Bonifacio Strait Pilotage and Anchorages for Yachts in 2026

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The Bonifacio Strait is 11 km wide at the narrowest point, runs an IMO-recognized traffic separation scheme through the middle, and crosses every Corsica-Sardinia charter route. The transit is short. The wind regime is not. Between June and September 2025, the strait saw multiple days of Force 6 to 7 Mistral compression, including two events that closed the Lavezzi and Cavallo anchorages for 36 hours. Captains who run this water regularly factor it into the itinerary. Captains who do not run it regularly tend to underbook the strait day and overcommit on the dinner reservation downstream.

This piece is the pilotage and anchorage detail we send clients chartering across the strait before the week starts. The data assumes standard 40m to 80m motor and sailing yachts and the August charter window.

The strait itself

The strait separates Corsica (north) from Sardinia (south). Cap Pertusato is the south-east tip of Corsica with the lighthouse at 43m altitude. Punta Falcone is the north tip of Sardinia, with the Capo Testa peninsula extending west. The narrowest east-west line between these two headlands is 11 km. The deeper navigable channel runs slightly north of centerline because of the shoal extending north-west from the Sardinian coast.

The IMO traffic separation scheme is established for commercial shipping crossing east to west or west to east. Yacht traffic typically stays well north or south of the scheme on its way through. The Lavezzi islands sit on the Corsican side roughly 5 km south-east of Bonifacio. The Cavallo and Lavezzi anchorages are the practical day stops for charter yachts.

Wind regime, the part that matters

Two wind systems define the strait. The Mistral comes from the west-north-west, accelerated by the Provence-Corsica venturi, and funnels through the Bouches de Bonifacio. A Mistral event at Force 5 over open water becomes Force 7 in the strait. The Libeccio comes from the south-west and produces less acceleration but still increases through the strait by typically one to two Beaufort numbers. The Sirocco from the south-east is rare in summer.

The August window historically delivers Force 3 to 4 prevailing west wind on the strait, with Mistral spikes to Force 6 every 7 to 10 days. The pattern: clear pre-Mistral sky, freshening west wind through afternoon, peak overnight, drop by midday following. A captain who has the GFS and AROME-corse outputs in front of him on the morning of crossing day knows whether the crossing is a tender-deployable transit or a "secure the helideck loose items and take the inside route" transit. Ask which model the captain runs. The AROME-corse outputs the small-scale wind acceleration through the strait better than the synoptic-scale models.

The traffic

The strait carries commercial traffic east to west between the Italian Tyrrhenian and the western Mediterranean, and yacht traffic north to south between the Corsica and Sardinia charter fleets. In August 2025, commercial transit averaged 35 to 50 vessels per day. Yacht transit through the same window for the 24m-plus class averaged a daily count well into the hundreds in mid-August.

The interaction zone is the Lavezzi island archipelago on the Corsican side. The protected reserve (Réserve Naturelle des Bouches de Bonifacio) restricts anchoring outside designated zones and prohibits speeds above 5 knots inside the reserve perimeter. The Cala Lazarina anchorage on the south side of the largest Lavezzi island is the position for charter yachts and is buoyed in part.

Anchorages worth knowing

Cala Lazarina, southern Lavezzi: depth 3 to 12m, sand and rock mix, holding good in stable weather. The buoy field at the inner positions takes yachts up to roughly 50m. Outside the buoys, larger yachts anchor in 10 to 18m on the south-facing approach. Exposed to south swell. Closed in any Libeccio above Force 4.

Cala Achiarino, northern Lavezzi: smaller cove on the north side. Depth 5 to 15m, sand. Less protected, usually a swim stop not a hold position.

Cavallo island, north-east of Lavezzi: privately leased island with the small harbor at the south side. The Cavallo harbor is a Cavallo Resort facility, dockage by reservation only. Anchorages around the island are tight and rock-strewn.

Punta Sprono, west of Bonifacio: depth 8 to 20m, partial shelter from the Mistral by the cliff line. Used as a refuge when the Mistral closes Lavezzi.

Cala di Cala in Bonifacio inner harbor: stern-to berthing at the inner quay. Depth 8 to 12m. Berth booking essential July and August. The harbor master takes booking by phone and by. Boats above 80m have berthed at the inner east quay.

Santa Teresa di Gallura, Porto Longone: north Sardinian harbor with depth 4 to 8m at the inner positions. Marina takes yachts up to roughly 50m. The outer anchorage off Punta Falcone in 12 to 18m holds well in stable weather but is exposed to north-east swell.

Spargi, Cala Corsara: south-west of Spargi in La Maddalena park. Depth 5 to 12m, sand. Buoy field operated by the park authority. Reservations required through the LaMaddalenaPark website ahead of arrival. We cover this anchorage in detail in the Maddalena archipelago analysis.

