Cipnes Gallura has presented summer superyacht monitoring data for north-east Sardinia at the 2026 Cannes Yachting Festival. According to the Cipnes Gallura-UniOlbia research centre, using AIS/MMSI identification from the Pelagus Coast Guard system, 3,176 unique recreational yachts over 24 metres were detected between June and August. The comparable figures were 2,888 in 2025 and 2,495 in 2024.
This is not a simple monthly total. Cipnes stresses that monthly detections are de-duplicated, so June’s 1,139, July’s 1,870 and August’s 2,039 yachts do not add up to the seasonal number. That methodology is useful for the market because it separates the real number of yachts from repeated movements between anchorages.
Where The Traffic Concentrates
The highest concentration was recorded around La Maddalena, with 2,866 superyachts detected, and Costa Smeralda, with 2,581. Porto Rotondo, Santa Teresa Gallura and the Bocche di Bonifacio, Tavolara, Olbia and Cannigione followed. These area counts are not additive either, but they show north-east Sardinia working as one cruising zone rather than a set of isolated marina points.
Cipnes also profiled a sample of 291 identified yachts, equal to 9.2 per cent of the total MMSI count. In that group, average length was 61.7 metres, median length was 57 metres and the largest category was 40-59 metres. Owners linked to finance and investment, together with manufacturing, represented 26.5 per cent of the profiled sample.
Buyer Takeaway
For ports and marinas, this is an infrastructure argument. For yacht buyers, it is a calendar argument. If a region sees more than three thousand unique superyachts in three months, berth access, service reservations, spare parts, bunkering and crew logistics become part of the yacht’s practical value.
Sardinia remains an emotional destination, but the Cipnes data shows a highly practical market: dense, seasonal and competitive. A buyer planning to use Costa Smeralda should therefore check not only range and cabins, but also home-berth access and service planning. It connects naturally with our note on service capacity in marina networks. A W Yachts adviser should help count the season before the season starts counting the owner.
