In the end, we didn't move on very far. Exploring the coast from Porte Vecchio southwards was a delight, each inlet offering beautiful views and a choice of bays. We nosed into Porto Novo and fell in love with it! Apart from the other boats and a few people on the beach, there was not a sign of man's mark on the world to be seen from our anchorage - not a house, not a road, not even a telegraph pole (and certainly no wind farms!) Once we'd dropped the anchor, we really didn't want to move and stayed there for two nights in beautiful calm conditions, just watching the sun moving across the sky and diving deep into the clear blue water which is getting warmer by the day.
On our second evening, we took the tender and went exploring further along the coast. We had read about Rondinara in the pilot book and wanted to see if it was as nice as it sounded...it was much, much better! More accessible by road than Porto Novo, it was much busier but absolutely gorgeous with several small bays interspersed by rocky outlets. The water was perfectly clear and throughout the inlet you could see straight down to the bottom. We immediately decided that this was our next destination, so the following morning, we set a course back to Rondinara in Zaffina.
Sadly, we had a problem with the thrusters en route, so decided just to spend the day in this lovely anchorage but move into port for the evening, and as we had a reservation in Bonifacio, it was the obvious place to go.
Bonifacio is stunning, the old town is perched on a clifftop which looks as though it may crumble into the sea at any moment! The port is up a narrow channel and one of the most dramatic entrances we've been through. We radioed ahead to warn that we needed help berthing, as if there was any wind at all, having no thrusters was likely to be a big problem. Frank brought her alongside - into the narrowest gap between two motorboats - with utter precision and no fuss and you wouldn't have known there was anything to worry about! We celebrated with a good dinner at one of the numerous restaurants lining the quayside.
Back at the boat, a couple of crew from a vessel moored just along from us introduced themselves; they'd seen the articles in Motor Boat & Yachting, and having made a similar trip to ours last year, (even to the extent of wintering in Varazze!) they were keen to meet us. They, along with the owner of their boat and his wife, came on board for drinks and we compared notes about our relative trips from the UK to the Med last year.
Having intended to stay in Bonifacio for two nights, we had a change of plan this morning when we saw the forecast and realised that later in the day, the wind was due to rise in the channel separating Corsica from Sardinia. We set out in great conditions and had a brilliant crossing, slowing when we reached Sardinia to enjoy the views as we passed by the Madelanas Islands and then pottered along the coast.
Again, we're at anchor tonight, with wavelets lapping gently against the hull. It's nearly half past ten and still incredibly hot. There are only a few other boats moored out here, although one nearby we have recognised as belonging to an American couple we met at a restaurant in Porte Vecchio a few days ago, so we may invite them to breakfast tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment