Marble on board, in the busiest weeks of the Sardinian summer
Yacht marble restoration in Sardinia is mostly a question of timing. On the Costa Smeralda, the yachting year is short and very concentrated: the first regattas of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda start in late April, the season peaks in July and August, and by early October the last one-design fleets have left Porto Cervo. Within those few months, the same onyx vanity or marble saloon table can see more use than in the rest of the year combined.
Guests arrive by tender from the beach clubs of Pevero or Liscia di Vacca with sun cream on their hands, drinks are served on deck and in the saloon late into the night, showers run several times a day. Acidic drinks, citrus and some cleaning products leave dull etch marks on polished calcite stone; hard water leaves limescale rings around taps. None of this is serious if it is treated early, and our team travels to your yacht in Porto Cervo, or wherever she is along this coast, to treat it without disturbing the programme on board.
From the Gulf of Olbia to the Maddalena archipelago
The route map below shows where Porto Cervo sits on the itinerary of yachts crossing the western Mediterranean. For many of them, Sardinia is the summer stop between the Riviera, Corsica and the south of Italy, before heading towards Naples or further east.
Where we work around Porto Cervo
- Marina di Porto Cervo
Marina di Porto Cervo. The marina has around 700 berths, about 100 of them sized for megayachts, and is split into two quite different areas. The Porto Vecchio, the original harbour of the village built in the early 1960s, opens to visiting yachts only from June to September. The Marina Nuova, on the western side, stays open all year and is where the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda has its clubhouse. Most of our interventions in Porto Cervo happen alongside, stern-to on the quay, at hours agreed with the captain and the marina. Commercial yachts above 500 gross tonnes also fall under ISPS procedures in the port, so we send names and identity documents in advance for the gangway list.
Cantiere Porto Cervo. At the end of the new marina, the boatyard of Porto Cervo handles maintenance, repairs and renovations for large yachts throughout the year. When a yacht is already in the hands of the yard for technical work, stone polishing can be slotted in during the same period, as long as the yard and the project manager agree on the order of works.
The anchorages of the Costa Smeralda. Many yachts spend more nights at anchor than in the marina. Liscia di Vacca, below the Pitrizza, is sheltered in south-westerly to easterly winds; Pevero has a buoy field on its southern side; Cala di Volpe and Romazzino are full of private and managed buoys, and larger yachts usually lie further out along the coast. Local rules forbid anchoring within 200 metres of the shore, and inside the buoy fields of Pevero and Cala di Volpe the buoys are mandatory. When the yacht is at anchor, we come out by tender if the sea state and the captain allow it, work with the generators and ventilation already running on board, and leave before guests return.
La Maddalena and the north. A few miles north lies the national park of the Maddalena archipelago, where a park ticket is required from May to October and anchoring is limited to sand, away from Posidonia meadows. We do not usually work inside the park itself, but a yacht spending a week there can be met when she comes back towards Porto Cervo or Porto Rotondo.
Olbia and the yards of the gulf. About 28 kilometres south of Porto Cervo, the Gulf of Olbia is where the heavy technical work of northern Sardinia takes place. At Cala Saccaia, the Valdettaro yard operates travel lifts up to 720 tonnes and has quays for yachts up to around 100 metres. Several Olbia yards haul out yachts in November and relaunch them in March or April, which makes the winter months the natural moment for a full marble programme.
Yacht marble restoration in Sardinia: what we do on board
Everything we offer elsewhere is available here, but the summer pace of the Costa Smeralda changes the order of priorities.
Most frequent in July and AugustEtch marks and limescale
Rings from glasses on a bar top, dull patches near a basin, limescale on shower walls. Usually treated in a short visit.Read more
Before or after the seasonPolishing
Restoring the original gloss of a floor or wall, sector by sector, with dust extracted at the source.Read more
Steps, edges, tabletopsChips and cracks
Tinted resin filling and reshaping of a broken edge, matched to the veining of the stone.Read more
Floors under heavy trafficCrystallisation
A harder, brighter surface on calcite floors that take a lot of foot traffic during charter weeks.Read more
Ideally in May or JuneProtection
Water and oil repellent impregnation before guests arrive, so that spills stay on the surface longer.Read more
For yachts based here all summerMaintenance contracts
Planned visits between charters, with a short report for the captain and the management company.Read moreThe same methods apply to onyx, travertine, granite and quartzite. Onyx, very common in master bathrooms, is more fragile and more translucent than marble; we test every product on a hidden area first.
