Bonifacio, Corsica to Cala Portese, Isola Caprera
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230613 41:11.12N 9:27.978E Sunday, 23.06.2013 Bonifacio to Caprera Island ( Cala Portese)
N.E.Sardinia. ( DTG: 26.25nm) Crew: Frank & Jackie Weather: Fine and sunny; no cloud; Good visibility:
Strong, 22 - 25 kt westerly wind; 40kt westerly winds forecast
for later today and tomorrow. ETA: 16:00 Sunday based on average SOG of 7kn Water: 800L Fuel:
Full - 600 L) Batteries 100% 12:00 (Noon) 41:23.30N 9:09.47E Depart Bonifacio
and, from the outset are under full sail on a broad reach on a SE course.
The SOG is 7.7 to 8.3 kts as we cross the increasingly rough
Bonifacio channel towards the channel that separates the first
of the islands of the La Maddalena archipelago, Spargi, from the
mainland of Sardinia. As we reach and proceed down the channel
passing other yachts and passing between small car ferries
plying between the mainland and outlying islands. Reducing sail
to just a reduced headsail only our speed reaches 9.4 kts at one
stage.
14:30 Change to a
NE course as we run up the east coast of Caprera before later
turning west into Cala Portese in the company of two other
craft. 15:30 41:11.12N 9:27.978E Arrive Caprera Island,
Sardinia Anchor on sandy bottom in 6.5 m of water. Good
holding. Wind is still very strong in here, gusting occasionally
to 30kts. The 26.25 nm passage has taken us exactly 3.5 hours at
an average SOG of 7.5 kts. Shortly after our arrival a small charter yacht
adjacent and a little ahead of us dragged its anchor.
Fortunately, we spotted the vessel fast approaching us with a
startled naked couple from the French part of Switzerland,
immobilised by fear. We quickly pulled out a couple of fenders
to fend them off when the boat reached us seconds later. Thank
goodness we had got them out. We had to fend them off several
times before they finally slipped behind us and went elsewhere
to worry somebody else! J did us a lovely vegetarian dinner. Monday 24.6.13 After a pretty sleepless night with Bootlegger blown around on her anchor as the winds screamed and howled around us, this morning has brought no respite and the wind continued to regularly gust up to 40 kts in the anchorage. The day brought no decrease in wind strength. The local forecast on VHF gave out extensive gale warnings for the whole area of Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and Balearics with gale 9 to 10 forecast for our area. The window of opportunity to get down to southern Sardinia in order to fly home is closing fast. | ||||||||
