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Positano has no commercial marina. The day-charter fleet for the Amalfi coast is distributed across Sorrento, Marina del Cantone, Amalfi, Salerno, and Castellammare di Stabia, totalling roughly 180 licensed yachts above 12m operating across the coast in 2026. Peak July day rates run €1,500 for a 10m gozzo to €19,500 for a 28m motor yacht with chef. The Amalfi coast is the only Italian day-charter market where the gozzo (traditional wooden 9m to 14m motor cruiser) is still the answer for half the clients, and the operator decision turns more on whether you want gozzo or modern yacht than on which base. This piece covers the four bases, the operators we shortlist in each, the Capri-and-back day, the coast cruise to Amalfi, the gozzo-versus-motor-yacht decision, and the operators we pass on.
The companion pieces are the Capri day charter for the Capri-side operators and the Ischia and Procida day charter for the Gulf of Naples north-side options. For the broader weekly context, the Amalfi coast shoulder-season charter piece covers the May and October calendar.
The four bases
Sorrento (Marina Piccola). The reference Amalfi-coast embarkation base. Roughly 65 licensed day-charter yachts, fleet skewing 14m to 24m motor yachts and a wide gozzo inventory. Exit toward Positano takes 25 to 35 minutes, toward Capri 20 to 30 minutes. The marina is busy in July and August and embarkation slots are time-stamped. Plan for a 30-minute morning buffer.
Marina del Cantone (Massa Lubrense). The smaller base on the Sorrento peninsula south coast. About 25 licensed day-charter yachts, gozzo-heavy. Faster exit to Positano (15 to 20 minutes) but the marina is smaller and the chef-equipped 22m-plus inventory is thin. The right call for clients staying in Massa Lubrense or for parties prioritising gozzo and traditional sailing day charter.
Amalfi (Porto di Amalfi). The east-side base. Roughly 35 licensed day-charter yachts, mostly 14m to 20m, gozzo-heavy. Exit toward Positano 25 to 35 minutes. Useful for clients staying in Amalfi, Ravello, or Conca dei Marini.
Salerno (Marina d'Arechi). The larger marina to the east, 25km from Amalfi. About 40 licensed yachts including the wider chef-equipped 22m-plus inventory that Sorrento and Amalfi struggle to hold. Lower headline rates by 8% to 12%. Repositioning fee €400 to €1,200 to start the day at Positano or Amalfi.
A fifth occasional base is Castellammare di Stabia for the larger motor yachts (above 26m), usually on a repositioning basis to Sorrento or Salerno.
Rate bands for 2026
Peak July and August, per day, in euros, private charter with captain, crew, fuel at standard cruising, basic provisions. Chef +€450 to +€850 on motor yachts above 18m. The Amalfi day-charter market has the widest rate band of any Mediterranean day market because the gozzo and the modern motor yacht are competing for the same clients.
Gozzo (traditional wooden 9m to 14m motor cruiser, captain only, no chef):
- 9m to 10m gozzo, 4 to 6 guests: €1,500 to €2,500 peak.
- 11m to 12m gozzo, 6 to 8 guests: €2,500 to €3,800 peak.
- 13m to 14m gozzo, 8 to 10 guests: €3,500 to €5,200 peak.
Modern motor cruiser and motor yacht:
- 14m to 16m motor cruiser. Sorrento €4,500 to €6,500. Amalfi €4,200 to €6,000.
- 18m to 20m motor yacht. Sorrento €6,800 to €9,500. Salerno €6,200 to €8,800.
- 20m to 22m motor yacht. Sorrento €8,500 to €11,500. Salerno €7,800 to €10,500.
- 22m to 24m motor yacht. Sorrento €11,000 to €14,500. Salerno €9,800 to €13,500.
- 24m to 26m motor yacht. Sorrento €13,500 to €17,500. Salerno €12,500 to €16,000.
- 26m to 28m motor yacht. Salerno €15,000 to €19,500 (Sorrento limited inventory).
Sailing yachts of equivalent LOA run 20% to 30% below. The Amalfi sailing day-charter inventory is thin.
Shoulder months (May, June first half, late September, October) run 30% to 40% below peak. Ferragosto (mid-August) holds peak. The Capri Hollywood film festival window (December into early January) is off-season and most operators do not run charters.
