Porto Pollo, the wing, kite and sailing capital.If you want to have fun, you have to come here

In northern Sardinia there is a special place that is the realm of sailors, surfers and lovers of watersports.
A magical corner where nature is majestic, where the Mistral reigns supreme, and where there is a unique atmosphere of “brotherhood.” On a typical sunny day with the Mistral blowing tensely Porto Pollo seen from the top of the coast is an explosion of colors.
Those of the emerald sea that darkens and begins to whiten due to the effect of the wind, those of the white sand dunes that appear propped up by the green of the wild myrtle, juniper and lentisk bushes.
But mostly coloring this corner of paradise are the thousands of sails that dart across the water and draw trails that crisscross across the horizon.
They are dinghies, skiffs, foilers, small cabin cruisers and catamarans, but also wingFoils, kites and windsurfers.
Because this is the European capital of watersports, and enthusiasts from all over the world have been coming here for over forty years to have fun.
We are in the North of Sardinia, halfway between Palau and Santa Teresa di Gallura, where nature has created a unique place in the world, not only for the beauty of the scenery-the Maddalena Archipelago and the mythical Bocche di Bonifacio are right in front of it-but above all for an exceptional alchemy of sea, wind and watersports that make it a sort of “Mecca” for those who love sailing.

Here’s how Porto Pollo can change your life…

To best recount all the energy of this magical place, we involved a sailor who knows Porto Pollo well and has been living it for many years now: he is Tommaso Zoppas, sailing instructor and since 2016 director of the sailing school of Sporting Club Sardinia, which has its headquarters on this beach.
Born in Vittorio Veneto (Tv) in 1990, Tommaso began sailing at the age of 6 at the Tino Nordio school in Monfalcone.
It was a classic apprenticeship for him, from Optimists to double dinghies, such as L’Equipe and the 470, and then gradually moving on to larger and more challenging boats, including yachts on the Rolex circuit.
In between was a life-changing experience, namely the very meeting with Porto Pollo, and the decision to become a professional sailor.
“It was the summer of 2007,” Tommaso recounts, “and when I was 17 years old I had decided to attend instructor courses organized by the Centro Nautico di Levante, a particular school where next to the didactic part, inspired by a synthesis between the English courses of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and the French courses of Les Glènans, it cultivated a strong community aspect ashore. There were roles, space management, and corvée shifts as when embarked. More than a community, the Levant’s was really a tribe with a strong identity that you could identify with and that never left you. At that time the school stood in the bay adjacent to the windward bay of Porto Pollo, and from the first moment this place bewitched me.”

An isthmus of land, an islet and two wonderful bays

A first impression, that of Porto Pollo, which wins everyone over precisely because of the fairy-tale scenery that surrounds it.
There are bays, coves, fjords, islets, river deltas and lagoons, all the way to the great Strait of the Straits of Bonifacio that separates Sardinia from Corsica with heavenly islands in between, such as Spargi, Budelli and Razzoli.
“Sailing in these waters with a dinghy or a cabin cruiser, but also with a kitesurf or a wingFoil is definitely challenging,” Tommaso explains, “but also incredibly evocative. The horizon is always different and you never stop discovering new places. With the wind, the colors of the sea and the changing light, it’s like standing still and having a world in front of your eyes that is constantly moving.”

Elegant and majestic nature where the Mistral reigns

Then there is the very morphology of Porto Pollo that makes it so special.
In fact, it consists of an isthmus of land that plunges from the coast into the sea and reaches the island of the seagulls.
This strip of land is perfectly perpendicular to the northwest wind and forms two bays.
The windward one, called “Liscia,” and the leeward one, which is Porto Pollo’s own.
“This unique conformation creates a true ‘playground’ for sailing and watersports enthusiasts,” says Tommaso Zoppas again. “When the Mistral blows hard, in the upwind bay the sea becomes formed, with chop and wave, and lends itself to those who practice Wave, those who use kite surfing, and those who glide on the surface of the water with wingFoils. On the other hand, in the leeward bay, protected precisely by the isthmus, the water remains flat even at 30 knots and allows safe sailing aboard a drift, Sup or windsurfer.”
And it is precisely the Mistral that never fails here, since it blows for more than 150 days a year and makes even the hottest summers cool.

