N Corsica cruising advice?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted User YDKXO
  • Start date Start date
D

Deleted User YDKXO

Guest
We're planning to cruise to N Corsica for about 10-12days at the end of August from our base in SoF. I know there are a few forumites who know that area well so I would appreciate any advice on safe anchorages, marinas, fuel stations and suggested itinerary

We do have one problem in that we will have one set of guests on board for the first part of the trip and then another set joining us for the second part. We have asked our guests to fly to/from Nice and then take a ferry to/from Corsica rather than book flights direct to a Corsican airport for 2 reasons. First of course if we dont actually make it to Corsica for weather or technical reasons, we can still meet up in SoF and second it seems easier to change guests at a ferry port in N Corsica rather than Ajaccio or Bastia airports which are a long distance from where we are likely to be. Is this a good plan? Which ferry route is best?
 
Its a good plan ,any N Corsica port ,Calvi,or St Florent and I have seen ferrys in the middle port Ile d something or other .
E side a bit dull once over cap Corse down to Bastia compared to N .
W or NW top RHS ,ruggered and quiet down to Girolata .
Fuel up @ Calvi before heading down .
Loadsa nice bays over St Forlent corner .
Consider a trip to Elba worth the effort while you are there IMHO . Loadsa marinas + fuel + bays for shelter if needed .
Punta Alla on the mainland ( you can see Elba from Corsica and the mainland from Elba ) ok for fuel and overnight too .
Pisa airport a train ride away if needsbe !
You need to be in self suffient mode there are "spars " in Calvi and St Florent , but best provision the boat fridge wise as much as poss in Antibes .if its not 12-2 or a bank hol sods law takes over shops shut , Some other excuse not to work !
There's a water tap @ the fuel pontoon @ Calvi from memory ?
It can decend into a Robin KJ survival experiance N Corsica .
Elba is your escape and return to civilisation , without bailing out -back to SoF
 
Hi Mike
You must be itching to get out to sea - I'm itching to see yr boat move, knowing that it is sitting on berth with new gyro waiting to be tested! Hope S is getting better fast.

I'm planning a cruise in that direction 16-27 August too. Initial plan is N and W Corsica, but my France day count is running above the par I want it to be so I might buzz off to Sardinia - not sure yet. Anyway some answers to yr Qs:

1. Resaport Corse is great for bookings. I use it all the time
2. A decent itinerary is St Florent, Calvi, Girolata, Propriano then home. Or carry on to Bonifacio
3. You need to book port space in 1st,2nd and 4th, but Giro always seems to have space if you call that morning. remember if you call ahead a few days you can park on the beach pontoons in Girolata - 4 spaces only
4. Excellent fuel + water docks in 1st,2nd and 4th. No fuel in giro, and water is avaialbe on the beach pontoons but expensive there (cheaper to pour Cristal into your tanks)
5. You can anchor anywhere, but in a strong westerly you need to be in st Florent bay or port, Calvi port, Girolata inside the little port between two buoys and inside Propriano port. The beautiful Cal dOrzu (Orzo?) anchorage N side of propriano bay is untenable as an anchorage in strong westerlies. But in nice weather that spot is great overnight as is anchoring close to Saleccia or Loto beaches near st florent
6. I prefer to get guests to fly. They can taxi to St florent from Bastia airport, or to St florent, Calvi and Giro from Calvi airport. Ajaccio airport is better for Propriano, and Figari airport is necessary if you're down in Bonifacio
7. As porto says, there are lots of nice beaches (especially Loto and Saleccia) just to west of St florent, so if you base yourself in St Florent you can day trip to these beaches. Beautiful turquoise sand anchorages
8. I haven't covered Elba but as Porto says it is very nice
9. Provisioning with good food is very do-able everywhere I've mentioned except Giro - don't listen to Portofino and RKJ survival! I mean, there is better than Spar shops. Girolata has a little grocery store on beach but it's limited
10 I skip Ajaccio - nothing there that I like but there is a fuel stop and provisioning if you want
11. If you get to east coast, bottom third, you have porto Vecchio and the beautiful Rondinara and the 3-4 beaches to north of it
12. South of Corsica the Lavezzi anchorage is beautiful if there is no wind (forget it in a westerly) but I very much doubt you will get a 65 footer in there in August. I've got the 80er in off season, but never in August, so I skip it. you have lots of just-submerged rocks to contend with - put your serious skipper hat on here

I can't do pics because of photobucket shenanigans but I hope you can work with this video tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTaY6iGIw5Q The places are...

