In this guide
- Why does a yacht over 24 metres face different rules?
- Where can a large yacht anchor in Ibiza, Formentera and Mallorca?
- What does a large yacht need to know on the French Riviera?
- What applies in Corsica and Sardinia?
- What applies on the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia and Procida?
- What applies in the Tuscan Archipelago?
- What applies in Sicily and the Aeolian Islands?
- What applies in Malta?
- What applies in Croatia?
- What applies in Montenegro?
- What applies in the Greek islands?
- What applies in Turkey?
- What applies in the Caribbean?
- What applies in the Exumas, in the Bahamas?
- What do these rules change in a week on board?
- Planning a route around a protected area?
Every row below comes from the destination guides on this site, which checked each stop on their routes against the official rule in November 2026. Nothing here is new research: the link in the first column takes you to the section of the guide where the rule is explained in full, with its source. Where the official source does not say something a captain would need to know, the last column says so, instead of guessing.
Why does a yacht over 24 metres face different rules?
Because most rules are written by length, and 24 metres is where they change. Italian law calls a pleasure vessel over 24 metres a nave da diporto, the largest of its three categories, and marine reserves such as Punta Campanella set stricter limits for it. France’s anchoring orders apply from 24 metres (from 20 metres between the Var and Monaco), and from 45 metres there are extra rules. Elsewhere the limit is the size of the buoys: a park’s moorings may stop at 25, 26 or 35 metres, and a larger yacht has nowhere to tie up.
The practical result is the same almost everywhere: a yacht of 30 to 50 metres anchors further out than the day boats, sometimes outside the protected area altogether, and guests go in by tender. How to read the tables:
- Can and cannot describe what the rule allows a yacht over 24 metres to do, not a small boat.
- Rule, set by and date identify the text. Where the guide relies on a press or magazine summary instead of the official text, the cell says so.
- Not checked is what the official source does not say, or what the guide could not confirm. A dash means there was nothing left open.
- Rules change between seasons. Each row reflects what was in force when the guides checked it in 2026; the captain confirms the current position before you sail.
Where can a large yacht anchor in Ibiza, Formentera and Mallorca?
On sand or on an official buoy, never on posidonia, and in Cabrera only up to 35 metres and only on a booked buoy.
| Where | Can | Cannot | Rule | Set by | Date | Not checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All of the Balearics | Anchor on sand or moor to an official buoy | Anchor on posidonia seagrass; there is no exemption for a large yacht with a professional crew | Decree 25/2018 on posidonia | Balearic government | 2018 | — |
| Ses Salines natural park: Ses Illetes and Espalmador | Anchor on sand outside the s’Alga buoy field; land on Espalmador by tender, only through the entry and exit channels | Stay in the s’Alga field (largest buoys 25 m, no anchoring inside); jet skis | Park rules | Balearic government | Checked Nov 2026 | Overnight at anchor: the park says yes and points to a daily or annual permit; whether the yacht needs it |
| Es Vedrà and the western islets | Anchor and spend the night, with the anchor off posidonia | Land on the islets without authorisation | Nature reserve rules | Balearic government | Checked Nov 2026 | — |
| Cabrera National Park | Up to 35 m: moor to a booked overnight buoy (red, over 20 and up to 35 m) with a navigation permit; 2 nights in July and August, 7 the rest of the year; at most 50 boats a day | Anchor anywhere in the park; over 35 m only with a special authorisation, justified in advance | Navigation and mooring rules of the national park | Balearic government | Checked Nov 2026 | — |
| Sa Dragonera and Sant Elm | Moor to the buoys of the regulated field | Drop anchor inside the field | Rules of the regulated buoy fields | Balearic government | Checked Nov 2026 | Which buoy sizes the field offers |
What does a large yacht need to know on the French Riviera?
That from 24 metres it anchors only seaward of a limit line, and from 45 metres, on the stretches of coast that have them, only in the zones drawn for its size.
