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| Departing Calvi |
The marina at Calvi
looks well protected but has one built in problem. When a swell from
the north passes across the entrance, on its way to break on the
beaches of the bay, it creates a surge in the marina that runs from
end to end, the length of the marina. The length of the marina and
its construction give it a natural frequency that allows this surge
to build up with each passing swell at the entrance. The result is a
need to keep boats well hauled off the pontoons, by at least a metre,
and ensure that the double holding off ropes are taught and equally
tensioned. We had arrived in a near flat calm but 12 hours later all
of the boats in the marina were shuffling to and fro, in a mad dance,
trying to part their stern lines and holding off lines.
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| Calvi to Cavaliere |
We had rigged
additional stern lines, with springs included, to try to prevent any
sudden arrest of this motion; an event that would risk tearing out
the stern cleats and fairleads; in this we were successful. By 0300 I
could hear, from my bunk, the sounds of a boat striking the jetty
hard. A quick look out of the hatch confirmed that the motor boat
next to us was trying to climb onto the concrete pontoon stern first!
I made a leap across the gap between us and tightened his holding off
lines, in an attempt to prevent any further damage, and then realised
that by doing so I had arrested his lateral motion as well,
permanently widened the gap between the boats and making getting back
to Kurukulla a more difficult prospect. This would not have mattered
if it were not for the fact that I was now marooned on his foredeck
wearing nothing more than I sleep in, i.e. nothing! After a few
minutes the next bout of violent shuffling fore and aft created a
brief opportunity to jump back across the gap, solving my dual
problem of getting back to my warm bunk and saving my modesty.
The other problem with
the marina was with their electrical supplies. I had twice noticed
that on occasions the polarity indicators on Kurukulla's switchboard
were indicating that both live and neutral wires were live (they
should not be); not only this but on further investigation I
discovered that the live wire was carrying 370V and the neutral 135V,
something was very wrong!
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| Algajola beach |
Although the voltage seen by the Kurukulla
systems was the difference between the live and neutral, (i.e 235V =
normal voltage) the systems insulation was not designed for 370V on
the live side. We disconnected and informed the marina staff of the
problem. They seemed particularly uninterested until I informed them
they had a potentially lethal fault! What action they took I have no
idea as we did not receive any feedback; I just hope they traced the
fault before it caused a tragedy.
With the north swell
and the strong winds offshore that were creating it we were loathe to
set off across the 100 mile gap and head north to the Cote d'Azur;
that is until the conditions were right. For this reason we spent two
nights in the marina waiting for the swell to decline before
venturing out and a further two nights at anchor off the beach at
Algajola; this time waiting for a suitable wind forecast. Having had
a rough and challenging crossing between Greece and Italy and again
from Sicily to Sardinia we were determined to get the timing this one
right! The weather was now back to almost consistent sunshine with
only light cloud and thus this final sojourn off the beach was a
pleasurable end to our time in Corsica.
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| The evening descends |
Monday morning at 0930
saw us motoring out of the bay at Algajola in an almost flat calm.
Our problem now was to be a lack of wind! The sea was so calm you
could see the reflection of the sky in it! Ten hours later and we
were still motoring however as soon as we opted to cook supper the
inevitable happened and the wind filled in, on the beam, giving us a
brisk reach towards our destination in cold but not unpleasant
conditions. The wind was set to last for most of the rest of the
night which made the passage rather more pleasant. Our only problem
was a Corsica/Sardinia Lines ferry which was lit up like a fair
ground ride with a variety of blue, red and white lights such that
its navigation lights were completely indistinguishable from the rest
of the illuminations. With him approaching from our port bow, on a
steady bearing at 19 knots (from AIS), and apparently making no
attempt to avoid us, we stood on until it became unsafe to do so and
then took the only action possible, a dramatic alteration to port,
(turning to starboard would have simply placed us further in his
path).
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| Anchored at Anse de Cavalaire |
Despite our navigation lights, radar reflector and
illuminating our sails I am not sure he ever knew we were there; he
carried on regardless. So much for standards of watch-keeping in that
company! That was the only moment of excitement in the whole
crossing. By 0500 we were sailing into the bay at Anse du Cavaliere
where, at the western end, there is an anchorage sheltered from the
forecast west winds with a delightful small beach behind. We ghosted
in by moon light, dropped the sails and motored the last few hundred
metres into the bay. There followed a well deserved few hours of
rest!
The bay at Anse de
Cavaliere was delightful and we spent three nights there. In the
small town was a Spar and Boulangerie, hence we had all that we
needed available to us.
