Back in L'Ile Rousse
Blue Sky's Voyage
George & Michael
Sun 27 Aug 2006 14:26
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Dear Friends
Well so much for the "very sheltered
anchorage" in Porto Vecchio (last week's blog) --- the following morning
the wind got up to over 30 knots with 40+ gusts and even interfered with our
morning cuppa as clouds of spray were whipped off the surface of the bay. The
wind certainly does blow here, especially in the gap between Corsica and
Sardinia (- les Bouches de Bonifacio).
The weather forecasts have such fine detail
that it seems like a forecast by postcode. We left the Golfe de Porto Vecchio to
head back south again and the wind was just blowing from the NE, maybe 10 knots
with flat water. After a mile, the water started to get oddly choppy and we kept
smacking into little waves, then I saw white water ahead and the wind changed in
200 metres from nothing to 25 knots - from the SW.
We've had a couple of days good sailing of
60 miles apiece - round through the Bouches to Ajaccio and then up to Calvi,
both with fairly good winds and slightly big seas. In between, we did a full
engine service in Ajaccio, followed by a comprehensive raid on Carrefour again,
so we're up to date with our chores.
here's a pic of the rugged cliffs around the
Scandola Nature Reserve
 We also noticed that Summer is obviously
over - where did all the boats go? Last weekend was clearly the last weekend of
official French (or should I say Corsican) Summer and there are far fewer boats
than before.
We spent a rather rolly night in the bay at
Calvi and we're now back in Ile Rousse just having moored up to the dock to have
a good clean up before the arrival of Becky and Barny.
Here's a photo of the citadel at Calvi,
showing the magnificent mountains fringing the bay beyond. It's an amazing
setting and I'm afraid that a compressed photo doesn't really do it
justice.
 (the white horses explain why the pic
isn't level - it was blowing 30 knots)
Next week's blog may be a little delayed if
we're on passage to Menorca, but rest assured, a full report will
follow.
Best Wishes for the Bank Holiday Weekend
(for those in the UK at least)
(and if you think it's all play out here,
we're just off to do the laundry)
George and Michael
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