Bonifacio, Corsica to Cala Portese, Isola Caprera

Bootlegger of Mann
Frank Newton
Sun 23 Jun 2013 10:55

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.

 

Bonifacio in the background

as we sail towards the Maddalena Archipelago

And change back to the Italian courtesy flag

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

41:11.12N 9:27.978E : At anchor Caprera Island, Sardinia Stormbound.

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.