The Circus is in Town

So we have made it to Elba - the Tuscan island famous for its one time temporary resident Napoleon and the subject of an apparently famous palindrone which goes “Able was I ere I saw Elba”.  The crew being intrigured by this are busy trying to think up another clever palindrone but its harder than it looks.

Porto Ferraio, Elba

We sailed up the eastern seaboard of Corsica after a few days relaxing at anchor in a bay close to Porto Vecchia.  The east coast is relatively flat with few indents affording places to stop overnight but the scenery is pretty impressive with a coastal plain flanked by mountains further inland.  We stopped for the night at a place called Bastia which is the major town in the North East.  It is a really interesting place.  As with many of these towns there is the old port seemingly carved out of the surrounding hillside and overlooked by an old citadel.  The port is ringed by Italian styled buildings in different muted pastel colours and these progress further and further up the hillsides and are interconnected by ancient flagstone stairs and narrow alleys.

Bastia Vieux Port

There is also a newer area in the town built around a huge square near the busy ferry quays.  The town was a lot quieter than the other Corsican places we had visited which suited us more.  It also seemed more of a working town than just a tourist stop.  It was great place to end our time in Corsica.

Bastia Streets

Since arriving in Corsica the number of other boats has risen dramatically.  Most seem to be either locals or people enjoying a couple of weeks holiday on their boat which they keep either in an island marina or in the Italian or French mainland.  The number of “cruisers” appears relatively low.  There are subtle clues which tell you if a boat is a long term cruiser such as whether or not the boat has a wind generator, whether it has excess gear strapped around the mast on deck or whether it has fenders hanging over the side etc.  The real giveaway however is whether or not the helmsman is sailing wearing only a pair of speedo’s!

Given the increasing crowds and associated costs our plan is now to move quickly through Italy as it is the height of the season.  We will stop for a few days around the Gulf of Naples, hopefully see Pompei then a few days in Sicily before heading across to Croatia.

The following day we sailed across to an island called Capraia which belongs to Italy.  Two weeks ago we had not even heard of this place but we had met another cruiser who said it was worth a look.  So we sailed the 26NM and dropped anchor in the bay off Capraia port in the afternoon.  The small port contained a marina and a row of shops, restaurants fronting the harbour which is contained behind a couple of breakwaters.  A road runs from the harbour to the small town of Capraia which sits in the shadow of a citadel  on the hillside overlooking the southern entrance to the bay.  All very picturesque.

Statue at the entrance to Port Carpria

We went to the marina to check Nic in as she is the only one on a Non EU passport and were told not to worry about it.  Its great to be back in Italy and the laid back attitude.  Unfortunately some of the Italians seem to drive their boats in the same way they drive their cars.  Over the next couple of days we had a few close calls with boats mooring close to us.  One night a motor boat was about a meter off our bow at one point and the guy looked as if he did not have a clue.  Just what you would expect with a boat named “My Toy”.

Everyone Still Smiling at Capraia

The weather kicked up a bit and after a few days in the bay we headed to Elba.  At anchor on the last night in Capraia there was a terrific thunderstorm which passed right overhead and gave us an amazing if slightly unnerving display of lightning.  Luckily there were some hills around but you are still very concious of the mast sticking up proudly in the sky and waiting for a strike.

Elba was a short hop away and we dropped anchor in Porto Ferraio harbour.  Another beautiful port town complete with citadel etc.  These towns are great fun to just walk around and explore.  You always find something unusual and interesting and the veiws are awesome.  We used the time to catch up on shopping, laundry and school and Sam managed to get himself up the mast of another boat to help the guy fix his radar.  The big job was to get Sam a haircut but we failed miserably with that so he has to wait now until the next port of call.

Does it get any more Italian

There was a circus in town and Nic took Calley as she had never been to a circus before.  (Calley not Nic).  It was one of those very European type circuses where they still use a big top and have a few animals.  All the performers have the same surname and need to multi task to keep overheads down such that  the clown is also the high trapeze act and the lion tamer is a contortionist or knife thrower.  The acts are fun to watch but invariably some just fall flat but the show goes on.  Calley especially thought it was fantastic.  She was amazed by simple tricks like a chicken riding a pony.

The big Top across the anchorage

We have pushed on to a place called Porto Azzura on the east coast of Elba and will move south in the next day or two possibly stopping in overnight at Giglio made famous by the grounding of the Costa Concordia which was just towed away in the last few days.

Hampered by the Mistral

For the last week the wind has been howling.  It is a Mistral which appears when there is a low pressure system to the north of the gap between the Alps and the Pyrenees causing a strong NW wind in the Gulf of Lyon.  The effects are felt in the south of Corsica and north of Sardinia, and in Bonifacio in the harbour it was gustuing at 30 plus at times.  We were happy to sit the first few days at our berth and made use of our time by having a look around some more and catching a couple of the world cup games.

A windy day in Bonifacio

For one day we hired a small car and headed into the hinterland.  Corsica is a pretty big island and the centre is dominated by a range of very rugged hills or mountains through which are dotted small villages.  We drove up the west coast which was was taking a hammering from the Mistral and then turned inland to cross over the hills to the other side.  The scenery is very spectacular as you can imagine.  The land is very green with lots of trees and houses dotting the hillside.  The villages consist of clusters of houses and shops with the obligatory church nearby all built out of grey granite topped with red roof tiles.   The villages have quaint small streets with shops and restaurants to catch the tourist dollars.  And in all the villages are memorials to the resistance fighters from the second world war.  

Corsican Hill Village

Quaint Streets

Some decisions are tough

Corsica is a beautiful island and well worth a visit.  There is a famous hiking trail through it called the GR 20 which would be pretty spectacular.  To really do the island credit you would need to stay here for a couple of weeks as there is so much to see.

On Friday (11th July) we left Bonifacio.  It was still blowing but we had to make a move and we were heading around to the east side of the island so figured we would get some shelter.  As we were going with the weather the sail was terrific and we only needed the genoa to get up to 8 kts.  Once we got into the lee of the island and the sea calmed down it was very enjoyable.  We headed into a small bay called Port de Rondinara.  The bay was very picturesque, fringed by beaches and would have been a great spot to swim and relax but the wind continued to blow around 25kts so we hunkered down and got on with school for the next couple of days.

Bonifacio from the sea

Yesterday we moved up to Porto Vecchio further up the east coast.  The main reason was to get to a town so that we could watch the World Cup final.  We anchored off the harbour and had a look around the old town and then found a restaurant in an alley which had a TV set up outside.  Had a great meal and watched the final with some of the locals sitting around the TV.

The mistral is starting to abate but the weather is still overcast.  Plan is to start to head north to Elba hopefully stopping on the way to enjoy some sunshine at a beach.  It is Bastille day here today so we figured we will stick around Porto Vecchio for one more day before we head off.

Honest we will get Sam a haircut soon

Land of the "Testa di Moru"

Had a good crossing from Mahon to Ajaccio in Corsica.  It was probably our best night voyage yet thanks in part to Sam feeling confident on the helm after his Atlantic stint so he did a lot to relieve Scott during the night.  We managed to sail most of the way with just a few hours of motoring inbetween.  The ‘Testa di Moru” or (the Moors Head in Corsican) is the symbol on the Corsican flag.  It is a moors head with a white bandana.  It is very striking and flown everywhere here and the symbol adorns all the tourist trinkets.

The "Testa di Moru" flying in Bonifacio

Our landfall was on the southwest of Corsica.  We sailed into a very peaceful Bay of Ajaccio late in the afternoon and found a spot to anchor just North of the centre of the town.  We had been concerned about whether or not you were allowed to anchor but there were a few other boats moored so it seemed to be permitted.  The marinas looked chock a block anyway. 

Just before we left Mahon Nic Found her perfect bar - and they were showing the soccer!

