Licata - Accommodation
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DO NOT ANCHOR IN THE MIDDLE BASIN OR YOU WILL BE FINED. Mark posted the full comment on the Italy page:SICILY WARNING.
The Guardia Costieri seem to be using yachts as a cash machine by issuing arbitrary fines of 300 Euros and more.
I was fined for anchoring in the empty centre basin at Licata, as were
two other yachts. I had been there two nights without being disturbed.
When another yacht dropped anchor the GC boat was there within seconds
telling them to the office. I was told the same. A third vessel was
approached literally as their anchor hit the seabed.
They had but to tell us there was no anchoring and we would all have
shifted but they were unrelenting in fining us all, despite our protests
about how unfair and unjust it was. It all fell of deaf ears.
There are at least three other reports of instant, arbitrary fines -at
Empedocle, Pozallo and on the east of the island at Capo Passero.
Strangely, there is a well-used anchorage inside the harbour at Trapani
-opposite the GC biulding, where no one has been bothered for weeks.
The Sicilians are great people, friendly, helpful and generous. This is
stark contrast. I can only guess why the GC are adopting such a
hard-nosed attitude. It has certainly soured my stay here.
We’ve spent winter 2018/19 here, where it was nearly fully booked. The marina is excellent. Staff are friendly and competent. Facilities are well maintained and clean. The harbour offers excellent protection, although due to there being much empty space for more pontoons, the outermost berths can have some fetch in southerly winds. Security is light, but there were no concerns of theft and staff patrolled at night. One folding bike went missing, but it may have just fallen off the pontoon. Unlike Ragusa there are no concerns about silting in the entrance and ample depth throughout.
Fouling is as bad as reported. We have Coppercoat, which faired better than most, but had to dive and remove large nests of tubeworms and other growth from the hull. The propeller and saildrive were coated thick to the point where it was producing almost no thrust. If you’d rather have someone else scrape it off, the marina office can organize a diver for you.
Two boatyards, Oceanica, which have a good reputation but do not generally allow DIY or living aboard on the hard and Martello, which permit anything but have a somewhat haphazard hauling arrangement with no cradles for monohulls and holed one catamaran whilst attempting to haul it on a sled. The work done to repair it was apparently good though!
Two competing general marine engineering guys operate here, Elia (speaks German) and Matthew (speaks English). Both do good work but can be very busy in spring. The Nautilhouse chandlery (Andrea) is good and can do or organize some works too. Couple hardware stores in town and a larger BricoOk at San Giorgio shopping centre, which has timber.
The real highlight is the town, which is not ruined by tourism yet. People are friendly, prices are low and you shop where the locals shop. Wine at the enoteca is €1.80 per litre (bring your own jugs or use their plastic bottles), pizza €4.50, the archeological museum is free and they were genuinely happy to have visitors. It’s definitely not a sterile tourism outpost though. Rubbish is everywhere and there are problems with packs of stray dogs in some areas, but Licata’s rugged charme convinced us despite this.
Great liveaboard community, helped by the marina organizing events and having built a very nice outdoor BBQ area. We had Sunday BBQ and happy hour twice per week at café Letterario. The marina even organized free Italian language classes! There’s a well stocked library/book swap and a multifunction room available for your own events, which last winter included quiz night, line dancing, presentations and more.
We have just been there and they put us right in front of the office for just a night. Very helpful staff and they phoned the Coast Guard to sort out our Costituto for us as we wanted to leave early in the morning so they agreed to do it immediately. Great service from the marina and the guardia costiera. Lovely feeling to the marina and a real port town so you can get work done.
If you are just a transient yacht they put you as far away as you can get from things. The Marineros are not that helpful and town not that interesting. No deterrent security either.
All comments from cruisers about Marina di Cale del Sole in Licata have been put together in a report adjacent – “Sicily, Licata: Cruisers comment on Marina di Cale del Sole”.