First, a couple of apologies:

-          The position reports for the last two weeks have appeared muddled; unfortunately we received a couple of emails reporting our original emails had not been received and when we resent them they do not appear in the right order and make it appear as if we are retracing our steps.  We will try and edit and clarify.

-          Secondly, this blog is rather long as it is catching up with my last (proper) report from Pisa.

We left Pisa on Sunday 1^st  July and made our way down the River Arno, avoiding the overhead cable and attached fishing nets.

On our trip south we passed the port of Livorno (Leghorn) and opted for a ‘U’ turn rather than rely on the cruise-ship captain changing his course!

We finally arrived at our destination of Cala de Medici, where we stayed overnight and then attempted our 35 mile trip to Isola Capraia but we turned back rather than risk a thunderstorm and retried the next morning.

When we arrived at the pretty little harbour we were told they were ‘complet’ and referred to the row of strange-looking yellow buoys just outside the harbour entrance.

The buoys were a very clever arrangement of ‘lazy lines’ which the mooring assistant passed to you – the middle one was fixed to your bow and the two outside ones fixed to your stern cleats (red line to port and black to starboard).  This fixed you in position and we spent a very comfortable and secure night, in beautiful clear water with fish all around.

The next morning, Monday 4^th July we set off on the 20 mile journey to the small port/marina of Macinaggio, Corsica, and enjoyed 2 hours of good sailing.  Since we were now back on French territory, Elizabeth dutifully changed courtesy flags and we then went out a bought a Corsican flag to support the local spirit.  The ‘moor’s head with bandeau’ is the island emblem (with a slightly confusing history) and is used everywhere.  But Elizabeth was more intrigued by the green rocks we discovered as part of the sea defences.  

The next morning we left and enjoyed a two-and-half hour downwind sail to Port Toga at Bastia – being very careful to keep out of the way of the regular ferries which travel up and down the east coast of Corsica.  (Map attached so you can follow  our trip inland.)

Port Toga is a relatively new marina and is north of both the ferry terminal and the old port.  In the picture looking down at the old port, the ferry terminal can clearly be seen and the masts of Port Toga can be seen centre left at the rear.

  Since we had recognised that we would not have time to sail a complete circuit of the island we decided that we would leave the boat for a few days and explore two large towns by train and bus.  Our first destination was Ajaccio, to the south on the west coast.  This was where Corsica’s most famous son, the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, was born in 1769. The train trip took us through the centre of the island, with a stop at Corte,  with spectacular mountain scenery and scents of the mixed herbs from the maquis (scrubland) - which are used widely in Corsican cooking.  At one point the train slowed down and blew its whistle a lot – apparently a regular hazard is goats on the line.

We arrived at Ajaccio, which Napoleon had decided should be the capital taking preference over Bastia, and spent a pleasant day and evening looking around.  For a meal in the evening, the guide book recommended a small restaurant, “down a little alley”, where you could try genuine Corsican dishes.  We eventually found it and enjoyed a very interesting and tasty meal.  It comprised four courses: dried ham (from Corsican black pigs), a pasta dish stuffed with Corsican goat cheese, roast goat with roast potatoes and Corsican cheeses with fig jam to finish.  We chose a local wine and were delighted when it arrived to notice it had won a gold medal at the international Paris wine fair.  It was delicious and not the most expensive on the list (23 Euros).

Complete with our knap-sacks on our back we then took a bus to Bonifacio – the southern-most point of the island and, from where you can see Sardinia only a few miles to the south.

The harbour at Bonifacio is in a long cut into the rocks and is very popular with sailing craft and some very large ‘gin palaces’.  The bus dropped us off at the inland end of the harbour and the harbour is overlooked, and previously defended, by a large fortification at the mouth.  It was very impressive until we realised our hotel was next to the battlements and we had to climb the hill to reach it. After admiring the views of the harbour from the top, we were amused to discover that the cemetery next to the hotel was described as the ‘second most beautiful in the Mediterranean’.  I did wonder if the inhabitants appreciated that!

The next day we took a boat trip to the Isles of Lavazzi.  The trip was high speed and the spray made the ride very wet for some passengers but the beaches were beautiful for sunbathing and swimming.  On the way back we had a tour of the grottos at the mouth of the harbour.

The harbour is very busy with boats of all sizes moving in and out all the time – and having to compete with the regular ferries.  The boats have wonderful names but we were very amused to discover one boat which carried a name which allowed the boss’s secretary to honestly report that he was “Away on Important Business”.

After arriving back to the boat (again by bus) on Saturday afternoon, we set off on our 35 mile trip to Elba on Sunday morning. Although we hoisted the sails, they did not give us enough speed so we kept the motor going and gained about half a knot from the sails.  We reached Elba during the late afternoon and decided to anchor in a small bay on the north side of the island, in the Golfe di Procchio where we watched the sun set over the nearby promontory and stayed there a second night.

On Tuesday morning there was a gentle wind and, as we were in no hurry, we gently tacked our way along to the next bay on the northern coast to find the harbour and town of Portoferraio – the administrative centre of the island and where Napoleon set up home when he was exiled for a few months. The harbour is well hidden, you approach the entrance leaving the large rock (or small island) on your port side, follow the peninsular on your starboard side (at the same time making sure you do not get in the way of the ferries), pass the fortified turret and the harbour master will then direct you into a mooring place. 

Alongside us there were boats of all nationalities; in the photo below you can see ensigns from Spain, Poland, Malta, Switzerland, UK (Eliza B) and France.  Unfortunately, our immediate neighbour had already taken his German flag down.

We are staying here a second night to explore the town and avoid the forecasted high winds. We then intend to move further round the island and eventually cross over to the Italian mainland to retrace our steps and sail northwards toward Genova where we plan to leave the boat for a few weeks while we come home in August.

Best wishes to all.

Ron & Elizabeth HOWARD

Eliza B,  Moody 36 (1998)

+ 44 7768 816 579

+ 33 (0)6 11 66 79 08

http://blog.mailasail.com/elizab