Corsica (I)
Cruising Log of Corsica (I): Sailing in Corsica and Sardinia
Contributed By: Jacques & Nita Steininger - Santa Barbara, California - June 2001
My wife Nita and I just completed a two-week reciprocal charter on OUVEA, a 1999 Moorings 464 based in Ajaccio. We sailed for two weeks in the Med along the islands of Corsica and Sardinia and through the Straits of Bonifacio.
Ajaccio, the birthplace of Napoleon, is halfway down the West coast of Corsica. It's a typical French Mediterranean town with a pretty harbor surrounded by restaurants, bars and stores. The base manager, Hubert, and his assistant, Christine, are very friendly and fluent in English (his wife is British). The boat was in excellent condition and we had no technical problems during our cruise.
After flying in on Air France from Paris on Wednesday May 30, we kept the boat at the base for the first three days, using it as a floating hotel. One reason was that all the hotels on the island were full of tourists due to the long Pentecote (Whitsunday) holiday weekend. The first day, we got our bearings and visited the town. We were also lucky to enjoy the annual Fishermen Festival with a boat parade and blessing of the fishing fleet, street dancing, free champagne (this is France!) and a free fish fry.
Around Corsica
For the next two days we rented a small car, a Peugeot 106 for about $50/day and drove to the northern part of the island, taking the main road over the mountains to Corte and Bastia. On the way, we stopped to visit a turtle farm sanctuary. We also had a delightful lunch of Corsican lamb stew at a nearby restaurant called Chez Martin. For the night, we stayed at the elegant Castel Branco hotel ($90) in Erbalunga at the beginning of Cap Corse. Dinner was at La Corniche restaurant, high up in the mountains above Bastia.
The next day, we drove around scenic Cap Corse with its many old Genoese watch towers. Then back through St Florent (where we bought some Corsican wine), the old city of Calvi (home of the French Foreign Legion) and to Ajaccio. The roads were good except for the coastal road from Calvi to Ajaccio which was very narrow and winding. Before returning the rental car the next morning, we did our provisioning at the Carrefour supermarket, about a mile away from the marina.
Sailing from Ajaccio to Propriano
June 3rd, our first day at sea was quite exciting. We sailed from Ajaccio to Propriano, about 30 sea miles south. There was an advisory "coup de vent" but we were getting harbor fever and left anyway. The wind started at a pleasant 12-15 knots but it quickly increased to 30 knots with gusts of 40. I didn't expect that in the Med! The good thing was that we didn't have the big swells that we get on the ocean. The waves and breakers were impressive but Ouvea handled it well.
We anchored for lunch in Campomoro Bay in the Gulf of Propriano. Then we motored on to spent the night in the safety of Propriano harbor. Because of the sea conditions, the harbor was already full and we had to tie up to a powerboat for the first night. The marina was the most expensive we've seen at FF 410 (almost $60) and badly in need of maintenance. We were told that the harbor runs a $500,000 deficit, which is quite a mystery. But we were also told that wise men don't get involved in local politics in Corsica, especially if they want a chance to see their grand children!
Monday June 4, we relaxed in Propriano, sampling the different restaurants and waiting for the weather to settle down.
From Propriano to Bonifacio
Tuesday June 5, the wind had indeed completely died down and we enjoyed a quiet 20-mile motorsail down to Bonifacio, a large city located at the southern end of the island. That's one thing you can say about the weather in the Med: it changes rapidly!
We then had our first experience with stern-to Med-style docking! It's not a polite operation like in Gustavia on St Barth, where everybody tries to keep their distance from other boats. Here, you get all your fenders out and push your way in, between other boats. Usually other cruisers take your line and help you tie to the dock. As long as you take it easy and don't cause any damage, it's OK to touch and push other boats. Don't call your lawyer either when other boats do it to you! Anyway, it creates a lot of excitement and very often starts good friendships with people from different countries. This way, we met great people from England, Australia, Denmark, Holland, Germany and of course, France and Italy.
Bonifacio is a beautiful old town with a natural harbor built in a deep and well-protected bay with high cliffs. The views are incredible. The harbor fees were more reasonable, 240 FF (about $35) with free water and a small charge for 220V electrical hookup, which we didn't need. The harbor is well maintained with dozens of restaurants located right off the dock.