Loto beach nr st florent: opening turquoise title shot, plus 2:32 2:37
Girolata 0:05, showing the pontoons, reservable buoys and the free4all main anchorage (with Match anchored)
Girolata reversing off the beach at 2:11
Bay at very bottom tip of island by Ile Piana 0:09 0:22 0:47 1:11
St florent bay heading NW out to saleccia beach 0:11
Cala D'Orzu (Orzo?) nr propriano 0:14 0:54 1:07 1:15 1:29 1:42
Bonifacio 1:47
Bay of Porto, south side, just 5 miles across to south from +Girolata 2:08 2:28
 
Many years ago, myself and the good lady rented a yacht in Corsica. We took it from the NE coast - I think Macinaggio and we sailed around the Cap du Corse and down the West Coast. From memory, I think we sailed down to Calvi, and stopped at Saint-Florent en-route. I seem to recall 3 nights on the West, but I'm not sure where else we stayed. It was very pleasant, and we ate out almost everywhere we went. Then the weather turned and the West Coast isn't sheltered, so we had a fairly lumpy sail back around the Cap - that was particularly grim in the rain with a following sea I recall.
I had a pilot book for Corsica, but don't know what happened to it.
 
Hard to add anything to the advice of others above - my favourite Corsica itinerary is Antibes-St Florent-Calvi-Girolata-Antibes, and we've done this a number of times. We have a 100% track record for whale-spotting on the return leg to PV.

Easy fuel (and water on fuel pontoon) in St Florent. Fuel also at Calvi (and at Porto for Girolata but I think too tight for you to get in). Girolata is always fab, and you can easily anchor out if no space. You need to reserve a table at the restaurants on the hill if you want one on the edge of the terrace with the best view. Bel Ombra and Bon Espoir are the two best restaurants; I prefer Bel Ombra but there isn't much in it.

You score extra points for tying back to the rocks in one of the tiny bays along the n coast of golfe de girolata. I've never been further south than Porto in my own boat (but have enjoyed a truly fantastic cruise down to Bonifacio and Lavezzi with Jfm - thanks again for that :D).

Most of the n coast from St Florent to Calvi is best enjoyed at idle speed imho; ditto the cruise down from Calvi to Girolata. You might be a bit big for the Gargalu passage but again there are points to be scored there... :D Have fun!
 
jimmy_the_builder said:
Hard to add anything to the advice of others above - my favourite Corsica itinerary is Antibes-St Florent-Calvi-Girolata-Antibes, and we've done this a number of times. We have a 100% track record for whale-spotting on the return leg to PV.

Easy fuel (and water on fuel pontoon) in St Florent. Fuel also at Calvi (and at Porto for Girolata but I think too tight for you to get in). Girolata is always fab, and you can easily anchor out if no space. You need to reserve a table at the restaurants on the hill if you want one on the edge of the terrace with the best view. Bel Ombra and Bon Espoir are the two best restaurants; I prefer Bel Ombra but there isn't much in it.

You score extra points for tying back to the rocks in one of the tiny bays along the n coast of golfe de girolata. I've never been further south than Porto in my own boat (but have enjoyed a truly fantastic cruise down to Bonifacio and Lavezzi with Jfm - thanks again for that :D).

Most of the n coast from St Florent to Calvi is best enjoyed at idle speed imho; ditto the cruise down from Calvi to Girolata. You might be a bit big for the Gargalu passage but again there are points to be scored there... :D Have fun!
Click to expand...