Choosing your window on the Costa Smeralda
The regatta calendar is a good guide to the rhythm of Porto Cervo. In 2026, the Giorgio Armani Superyacht Regatta ran at the end of May for yachts over 80 feet, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in the second week of September, followed by the Rolex Swan Cup. During these weeks the marina is full, quays are busy and crews have little time for contractors.
In practice, three windows work best. Late April to early June, when yachts are preparing for the season and protection treatments make sense. The gaps between charters in July and August, for targeted repairs of a few hours. And the autumn and winter, when yachts move to Olbia or another yard for lay-up and longer polishing or crystallisation work can be done without guests on board.
Olbia Costa Smeralda airport is less than an hour by road from Porto Cervo, which makes short visits realistic even in high season.
Surfaces we are asked about most in Porto Cervo
On yachts that spend the summer at anchor off Gallura, the bathrooms suffer first: sun cream, salt and hard water combine on vanities and shower trays. See our page on marble bathroom restoration on board. Next come bar tops and saloon tables, where glasses and citrus leave rings after evenings with guests (bars, counters and tables). Floors in the main saloon and lobby lose their gloss along the walking routes between the aft deck and the interior (marble floors). And staircases, especially their nosings, are prone to chips when luggage and provisions are carried on board (marble stairs).
How a visit works on the Costa Smeralda
- 01
Photos on WhatsApp
The chief stew or the captain sends a few photos of the surface and tells us where the yacht is: in the Marina Nuova, in the old port, on a buoy at Cala di Volpe or in an Olbia yard.
- 02
Assessment and quote
From the photos we can usually tell whether the problem is an etch, a stain, limescale or a chip, and propose a method and a fixed scope.
- 03
Slot agreed with the crew
We plan around guests, charter turnovers and regatta weeks, and handle the gangway list or ISPS paperwork with the marina when needed.
- 04
Protection and work
Joinery, carpets and nearby surfaces are masked, dust is extracted at the source, and a small team works quietly in the area concerned.
- 05
Check and handover
The result is checked with the chief stew, and we leave simple care instructions adapted to the products already used on board.
For the wider picture of our method, see how we work on board.
Porto Cervo and Sardinia: local questions
Can you come on board in the Porto Vecchio as well as in the Marina Nuova?
Yes. The old port only receives visiting yachts from June to September, so in spring and autumn we usually meet yachts in the Marina Nuova or at the yard. In both areas, access goes through the marina and the crew.
Our yacht stays on a buoy at Cala di Volpe or Pevero. Is that a problem?
Not necessarily. If the captain can send the tender and the sea is calm enough to transfer equipment safely, we work at anchor. If not, we wait for the next marina night or a quieter day.
Is it realistic to book a visit during the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup week?
It is possible for small jobs, but the marina is full and crews are busy. Unless the problem is urgent, the week before or after is easier for everyone.
We lay up in Olbia over winter. Can marble work be done in the yard?
Yes, and it is often the best moment for heavy polishing or crystallisation, with no guests on board. We coordinate with the yard on access and the order of works, and avoid working at the same time as dusty trades.
Are you based in Sardinia?
No. We have no office in Sardinia: the travelling team of Les Traitements du Sud, the stone-care company that looks after yachts on the Côte d’Azur, comes to Porto Cervo or Olbia for each intervention.
Do you sign a non-disclosure agreement?
Yes, on request. We never publish a yacht’s name or photos taken on board without the owner’s consent.
Interventions in Sardinia are carried out today by the travelling team of Les Traitements du Sud, under the EU freedom to provide services. For the rest of the Italian network, see our page on yacht marble restoration in Italy.
Works in Porto Cervo are carried out by Les Traitements du Sud (France), travelling team.
A mark on your marble in Porto Cervo?
Send us a photo on WhatsApp with the yacht’s position. We come to your yacht, wherever she is.