Crossing to Sardinia
Wednesday June 6, we had a nice and easy sail (12-15 knots of wind) across the Straits of Bonifacio to Santa Teresa in Sardinia (Italy). Santa Teresa has a new marina with a friendly staff that help you dock your boat, straightening you out with their dinghy and catching your lines. We were told that this is standard practice in Italy to reduce problems with inexperienced cruisers. Since both Corsica (France) and Sardinia (Italy) are in the European Union, there was no need to go through immigration and customs.
The dock fee was LI 67,000 (about $30), including water and electricity. By the way, all the marinas and most stores and restaurants accept credit cards. The marina is a little distance from the center of town (about 1 mile) but it's a nice walk.
On Thursday June 7, we had our best sail yet, about 20 miles through the Maddalena islands to Porto Cervo on the Costa Smeralda. A beautiful sunny day, the wind was a perfect 15 to 20 knots and the sea was calm thanks to the protection of the islands. There were all kinds of boats around us and several regattas. This was as close as it comes to sailor's heaven! However you have to watch your navigation because of the confusion of islands, rocks and deep bays.
Porto Cervo
Porto Cervo Marina is a deluxe development built 20 years ago by the Aga Khan and several partners. You see the best boats in the Med and the fanciest fashion stores: Gucci, Escada, etc. The dock fees were less than we feared, only LI 100,000 (about $45). Across our dock, was an American sailor, John, a civil engineer, who lives there and was involved in the original development of the resort. The boat next to us also belonged to an American family from Chicago who had been cruising the Med on their own boat for 4 years, commuting back and forth every year. They were very interested in hearings about the Moorings owners program.
The marina where we stayed was very quiet because even though it was June - the real summer season had not started yet. The supermarket was closed and there were no restaurants nearby. The walk to the "old" harbor (Porto Vecchio), where all the fancy stores and restaurants are located, is over a mile around the marina and up the hill. In season, there is a free ferry to take you across but then the marina gets awfully crowded.
Visiting Sardinia
We rented a small Fiat Panda car for LI 90,000 (about $40/day) and drove the next day across the island to Castelsardo, a beautiful old Genoese fort built on a high rock on the western side of the island. The scenery was spectacular. We stopped in Tempio to visit prehistoric tombs and habitations (1,200 to 1,800 BC). We found friendly multilingual people everywhere.
Porto Vecchio, Corsica
Saturday June 9, we left Sardinia early at 6:00 AM for a 30-mile crossing back to France, in Porto Vecchio, on the East Coast of Corsica. The wind picked up about 9 A.M. and we had a nice sail for a couple of hours. Porto Vecchio is deep inside a 4-mile long gulf and therefore completely protected from the sea. We again docked stern to in windy conditions but with some help from the harbormaster. The fee was FF 230 (about $30), again including water and electricity. The harbor has the usual selection of bars, restaurants and stores.
We had lunch at a small restaurant in the harbor and then walked up to visit the old citadel. It was very touristy. We did our email with the usual Internet connection at a Bureau de Tabac (tobacco store) and had drinks on the church square. We had dinner at U Burgu, an excellent restaurant overlooking the harbor. The menu includes such exotic items as wild boar (sanglier), ostrich and kangaroo, but we stayed with more traditional mussels and fish.
Sunday, June 10, we left Porto Vecchio in a light drizzle to sail back to Bonifacio through the Straits of Bonifacio that separate Corsica from Sardinia.
The Straits of Bonifacio
Navigating the Straits was no problem. You have to be careful with your navigation because of all the small islands, rocks, etc. Luckily, The Moorings gave us a very good set of charts and an excellent Coastal Pilot book (in French). The danger points are well marked. I kept my trusty hand-held Garmin 48 GPS with me in the cockpit to check our position at any time. Anyway, I was a little apprehensive as we left at 8 AM because the weather had turned cloudy and rainy. However, the sea was pretty smooth and we rounded the Perdido and Lavezzi islands in 10-12 knots of wind from the East, under full sails. As soon as we passed the Straits, the wind picked up instantly to 20 knots and I had to reduce the genny in a hurry.
It was still blowing 18-20 knots when we entered Bonifacio harbor, so we took our time picking up our docking space. We ended up backing up in an S-course into an upwind spot. The boat backs up well and is easier to control going to windward. A 46-foot boat may feel small in the Caribbean but in the small Med harbors, it looks and feels huge, especially with only the two of us on board.