Yep. I don't think Deleted User could get into Porto for fuel - it would be quite a spectacle if a boat that size breezed in there! Gargalu passage would be interesting too - Freti 630 would just make it, without fins. If the weather is very calm go for it mike and post pics of the result:encouragement:. I got the 58 through without difficulty, on a very calm day, but wouldn't take the 78 even without fins, let alone with them.

Just north of Gargalu, like 100m clockwise around the red rocks coast, there is a deep cave that you could take the 630 fully inside

Pity can't link to pictures

I was on an EJ flight this morning and noticed in the mag that they now fly Airbusses to all 4 of Corsica's airports
 
Last edited:
jfm said:
Hi Mike
You must be itching to get out to sea - I'm itching to see yr boat move, knowing that it is sitting on berth with new gyro waiting to be tested! Hope S is getting better fast.

I'm planning a cruise in that direction 16-27 August too. Initial plan is N and W Corsica, but my France day count is running above the par I want it to be so I might buzz off to Sardinia - not sure yet. Anyway some answers to yr Qs:

1. Resaport Corse is great for bookings. I use it all the time
2. A decent itinerary is St Florent, Calvi, Girolata, Propriano then home. Or carry on to Bonifacio
3. You need to book port space in 1st,2nd and 4th, but Giro always seems to have space if you call that morning. remember if you call ahead a few days you can park on the beach pontoons in Girolata - 4 spaces only
4. Excellent fuel + water docks in 1st,2nd and 4th. No fuel in giro, and water is avaialbe on the beach pontoons but expensive there (cheaper to pour Cristal into your tanks)
5. You can anchor anywhere, but in a strong westerly you need to be in st Florent bay or port, Calvi port, Girolata inside the little port between two buoys and inside Propriano port. The beautiful Cal dOrzu (Orzo?) anchorage N side of propriano bay is untenable as an anchorage in strong westerlies. But in nice weather that spot is great overnight as is anchoring close to Saleccia or Loto beaches near st florent
6. I prefer to get guests to fly. They can taxi to St florent from Bastia airport, or to St florent, Calvi and Giro from Calvi airport. Ajaccio airport is better for Propriano, and Figari airport is necessary if you're down in Bonifacio
7. As porto says, there are lots of nice beaches (especially Loto and Saleccia) just to west of St florent, so if you base yourself in St Florent you can day trip to these beaches. Beautiful turquoise sand anchorages
8. I haven't covered Elba but as Porto says it is very nice
9. Provisioning with good food is very do-able everywhere I've mentioned except Giro - don't listen to Portofino and RKJ survival! I mean, there is better than Spar shops. Girolata has a little grocery store on beach but it's limited
10 I skip Ajaccio - nothing there that I like but there is a fuel stop and provisioning if you want
11. If you get to east coast, bottom third, you have porto Vecchio and the beautiful Rondinara and the 3-4 beaches to north of it
12. South of Corsica the Lavezzi anchorage is beautiful if there is no wind (forget it in a westerly) but I very much doubt you will get a 65 footer in there in August. I've got the 80er in off season, but never in August, so I skip it. you have lots of just-submerged rocks to contend with - put your serious skipper hat on here

I can't do pics because of photobucket shenanigans but I hope you can work with this video tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTaY6iGIw5Q The places are...

Loto beach nr st florent: opening turquoise title shot, plus 2:32 2:37
Girolata 0:05, showing the pontoons, reservable buoys and the free4all main anchorage (with Match anchored)
Girolata reversing off the beach at 2:11
Bay at very bottom tip of island by Ile Piana 0:09 0:22 0:47 1:11
St florent bay heading NW out to saleccia beach 0:11
Cala D'Orzu (Orzo?) nr propriano 0:14 0:54 1:07 1:15 1:29 1:42
Bonifacio 1:47
Bay of Porto, south side, just 5 miles across to south from +Girolata 2:08 2:28
Click to expand...

That looks absolutely fantastic and is exactly the type of experience I'm looking for .............when I get a boat !
 
Thanks for great advice guys especially jfm. I'd forgotten about your vid. Thats whetted our appetite!

