“Look at Me” Fleet

Corsica & Sardinia



Porto Vecchio

Bastia is still quite a ways up the east coast of Corsica (Cape Corse) and we had a long way to go along a coastline promising little in the way of decent anchorages until its south-east corner.  Again, it seemed most were heading north, heralding the end of August and the end of peak holiday season.  Our mission was to get to Porto Vecchio and wait for good weather to visit Bonifacio.  The Bonifacio Straits are another unpredictable wind machine, so we crossed our fingers.  Porto Vecchio was a fabulous, well-protected anchorage but we could not linger.  Besides it was Saturday and every man & his dog was out in a boat.  A race was on too; a collection of vintage craft, at least 3 gaff-rigged and certainly some timber, floated in light morning airs around the islands off the coast.  Anchorages were full of “look at me” boats, others created high wakes called “rooster tails” whilst fast ribs, full of tanned young men in speedos, went looking for bow bunnies – it was beginning to look a lot like the Amalfi Coast all over again. 

Wild landscape at Corsica's southern end

Bonifacio from the Straits

We plodded on to Bonifacio, wondering what lay ahead.  It’s quite a spectacular setting but the harbour is hectic.  Still, the Cap’n took us in for a discovery run and we even noted the possibility of a med moor in a little bay (Calanque de Catena) where Odysseus’s ships were destroyed by the wild and aggressive Laestrygonians.  Now, heroic challenges came from a different quarter!  A 50’ catamaran was determined to take up the whole channel and an immense hot water boat (maybe 100’) squeezed itself onto a dock meant for something much smaller.  As GS snapped a few quick photos of this very pretty town, the Cap’n dexterously sidestepped a flotilla of craft flooding into this narrow waterway - all set on finding a berth.  We decided enough was enough and left the chaos behind for a safer, less popular anchorage over in Sardinia.  Well, you can’t always be right – the bay was alive with nasty brown jelly-fish (no swimming) and at night the wind turned directly into the bay (no sleep).  

Cave at the entrance to Bonifacio

And the start of visible fortifications

Into Bonifacio Harbour - it looks so serene in the photo!

Fortifications and "commercial dock" for ferries

It was easy then to get up very early and make for Stintino, our launchpad for the Balearics.  A couple of Frenchies were anchored off the marina entrance there so we decided to join them.  It took a few goes to get the anchor set (sand over rock) but in the end she held.  Being Sunday, everyone was returning to their berths at the marina, and we had quite a vantage point to watch the goings on.  Eventually, the Cap’n went ashore to scout out a weather report (we’d had no internet since Bastia).  A very helpful lady at the local yacht club checked for us - still clear, with a blow (Mistral) expected in two days.  Another early start was scheduled for the next morning….

Nearing our anchorage in Capo Testa, Sardinia