We finally got it together to leave Bonifacio on Friday 20 th June.   Despite its fearsome reputation there was a flat calm in the Bouches de Bonifacio and we had to motor across to the Madellenas, a small group of islands off the North East coast of Sardinia, under a blazing afternoon Sun.   Russell our Australian cruising companion on and off since Calvi left at the same time, but heading for the opposite side of Sardinia, aiming at a quick anti-clockwise circumnavigation of the whole island.   We felt sad to see his small white mainsail disappearing in the distance and to think that for the next few weeks there would be no chance of his little boat suddenly appearing round a headland and sailing into our anchorage.   However, the next few weeks proved to be far more sociable than we expected and exposed us to many new influences ... After a few days around the Madellenas we finally arranged a rendezvous with our friends from last year, J...

We’re now at the extreme southern tip of Corsica, just a few miles from Sardinia across the Bouches de Bonifacio.   This stretch of water has a fearsome reputation.   For much of the year strong westerlies blow here, whipping up a short, steep, sea and sending a three-mile an hour or more current through the narrow straights between the two great islands, like water going through a plughole.   Around the straights are small rocky archipelagos with sharp teeth ready to rip the bottom out of unsuspecting boats.   As we approached Bonifacio going down the West coast of Corsica the wind increased in strength and the seas got noticeably bigger and for the first time we could see the faint low lying mass of Sardinia through the heat haze.   Bonifacio itself is a perfect natural harbour just where one is needed, a bit like the White Cliffs of Dover with a sheltered inlet behind them about three quarters of a mile long.   Approaching from the We...

Sue has turned Russell into a Dorothy Carrington fan and he soon tracked down his own copy of “Granite Island”.   Together we made a pilgrimage from the tiny seaside village of Porto Pollo to the megalithic site of Filitosa, which Dorothy had a hand in bringing to international attention.   The site was about seven miles away, but we managed to flag down a taxi on the way out and hitched on the way back, getting a lift for most of the journey back to Porto Pollo in the back of a pick-up truck, its speed giving us a refreshing cooling breeze in the blazing afternoon Sun.

While at anchor under the Citadel in Calvi harbour in the North of Sardinia I was looking at an English motor sailing boat called “Golden Seal”.   At that moment a text came through from our friends Bernie and Sarah – “look out for our friends Mark and Lorna on ‘Golden Seal’”.   We introduced ourselves of course and spent a few pleasant evenings on each other’s boats chewing the fat and talking of our plans, such as they are. Also at Calvi we picked up an email from Russell who we had met last year at Arles and who also knew our German friends Thomas and Nicole.   According to the email he was headed for Calvi so we sent him a text asking where he now was.   “The internet cafe in Balti” came the enigmatic reply.   Had he found a decent Indian restaurant in Corsica or was this a very bad spelling mistake?   It turned out to be the latter and we met up next day.   Since then Russell, an Australian in his early fifties has been a...