Log book

On board Adriatica Patrizio enters the Carlo Riva harbour in Rapallo, named for the famous engineer. He is accompanied by Roberto Borghini, the person responsible for the quay. This harbour has an exceptional mouth of more than 90 metres, and you can enter in any weather.

The radio channel to contact it is 9, active 24/7. There is a double sailor service giving mooring assistance, with and without a dinghy. The draught is 4.5 metres, and a sailboat of 38 metres can easily enter. Among the services that the harbour provides for yachters the boat can be washed at any time, there is a network of mechanics and electricians, 3 cranes, and a firm specializing in support that deals with bilge disposal ...

It is a harbour that offers quality, often also chosen by French yachters. Its true boast is its yacht club: a beautiful structure on the sea appreciated above all by families on days when the sea is rough. A boat place can be booked by sending an email to info@portocarloriva.it.

Patrizio then meets Pia Riva, the daughter of the mythical Carlo. Besides producing the most beautiful boats in the world, the Riva family also deals with management of the harbour, and indeed the two things are closely linked. “Our harbour,” Pia explains, “was the first private harbour in Italy and the legislation on harbours was made precisely on the basis of the Rapallo harbour. We had the honour of being the first ones and the burden of being the forerunners, with all the relevant difficulties.”

Using the Carlo Riva as a base, as Andrea Dall’Asta (Porto Carlo Riva Spa) also recommends, you can easily get to Cinque Terre, Portofino and the coast of the Gulf of Tigullio, in short the yachter has almost too much to choose from!

And what about the diatribe “sailing vs. motorboating?” Pia confesses in a low voice “We have a motorsailer, the bridge between sail and motor ... but don’t tell anybody!” Actually the diatribe doesn’t exist: the important thing is loving the sea, respecting it and protecting it.

The harbour provides the following services:

• Financial services - ATM
• Laundromat
• Fishing articles
• Short-stay car park
• Long-stay car park
• Post
• Broker services
• Catering services
• Pharmacy
• Services for animals