Leg 65 of 97 · Passage plan · RYA Yachtmaster standard
Monopoli to Trani
North-west past Polignano a Mare on its cliffs, the port of Bari and the cathedral towns of Molfetta, to Trani, whose Romanesque cathedral stands on the edge of the sea.
08:30 CEST from Monopoli. 2 hours 50 minutes after sunrise (05:38 CEST).
Arrive
About 17:11 CEST at Trani. In the late afternoon, with about 3 hours 10 minutes of daylight in hand (sunset 20:21 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 6, with ports of refuge as squares.
Go or no-go
Decide at 07:30 CEST. Go only if all of these hold:
No wind above force 5, and no north-westerly above force 4.
Trani berth confirmed.
Visibility 3 nm or more off Bari.
If the weather is wrong, stay at Monopoli. Bari and Molfetta are 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
Monopoli, Cala Curatori
40°57.3′N
017°18.4′E
08:30 CEST
Depart.
1
Monopoli approach
40°57.8′N
017°19.0′E
042°T
0.7
0.7
08:40 CEST
Out of the harbour.
2
Off Polignano a Mare
41°01.5′N
017°14.0′E
314°T
5.3
6.0
09:33 CEST
1 nm off the cliffs.
3
Off Mola di Bari
41°06.5′N
017°06.0′E
310°T
7.8
13.8
10:51 CEST
2 nm off.
4
Off Bari
41°09.5′N
016°53.0′E
287°T
10.2
24.1
12:34 CEST
2 nm off the port. Ferries and cruise ships: listen on VHF 16.
5
Off Molfetta
41°14.0′N
016°36.5′E
290°T
13.2
37.3
14:46 CEST
1.5 nm off.
6
Trani approach
41°17.5′N
016°25.8′E
294°T
8.8
46.0
16:58 CEST
North of the harbour.
7
Trani
41°17.0′N
016°25.2′E
222°T
0.7
46.7
17:11 CEST
Inner harbour. Position approximate. Check on the chart
Tides and time
Monopoli · Thu 22 Jul · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
06:31
0.2 m
LW
11:56
0.0 m
HW
18:25
0.3 m
From the Bari station.
Trani · Thu 22 Jul · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
06:31
0.2 m
LW
11:56
0.0 m
HW
18:25
0.3 m
From the Bari station.
Thursday 22 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 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 Monopoli 05:38 CEST. Sunset at Trani 20:21 CEST.
Weather
Maestrale on the nose in the afternoon.
Bari opens to the north-north-west and is exposed to the tramontana and maestrale.
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
Bari. Ferries to Croatia, Greece and Albania, and cruise ships. Keep 2 nm off the port and cross its approach at right angles.
Trani harbour. A natural inlet with a sandy bottom. Visitor berths, depths, VHF and any marina operator could not be checked. Check the pilot book
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Monopoli
Start
Within the first hour
Harbour.
Bari
Waypoint 4
Weather turns
Lega Navale, 080 523 7766.
Molfetta
Waypoint 5
Trani full
Check the pilot book
Pilotage
Leaving Monopoli
Leave the harbour and head north-west, 1 nm off the coast.
Into Trani
Approach from the north between the Molo Sant'Antonio and the Molo Santa Lucia.
Call the Lega Navale (0883 484832) or the berth you have booked.
No berth at Trani. Go on to Barletta, 6 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
Trani berth booked
Fuel for 9 hours under engine, plus a reserve
Water, food and hot drinks for 10 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
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.