Arriving on Corvo by yacht: Porto da Casa, the anchorage and where to clear in

Corvo has one harbour and one anchorage, both at Vila do Corvo on the south coast. Neither is a place to sit out bad weather, and neither is a port of entry. If you are sailing the western group, the practical plan is to clear in somewhere else, pick a settled spell, and treat Corvo as a day or overnight stop rather than a base.

Yachts arriving in the Azores from outside the EU clear in at Horta on Faial, Ponta Delgada on São Miguel, or Praia da Vitória and Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira, according to the Noonsite formalities page updated in 2026. Corvo is not on that list. Coming straight from the west, you pass Corvo and Flores first and still have to sail on to Faial to clear.

Flores is not a reliable alternative in 2026. Noonsite reported in May 2026 that the harbour at Lajes das Flores is still being rebuilt after storm damage, with completion not expected before 2028, that the inner harbour is closed to traffic, and that non-Schengen crew allowed to anchor there may not go ashore without authorisation from the GNR. Check the current situation before you plan a landfall on either island.

Portos dos Açores, the port authority, gives Porto da Casa a quay of 80 metres with 4 metres of depth and a maximum draught of 3 metres, at 39° 40′ 19″ N, 031° 6′ 37″ W. The village starts 50 metres from the quay and the airport runway is 100 metres away.

Pilotage is compulsory, on VHF channel 16, and there is one tug if you ask for it. The port page lists a contact, António Carlos Avelar, on +351 966 491 223. Call before you come in rather than after.

The quay is a working one. The public boat from Santa Cruz das Flores lands here all year, on Tuesdays and Saturdays only in winter 2026, and Noonsite advises lying alongside only when no boat is expected. Ask the port contact where you can lie and for how long.

The port authority describes the anchorage as suitable for small and medium vessels and only in good weather. The Noonsite cruising guide for Corvo, last updated around 2023, says the same in more detail: anchor at the southern end of the island in the shelter of the harbour wall, holding is reasonably secure, and there is always swell. It gives the anchorage at 39° 40.35′ N, 31° 06.58′ W.

The anchorage faces south, so the harbour wall is all the shelter there is from southerly wind and swell. If the forecast turns southerly, leave in daylight. Keep someone aboard who can move the boat if the swell builds while the rest of the crew is up at the crater.

The port authority page lists no fuel or water service for yachts, and we found no source that says otherwise. Arrive with full tanks and enough food for your stay. Vila do Corvo has a few shops and cafés, stocked for an island of 435 residents (2023 figure), not for visiting crews.

Once you are tied up or have landed the tender, the village is a few steps away. Vans wait at the harbour and drive up to the rim of the Caldeirão in about ten minutes. For the crater itself and the trail around it, see the Caldeirão walk. For the windmills, the church and the ecomuseum, see the Vila do Corvo walk.

If the weather does not allow an anchorage at all, the public boat from Flores is the other way to see the island. Our day trip from Flores covers the timings.

Can I clear into the Azores on Corvo? No. The ports of entry for yachts arriving from outside the EU are Horta, Ponta Delgada, Praia da Vitória and Angra do Heroísmo.

How much draught does Porto da Casa take? The port authority gives a maximum draught of 3 metres at a quay 80 metres long with 4 metres of depth.

Is the Corvo anchorage safe overnight? Only in settled weather. Both the port authority and Noonsite describe it as a fair-weather anchorage with constant swell.

Can I get fuel or water on Corvo? The port authority lists neither. Fill up before you leave Faial or Flores.