Bonifacio inner harbor, the operational detail

Bonifacio's harbor is a 1.5 km cliff-walled inlet on the south Corsican coast. The entrance is the famous 60m-wide cut between limestone walls. The inner harbor is 800m long with the visitor pontoons on the north side and the larger yacht berths on the south-east quay.

Maximum LOA on the south-east quay is roughly 85m with advance booking. Draft to 5.5m is workable at most berths. The harbor master coordinates berthing on VHF channel 9. Pilotage is not mandatory for commercial yachts but the harbor master's bridge-to-bridge guidance into the cut is useful in a fresh north-east wind which can put the yacht beam-on as she enters.

Berth bookings: July and August fully booked well in advance. Walk-up availability exists but is unreliable. Most charter yachts book the Bonifacio night before the season starts. The harbor charges a per-meter daily fee plus a tourist tax.

The August weather window

Plan the Bonifacio Strait day on the third or fourth day of a one-week charter, not the first or last. Day 1 of a charter is embarkation and a short leg. Day 7 is disembarkation. The middle days have flexibility to shift the crossing 24 hours if the Mistral is forecast.

If the Mistral forecast is Force 6-plus on the planned crossing day, the alternatives are:

The inside crossing, hugging the Corsican coast through Iles Lavezzi to Cavallo and across to Capo Testa, taking advantage of the lee of the islands. This adds 1 to 2 hours to the run but keeps the yacht out of the worst funnelling.

The Bonifacio inner harbor hold, sitting out the Mistral event in port. The harbor is fully protected. The strait becomes workable typically within 18 to 36 hours.

The southern Sardinia rerouting, abandoning the Costa Smeralda direction and routing south to Olbia or Cagliari to reposition. Rare for a charter week but used when the Mistral event is long.

What we would pass on

We would pass on captains who treat the Bonifacio Strait as a "5 nautical mile transit between Lavezzi and Capo Testa". The transit is short. The forecast and the wind funnelling demand attention. The captain who has done the strait 30 times runs it differently from the captain who has done it twice. Ask explicitly during the captain interview.

We would pass on the Cavallo Resort dockage unless the client has specifically asked for Cavallo. The Cavallo harbor is small, the available yacht berths few, and the resort is built around a different guest model than the charter client typically wants. The Cala Lazarina anchorage at Lavezzi delivers the visual without the booking and the cost.

We would pass on the Bonifacio inner harbor for a yacht above 80m unless the broker has the berth confirmed in writing. Bonifacio's southeast quay is dimensioned for 85m at the upper limit and the operational realities (turning room, fender clearance, neighboring yachts) compress the practical max to roughly 75m in most weeks.

We would pass on the late-September strait crossing for yachts under 45m. The September Mistral pattern intensifies and the window narrows. A 35m motor yacht in a Force 6 Bonifacio Strait is a slow, uncomfortable transit. We have crossed it in those conditions and would not recommend it as a charter day.

Three things we would change about the standard

Most brokers default to the strait day as a "day 4 transit, Lavezzi lunch stop". We would add an explicit weather-contingent backup written into the proposal: "Strait crossing Day 4 with 24-hour shift right if AROME Force 6 forecast." This sets expectations and lets the captain make the operational call without renegotiating the proposal.

We would build the Lavezzi lunch into a longer stop. Cala Lazarina deserves three hours, not 90 minutes. The standard cruise-by lunch underdelivers on what is one of the better daytime anchorages on the route.

We would book Bonifacio inner harbor for a night on the way south specifically. The town above the harbor (the haute ville on the cliff) is a 15 minute walk and one of the better dinner stops on the Corsica side. The dawn departure out of the cliff cut is one of the route's better photographs.

FAQ

How wide is the Bonifacio Strait? Roughly 11 km (about 7 nautical miles) at the narrowest line between Cap Pertusato on the Corsican side and Punta Falcone on the Sardinian side. The IMO-defined traffic separation scheme runs through the central channel.

When is the strait too rough to cross? The strait funnels Mistral (west-north-west) and Libeccio (south-west) winds. Force 5 to 7 is common in shoulder months. The August window is typically the workable one with frequent Force 3 to 4. A Mistral event of Force 6-plus shuts the Lavezzi and Cavallo anchorages and pushes most yachts into Bonifacio inner harbor or south to Porto Cervo.

Can a 70m yacht enter Bonifacio inner harbor? Yes. The inner port at Bonifacio has accommodated yachts above 80m on a stern-to alongside basis. The entrance is the cliff-walled fjord-style cut roughly 60m wide. Pilotage is not mandatory for commercial yachts but the harbor master assists on VHF for tight berthing. Booking essential in July and August.

Is pilotage compulsory? Pilotage is not compulsory for pleasure or commercial yachts crossing the strait or entering Bonifacio. The harbor master at Bonifacio assists on VHF for berthing.

What is the speed limit at Lavezzi? The Lavezzi reserve enforces a 5-knot limit inside the reserve perimeter and prohibits anchoring outside the buoyed zones. The reserve is patrolled in season.