatic; check the station letters and times on the receiver. Check on the chart
Italian coast radio VHF weather broadcasts: Check the pilot book
Hazards
Torre Guaceto marine protected area, north of Brindisi, about 8 km of coast out to the 50 m line. Its outer limit runs through 40°45'24"N 17°46'04"E, 40°43'15"N 17°50'56"E, 40°41'44"N 17°49'36"E and 40°43'24"N 17°46'00"E. Zone A: no navigation, access, mooring or stopping. Zone B: regulated use. Zone C: navigation allowed. Anchoring rules and speed limits could not be read. The route passes outside the area. Check on the chart
Monopoli berths. The Lega Navale basin at Cala Curatori (VHF 9) takes boats up to 12.00 m and 3.00 m draught, so a 12 m yacht is at the limit, and its transit berths are for Lega Navale members. Other options are the Porto Rosso marina and the harbour quays; their details could not be checked. Check the pilot book
Secca di Punta della Trave, about 3 m, inside Monopoli harbour.
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Brindisi
Start
Within the first hour
Marina.
Savelletri
6 nm south-east of Monopoli
Weather turns
Small harbour. Check the pilot book
Monopoli
Destination
First choice
Harbour.
Pilotage
Leaving Brindisi
Leave the marina and the harbour north of the Pedagne, then head north-west, outside Torre Guaceto.
Into Monopoli
Approach from the north-east between the Diga di Tramontana and the Molo Margherita.
Call the Lega Navale on VHF 9 (080 930 1341) or the berth you have booked.
No berth at Monopoli. Go on to Bari, 22 nm north-west.
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
Monopoli berth booked
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
Torre Guaceto: Italian Wikipedia (the reserve's site was unreachable).
Monopoli: leganavale.it/monopoli; adspmam.it.
Lights in Puglia and Calabria: English Wikipedia, List of lighthouses in Italy; Italian Wikipedia lighthouse pages (Capo Santa Maria di Leuca, Punta Palascia, Capo Colonna).
Port descriptions: Italian Wikipedia, Porto di Brindisi, Porto di Monopoli, Porto di Bari, Porto di Trani, Vieste.
Harbour ordinances (Capitanerie di porto) and the Autorità di Sistema Portuale del Mare Adriatico Meridionale's rules for pleasure craft could not be read. Check the pilot book
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.