Sardinia and Corsica
This is not meant to be tips at the moment, but is simply an account of our sailing in the North of Sardinia and South of Corsica in 2000 and 2001. If anyone requires further details on any of these places, I would be happy to oblige.
In 2000 We travelled by train to Genoa then with a large ferry to Porto Torres in Sardinia. Our friend Wolfgang had his 10 metre yacht in the harbour there, so it was rather convenient. After a day of preparation and provisioning we made a short run across to Isola Rossa, a large well protected harbour still under construction. Sometimes projects like that take a while in Italy. The next day we continued towards Sta. Theresa, but eventually turned back to Isola Rossa as the wind built up dead on the nose and the straight of Bonifacio can be really nasty. We had to wait another day till it abated and then had a magnificent run through the Madelena archipelago and on to Poltu Quatu. The following day we continued on to Porto Rotondo, but took time to look at Porto Cervo and Cala di Volpe on the way.
We left the yacht at Porto Rotondo and travelled to Olbia by hire car to meet the skipper's wife, Vreni, who came from Genoa on the ferry. We then made an extremely interesting tour of the coastal area South of Olbia. The next day was spent exploring the area close to Porto Rotonda then we sailed north again and through to Madelena. We met some Swiss people there who offered to show us the island by car the next day . Having explored the whole area, we set off the following day for Bonifacio in Corsica. Bonifacio is a really fascinating town and I believe that if you went back there ten times, you would still discover new things each time. You might get an idea from the Photos.
After a short stay in Bonifacio, we headed for Castelsardo, but due to rising seas, we turned in at Isola Rossa again. The next morning things had settled down so we continued on, passing close to Castelsardo on the way to Porto Torres. Elisabeth and I were so fascinated by Castelsardo that we took a bus the next day to have a look at it. We departed Sardinia by ferry late that evening arriving in Genoa early the next morning. After a few hours looking around Genoa we continued on by train to Romanshorn.
In Spring of 2001 Wolfgang was able to get a harbour berth in Castelsardo, so when we travelled in September, we took the bus from Porto Torres to Castelsardo. I did a few running repairs and alterations on the boat while Wolfgang and Elisabeth went into town shopping for provisions. The next day we headed out intending to go to Sta. Theresa, but the sea was a bit too rough for comfort so we turned in to our old favourite, Isola Rossa. They had done quite a bit more on the harbour, but it was still not completed. The following day we had a good run to Sta. Theresa and took time for a good look around the town. We decided to spend the next evening in a protected bay at anchor. I think it was the most pleasant evening of the cruise. The weather forecast was for Northerly winds for the next day so we headed across to Madelena for protection. From there we had a great sail back to Sta. Theresa, where we organised a hire car for the following day to drive to Porto Torres to pick up Vreni. The trip was very interesting. We travelled the coast road to Porto Torres and took the inland route on the return trip.
Having settled Vreni on board and a last night in Sta. Theresa, we had a great sail across to Bonifacio. We had organised to meet some good friends of Wolfgang's, and had a very interesting evening in an old restaurant in the old town.
We contacted some old friends of ours who we had known from our time in Papua New Guinea, and arranged to meet them in Porto Vecchio on the East coast. The weather was favourable the following day and we had a good run up the South East coast of Corsica. Our reunion with Suzy Le Frere after so many years was really delightful. It was so good to catch up on news of what we had all been doing over the past 16 years. We also met Wolfgang's friends again and had a nice day with them and found time to explore the old fortified town of Porto Vecchio.
Our next destination was Propriano which is on the West coast of Corsica, but we made another stop at Bonifacio on the way, and also stopped at the bay of Rondinaro for a swim and a walk on the beautiful beach. It is a magnificent natural harbour and there were only about three boats there. It is apparently often full in Summer. We arrived safely in Propriano and contacted some friends of ours from Romanshorn, who were holidaying near there. Johannes drove to Propriano to pick us up, then proceeded to show us around. We had a really enjoyable time. We were able to spend the following day exploring Propriano and the area near by, then motor sailed back to Porto Torres the next day. This time we allowed more time for exploring Genoa on the way home and saw a lot more of the old city.
We were invited to join Wolfgang again in 2002, so we can't be such bad guests. We sailed across to Menorca, had a look around by car then sailed back. We were able to meet up with some of Elisabeth's relations who flew over from Barcelona to meet us. Menorca is a very nice island and we will definately return to see more. On our return to Sardinia we were able to explore Alghero and Stintino, both in the North West of the island, before returning to Porto Torres.
We joined Wolfgang again in Autumn 2003 to sail in Sardinia. We met Wolfgang and Vreni (his wife) at Palau and sailed South via various ports to Olbia, where Vreni took the ferry back to Genoa. We later continued South as far as Ottiolu, passing close by the island of Tavolara which is a national park. The weather was fine but we often had too much wind, so Elisabeth and I were able to do lots of interesting walks along the coast while we waited for the wind to abate.
To be continued, Kerry
Link to info on Sardinian Ports http://www.portidellasardegna.org