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Chartering in the Bay of Naples: what applies around Capri, Ischia and the Amalfi coast?
Short answer
Chartering in the Bay of Naples means sailing one of the busiest stretches of water in Italy.
Around Capri, Ischia and the Amalfi coast two marine reserves set zones and buoy fields,
local bathing ordinances keep boats off the beaches,
and ferry wash reaches deep into the bays.
The Bay of Naples is not a quiet cruising ground of empty coves. Ferries and hydrofoils run between Naples, Sorrento, Capri, Ischia and Procida all day, and in summer a crowd of tripper boats joins them. Their wash rolls far into the bays and turns many anchorages off Capri or along the Amalfi coast into an uncomfortable night. Anyone chartering here does best with short hops, a sheltered berth for the night and a sharp eye on the traffic, much as you would in the Solent on a busy Saturday.
Two marine reserves shape what applies in the area: Punta Campanella at the tip of the Sorrento peninsula, facing Capri, and Regno di Nettuno around Ischia, Procida and Vivara. Both are divided into zones where navigation, anchoring and swimming are restricted to different degrees, and parts have mooring buoy fields that charge a fee. In summer the bathing ordinances of the harbour authority, the Capitaneria di Porto, also set distances from beaches and rocky shores inside which powered craft may not go. The exact limits are in the ordinance for each stretch of coast.
Ask the base at check in for the current zone charts and the rules for Capri, Ischia and the Amalfi coast, and which harbours make sense for the night. Berths on Capri and along the Amalfi coast are scarce and expensive in summer, so Procida, Ischia or a harbour on the Sorrento peninsula is often the better plan. Drop the anchor on sand, never on seagrass, and keep well clear of swimmers. If you damage someone else's boat or property with the charter yacht you are personally liable, so your own skipper liability insurance belongs in the preparations.
Worth remembering
By day
ferries, hydrofoils and tripper boats
By night
a sheltered harbour rather than a rolly anchorage
In the Bay of Naples the berth for the night matters more than the number of islands.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Can I anchor overnight off Capri?
In some places, but ferry and tripper boat wash often makes the night rolly, and some bays sit in restricted zones. Check the current rules with the base and keep a harbour in mind as a bolt hole.
What is a marine reserve in Italy?
An Area Marina Protetta is split into zones. In the strictest zone navigation, anchoring and swimming are usually banned, while the outer zones set rules for speed, anchoring and buoys. The reserve publishes the zone chart.
Which certificate do I need to charter in the Bay of Naples?
Italian rules apply and the base decides for the specific boat. Most want an ICC or an RYA sea certificate and a VHF operator's licence. Get the answer in writing before you book.
Related
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