Ports & Marinas Survey. Port of Girolata: few services, wonderful spots, helfpul staff

Let’s continue our survey on the Mediterranean ports and marinas with a highly popular destination: the Port of Girolata, in Corsica.

Situated within the namesake gulf, in the municipality of Osani, Girolata is one among the most famous anchorages of the southern part of the French island. This is why it is always very crowded, especially in summer.

The highlight is, of course, the scenery, the chance to enjoy exciting underwater excursions and the astonishingly clear sea water here.

The bay can be reached by land through an arduous lane; this is why it is generally reached by sea.

 Description

Consisting of a group of picturesque wooden buildings and stone houses, the bay offers some tourist services including restaurants and a supermarket. As we have already said, the highlight is the landscape, with a wild pristine nature overlooking western Corsica.

All berths, except for those situated along the quay (about 3-4 on a wooden jetty), consist of two mooring buoys. Yachtsmen can have head-on or stern-on moorings, efficiently supported by the helpful staff of the marina providing, of course, with a dinghy service.

All yachtsmen are required to contact the port on VHF channel 9 before entering the port for mooring assistance. Especially in summer, it is highly recommended to book in advance by calling the marina at the following phone number: +33 495 50 02 52.

The anchorage offers 40 berths for boats under 12 metres and 33 slips for boats from 12 to 20 metres.

Open from April to October, the marina is run by the City Council of Osani.

Staff

The captain of the port is Jean-François Luciani, who can rely on a 10-person team that kindly welcomes guests, give information and assist yachtsmen in their mooring manoeuvres. The port also benefits from a team of 3 professional scuba divers who promptly intervene in case of emergency in order to keep the port always safe.

Quays

Boats can moor alongside the quay only from 18:30 and leave by 10:00 of their departure day. Mooring posts are all reliable; however, it is highly recommended to follow the staff’s instructions, always. The marina is really small and berths offer no electricity or water intakes.

Approach procedure

When approaching the port, yachtsmen should use caution to the surrounding low sea bottoms. It is therefore important no to cross the yellow buoys situated at the entrance of the channel before without prior authorization (on VHF channel) by the port staff.

Access

The anchorage is easily accessible. However, it is highly recommended to use caution to the dense marine traffic within the bay, especially in summer. A weak point of Girolata is indeed represented by its tight spaces.

Manoeuvring spaces

Because the limited size of the bay, manoeuvring spaces are really minimal. You might feel like a parking inside a shopping centre on Christmas Eve. Fortunately, however, the mooring assistance service offered by the marina is quite efficient.

Toilets and showers

A really weak point for the Gulf of Girolata is that it exclusively offers pay showers (€ 2.00) and toilets (€ 0.50). Moreover, toilets are not alway sufficient to support the huge flow of tourists in August, which often results in long queues.

Rubbish collection

The port offers several waste collection points with a view to promoting sustainable development and an efficient environmental policy. Unfortunately, however, not all visitors are respectful enough and , in windy days, some rubbish can be found on the beach.

Technical Assistance

This is maybe the weakest point for the Gulf. Girolata offers no assistance centres, no shipyards, no winterizing areas, no filling stations. The closest filling station is in Calvi.

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Technical File

Technical File

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