This page contains affiliate and referral links. If you charter, book, or buy through them we earn a referral fee, paid by the broker or platform, at no cost to you. We have not adjusted our rankings for the referral rate. Full breakdown on our how-we-make-money page.
Costa Smeralda is the Aga Khan-built 50nm corridor that runs from Olbia north to the La Maddalena archipelago, and the 40 to 50m bracket is the upper size before Porto Cervo's marina geometry starts to push yachts onto the outer roads. A 40 to 50m motor yacht Costa Smeralda in 2026 high season runs $245,000 to $395,000 per week plus 25 to 30 percent APA, takes 8 to 12 guests, and carries 9 to 14 crew. The active 40 to 50m fleet on the Costa Smeralda corridor during the first two weeks of August is estimated at 22 to 35 yachts per night, distributed across Marina di Porto Cervo, Cala Granu, the Cala di Volpe roadstead, and the southern Costa Smeralda anchorages off Spiaggia del Principe.
Why the bracket fits Costa Smeralda specifically
Porto Cervo is the corridor's commercial centre and the bracket's binding marina. The Marina di Porto Cervo handles 40 to 50m at the outer mole and on the southern wall, with a slip count for the bracket that runs roughly 12 to 18 berths under normal August allocation. Cala di Volpe and the Cervo roads handle the overflow at anchor with at-rest stabilizer requirements. The August slip booking window closes by the second week of May for the first half of August and by mid-June for the second half.
The 40 to 50m bracket is the size at which Porto Cervo slip pressure becomes the dominant booking variable. Above 50m, the marina pushes yachts almost entirely to the outer roads or to Cala Granu, and the booking becomes an anchorage product with a tender-in to Piazzetta. Below 40m, the inner-marina inventory deepens and the slip premium drops by 25 to 35 percent.
The La Maddalena archipelago is the corridor's payoff. The bracket draws shallow enough (typical 2.8 to 3.8m) to anchor in the Spargi anchorages, off Cala Corsara, off the Budelli zone (limited access under park rules), and to handle the Lavezzi crossing for the Bonifacio day. The Sardinia-Corsica cross at 16nm is a routine day pattern.
Weekly rate map for 2026
Rates below are high season (mid-July to late August) for 2026, before APA at 25 to 30 percent and gratuity at 10 to 15 percent. Italian VAT under the commercial exemption applies separately.
| LOA bracket | Motor yacht (low to high) | Sailing yacht (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| 40 to 43m | $245K to $310K per week | $200K to $260K per week |
| 43 to 47m | $290K to $355K per week | $235K to $300K per week |
| 47 to 50m | $330K to $395K per week | $275K to $345K per week |
Costa Smeralda rates sit roughly 2 to 5 percent above the Ligurian Coast and 8 to 12 percent below Monaco at the same LOA. Porto Cervo slip fees alone for the bracket run €5,500 to €11,000 per night during August, absorbed through the APA. Shoulder weeks in mid-June and the first two weeks of September drop 22 to 30 percent off high-season floor. The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup window in early September is an event-driven shoulder where larger sailing yachts in the bracket price 35 to 60 percent above the surrounding shoulder rate. For corridor context see Mediterranean charter weekly rates and the 30 to 40m Costa Smeralda bracket.
What the bracket buys you in this bracket
Cabins. 5 to 6-cabin layouts dominate. The Costa Smeralda client mix carries a high share of multigeneration Italian and central European families, and the 6-cabin convertible layout reads stronger here than the friend-group 5-cabin spec common in Ibiza or Saint-Tropez.
Crew. 9 to 14. The Porto Cervo evening service standard is among the highest in the Italian peak band and the crew weight reflects it. A Sardinian or Italian-flagged captain with the La Maddalena anchorage rotations memorised is the genuine specification edge in this bracket.