| Where | Can | Cannot | Rule | Set by | Date | Not checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All of the French Mediterranean coast | Anchor where the orders for each stretch of coast allow | Anchor where it would damage the habitat of protected marine plants | Order 123/2019 (framework) | Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée | 2019 | — |
| Cannes, the Lérins islands and Antibes | From 24 m: anchor seaward of the limit line; inside it, lie on moorings and buoys licensed by the prefect | Anchor inside the line; hold position with the engines (dynamic positioning) within 500 m of the shore | Order 205/2020, amended since | Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée | 2020 | — |
| Nice, Villefranche and Cap Ferrat | The same rule, from 20 m | Anchor inside the line | Order 204/2020 | Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée | 2020 | — |
| Pampelonne | 24 to 45 m: anchor in the free sand area of the mooring zone, or take a visitor buoy for up to 30, 50 or 80 m (1 April to 31 October) | From 45 m: anchor outside the compulsory zones; dynamic positioning inside the mooring zone in the season | Orders 350/2021 and 157/2024 | Préfecture maritime and Préfecture du Var; the zone is run by Ramatuelle | 2021 and 2024 | — |
| Porquerolles, Port-Cros National Park | From 24 m: anchor beyond the limit line; inshore, only in the Golfe de Giens (under 45 m) and La Badine (under 60 m) | Anchor on posidonia (nobody may); anchor in the island’s coves; dynamic positioning within 600 m of the island | Order 246/2020; park rules | Préfecture maritime; Port-Cros National Park | 2020 | — |
| Yachts of 45 to 80 m, whole coast | Anchor after declaring it to the navy semaphore at least an hour before arriving | Anchor without that declaration | Order 157/2024 | Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée | 2024 | — |
YachtCharterFleet reports penalties of up to €150,000, a ban from French waters and, for captains, possible prison. According to the same source, posidonia is normally found in 30 to 40 metres of water, so a large yacht may need to anchor in deeper water.
What applies in Corsica and Sardinia?
In Corsica, the same limit-line logic as on the Riviera; in Sardinia, a park permit for La Maddalena and, at Tavolara, limits by length.
| Where | Can | Cannot | Rule | Set by | Date | Not checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corsica, Pointe de Lozari to the Gulf of Roccapina | From 24 m: anchor seaward of the limit line; inside it, stop on moorings and buoys under a permit from the prefect | Anchor inside the line | Order 168/2023 | Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée | 7 Jun 2023 | — |
| Lavezzi and Cavallo, Bouches de Bonifacio | Visit the coves by tender | Use the clean-anchoring zones (under 24 m only); anchor close to Cavallo and Piana; enter the sectors around Lavezzi, Ratino, Porraggia and Perduto closed since 2023 | Order 34/2025; closures reported by Figaro Nautisme | Préfecture maritime de la Méditerranée | 2025 | Which order governs anchoring by yachts of 24 m and over in the reserve |
| Scandola nature reserve | Anchor by day outside the strict reserve | Anchor at night; anchor in the strict reserve, day or night | Reserve rules, as summarised by Figaro Nautisme | — | May 2026 | The official text of the rule |
| La Maddalena National Park | Sail, moor or anchor within 300 m of the coast with a park permit (7 days for a pleasure boat: €437 from 24.01 to 29.99 m, €760 from 40 m) | Enter without a permit (fines and a 40% surcharge); approach the Pink Beach on Budelli (no swimming, sailing, anchoring or mooring in front of it) | Permit and zoning of the park | La Maddalena Archipelago National Park | 2026 rates | Which zones are closed to anchoring at night; which permit category a charter yacht pays |
| Tavolara – Punta Coda Cavallo marine protected area | Anchor on sand or pebbles: in zone B up to 30 m (40 m inside the Piscine di Molara circle), in zone C up to 40 m; over 40 m, only in the La Cinta and Spalmatore di Terra circles | Anchor on posidonia anywhere, or in zone A | Regulations of the marine protected area | Italian Environment Ministry | 2014 | — |
What applies on the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia and Procida?
In two marine reserves, a yacht over 24 metres cannot anchor at all or only in a few marked areas.
| Where | Can | Cannot | Rule | Set by | Date | Not checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punta Campanella marine reserve (Nerano, Ieranto) | Motor only in zone C, if it meets Annexes IV and VI of MARPOL; moor in zone C, with the managing body’s authorisation, at sites it has equipped | Anchor in any zone (in zone C anchoring is only for boats up to 24 m, 08:00 to 20:00); navigate in zone A | 2010 regulation of the reserve | Italian Environment Ministry | 2010 | The mooring field at Le Mortelle (zone B, 33 boats up to 30 m according to Trentaremi) does not match the 2010 regulation |
| Capri, Marina Piccola | Stay outside the buoy line; the tender uses the entry corridors | Navigate inside the line, 100 m off the shore from Punta Mulo to the Faraglioni | Buoy line, put back in July 2024 (reported by ANSA) | — | 2024 | Who sets the line; the rules of Capri’s future marine protected area (Law 158 of 1 September 2026), not yet written |
| Ischia, Regno di Nettuno marine protected area | Anchor only in zone C, in three marked areas (Lacco Ameno, Forio and the bay of Maronti), with an online authorisation and a daily fee by length | Use the buoy field (boats up to 24 m) | 2026 rules of the protected area | Regno di Nettuno marine protected area | 2026 | Whether its list of low-emission equipment is a condition for anchoring |
| Procida | Visit ashore by tender | Anchor off the island: the 2026 rules give yachts over 24 m no area there | 2026 rules of the protected area | Regno di Nettuno marine protected area | 2026 | — |
What applies in the Tuscan Archipelago?