Just checked out the Gargalu passage on YouTube. Maybe not
 
My Garmin maps show a minimum width of almost 30m, with 2.8m depth.
Either they are not accurate, or you guys are getting old... :D
MYAG would probably use that spot for overnighting, with two lines astern on mainland and one at the bow secured to the islet... :cool:
 
MapisM said:
Either they are not accurate, or you guys are getting old... :D
Click to expand...
Yeah old and sensible. To paraphrase some motorbiking wisdom, there are old boaters and bold boaters but no old bold boaters:D
 
Sensible?!?
Do you mean that you are thinking to give up boating altogether...? :D :p

BTW, I just had another look at that spot on Google Maps, and even on the small cell screen it looks fabulous for a drone video with a large boat going through it.
Makes me wonder how anyone drone-equipped can resist the temptation...! :cool:
 
MapisM said:
Sensible?!?
Do you mean that you are thinking to give up boating altogether...? :D :p

BTW, I just had another look at that spot on Google Maps, and even on the small cell screen it looks fabulous for a drone video with a large boat going through it.
Makes me wonder how anyone drone-equipped can resist the temptation...! :cool:
Click to expand...
Just looked on google maps/satellite view. Problem is those submerged rocks on the E side. I'll take another look with drone, week after next:encouragement:
BTW, I crashed the phantom 4 into the sea, with the loss of all life on board. Have a new phantom 4 pro:encouragement:
 
Just landed in Sardinia, after enjoying along the route a great view of all the W Corsica spots which are being discussed.
Must admit that the Gargalu passage does look narrow, from a 30k feet altitude! :D

As an aside, weather (and sea state) couldn't be better, atm. :cool:
 
jimmy_the_builder said:
:D:D There *has* to be a story to go with this one-liner, I think we should be told!
Click to expand...

Is fairly shaggy dog story JtB, but here is summary. Had 20 business people on boat at MIPIM - really busy day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JhYXgDRrkk At one point while drone was up I got lots of questions so I parked the drone in the sky with the handbrake on, to chat to people. Plenty of battery. There was no weather and drone camera location made it follow the tiny wavelets rather than hold a GPS position. Now, I didn't have it high enough. Of the 5 boats in that massive anchorage it managed to hit top of a yacht mast - the little yacht in centre of frame at 0:20s of the video. What are the chances of that?! I have nice footage of that moment, though not as good as the two previous smashups. It then smashed down onto yacht foredeck and I got it back for a e100 goodwill payment, ahem. Substantial damage but all duly superglued. One motor broken, so I ordered a replacement for £15. New motor arrived. To fit, you have to dismantle the whole helicopter. Loads of tiny screws, like a watch. So I did. Discovered motor cables have to be soldered and I had lent soldering iron to my brother. So I put the whole thing in a box, complete with microscopic screws, and forgot about it.
Three months later decided to finish the job when Mike-the-Glaswegian was around to help (the weekend we came over to Vega for a beer). We soldered it all, and reassembled. With lots of left over screws. Like a tumble drier, only microscopic. I then flew it and it was fine. So I swapped battery and flew it again, this time on a battery showing 50% but not charged for 6 months. One minute into that flight it dropped to 5% (!) and I got a new message "battery dangerously low - forced landing" and the thing dropped in a controlled slowish manner to earth, or rather sea. It was a long way from boat. I could drive it forwards but not stop the forced descent. I drove it full speed to the back of my boat as it descended, so it was on a 45 degrees trajectory, and - bad luck - it just didn't make it. It entered the sea literally one metre off my swim platform. So close, but so far! It submerged but I could reach out and pluck it from sea. I rinsed it but it was DoA. So got a new P4pro, which seems jolly nice so far
 
Yep yacht masts seem to be a problem.
A friend of mine hit his mast with his drone - broke into several pieces - crashed onto the deck and bounced into the sea.
All gone - except the controlles, of course.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

geem
First 6 months with no gas onboard
2 3
Replies
41
Views
1K
Baggywrinkle
Baggywrinkle

Share this page

Top