Tenders. A primary 9 to 10m fast tender plus a 6 to 7m beach-landing tender. The La Maddalena beach days reward a tender that lands close to shore at Spiaggia Rosa and the Spargi bays, not a Riva-style display tender. The display unit comes out for the Porto Cervo passerelle.
At-rest stabilizers. Required. The Cervo roads anchorage takes the August mistral from the northwest and the Cala Granu roadstead is exposed to a southwest swell that builds in the late afternoon. The bracket without at-rest stabilizers reads as uncomfortable from the transom by 4pm on a typical August week.
Helipad. Useful at the upper end of the bracket. Olbia Costa Smeralda airport is the corridor's fixed-wing transfer; a touch-and-go pad saves 60 to 90 minutes against the Olbia road in central August traffic and is the only practical mid-charter shore guest pickup at the corridor's northern end.
Trip shapes that fit the bracket
The Costa Smeralda plus La Maddalena week. Embark Porto Cervo, Cala di Volpe day, La Maddalena rotation across Spargi and Budelli, Bonifacio day-cross, return Porto Cervo. Seven nights. The bracket is the textbook size for this run.
The Sardinia plus south Corsica run. Embark Porto Cervo for two nights, transit to Bonifacio for two nights, work Porto-Vecchio and the Lavezzi anchorages, return via the Maddalena. Seven nights. The bracket clears the customs documentation cleanly and handles the open passage.
The full-Sardinia ten to fourteen-night. Embark Olbia or Porto Cervo, work the Costa Smeralda corridor, La Maddalena, Alghero on the western coast, Bosa, Cagliari, return north. Ten to fourteen nights. The bracket handles the passages and the trip is for the third-time Italian charter client.
For destination context see Charter Costa Smeralda, Charter Sardinia, and Day charter Sardinia.
What the bracket does not do well in Costa Smeralda
Last-minute Porto Cervo in central August. The slip inventory for the first two weeks of August is essentially closed by mid-May. Charter clients asking inside 6 weeks should expect a Cala Granu anchorage with tender-in to the marina, not an inner berth.
Single-port week. Costa Smeralda rewards a moving charter at this bracket. Yachts that sit on a Porto Cervo slip for the full week burn slip fees that the APA absorbs without the corresponding anchorage payoff. Charter clients who want a stationary week should look at Capri or central Mallorca.
Long-passage weeks east. Costa Smeralda to the Amalfi Coast or to Sicily is a two-day passage at the bracket. The cross is workable but should not consume more than 25 percent of the charter week's hull-hours.
Our pick
For two couples, seven days in mid-June, Costa Smeralda plus La Maddalena: a 43m motor yacht with 5 cabins and at-rest stabilizers, embarkation Olbia or Porto Cervo. Budget $290K plus APA, all-in roughly $390K. Booking lead time: 6 to 9 months. Mid-June is the value window before the August slip pressure.
For a family of 10, ten days in early August, Porto Cervo base with La Maddalena and Corsica day-runs: a 46m motor yacht with 6 cabins, at-rest stabilizers, twin tenders with a beach-landing primary, embarkation Porto Cervo. Budget $340K plus APA, all-in roughly $470K. Booking lead time: 10 to 14 months for a confirmed Porto Cervo slot.
For a friend group of 12, fourteen days in late July and early August, Sardinia plus south Corsica run: a 49m motor yacht with 6 cabins, helipad, embarkation Olbia, disembark Calvi one-way. Budget $475K plus APA, all-in roughly $660K. Booking lead time: 12 to 16 months.
Build, refit, what to ask
The Costa Smeralda 40 to 50m fleet is the youngest Italian regional fleet at the bracket because Porto Cervo's slip-as-status economics pull the fresh tonnage into rotation. A 2018 to 2024 build with at-rest stabilizers and a current beach-club layout is the realistic ask. We would pass on any yacht without at-rest stabilizers, on any August booking without a written Porto Cervo slip confirmation at contract, and on any yacht arriving from a hard Caribbean season without a documented Mediterranean shipyard refit.