08:30 CEST from Otranto. 2 hours 15 minutes after sunrise (06:16 CEST).
Arrive
About 15:47 CEST at Brindisi. In the afternoon, with about 3 hours 30 minutes of daylight in hand (sunset 19:16 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 4, 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.
Marina di Brindisi berth confirmed.
Visibility 3 nm or more.
If the weather is wrong, stay at Otranto. San Foca and San Cataldo are on the way.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 1.2 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
Otranto, Lega Navale
40°08.8′N
018°29.8′E
08:30 CEST
Depart.
1
Otranto approach
40°08.9′N
018°30.6′E
077°T
0.7
0.7
08:40 CEST
Out to the east, then north.
2
Off Torre Sant'Andrea
40°15.5′N
018°29.0′E
350°T
6.7
7.4
09:47 CEST
2 nm off.
3
Off San Cataldo
40°23.5′N
018°21.5′E
324°T
9.8
17.2
11:25 CEST
2.5 nm off the light.
4
Brindisi approach
40°40.0′N
017°59.5′E
315°T
23.5
40.7
15:20 CEST
North of the Pedagne islands. Ferries and ships: listen on VHF 16.
5
Marina di Brindisi
40°39.6′N
017°57.8′E
253°T
1.4
42.1
15:47 CEST
Between Isola Sant'Andrea and Forte a Mare. Position approximate. Check on the chart
Tides and time
Otranto · Sat 4 Sep · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
06:26
0.2 m
LW
12:23
0.1 m
HW
18:23
0.2 m
Brindisi · Sat 4 Sep · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
06:18
0.2 m
LW
12:23
0.1 m
HW
18:18
0.2 m
From the Taranto station.
Saturday 4 September 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.
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 Otranto 06:16 CEST. Sunset at Brindisi 19:16 CEST.
Weather
Maestrale on the nose in the afternoon.
September. The first autumn northerlies and thunderstorms can arrive; watch the forecast closely.
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
Brindisi port. Industrial outer harbour, commercial middle harbour, ferries to Greece and Albania. Keep clear of ships.
The Pedagne islands lie east of the entrance; enter north of them.
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Otranto
Start
Within the first hour
Lega Navale.
San Cataldo
Waypoint 3
Weather turns
Small harbour. Check the pilot book
Brindisi
Destination
First choice
Marina di Brindisi, VHF 08.
Pilotage
Leaving Otranto
Leave the harbour and head north, 2 nm off the coast.
Into Brindisi
Approach from the east, north of the Pedagne.
Call Marina di Brindisi on VHF 08 (+39 0831 411516).
Lights on the way
Torre Sant'Andrea
Fl(2) WR 7s, 15/12 M
San Cataldo
LFl 5s, 16 M
Brindisi, Castello a Mare
Fl(4) 20s, 21 M
Le Pedagne
Fl(2) R 6s, 8 M
Communications
Marina di Brindisi
VHF 08 · +39 0831 411516
Emergency at sea, Italy (Guardia Costiera)
VHF 16, DSC 70 · 1530
Emergency on land
112
Contingencies
Maestrale rising. Stop at San Cataldo or San Foca.
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
Marina di Brindisi 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
Marina di Brindisi: marinedi.com; marinadibrindisi.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
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.