Ajaccio is the capital of Corsica and as such is a decent sized town.  It is built around an old small citadel located on the corner of a smaller bay off the North side of the huge Bay of Ajaccio.  The town was originally settled by the Genovese and much of the architecture reflects more of an Italian style than French.  The town stretches both north and south of the fort with older building lining the waterfront and newer ones behind them.  High mountains ring the whole bay and stretch into the distance.  It is a magnificent setting.  There is a decent sized port catering to the ferry and cruise liner traffic and two marinas.  

We stayed in Ajaccio for a few days - the duration being heavily influenced by the world cup schedule as the kids are keen to see as many games as possible.  We managed a couple of visits to the town which is an interesting place.  There is a small fishing boat harbour right in the town where we would tie up our trusty dingy.  Once you step off the dingy the town kind of wraps itself around you - there are restaurants lining the quayside leading to a main square leading with streets branching off one way for the old part of town and more restaurants and another way for the newer areas with shops.  Its a pleasant place to wander around although its starting to get crowded.

The town is most famous for it being the home of the Bonaparte family and the birthplace of their famous son Napolean and it seems very proud of this fact.  There are numerous statues around the town dedicated to the emporer - one of them has him dressed as a Roman Emporer which is very regal apart from he usually sports a seagull or pigeon on top of his head.  We did a tour of the town and also had a look at his house.  All very interesting - even the kids enjoyed it.  That evening we caught the France vs Germany game and saw France bundled out of the world cup.  

Scott and Calley in the shadow of Napolean

It was interesting wandering around and comparing the initial feel of the place to Spain and a couple of things were very clear.  The Spanish towns we had been in were generally cleaner and tidier.  All the towns are old but the Spanish ones just seem to be maintained better, were cleaner and had flowers everywhere giving the streets a lot of colour.  Secondly the people in Spain seemed happier.  I know the Scots are called dour but I think the expression is more applicable to the French.  Certainly they are nowhere near as animated and smiling as the Spanish.

Just before we left Ajaccio we had a bit of a wake up call.  The anchorages have usually been very still at night but on this particular morning we woke at 0630 to a wind which was gusting to 40kts.  There was nothing forecast and its seems to be some local phenomena which bursts out of the mountains.  Anyway all hell broke loose in the anchorage as boats started drifting.  We dragged but then held but a boat in front of us dragged down upon us and almost took our bow off.  That was enough for us and we started the engine and relocated the anchor.  Everyone did really well getting the boat underway and it really was a timely reminder not to get complacent.

We headed south from Ajaccio to a small bay near a village called Campomoro and just anchored off for a few days.  The weather was beautiful so we spent out time schooling, swimming and trying to relax a bit. 

The weather forecast showed a mistral coming out of the Gulf of Lyon in the next few days so we decided to bite the bullet and head into a marina in a placed called Bonifacio in the south of the island.  Figured we would hole up there for the duration of the Mistral and have an excursion inland.   In addition our gas has finally run out so we need to get somewhere where we can get refilled.  Luckily we have a microwave!

A windy day in Bonifacio

Bonifacio is an amazing place.  The coastline here comprises of limestone cliffs which have been sculptured into amazing shapes.  At Bonifacio a narrow inlet about 200m wide at the mouth cuts through the cliffs and is dominated by an imposing fortress set on the hilltop on the east side.  The inlet continues for about a mile.  For the first half the water is surrounded by cliffs gradually getting lower and then the quaysides of the town start with boats tied up all along the length on both sides.  At the head of the inlet are more piers for boats and the small port town squeezed between the water and the start of the cliffs.  The citadel on the cliffs is connected by a steep path to the port and still houses the old working town.  It kind of dominates the whole port area.  It is very impressive.  The old town is a maze of narrow streets filled with shops, cafes and restaurants.

Dulcinea squeezed in below the castle walls

The old town of Bonifacio

We arrived yesterday (7th July) and there were boats everywhere, people everywhere and getting moored was a bit of a shamozzle which we wont go into here as it would take up another page.  Suffice it to say that we are safely moored up and ready to fight through summer hordes to do a bit of sight seeing.  Wish us luck.