Operators worth booking
Five operators we shortlist across the four bases.
Sorrento Charter (Sorrento). The reference Sorrento operator. Mixed fleet 14m to 26m motor yachts plus a small gozzo inventory, multi-year captains, professional booking team. The 22m motor yacht in their fleet (captain since 2018) is the right Sorrento call for a Capri-and-back day at €11,500 to €13,500 peak. Quotes itemise fuel, chef, embarkation tender, Capri anchorage handling, and lunch booking responsibility.
Gozzo & Vele Sorrento. The gozzo specialist. Fleet of 9m to 14m traditional wooden cruisers. The right operator for a coast-cruise day at €2,500 to €4,000 peak. Captains know the coves between Sorrento and Positano that the modern motor yachts skip. Owner-operator service.
Positano Yacht (Sorrento-based, Positano-facing). Sorrento-based but markets primarily for Positano-staying clients. Tender pickup at the Spiaggia Grande or Fornillo handled cleanly. Fleet 14m to 22m motor yachts. The 18m motor yacht (captain since 2019) at €7,500 to €9,500 peak is the pick for a four-to-six Positano-based party.
Amalfi Charter Amalfi Coast. The Amalfi-side reference. Mixed fleet 16m to 22m, gozzo and modern. The right operator for clients in Amalfi or Ravello wanting to skip the Sorrento-side morning transit. The 20m motor yacht (captain since 2016) at €8,500 to €10,500 peak is the standard call.
Marina d'Arechi Charter (Salerno). The Salerno operator for parties of 10-plus wanting a 24m to 28m yacht. Lower headline rates, longer transit, broader inventory. The right call for the bigger-yacht days.
Operators we pass on
We do not list:
- Two Positano concierge platforms that re-broker day charters from Sorrento and Marina del Cantone at a 30% to 50% markup over the direct operator rate. We have priced the same yacht three ways through both platforms. The markup is consistent and the booking team is non-responsive when issues arise on the day.
- A high-profile hotel-affiliated operator whose listed rates are 25% to 35% above the direct operator equivalent for the same yacht. The hotel-routing pattern is documented across 2023, 2024, and 2025.
- Three unlicensed Instagram-marketed party-day operators running gozzi with 10 to 14 passengers (the gozzo certification typically caps at 8 or 10 passengers for commercial day charter). Guardia Costiera enforced against two of them in summer 2024. The third still operates.
- The Marina Piccola tender-and-RIB hire operators marketing themselves as private day charter. They are licensed for skippered short-trip use only and do not have day-charter insurance for the Capri-and-back route or for chef service.
- A wide swath of "luxury Amalfi" listing platforms that aggregate the same 30 to 40 yachts behind different brand names. We pick the direct operator and skip the aggregators.
Routes worth running
The four Amalfi-coast day routes.
- Sorrento or Positano to Capri and back. The default day. Sorrento or Positano departure, 35 to 55 minute transit to Capri, anchor at the Marina Piccola side (south) or the Marina Grande side (north), tender ashore for lunch at Da Luigi, Il Riccio, or the Anema e Core terrace, return via the Faraglioni and the Grotta Verde. Six to seven hours on a motor yacht, seven to nine on a gozzo. The Capri logistics are the day's main constraint, see the Capri day charter for detail.
- Positano to Amalfi coast cruise. Tender pickup at Positano, cruise east past Praiano and the Conca dei Marini cove, anchor at Conca for a swim, lunch ashore at Amalfi or at Le Sirenuse beach, return via the Furore fjord. Six to seven hours. The reference Amalfi-coast day. Works best on a gozzo or a 14m to 18m motor cruiser. A larger yacht does not improve the day materially.
- Positano to Li Galli and Marina del Cantone. West past the Li Galli islands (private, no landing), anchor for a swim, lunch ashore at Conca del Sogno or Lo Scoglio at Marina del Cantone, return. Six hours. The quieter Sorrento-peninsula option.
- Positano to Ischia and Procida. The long day. North across the Gulf of Naples to Ischia, anchor at Sant'Angelo or at the Castello d'Ischia, lunch ashore. Eight to nine hours, much of it in transit. Worth it only for parties willing to spend the day on the water.