Each island has its own regime: some cannot be approached at all, and Capraia keeps its stricter zones closed to yachts over 24 metres.
| Where | Can | Cannot | Rule | Set by | Date | Not checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 of the national park | — | Navigate, stop or anchor | Decree of 22 July 1996 setting up the park | Italian state | 1996 | — |
| Montecristo | See it from beyond about 1 km; land only on a park trip | Sail round it within about 1 km; land from a yacht of 16 m or more (only boats under 16 m can ask for authorisation) | Park access rules | Tuscan Archipelago National Park | Checked Nov 2026 | — |
| Pianosa | — | Transit within one nautical mile of the coast, unless the park authorises it | Ministerial decree | Italian Environment Ministry | 19 Dec 1997 | — |
| Giannutri | Navigate, stop and anchor in Zone 2; land at Cala dello Spalmatoio or Cala Maestra with the €2.50 online ticket | Enter Zone 1; moor in a park buoy field (none is working) | Park rules; resolution 9 | Tuscan Archipelago National Park | 25 Feb 2026 | — |
| Capraia | Navigate and anchor with limits in zone MC, freely in zone MD | Enter zones MA and MB | Park plan | Tuscan Archipelago National Park | Checked Nov 2026 | What the limits in zone MC are |
| Elba and Giglio | Anchor outside the park, under general Italian rules | Anchor within 200 m of a beach; motor within 300 m of the shore except when entering or leaving | General Italian rules, as reported by BOAT International | — | — | The local ordinances of each harbour |
What applies in Sicily and the Aeolian Islands?
Distances from the coast in the Aeolians, an exclusion zone off Stromboli and zones by size in the Egadi.
| Where | Can | Cannot | Rule | Set by | Date | Not checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stromboli, Sciara del Fuoco | Anchor off Stromboli village or Ginostra; watch the eruptions from more than 2 nautical miles off | Navigate within 2 nautical miles of the coast between Punta delle Chiappe and Punta Labronzo | Order 81 | Milazzo harbour authority | 22 Dec 2022 | Whether a later order has replaced it: the limits follow the volcano’s alert level |
| Aeolian Islands | In the bathing season, lie at least 300 m off the coast and 200 m off steep cliffs; the tender lands through a marked launch corridor | Anchor closer to the coast | Bathing-safety order 42 | Lipari harbour office | 3 Jun 2025 | Whether the order for the current season has changed; berths for a yacht of 30 to 50 m in Panarea and Filicudi |
| Egadi marine protected area | In zone B beyond 500 m and in zones C and D: navigate and anchor outside the seabeds marked as sensitive; moor with authorisation in zones C and D | Anchor or moor in zone A; navigate round Maraone; motor or anchor within 500 m of the coast in zone B; jet skis in zones A, B and C; anchor inside a mooring field | Regulation of the protected area | Italian Environment Ministry | 1 Jun 2010 | Which zone the anchorages of Cala Fredda and Cala Manione are in |
| Isole Ciclopi, below Etna | See the Cyclops rocks from outside | Motor anywhere in the protected area (only boats up to 24 m may); plan to anchor among them (zone A) | Decree of the protected area | Italian Environment Ministry | 9 Nov 2004 | — |
What applies in Malta?
Closed areas published by Transport Malta, and a booking system to land at the Blue Lagoon.
| Where | Can | Cannot | Rule | Set by | Date | Not checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Lagoon, Comino | Anchor outside the swimming zone; land with a free pre-booked slot (08:00–13:00, 13:30–17:30 or 18:00–22:00) | Enter the zone reserved for bathers; come within 5 m of it | Blue Lagoon booking system; Local Notice to Mariners 059 of 2026 | Malta Tourism Authority; Transport Malta | May 2025; 2026 | — |
| St Peter’s Pool, Delimara | Stay outside it | Enter it with any vessel, tender included | Local Notice to Mariners 077 of 2026 | Transport Malta | Apr 2026 | — |
| Dwejra and Mġarr, Gozo | — | — | — | — | — | Any official anchoring rule at Dwejra; the longest yacht Mġarr marina takes |
What applies in Croatia?
