We left Cavalaire Sur Mer on the French coast and headed for Calvi on Corsica. The winds are in our favour but as we left at 6am it is quite light and the going is slow. It doesn’t take long for us to be cruising along and there are a few yachts out here travelling in the same direction. We anticipate arriving around 10 pm so we settle in for a day of transiting.
It’s great to have the extra hands especially experienced and strong ones. Jurgen is an experienced sailor and a huge help.
Because now it is 10.30pm, pitch dark, 25-30 knots and we are doing 11.5knots – flying along. And the sails have to come down as we need to stop! To anchor! Not easy in these conditions- we are going to head to a bay at the opening of the Calvi harbour. It has sand and will be protected from the sou’wester that is blowing. It is a relief to arrive and there are a few boats anchored already. We are late arrivals but it is ok. Dinner and bed even though it’s midnight.
When we woke in the morning it was a lovely surprise. All the wind gone and a beautiful protected bay. A few yachts and all very peaceful. The headland has a great view down the south west coast. Very different from last night.
When we are planning our ports and anchorages we use an App called Navily. It is a comprehensive guide to every inch of coastline globally. It is up to date with reviews and extra information supplied by users. We find it invaluable in assessing where to head for especially when the destination is first time.
By midday we are berthed in the marina at Calvi port. It is a beautiful harbour with the fort sitting high on the southern edge. Meeting us here are Rob and Andrew – they have arrived for a few days R&R so we will all have dinner tonight.
I had done some research and I chose a restaurant in the mountains- A Mandria de Pigne. The village – Pigne – an artisans village, delightful with an ancient Palazzu with terrace facing west with enormous views down the coast and over the water. We are at 250m above sea level – quite low in the Corsican scale but it feels like we are ‘perched’
It is all very shabby chic, Corsican – quite different
A beautiful evening- the restaurant a family business/ property where they grow their own food. The offering is local and simple, delicious and has earned itself a Michelin star. We had a lovely night.
The next day we all catch up for coffee and croissant and then Marley sets off for Girolata. The last time we were there in 2019 disaster struck. We had only been on board for 2 weeks and at some point on entering Girolata our propeller fell off! Not great. It took us a couple of hours but we finally reconciled that our only action was to sail to Ajaccio to get help this would entail getting in as close as possible to the harbour and then getting a tow to the haul out yard That all worked, was a learning experience and successful. Thank goodness. Now we check our propeller constantly 😀
Girolata suffered last year with the August 18 cyclone that saw many yachts dashed on the rocks. Destruction such had never been seen A year later all is restored, the debris removed but the memories stil remain. It is a tiny hamlet that can only be reached by water or a 2 hour walk. These people rely on summer tourism
From Girolata we go to Ajaccio. A much bigger town, the capital, the birthplace of Napoleon. Tourists everywhere, cruise ships bringing thousands. One day is enough. Back to the quiet of the coastline.
The weather is being very erratic. It’s windy, quite cool and we can see on the weather apps Windy and Predict Wind that there is some bad weather coming. We need to plan our next few days bearing in mind Gabriele and Jurgen are flying home from Figari to Munich. We can get quite close to the airport at the port of Figari. It is a long narrow harbour at the end of the valley that holds the airport. Consequently it is super windy and kite surfers love it! They fly across the channel on their boards holding wings like butterflies. Amazing and fast.
We are going to have to head back to Fiumicino earlier than expected as there is 5-7 days of terrible weather and as it is a 20 hour crossing it would be stupid to attempt. The wind is manageable but the predicted 4m swell we will avoid. Head back early and have plenty of time to pack up. The crossing into the Maddalena channel is okay and we actually manage to anchor under a hill in Port Raphael for the night – ready for an early departure tomorrow.
The crossing was straight forward and we docked at the Blue Dolphin at 10.30pm. Home sweet home.
The most exciting part and I did not get a photo was a sighting of a yellow whale. Rog was asleep and I was on watch. I thought an upturned dinghy or an old yellow surfboard or a crusty old bollard was rolling in the water quite close to the boat. And then – up it came- extraordinary- bright yellow. And yes apparently they do exist – rare – I tried to find if there was a place where you can report such sightings but no luck yet. We did see whales and manta rays on the west coast which was also lovely and exciting.
We have a few extra days up our sleeve, we have a Bambino and I have always wanted to go to Saturnia. The town and Terme in Tuscany – only 2 hours from Rome. I have booked us in for 2 nights.
An incredible thermal pool – 39C – bubbling, sulphurous- only 15 minutes at a time! Some of the quests lie like crocodiles suspended on their noodles for the entire day. Sun sends, bath robes and slippers this is a MediSpa experience- fabulous service – we love it!
Very organized, immaculate. I had a thermal mud treatment and a massage – after so many weeks in the salt air and water it feels great.
We have enjoyed our time here relaxing, swimming and reading and sleeping in a big bed! A shower! Such delight in these spaces. We are well catered for on Marley but it is a boat and as such a ‘camping’ experience- it’s lovely to do different. It makes us appreciate both worlds.
Back to Fiumicino- we are removing the sails, all the ropes and putting Marley to sleep until next year
Tomorrow we swap this reality for Ireland. Dublin here we come 😘
janeandrogersadventure 