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| Cavalaire to Port Sait Louis |
By the third morning the winds had returned
we set off for the 30 mile trek to the Baie de Saint Elme, just to
the west of the entrance to the harbour of Toulon. As the day went on
the winds veered and increased so that by the time we crossed the
entrance to Toulon harbour it was blowing 25 to 30 kts from the west.
On arrival we anchored at the western end of the bay in 3m of water
on pure sand, ideal to see out any blow.
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| Sunset at Jonquet Beach, Baie de St-Elme |
Next morning we moved over
to a smaller beach on the eastern side of Cap Sicie by the name of
Plage du Jonquet where we spent two days waiting for the forecast
change in wind direction from west to east. Late in the second day
the wind finally changed as forecast and we motored the short
distance west to anchor in the shelter between Les Isles Embiez and
the Port du Brusc. As we arrived the weather turned wet and windy and
so we spent a comfortable night there, thankful for the shelter we
had found.
The next day was
equally dark and stormy with wind whistling through the rigging.
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| Jonquet Beach, Baie de St-Elme |
By
mid afternoon we had had enough and decided to brave the weather and
go downwind under “Solent Rig” (Genoa alone) to the bay at
Cassis, where the shelter was likely to be equally good, if not
better, and we would be 15 miles nearer Port Saint Louis, our final
destination. We were wrong! Although the bay at Cassis faces south
and we were tucked right into the north eastern corner, well out of
the worst of the east wind, the swell was curling into the bay and
pushing breakers onto the beach, to an extent that there were surfers
riding the waves breaking onto the rocks in the centre of the bay.
Given that there was at least shelter from the wind we opted to stay
for the night but it was never going to be a comfortable one.
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| Departing Ile des Emblier |
We
rolled our way through the night and by 1000 the next morning we were
ready to leave and press on to the west. It was again a Solent Rig
sail downwind; all fairly dull until we neared Cap Croisette where we
surfed downwind across the Plateau de Chevres (interesting surfing
downwind in 7m of water) and soon rounded Ile Maire finally finding
shelter behind the cape near Les Goudes. The anchorage was well
sheltered from the swell but that did not stop the wind howling
through the rigging for the next 48 hours! We opted to stay put until
it abated!
On the morning of 26
October we only had 48 hour to go until Kurukulla was due to be
lifted out at Navy Service, Port Saint Louis, and by this time the
wind had eventually transformed itself to a light to moderate
northerly.
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| Christoph looking windswept, on passage |
Given that time was now short we decided to make direct
for the anchorage at Anse de Verdon, near Carro, at the eastern edge
of the Golfe du Fosse and only an hour from Navy Service. Here we
could do a lot of the preparations for lifting out, thereafter
motoring for the final leg to Navy Service; our plan was to arrive at
Navy Service, Port Saint Louis on the evening before the lift (they
have very little alongside berthing space hence our desire not to get
there too early). The sail across was a pleasant beat with the wind
increasing just enough to force us to reef the mainsail and genoa,
just our luck! A good sail nonetheless for the last sail of the
season.
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| Anse du Verdon |
Having spent the night
anchored in Anse de Verdon the morning was spent as planned,
initially de-rigging sails, followed by a very cold hour in the water
cleaning the waterline, nothing that a hot coffee and tot of whisky
couldn't cure. This was followed by a short 4 mile hop, under engine,
to the fuelling berth in Port de Bouc followed by a further 5 mile
leg westwards across the Golfe de Fosse and into the Canal St Louis
before berthing alongside at Navy Service just as the sun set.
Friday dawned bright
and clear, just as forecast; an ideal day for the lift out. By 1300 I
had completed the engine oil change and we were ready to lift.
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| Golfe du Fos waterfront. Not quite like Marmaris! |
The
Navy Service boat lift is remote controlled and slightly unnerving as
you watch the boat heading off towards its winter storage space with
no one onboard the boat lift and driving it! That said the team were
well experienced at their task and all was completed without
incident.
The next two days were
spent cleaning Kurukulla and organising some minor repairs, to be
undertaken during the winter. By Monday morning the cover was on,
everything stowed and Christoph (who had stayed behind to assist with
the packing away) and I were ready to depart for Marseilles Airport,
him en route to Switzerland and me back to UK. The end of another
season. Next year France to the Canary Islands........
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| Alongside Navy Service |
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| Ashore at Navy Service |
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| Ashore at Navy Service (plus mosquito!) |