National and nature parks with their own tickets and rules, and buoys that stop well short of 30 metres.
| Where | Can | Cannot | Rule | Set by | Date | Not checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kornati National Park | Anchor and spend the night only in the designated bays, with a ticket bought before entering (35–49.99 m: €640 a day from June to September, €1,275 if bought inside the park) | Use the park buoys if longer than 26 m (they take boats up to 16 and 26 m) | Rules of conduct; 2026 price list | Kornati National Park | 2026 | — |
| Telašćica Nature Park | Moor only at designated, marked places | Anchor (the no-anchoring zones take effect as they appear on official charts) | Protection rules of the park | Telašćica Nature Park | 2022 | What size of yacht the mooring places take |
| Krka National Park | Stay at Skradin; guests reach Skradinski buk on the park boat or on foot | Navigate in the park without its approval; keep a permanent mooring upstream of the Skradin bridge | Protection rules of the park | Krka National Park | 2019 | — |
| Mljet National Park | Anchor only in designated areas, among them Polače and Lokva bay at Pomena, with a ticket priced by size | Move in park waters without the park’s permission; take a boat onto the Great Lake unless the park authorises it | Information for yachtsmen | Mljet National Park | Checked Nov 2026 | — |
What applies in Montenegro?
A navigation rulebook from May 2026 that covers the Bay of Kotor, the nature parks and distances from the shore.
| Where | Can | Cannot | Rule | Set by | Date | Not checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bay of Kotor | Anchor with permission from the VTS service; beneath Kotor’s walls, a yacht over 24 m pays €0.16 per gross ton a day plus a €30 daily waste charge, with VAT | Stop or anchor in the Kumbor and Verige straits; exceed 6 knots in the straits and in the inner bay | Rulebook on safety of navigation; port tariff | Ministry of Maritime Affairs; Port of Kotor | 19 May 2026; 2025 tariff | The official chart that marks where anchoring is banned |
| Blue Cave, Luštica | Anchor close by; guests paddle in by kayak | Bring the tender or jet skis within 20 m of its entrances | Rulebook on safety of navigation | Ministry of Maritime Affairs | 19 May 2026 | — |
| Platamuni, Katič and Stari Ulcinj nature parks | Cross them at up to 6 knots | Use jet skis inside them | Rulebook on safety of navigation | Ministry of Maritime Affairs | 19 May 2026 | Rules for anchoring inside the parks |
| Budva and Sveti Stefan | Under way, keep at least 300 m from the shore or bathing-area fences (150 m for a yacht of 24 to 30 m); guests land by tender | Come closer under way | Rulebook on safety of navigation | Ministry of Maritime Affairs | 19 May 2026 | — |
What applies in the Greek islands?
The guides found no official rule for the stops below, only descriptions. They are listed so that you know what is still open.
| Where | Can | Cannot | Rule | Set by | Date | Not checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydra | Lie off Mandraki, on a buoy if the draught is under 5 m (according to BOAT International) | Count on the tiny harbour | — | — | 2019 | The official limits of the harbour |
| Spetses | Anchor off Zogeria; guests go into town by tender | Berth stern-to in the Old Harbour (Baltiza), for yachts of 20 m and under (according to BOAT International) | — | — | 2019 | The official limits of the harbour |
| Delos | Visit by day, within the site’s opening hours | — | Opening hours of the site | Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades | Checked Nov 2026 | The anchoring rules, and whether a night off the island is banned |
What applies in Turkey?
Paid buoys instead of free anchoring in the Göcek bays, and several protected areas where the rule could only be read in the press.
| Where | Can | Cannot | Rule | Set by | Date | Not checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Göcek bays, Fethiye–Göcek protected area | Take a paid buoy booked online (DERİA, run by TÜÇA); stay at most 3 days in one bay and 11 days in a row in the Göcek area; anchor in the areas left open | Drop anchor in the buoy zones; tie lines to the trees | Buoy system (reported by Yachting Magazine and the Turkish press) | Ministry of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change | 2026 season | How the system applies after a court suspended the project on 9 July 2026 and a revised version was cleared on 25 August (Evrensel); buoys for a yacht over 40 m (the revised project has 238 points for boats of 20 to 40 m) |
| Hamam Koyu, Cleopatra’s Baths | — | Enter, according to a 2009 press report (closed to all vessels, diving banned) | Rule of the protected area, reported by Hürriyet | — | 2009 | Whether a yacht can go in today |
| Köyceğiz lake and the Dalyan channels | Stay in Ekincik bay; guests go up on a local river boat | Take a tender with a petrol or outboard engine up the channels | Regulation published in the Official Gazette | — | 17 Apr 2026 | — |
| Kekova | See the sunken ruins from the yacht or the tender | — | Specially Protected Area (according to Fraser) | — | 1990 | Where a large yacht may anchor |
| Knidos and Sedir Island | Visit the ticketed sites; Sedir is reached only by sea | Take sand from Sedir’s beach | Protected archaeological sites | Ministry of Culture and Tourism | Checked Nov 2026 | The anchoring rules at Knidos and Sedir; how guests land at Sedir |
What applies in the Caribbean?
