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The Costa Smeralda at 50 to 60m is a Porto Cervo Marina Smeralda product with a strong Maddalena archipelago anchorage program. The 2026 weekly rate runs $420,000 to $635,000 for motor and $355,000 to $510,000 for sailing, plus APA at 30 to 34 percent and gratuity at 10 to 12 percent. The bracket carries 10 to 12 guests in 6 cabins (7 at the upper end), with 14 to 17 crew. Marina Smeralda holds the bracket cleanly on the outer mole. Porto Cervo Old Port (Marina Vecchia) does not. The Maddalena archipelago, the Spargi anchorages, and the Bonifacio Lavezzi crossings are the route's set-piece anchorages.
Why the bracket fits Porto Cervo and the Maddalena
Marina Smeralda's outer mole and Molo Pinguino take 50 to 60m yachts on stern-to mooring with permanent mooring lines, with an assignment grid of roughly 10 to 14 slots at this LOA. Old Port (Marina Vecchia) is a 18 to 35m product and does not hold the bracket. Marina dell'Orso to the south at Poltu Quatu takes the bracket on confirmed reservation on the outer berth (one to two slots), but the principal commercial answer is Marina Smeralda. Above 58m the slot count tightens to 5 to 7 and the reservation is placed 9 to 12 months ahead, especially around the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in the first week of September.
The Maddalena archipelago is the bracket's set-piece anchorage program. The Cala Coticcio anchorage on Caprera, the Spargi west coast at Cala Granara and Cala Soraya, the Budelli pink-beach roadstead (the beach itself is closed to landing), and the Razzoli lee all take the bracket cleanly in benign weather. The Lavezzi anchorages on the Corsican side of the Bonifacio strait take the bracket for the daysail with the overnight back in Marina Smeralda or in the Cala di Volpe lee.
The client mix at this bracket is older Italian and US-east-coast booking, with a meaningful London and Middle East share through the August peak. The week's dinner spine is Cala di Volpe Hotel beachside, Phi Beach above Baja Sardinia, and the Porto Cervo piazzetta at Confusion or Sottovento.
Weekly rate map for 2026
High season (mid-July to late August) for 2026, before APA at 30 to 34 percent and gratuity at 10 to 12 percent. The rate applies to a Porto Cervo plus Maddalena week with Lavezzi as a day cross.
| LOA bracket | Motor yacht (low to high) | Sailing yacht (low to high) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 to 53m | $420K to $500K per week | $355K to $415K per week |
| 53 to 57m | $475K to $560K per week | $400K to $470K per week |
| 57 to 60m | $530K to $635K per week | $445K to $510K per week |
The Costa Smeralda rate at this bracket runs roughly 2 to 4 percent above the Bay of Naples Amalfi week at the same LOA and 3 to 5 percent below Cannes at the same LOA, driven by the Marina Smeralda berth-rate premium and the active August charter book. The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup week in early September carries a 30 to 60 percent premium on berth rate (charter rates less affected because Marina Smeralda fills with race entries rather than charter clients) and is a structurally hard week to book a Costa Smeralda charter through. Shoulder weeks in mid-June and the third week of September drop 22 to 28 percent. For wider context see Mediterranean charter weekly rates.
What the bracket buys you in this bracket
Cabins. 6 cabins standard, 7 at the upper end. The Italian repeat-charter share of the booking weights toward the formal dining saloon spec and the principal-suite layout.
Crew. 14 to 17. The Costa Smeralda captain question is moderately hard. Marina Smeralda operations are bureaucratic, the Maddalena permit system requires the captain to manage the daily anchorage assignment with the Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago di La Maddalena office, and the Bonifacio strait crossing in afternoon Mistral conditions is technical. Two western Med seasons plus prior Costa Smeralda experience is the realistic ask.
Tenders. Primary 9 to 10m, secondary 7m. The Cala di Volpe Hotel beach tender drops, the Phi Beach cliff-stair pickup, and the Lavezzi daysail tender program all benefit from twin tenders. Tender garage capacity matters at the upper end of the bracket.
At-anchor stabilizers. Required. The Spargi west coast and the Razzoli anchorages take afternoon Mistral chop through most of July and August, and the bracket without a current at-anchor stabilizer service log is uncomfortable on the swim platform from mid-afternoon.
Beach club. Standard and used heavily on the Maddalena anchorage days.
Helipad. Touch-and-go is meaningful for the Olbia airport transfer at week bookends.
Trip shapes that fit the bracket
The seven-night Costa Smeralda plus Maddalena week. Embark Porto Cervo Marina Smeralda, work the Maddalena anchorages for three nights (Cala Coticcio, Spargi, Budelli roadstead), cross to Lavezzi for the day, return via the Costa Smeralda Cala di Volpe lee and Baja Sardinia, finish Marina Smeralda. The bracket runs the route comfortably.
The ten-night Sardinia plus Corsica. Embark Porto Cervo, four nights in the Maddalena, cross to Bonifacio for two nights at anchor in the Lavezzi lee, descend the Corsican east coast to Porto-Vecchio and the Reserve de Bouches de Bonifacio, return via the Lavezzi to Porto Cervo. The bracket fits the route.
The fourteen-night Tyrrhenian arc. Embark Porto Cervo, work the Maddalena and Corsica for five nights, north to Elba and the Argentario, east through the Pontine Islands to the Bay of Naples, disembark Salerno or Marina di Stabia. The bracket handles the full arc.
For destination-by-destination context see Charter Costa Smeralda and Charter Sardinia.
What the bracket does not do well on the Costa Smeralda
Old Port at Porto Cervo. Not bookable at this LOA. The bracket is Marina Smeralda only.
Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup week for a charter calendar. The first week of September converts Marina Smeralda into a race-entry product, the inner moorings are racing-yacht occupied, and the standard charter week from Marina Smeralda does not run cleanly through the event. The bracket should plan around it.
Mistral-driven Bonifacio crossings on a hard schedule. The strait can be a one-day wait at this bracket on a hard Mistral day. The booking should carry a buffer day in the program if the Lavezzi daysail is part of the itinerary.
Two we would book
For two couples, seven days in mid-June, Costa Smeralda plus Maddalena week: a 52m motor yacht with 6 cabins and certified at-anchor stabilizers, embarkation Porto Cervo Marina Smeralda. Budget $445K plus APA, all-in roughly $605K. Booking lead time: 9 to 12 months.
For a family of 10, ten days in early August, Sardinia plus Corsica with the Maddalena program: a 55m motor yacht with 6 cabins, twin tenders, embarkation Porto Cervo. Budget $530K plus APA, all-in roughly $720K. Booking lead time: 12 to 15 months.
For a group of 12, fourteen days in late July, Tyrrhenian arc from Porto Cervo: a 58m motor yacht with 7 cabins and touch-and-go helipad, embarkation Porto Cervo, disembark Salerno. Budget $620K plus APA, all-in roughly $845K. Booking lead time: 14 to 17 months.
Build, refit, what to ask
The Costa Smeralda 50 to 60m fleet is build-quality-heavy with Feadship, Lurssen, Benetti, Heesen, and CRN dominant. A 2014 to 2024 build with a 2023 or 2024 refit is the realistic ask. We would pass on any yacht without a current at-anchor stabilizer service log and on any yacht whose captain has not run the Maddalena permit grid in the prior two seasons, because the daily anchorage assignment is a procedural workflow that does not improvise well. Confirm refit dates against the broker spec sheet.