Spellbinder's Web Diary - Sat 30 May 09 to Mon 8 June Marine de Giottani bay, Corsica

Sat 30 May 09 to Mon 8 June Marine de Giottani bay, Corsica - Ostia (Rome)

Spellbinder

Tue 9 Jun 2009 10:43

We weighed anchor in the deserted Giottani Bay on a sunny, still morning and set off for Isola Capraia, a Tuscan island east of Cap Corse that we had to round. Once clear of the Cape a southerly breeze gave us some sailing towards the island where we moored to specialist buoys with picking up lines in the bay outside Porto Capraia. A shore party walked up to Capraira village and learnt something of this lovely island that is a national park and marine reserve. Nelson captured the island but did not retain it for long! The bay is exposed to the NE and during the night a swell set in caused by strong winds in the Ligurian sea to the north. The result was a bumpy, noisy night as the other yachts around us clanked and strained on the mooring lines. We had had enough the next morning so dressed in full foul weather gear and lifejackets under a lowering sky spitting rain we extricated Spellbinder from the mooring and set sail for Isola d'Elba 28nm to the SE. We had a favourable NNE F4 and made good time to the port of Portoferraio and the harbour built by the Medici. The fleet anchorage of Portoferraio was coveted by France, Spain, Italy and England in the 17th and 18th centuries and on the second night in Elba we anchored there. In the meantime we took a bus trip to Marciana marina on the NW coast, enjoyed some sightseeing in this lovely island and partook of some local delicacies at a restaurant. There was just time to visit the archaeological museum on the site of a Roman villa at one extremity of the Medici harbour - well worth a visit. Napoleon was governor of Elba in exile before escaping the naval patrols in 1815 and forming his army that was subsequently defeated at Waterloo. On Wed 3 June we anchored in a lovely bay at Porto Azzuro on the east coast of the island. Porto Azzuro is descrbed as a gem in the pilot, and so it is with its citadel, lovely views and walks around the area. But the weather was changing for the worse with fresh winds forecast from the southerly sector, right on the nose for getting to our intended destination of Isola Giglio. Given the experience at Capraira in unsettled weather we decided to go for Santo Stefano on the Tuscan mainland. We motor-sailed into the rising wind covering 56 miles by log before reaching the shelter of the expensive Porto Domiziano marina. We took the opportunity of visiting Pisa by train and were enchanted by the Campo dei Miracoli, its cathedral, baptistry and of course the leaning tower which in spite of the hype did not fail to impress. On the way back in the train the sky was turning ugly and that night we were glad to be secured in the marina as massive gusts of wind roared down into the harbour. On Saturday 6 June we moved out to anchor in the bay outside Santo Stefano harbour when the storm had passed and some tranquility returned. Phillip cooked a triumph of a fish chowder which was followed by the nightly game of Upword that had become our favourite. On Sunday 7 June we motor-sailed with some bouts of sailing against light southerly winds in confused seas and swell left over from the storm. Passing the large commercial harbour of Civitavecchia we gave the new AIS system (provides data on merchant ships' identity, speed, course, CPA etc) a good test as ships were streaming into the harbour across our track and three were anchored outside. The AIS bleeped alarms at increasing frequency as Spellbinder passed close to the anchored ships proving we had a most useful tool in collision avoidance installed onbord. The destination was Marinella harbour where we found room to anchor tucked in behind the breakwater with good holding and enjoyed a comfortable night. George crafted a Turks head knot to identify when the boat's wheel is in the central position, and we played the penultimate game of Upword in the present series. Today, Mon 8 June, we berth in Ostia marina - the Porto Turistico di Roma to say farewell to George and Phillip and welcome Keith & Sheila and Eric onboard for the next leg down the Italian west coast in the Tyrrhenian Sea.