The size limits are often in feet, and many moorings stop at 100 feet (about 30 m) or less.
| Where | Can | Cannot | Rule | Set by | Date | Not checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Islands National Park, St John | Anchor in sand only off Francis Bay and Lind Point; up to 100 ft (about 30 m), use the Big Boat Moorings; $26 a night, 7 nights per bay and 30 a year | Anchor in the park if over 210 ft (about 64 m); take a mooring if over 100 ft | Marine visitor use rules | US National Park Service | Feb 2023 | The size limit of each anchoring area |
| Buck Island Reef, St Croix | Anchor in the West Beach area, from 7 am to 5 pm | Stay the night (the island closes to protect nesting turtles) | Park rules | US National Park Service | Checked Nov 2026 | Whether a private yacht needs the annual permit: the page says both |
| The Baths, Devil’s Bay and the RMS Rhone, BVI | Send guests in by tender | Anchor at Devil’s Bay or in the Rhone Marine Park; take the Trust’s moorings (the largest are for 55 to 80 ft, by day, 90 minutes) | Park rules | National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands | 2026 (archived copies) | The current rules: they are cited from archived copies of the Trust’s pages |
| Prickly Pear, Anguilla | Anchor in the designated sandy areas, with a marine park permit after clearing in; moorings by day, 6 am to 7 pm | Water-skiing, jet skis and other high-powered toys | Marine park rules | Department of Fisheries and Marine Resources | Checked Nov 2026 | — |
| Tintamarre and Pinel, Saint-Martin | Visit by tender | Anchor (on sites with moorings, only under 10 m); take a mooring (up to 50 ft or 15 tons) | Nature reserve rules, 2010 prefectoral orders | Prefect of Saint-Martin | 2010 | — |
| Colombier and Fourchue, St Barths | Visit by tender | Enter the bays if over 25 m; exceed 5 knots; jet skis, seabobs and towed sports | Nature reserve zones | Territorial Environment Agency of Saint-Barthélemy | Checked Nov 2026 | — |
| Mustique | Moor or anchor only in the designated areas of Britannia Bay | Jet skis and water skis | Guidelines for visiting yachts | Mustique Company | 2018 | Whether there is a later edition |
| Tobago Cays Marine Park | Anchor in sand, for $60 for 24 hours, the same as a mooring | Anchor on coral or seagrass; anchor around Petit Tabac; exceed 5 knots | Rules and fee schedule; Petit Tabac ban | Tobago Cays Marine Park | Jan and Feb 2023 | The currency of the fees |
What applies in the Exumas, in the Bahamas?
A park with no reservations, moorings priced up to 150 feet and bylaws that decide where an anchor may go.
| Where | Can | Cannot | Rule | Set by | Date | Not checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park | Anchor where the Trust has put up a sign or an authorised navigation publication shows it, never on coral or sea grass; take a mooring first come, first served (Warderick Wells on VHF 09); idle speed in mooring fields and anchorages | Anchor in a mooring field; reserve a mooring | National park bylaws; park rules | Bahamas National Trust | 24 Jun 2022 | Whether a yacht of 30 to 50 m fits each mooring field; where a yacht over 150 ft (about 46 m) lies |
What do these rules change in a week on board?
Three things, wherever you charter:
- The yacht anchors further out. Beyond a limit line, outside a reserve or on sand away from the seagrass. The tender does the work, so ask how many tenders the yacht carries and how big they are.
- Some places depend on length. Cabrera stops at 35 metres, the buoys in Kornati at 26 and those at Espalmador at 25; in Tavolara, 40 metres changes where you may anchor. If a stop matters to you, say so before choosing the yacht.
- Permits, tickets and buoys cost money. La Maddalena, Kornati, the Exumas or the Tobago Cays charge by length or by person. These costs usually come out of the APA; ask for them to be listed.
The captain is responsible for following the rules in force and checks them before each season. What you can do is name the places you care about early, so that the yacht and the route fit them.
Planning a route around a protected area?
Say which places matter to you, your dates and the size of the group. A charter specialist will check which yachts can use those stops and reply with options that fit. The charter is contracted with the yacht’s owner through a licensed charter agency, usually on the MYBA agreement, with the full price set out before you sign. Tell us where you want to go.