Sailing takes center stage, classic and on new foilers

Those who come to Porto Pollo and are avid sailors are spoiled for choice as to which discipline to practice.
Historically, these bays were “christened” by windsurfing legend Robby Naish.
The very strong Hawaiian athlete, in fact, already world champion in 1976, arrived in Sardinia between 1978 and 1979 for a photo shoot at Capo Testa later published in Epoca magazine.
And it was on that occasion that upon seeing Porto Pollo Robby exclaimed, “This is the Maui of the Mediterranean!”
Today, however, alongside sailing boards, which also continue to dart undaunted, perhaps declined in the futuristic IQFoil Olympic version, it is possible to devote oneself to so much more.
“At Sporting Club Sardinia,” Zoppas explains, “guests can take courses at all levels on single and group dinghies, from classic keelboats to skiffs and even boats with foils, such as the brand new BirdyFish, which gives completely new sensations. Also popular is the new Foiling Ufo, a 3-meter flying cat that is also suitable for the very young. Of course, it is also possible to rent both boats and technical clothing. In addition, every year we organize camps with school students from major Italian cities. Teaching these kids to sail and seeing the happiness in their eyes for me is the greatest satisfaction. We have sailors as young as 5 years old, but there are people of all ages. Even the legendary Mariuccia Rivano who at 98 years old still goes out windsurfing and is an example for everyone!”

Lots of schools for those who love watersports

Sailing aside, kitesurfing, E-Surfing and even WingFoil, which has literally exploded in recent years, can be practiced in Porto Pollo.
In addition to the Sporting Club Sardinia, for courses and rentals of all these “water toys” there is Michiel Bouwmeester’s historic MB-Pro Center school with attached resort, and then again the Wind Porto Pollo center, Rupi’s, The Bros Company, The Spot and the FH Academy school .
All of them have their headquarters built with wood salvaged from the sea, the logo in plain sight, and an army of instructors and students in and out of the water until dark.
What is certain is that it is hard to resist for those who come even to sunbathe on the beach and not try one of these sports trying to share those smiles printed on the faces of sailors and riders.

The Porto Pollo “tribe”: sports, nature and “good vibes”

But who are the “people of Porto Pollo”?
“Those who come here are mainly super enthusiastic riders and sailors who are looking for the best conditions,” Tommaso says, “there are couples and young families who come mainly from northern Italy, Milan, Turin, Liguria, and Veneto, but also from Florence, Rome, and Naples. Then there is a large segment of international tourists who come back here every year, even out of season. They are Germans, Austrians, French, British, Swiss and Dutch. Lately, Californians and even Australians are also coming. In recent years many spend several months here working in smart work.”
Indeed, walking along the road in the parking lots adjacent to the two bays, one sees cars, vans and campers overloaded with equipment and with license plates of every nationality.
Anyone who comes to Porto Pollo tries to stay on the water as much as possible by taking advantage of the waves and wind by whatever means possible.
Then after each session one feels like sharing this joy.
And then another ingredient that makes this place so magical is triggered: it is the sense of belonging to a kind of tribe, of recognizing each other in the same passion, of speaking the same language of the sea and “beach life.”

The spirit of belonging drives everyone to come back here

The bars and kiosks along the beach fill with people until sunset, old friends are met and new ones are made, beers are drunk together, and stories and experiences are told that go far beyond sailing and vacations.
“The water and the wind take away some of the filters,” explains Tommaso Zoppas, “in the city people are more restrained, held back, here on the other hand they free everything, they lower the barriers. You often have an aperitif with people you just met and then you find out that maybe they are great managers or just globetrotters. Here every year you see the usual faces, but also a lot of new people who then always end up coming back. The natural setting helps, but it is mostly the community spirit, this strong sense of “brotherhood” that brings us all back.
There is a hunger for human relationships on these beaches, and you hardly see people with smartphones in their hands.”
Here, perhaps this is the secret of Porto Pollo, a magical and special place where unspoiled nature resists the onslaught of tourism and where the rebellious spirit of man thanks to sailing returns to express itself in all its freedom. David Ingiosi