Life On Sail

We rose early today, spurred by the wind kicking up sooner than expected. With 6 knots of breeze, we covered 22 nautical miles in just over 7 hours, cruising at an average of 3 knots until the wind faded.  Arriving earlier than yesterday, we hit the shops in Bastia and scored some delicious Myrte sausages—authentic Corsican goodness! Can’t wait to savor these local treats. I have order another new insta X5 camera. It will be a bit different from my dual lense ONERs but since I never change the lenses anyways, I decided to change to a full 360 cam. 

We set sail with just 4 knots of wind but still covered 19 nautical miles in nearly 7 hours, bringing us closer to Bastia. Fingers crossed for better winds tomorrow, but we’ll see what the sea has in store! On board, we keep things fun with a daily card game to decide who’s stuck with dish duty. It’s a blast, and with a one-in-three chance to dodge washing dishes twice a day, I’m loving the odds!

 Today, we sailed 19.6 nautical miles in 6 hours, riding the breeze until the wind completely died down. Our day kicked off with a grocery run before we explored the charming village of Porto Vecchio.  Our goal is to reach the North of Corsica in order to cross to the Italian sea without having a 24h navigation. We wrapped up at a stunning beach, but disaster struck—I accidentally dunked my Insta360 camera in the water with the lid open, and it’s officially toast. Ouch! No more capturing our sailing adventures the way I love to.  Stay tuned for what’s next, even if it’s without my trusty camera!

  We were to rush to Porto Vecchio for the National Day's firework... We planned to leave our mooring spot at 1 p.m., just as the wind was expected to pick up. But, as fate would have it, things didn’t go as planned. At lunchtime, our mooring neighbor’s boat drifted behind us. Nico dove into the water to secure it to our boat, with help from nearby neighbors. Another dinghy even joined in, searching for the boat’s owners. After tracking down their phone number, I tried calling, but got no response.  Frustrated, we decided to anchor their boat ourselves so we could leave. Just as we started, the owners finally returned.  When we finally set sail, more problems arose: the mainsail wouldn’t unfurl, the autopilot failed, and Porto Vecchio Port informed us they had no berth available. It felt like the day couldn’t get any worse.  But it did. Arriving at 6 p.m., we rowed our dinghy to the port, only to be denied docking because we lacked an engine—too risky for their narro...

 Nothing is happening as planned.  We woke up early morning as the plan was to reach the middle of the Corsican coast with the wind we had today. Knowing the next day wouldnt be the right type of wind.  But as we were navigating, it started raining, and we could hear the thunder forming afar.  In the end we aborted today's 10h navigation to reach Porto Novo after only 3 hours.  There was no wind.  Wind is to pick up, but only in the afternoon. And by the time we'd leave, we would never reach Bastia for the 14th of July!! We wanted to see the drone show and the firworks displayed for the National day.  Instead we'll stick to Porto Vecchio, which we already visited while our parents came to visit.  But the firework will be launched from the port so it's not bad for us. 

 This morning, we met up with Colas at the marina to head to the island.  Once at Lavezzi, the boys had a dip, snorkling along the rocks.   We had lunch on the boat and had a final dip before heading back to Bonifacio.  Colas had a full 360 degree view of life onboard.  The services at Bonifacio port are top notch.  There are seasonal personnel helping with filling up the gas tank.  Personnel to pick-up our friend from the boat to take him to the dock.  And personnel to help you dock while you fill-up your water tanks for free.  I will definitely miss Bonifacio! Once our friend dropped off, we headed to the same mooring we did few weeks ago.  The Piana/Sperone area, where water height reaches your hip. 

Finally Colas has arrived his Corsican house.  We were also ready at the marina, ready for a relaxing day out of the boat.  We had a delicious lunch with his parents and family before we went for a ridw to see the black pigs.  We came back and chilled in the pool for hours. It was already time to head back to the boat! We'll see Colas tomororow on our boat. We are going back to Lavezzi.  Despite having is holiday home here in Corsica, Colas never went to the island.  Tomorrow will be the perfect occasion.  In the meantime, we are enjoy the festival of light in medieval Bonifacio.  It only lasts 3 nights during which the city's fortifications and buildings are illuminated by light animations and music.  What a treat to end this perfect day!

 In the morning we took them to the Ile de Piana to take a dip in the shallow water.  We then had lunch on the boat. But it might have been a bit too wavy fo r Nico's mom who didn't feel well.  We left before dessert. Anyways, we had to come back on time to drive my mom to the airport.  But we didnt let her go before celebrating her bday in advance with a birthday cake.  We drove to the Figari airport on time. All went smooth. 

  We left Bonifacio early morning to take a 1h30 drive towards Zonza where the Col de Bavella is. We stopped by the Ospedale lake to enjoy the view before heading to the mountains for a hike to the Trou de la bombe. My mom had a hard time with the mild ascent. Nico's mom and her stayed at the beginning of the ascent towards the Trou de la Bombe. We went there on our own. Then went back to pick them up before taking another route to the car. We went to eat on a nearby restaurant.

