Bon Vacances en Bonifacio

To take advantage of the lighter winds we left Castelsardo at the almost unheard of hour of 7am! As we left the harbour, Corsica was visible in the haze, the sun had risen and the blue sky arched overhead, a perfect start to the day. We put the sails up within the hour and motor sailed in a light south-easterly breeze. As the wind picked up off went the engine and we reached just over 6 knots but it wasn't to last. The engine had to go back on around 0845 and didn't go off again until about 1330! In the meantime the wind had died, changed direction, coming round on the nose and then built again. The left over swell from all the northwesterlies was being flattened by a bit of an easterly chop. As we neared Bonifacio the east wind allowed us to sail the last 4 miles but we wanted to take photos as we approached so the engine went back on again!

Approaching Bonifacio for the first time is truly spectacular. The town is built high on the cliff top, much of it overhanging the sea. You cannot see the entrance to the harbour until you are quite close and then, because of the slight angle to the strata in the cliff it looks as if the water is going downhill, a real trick of the eye. The harbour itself is down a narrow Calanque, a bit like a small 'Grand Canyon', with towering cliffs on either side. Bonifacio is a busy place, ferries, mega motor yachts, tripper boats, dinghies and sailing yachts all vying for position. There are two smaller side-calanques on the north side before the marina and we investigated both, but no easy space for anchoring. A dinghy approached us as we pottered into the marina and the friendly occupant directed us to a berth where we moored up and despite what we had been told, the berthing was quite reasonable for peak summer rates in such a stunning setting. As it turned out, it cost around £16 a night for us, although showers were extra!

Of all the places we have visited this is one to which we are already tempted to return. The stroll round the marina area was interesting enough but the old town, founded through the construction of a castle in 828AD by Count Bonifacio of Tuscany, is remarkable, not just for the quaint rambling streets with sheer staircases within the buildings, but for its position, on the extreme southern tip of Corsica, sat precariously on a limestone peninsula, overhanging the frequently raging sea. We are curious as to how we have never really been aware of its existence as a town, only as the name of the infamous straits. Perhaps the French and Italian tourists have priority over the British, but we cannot recall hearing about it as a holiday destination and their economy now thrives on tourism.

The days we were there the winds were fairly strong but several yachts came and went. We watched from the cliff tops as they bucked and reared in the waves, once again grateful that we are not on a weeklong charter. One family, moored next to us for two nights had to return their boat to Ajaccio, and had to leave in conditions I would not have particularly enjoyed. Chris made the most of the extended time in port to make a new washboard for the warm nights, which we have christened "the rose window" due to the patterned design of holes, made to allow more air in but to stop Giblet getting out! Ideally we will find a way of fixing mosquito net to it but Giblet seems to have a taste for netting, and chews it into a gummy mess! With a laundrette close by and a supermarket near enough we could push the trolley to the boat other chores were also taken care of.

Maybe because of the regular wind in the area, a bit likeTarifa near Gibraltar, windsurfing is popular and so we found a shop where Chris could invest in a new sail for his board, La Troisieme. That meant our next port of call should really be a place in which he could try it out so we planned to go to Liscia, a bay reported to be popular with windsurfers.