The main village Portoferraio on Elba is connected to the mainland by sea in Piombino by numerous ferries and hydrofoils calling in other minor ports of the island. The port of Portoferraio is one of the most beautiful and evocative of the Mediterranean and is a very safe shelter with almost all wind directions.

There are numerous beautiful scenery offered by the coast of this island which has a significant development and that sailing can circunnavigare quietly in two days. Turning the island counter-clockwise and starting precisely from Portoferraio, first meets the tip dell'Enfola in succession and the gulfs of Tendril, and Biodola Procchio until you come to the Marciana Marina.

This is an excellent port and the best landing place for those wishing to go on to Capraia or Corsica. The village is picturesque and is very popular in summer. There, you will find all you need to sail. Continuing the navigation you will see the pretty bay of St. Andrew which is followed by a longer, more rugged and rocky coastline that opens to the south west and is similar, in places, to the coast of Sardinia. You will pass the small villages of Cavoli and Seccheto until you get to Fetovaia, a beautiful bay sheltered from the winds of the Mistral, great for a day and a perfect spot for a dip. Further on there are three large gulfs, the first of which is Marina di Campo. This resort has a great beach with shallow water but is not very suitable for an overnight stop as there is often a nagging undertow . Next is the Gulf of Lacona with two large campsites. The third is called Stella Gulf and is the most beautiful. A beach with good holding bottom that allows the boats to spend the night in complete safety, even with strong winds coming from the fourth and first quadrant. In this gulf there are numerous beaches: Lido, Zuccale , Barabarca , Stecchi, , Grazie , Morcone , Pareti and l'Innamorata. Once past the rocks known as the Gemini, we come into the area of the old iron mines, now abandoned , which is regarded by many as an eyesore. After we have passed Calamita tip , a name that might make you think of the effect on the compass, we proceed in the direction of Porto Azzurro, before passing other beautiful harbors such as Cala Nova and Straccoligno .

After Portoferraio , Portoazzurro is the country's most charming and pleasant island with many restaurants and many small streets teeming with tourists. The port is equipped with a dock for large yachts and berths on pontoons. Out of the harbor is a great gulf, known as the Mola gulf which in summer hosts the hundreds of boats over flowing from the harbour. Take the opportunity to look around the mainland facing island and then onwards to the east to reach Rio Marina, a small town with a harbour ferry slipway that is unfortunately not very convenient for mooring. Following Cavo, where the winds constantly change much to the joy or despair of sailors, is the closest point to the mainland and the island end of the so-called channel of Piombino. From Cavo to Portoferraio is about three miles encountering a succession of bays and Nisporto and Nisportino until you reach the resort of Magazzini, the southern most point of the bay of Portoferraio. Here we have to bear down against a strong sirocco. To the northwest, a large bay with a muddy bottom does not provide a safe anchorage when the winds pick up.