Continuing our tour of locations on CAptain’s Mate app, this month we head to Sarande in southern Albania, situated almost directly opposite Corfu.
Aside from a stunning 380km coastline to explore, many cruisers are increasingly heading to Albania as it is the closest non-Schengen country to Greece and southern Italy. CAptain’s Mate provides a comprehensive overview on Sarande, info on facilities and services and many first-hand reports from CA members.
Sarande is on a horse-shoe shaped bay, with a number of medium-rise hotels around the bay and a pleasant evening promenade. From Sarande it is easy to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the archaeological site of Butrint and the Ottoman city of Gjirokastra, as well as the beautiful Blue Eye springs.
Images: © Phil and Maree Goldsworthy
Phil and Maree Goldsworthy, who visited Sarande on their boat RedRoo in early June, share their experiences on checking in/out, saying, "Use of an agent is mandatory. We used Jelja of Sarande Summer Tours, her service was outstanding. We corresponded (in perfect English) before our arrival by email and WhatsApp. Boats must contact the harbour master on VHF 11 and seek permission to enter the harbour/bay upon arrival. Jelja monitors this channel and spoke to us immediately after on VHF to confirm our meeting arrangements. The process was easy and all completed by the agent (passports stamped, Albanian Crew list created and authorised and Boat paperwork authorised by harbour master). We paid €57 for check in services."
You can read Phil and Maree’s full report on CAptain’s Mate, which also covers berthing options, money, dinghy berthing, gas refills, car hire and other top tips. Phil and Maree checked out of Albania in Durres, and are now in Montenegro before heading to Croatia.
Agim Zholi, the CA’s Honorary Local Representative in Sarande, is available to help with member enquiries and you can find his details on CAptain’s Mate or via the website.
There are plenty of other Albanian harbours and anchorages to discover on CAptain’s Mate including Durres, Grama Bay, Kokomea Cove, Kongjurufe Bay, Orikum and Palermos.
Visitors much check in and out of Albanian waters at one of its ports of entry - Sarande, Vlore, Durres or Shengjin. CA members can login to your online account and find more information about cruising in Albania and arrival/departure protocols on the Albania Cruising Information page.
About CAptain’s Mate
CAptain’s Mate app provides an unrivalled breadth of information and cruising reports covering 6,500+ locations in 70+ countries around the world, providing you with up to date, accurate and informative location data on anchorages, marinas, ports, harbours, boatyards along with their facilities and amenities.
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CAptain’s Mate of the Month locations
Each month we feature a CAptain’s Mate location to inspire your cruising adventures and display the vast depth of information accessible on the app. In January we headed to Finike in Turkey, February took us to Grimsby in the UK, Lagos in Portugal was March’s destination, Lézardrieux, France in April, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba in May and Kuressaare, Estonia in June.
4 July 2022