We docked again right in front of Restaurant Row and the CyberCafe. We were able to find Internet access points everywhere on the islands, at reasonable charges of about $3-5 per hour. In Corsica and France, France Telecom also has self-service Internet computers in bars and other stores. You just insert a phone debit card to get connected. The next day, we had to wash the boat which was covered with red sand from a Scirocco wind that had blown in overnight all the way from the Sahara desert in Africa. We had a nice dinner at the Albatross restaurant, just 50-ft from our boat. One of the best restaurants we've found!
The weather forecast for Monday was not too great, due to another rapidly moving depression with W winds in the 20 to 30-knot range. This means that we would have a wet and bouncy ride up the coast back to Propriano or Ajaccio. A couple of boats that ventured out of the harbor turned around when faced with 25-knot winds and large seas just at the entrance of the harbor. So we decided to stay put and relax in that beautiful city.
The weather had completely calmed down by Tuesday morning. In fact, the wind had turned 180 degrees again to the East, which assured us of an easy ride. So, we left early by 0600 and made the 50-mile run straight back to Ajaccio, where we were supposed to return the boat by 5 PM. We had a good run, mostly motoring and a little bit of sailing. Around Propriano, we were inspected from a distance by a boat of the Douanes Francaises (French Customs) but we just waved at them and they left to check other boats, looking for smugglers from Sardinia and other countries. Since we averaged 6.5 knots of speed, we were at the entrance of the Gulf of Ajaccio by 12 noon. This gave us plenty of time to stop for lunch and a nap in the Anse de Portigliolo, just East of Pointe Castagna. This bay is very popular with boaters, especially on weekends and they have installed moorings, like the ones in the BVI. This is the only ones we have found in any of the French islands. These moorings are very well spaced and maintained, with excellent double mooring lines attached to floaters (watch for your prop!).
We got to Ajaccio's old harbor by 5 PM and went directly to the fuel station to fill up the tank. The station is awkwardly situated in a tight area, especially for a 46-ft sailboat with a crew of two. The not-very-friendly attendant said they were still open but made no effort to help us dock. Maybe because it was just near closing time! A French woman from another boat came to take up our line while the attendant was just watching us and chatting with his buddies! When I went to pay, he said the credit card machine was "en panne" (out of work) and I had to pay cash. It was only FF 584 (about $ 75) and I had cashed French money the day before at one of the numerous ATM machines. So I said no problem and he agreed saying that only death was a problem! A strange fellow, indeed.
Return to the Base
The Moorings docks were nearly empty on a Tuesday since most charters are from Saturday to Saturday. In fact, it's a very short week since you're supposed to get on the boat only on Saturday 3 PM, return to the base by Friday 5 PM and be off the boat by 8 AM Saturday when their cleaning crews take over. A boat that returned late on Friday night was given a dressing by the base manager, because a diver checks the hulls on Friday night only and doesn't work on Saturday. Some customer service!
This is the only bad part about the operation here, together with the communications. First, the manager told me that they don't monitor the VHF "since it works only 10 miles". They give you the base phone number, which is fine in an emergency if you have a cellular phone (like all Europeans). Even if you do however, the office is staffed only on weekends and you get a recording in French telling you to call the manager on his cellular phone. This may explain why even The Moorings base in Florida had a hard time reaching them and messed up the reservation for our charter. This is something that definitely needs improving.
They also don't do formal briefings like they do in the Caribbean. The Manager told us that: "The French know it all, the Germans will do just the opposite of what you tell them and only the Americans request them". By the way, the bases in most of the Med are operated by Moorings Sail Med, which is a separate company and a licensee of The Moorings. This may explain some of their idiosyncrasies.
All in all, our charter was a very good experience and we can recommend it highly. The scenery on both islands is beautiful, the sailing is great and the harbor life, a unique experience, unlike anything in the Caribbean or Pacific islands. But make sure to go in a relaxed frame of mind. You're not in Kansas anymore and you have to adapt, because they sure won't adapt for you. AND don't go in the summer season when it becomes a mad circus of overcrowded harbors and anchorages. June and September are probably the best months, with warmer water to be expected in September.