We are a Hallberg Rassy 53.

The yard is in the back NW corner of the Brindisi harbour. It is very well protected, with little water traffic and close to town. The yard is owned and operated by Massimo and Antonio Balsamo. Christiana runs the office. The yard has two new floating docks with mooring lines for Med mooring and some area for side-to mooring. The docks have water and electricity.

We arrived a couple of days before our scheduled lifting and had scheduled a rebuilt generator to be delivered and installed. Massimo moved several boats around and made a space for us to be side-to so getting the generator on board would be easier. During the installation, it was decided that an air gap should be replaced. The town chandlery was closed until late afternoon, but 10 minutes later Massimo shows up with a new air gap that he found in his mechanical supplies. Christiana arranged for our laundry to be picked up and returned. She also arranged for a sail loft to pick up our staysail for minor repairs and then return it.

The yard has a 50-ton travel lift. The lifting bay has 2.6 meters depth. All of the jack stands are beefy metal and are bolted or chained together. They have metal cradles for smaller boats. The yard is fenced with a locked gate entrance. There is a night guard with a dog. It feels very secure.

This is a marine yard, not a marina. So, there are no marina-type facilities. They have a wood shop, metal shop and engine shop.

The pricing for lifting and storage was very competitive. So far, we are very pleased.

We will report again in the Spring about the bottom painting and varnishing.

The yard web site is: www.navalbalsamo.com

Footnote:

We had some cruising friends who had wintered their boat at Danese, in Brindisi last winter. They gave us a referral to Danese and also mentioned Naval Balsamo. Our cruise this last year was up and down the Adriatic so we had an opportunity to stop in Brindisi and visit both yards before heading up the Adriatic. Each yard gave us a quote for hauling, washing, blocking and mooring. Naval Balsamo was about 1,000 Euros cheaper. At first glance, Naval Balsamo looks cluttered and a bit unorganized. But after being there, the clutter is jack stands, cradles and blocking. There was a combination of some old dilapidated boats and some brand new boats. Our HR 53 was one of the larger boats there.

Richard Moe

SY La Perouse (USA)

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