Cap Corse

We head towards Bastia for our return ferry. With a couple of days to spare we stop at Saint Florent at the base of Cap Corse. Another trendy harbour town with a large Marina, but also suffering from huge numbers of tourists. A walk up to the citadel revealed the same old problems, litter and impromptu toilets, there is a strong smell of urine in many of the small alleys of the old town.

We used a campsite just out of town and at 7am the following morning were able  to park right next to the slipway in the Marina.

The water was flat with light winds, but the forecast was Bf 4 gusting 5 by Noon, later increasing Bf7 gusting 8

We were aiming to round Punta Mortella, and fully expected the sea state to increase significantly, already we could see white horses developing in the central area of the bayLooking over at Cap Corse, the mountain tops were covered in dark clouds which despite the high winds just hung there.

Yet on our Port side, the weather shore, the tiny isolated beaches were completely calm and tranquil

Getting ready to up anchor and move closer inshore was this rather good looking three masted schooner, up closer we saw the hull was in fact metal.

There are many of these Genoese defence towers around the Island, and give some clue as to the Islands turbulent history. It strikes me that Corsica has been constantly invaded since Roman times, often just because of  the strategic positioning, after occupation, little was done to make the lives of the inhabitants betterShortly after passing the tower, the wind had increased considerably and a large swell had developed, it was now time to turn back.

On our way back we came across a young couple in a ‘inflatable’ kayak with loads of kit stacked in dry bags heading out towards the storm …  we had to stop and chat !

Fortunately these two were well aware of the conditions and were stopping quite soon on a suitable beach, I left them much happier.

 

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