  Change of plan again, we woke up early to go hiking but nico wasn't happy with the mooring and the wind changing direction at noon would worsen his worry. So we decided to visit Bonifacio instead. And come back before noon to move the boat closer to the Marina. We visited the Bastion de l'étendard and the infamous Roy Aragon stairs with its 183 steps that go down 60 m to sea level. It's said to have been carved in one night during a siege. We moved the boat to the Calanques of Catena, nearby the Bonifacio marina. It's the most beautiful port entrance we've experienced. Not sure if any port will top that, you are welcome by dramatic cliffs, and fortifications in a fjord like set up. In the evening we went back up to the village up on the cliffs. Visited churches and the cemetery while walking along the fortifications. We had a local Corsican dinner and went back to the boat.

  Nothing turned out as expected today. We finally arrived our mooring spot in Bonifacio pretty fast after a 2 h navigation with wind. But like yesterday, we changed the anchor location twice and it wasn't satisfying enough for Nico so he didn't want to leave the boat. Instead we brought our parents to the boat and changed our afternoon plan. Instead of visiting Bonifacio by foot we just went by boat first. We were planning to do it by boat few days later anyway. We then changed our mooring spot. I didn't record the navigation as I usually do. I thought it d be quick and I was pretty tired. Now that I think of it I should have taken some videos as it was during sunset. Once again we had some issues finding a good mooring spot avoiding the algae. And we also hit the sand in shallow areas...

  3h20 to get there. We had to anchor three times while our parents were waiting for us at the beach. We had a picnic and then went to Figari. All churches were closed. Then we finished the day at the vineyard, trying Corsican wine and Muscat. Here is our stay at Figari

  We left in the morning to Propriano, my mom came with us. First sail with us. But there was no wind and it turned out to be longer than expected. It took 5h, she slept twice. we got to use the spi. We didn't take much videos because I was at the helm or manoeuvring all the time. We met with Nico's parents at Propriano and went straight to Sartene, the most Corsican of Corsica's village. It's a medieval village and we attended the Polyphonic Corsican concert at the Ste Marie church. We went back to the boat at nigh, under a starry sky. But there was swell. Hard to sleep. Here is our Sartene stop over

  First day visiting Corsica with the parents, it was a Napoleon centric day. We visited the family house where he was born, and had a Napoleon immersive meal. we didn't have time to get the dessert we had to leave the marina on the dot. Before they charge us half a day. Our parents stayed and visited more places. We met up at Propriano for a dinner on the boat. Here is our vlog about the Propriano sail:

  5h to get to destination against the usual 7h it took us the 2 other times to get nearby Scandola from Calvi. The wind was with us, blowing at 17 knots and not stopping at night. It's still blowing now but we are kind of well sheltered.

We decided to go back North...  We under-estimated the size of the island, we still have plenty of time to visit the Balagne area.  Our return trip to Calvi from Scandola was much like the outbound journey—light winds and a whole lot of swell. The waves kept Vogue rocking for most of the 7-hour passage, forcing us to rely on the engine for nearly half the trip to maintain progress. It wasn’t the smoothest ride, but we powered through, adjusting sails and keeping a steady course under a cloudy sky that seemed to mirror the choppy seas. Thankfully, Calvi Bay greeted us with calm waters this time—no sudden wind gusts or pesky swell to complicate things. We moored smoothly, the boat settling into the gentle rhythm of the harbor, and finally got to unwind. After a long day battling the elements, it felt like a small victory to just rest quietly, savoring the stillness and the soft lapping of waves against the hull.

We set off from Calvi this morning, greeted by a bit of wind but challenged by a hefty swell that rocked Vogue more than we’d hoped.  The 7-hour-and-20-minute journey to Scandola Nature Reserve felt longer with the waves tossing us about, but we threw everything we had at it to keep moving.  We hoisted the spinnaker when the breeze allowed, fired up the engine when the wind faded, and switched to the genoa alone when the conditions called for it. It was a dance of sails and strategy, but we finally arrived at the stunning Scandola Reserve, a UNESCO-protected gem where setting foot ashore or hiking is off-limits to preserve its pristine beauty. The dramatic red cliffs and turquoise waters were worth every bumpy moment. We’re hoping to return tomorrow if the swell calms down. The forecast promises little to no wind, so we won’t venture too far, but the calmer seas should make for a smoother ride. For now, we’re soaking in the wild, untouched scenery and planning a relaxing day a...

  This morning kicked off bright and early with a grocery run at 8 a.m. We stocked up on essentials—fresh produce, snacks, and plenty of water—to fuel our adventure. Back at the boat, we rolled up our sleeves and gave her a thorough cleaning, scrubbing the deck and tidying the cabin to make sure everything was shipshape. With the boat sparkling and our supplies stowed, we cast off from the dock, bound for Corsica, a 120-nautical-mile journey ahead of us, aiming for an average speed of 6 knots. The wind greeted us early on, pushing us along nicely, so we took the chance to catch a quick nap under the sunny skies. But when we woke, the breeze had vanished, leaving us crawling along at a sluggish 3.5 knots, sometimes dipping even lower. Not ones to dawdle, we decided to hoist the spinnaker, and just like that, the boat came alive, picking up speed to a lively 5 to 7 knots. The sail billowed beautifully, and we were back on track, slicing through the waves. As night approached, the hor...