Île de Port-Cros

We stop at three different islands as we make our way to our final destination, Port Napoleon, at the mouth of the river Rhône.
A short passage from Antibes brings us to our first night’s anchorage. It’s a gorgeous spot between two islands just off Cannes. We swim and sleep and the next morning we start into a full day’s passage. We arrive in Porquerolles island, near Toulon in the late afternoon. We set up a Tarzan swing with the dinghy halyard and have a great time jumping from the boat and holding on for as long as we can. We have (another) delicious bean-based dinner as we try to run down the store cupboards.

We start the next day with a big swim and then sail on to ile Riou, which is part of the Calanques national park near Marseille. The landscape is beautiful and the water is crystal clear. While Ruby is snorkelling to check the anchor she makes an unpleasant discovery. The water is infested with jellyfish which luckily she manages to avoid.
When night falls a beautiful moon rises. We are surrounded by the national park so the only lights we see are boats moving between here and the mainland. A brave late-comer in an electric catamaran arrives at 11pm and drops anchor right in by the rocky shore.
In the morning the water is still full of Mauve Stingers so we reluctantly skip a final swim in the Mediterranean.
The beautiful shores we have sailed past in the last few days deserve much more time than we have given them. We hope to come back and explore them properly some day.Read more