The often-suggested "Amalfi coast end-to-end in one day" (Sorrento to Salerno) is not a day. The transit eats the day and the swimming and lunch get compressed. Either pick the Capri day or the coast cruise.
The Capri-and-back day, in operational terms
The Capri-and-back from Positano or Sorrento is the most-booked Amalfi day. Three things make it work or fail:
- Anchorage choice. Marina Piccola (south side) is the default in mornings and afternoons, swimming-friendly, the Faraglioni view. Marina Grande (north side) is busier and closer to the village access but tender congestion at the small landing is real. Operators worth booking pick the south side and tender ashore via Marina Piccola.
- Lunch booking. Da Luigi at the Faraglioni rocks, Il Riccio at the Capri Palace, the Anema e Core lunchtime service, or one of the village restaurants (Aurora, Le Camerelle). All require 30 to 90 days advance booking in peak. The operator should handle this.
- Grotta Azzurra access. Restricted to local Capri tour boats with ticketed entry. Your charter yacht does not enter the Grotta. Operators worth booking arrange a short transfer to the local entry boats, ticketed at €18 per person plus tender time, mid-morning to mid-afternoon only, weather-dependent. Skip if the day is rough.
The honest yacht-size recommendation
For an Amalfi-coast day with four to six clients, the gozzo (11m to 12m) at €2,500 to €3,800 peak is the right call. The gozzo is the traditional Amalfi day, the coves are gozzo-sized, the lunch service ashore handles the smaller party better, and the day's character is the coast cruise itself. A 22m motor yacht is overspending for a coast-cruise day with four people.
For a Capri-and-back day with four to six clients, an 18m to 20m motor cruiser at €6,500 to €9,500 is the right size. The transit is faster, the chef option opens up, and the Capri anchorage works for the size class.
For eight to ten clients, a 22m to 24m motor yacht with chef at €11,500 to €14,500 peak. The 24m sweet spot is more pronounced here than at Capri's own base because the Capri side has tender-access constraints that reward the bigger yacht's better tender.
For 12-plus clients, step up to the 26m to 28m at €15,000 to €19,500 from Salerno. Above 28m the day works less well because the Positano tender pickup and the Capri anchorage logistics get awkward.
Lunch ashore: the short list
The Amalfi day usually puts lunch at one of these:
- Da Luigi (Capri, Faraglioni). The reference Capri lunch. Booking 30 to 90 days peak. Tender drop on the rocks. The view is the point.
- Il Riccio (Anacapri). The Capri Palace beach club. Booking 30 to 60 days. Tender drop and a short transfer up to the cliffside terrace.
- La Fontelina (Capri, Faraglioni). The alternative to Da Luigi. Booking 60 to 90 days peak. Smaller, less corporate.
- Conca del Sogno (Marina del Cantone). For the Sorrento-peninsula day. Smaller, less scene, tender drop on the small dock. Booking 14 to 30 days.
- Lo Scoglio (Marina del Cantone). Quieter, family-run. Booking 14 to 30 days.
- Le Sirenuse beach (Positano). For the coast-cruise day. The Le Sirenuse beach service is limited and books 30 to 60 days for non-guests.
The post-day program back at Positano usually runs Chez Black or La Cambusa for early dinner, Music on the Rocks or La Zagara after. See restaurantsforkings.com/positano and barsforkings.com/positano.
Where to stay
Le Sirenuse and Il San Pietro di Positano are the references. Hotel Marincanto and Le Agavi for the next tier. In Amalfi, Santa Caterina and the Caruso (Ravello) are the hotels. In Sorrento, the Bellevue Syrene and the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria. See hotelsforkings.com/positano for the full list.
How to book
Book 90 to 150 days out for July and August, 60 to 90 days for shoulder, 6 to 9 months for Ferragosto. Confirm in writing: rate, embarkation point and pickup choreography, named captain, fuel band, chef inclusion, Capri anchorage handling, Grotta Azzurra arrangement if requested, lunch booking responsibility. Verify the operator's commercial day-charter license with the Italian Capitaneria di Porto and Guardia Costiera registry.
For the wider Italian context, the Capri operators, the Cinque Terre operators, and the Portofino operators calibrate against the Amalfi rate band. The Amalfi-coast day is the most route-flexible of the Italian options and the most rewarding when the gozzo-versus-yacht decision is made before the booking, not after.