Arrondissement de Sartène

Sailing north, we leave the coast of Sardinia and cross into French waters. We are travelling to Corsica for a petit sojourn.
As the mountainous coast comes into view, it is clear to see why the island is so highly recommended.
We pick up a bouy in Porto Pollo and from the cockpit we admire the stunning view of mountains across the bay. The nearest ones are dark and Ruby observes that just like a painting, the mountains in the background become lighter and lighter with distance.
The little holiday town has a Spar supermarket at the beach so there is a drop of fun to the usual chore of shopping . We land the dinghy on the beach and walk past the windsurfing class before grabbing a trolley. The bill is noticeably more expensive than usual which I put down to us now being in France.
Neither the Marina nor the village has a laundrette and we have travelled here with ten
days worth of laundry. We decide that we had better make a dent in it, so Ronan and Colm ferry water drums to the port and fill up so we can do some washing without emptying the water tanks. This chore too is nicer than usual with such a beautiful view to look at as we stomp and wring our clothes clean.
The daytime temperature in these parts is always more than 30 degrees, so the best time to venture inland is early morning or later in the evening. Ruby, Colm and I take a taxi to the historic site of Filitosa and arrive just as it opens at nine am and it’s already hot. We are here to see the small, carved standing stones that date back to same time as Stonehenge. The first occupants came here 8000 years ago and they used the natural caves and hollows in the Granite rock to make their homes. We use them now too for a break from the sun.
Much of Corsica is Granite and we see extraordinary rock formations along the coast as we sail south and then east along the bottom of the Island. We stop at several anchorages over a few days and we explore the rocks and boulders on walks ashore, and in the water on paddle boards and snorkelling. There are lots of fish here and we find some hiding in the rock crevices including a bright orange Mediterranean Cardinal fish. Ruby and Ronan see two flying Gurnards feeding on the sea floor. Colm saw one in Ibiza but I have not yet had that pleasure. An Eagle Ray is kind enough to hang around long enough so that all four of us have a chance to see him. These days we rarely swim ‘sans snorkel’ as there is always something to see.
It is high season and lots of people are out enjoying the water; sightseeing, jet skiing, fishing, kayaking and sailing. From the anchorage in Plage de Taravo we watch Kite surfers
jump skywards in the strong afternoon breeze. Several Superyachts are in Golfe de Murtoli when we arrive. When the sun goes down they light up, illuminating the water around them in all different colours. They are far enough away that their lights don’t impact the view of the amazing night sky. It’s still so hot that I lie up on deck to cool down in the breeze before bed. I have a wonderful time star-gazing and listening to music. A most unusual satellite catches my eye and I watch it for over a minute as it travels like a slow night train across the sky. Its many lights all in a row make it easy to identify on Google as one of Elon Musk’s Space X satellites. I am so glad I took a break from binge watching Bridgerton to see this glimpse into the future.Read more