Across from Menorca

The passage east from Menorca was Denny’s first long passage standing watches alone with only the two of us aboard. We had deliberately chosen a full moon. When it rose during her first night watch she briefly thought a very large ship was appearing over the horizon. We carried the reacher for a full day with the wind abaft the beam, then motored the final miles into the Golfo dell’Asinara.

Bonifacio

The next leg took us through the Bonifacio Strait to Corsica. My chartplotter coverage ran out nearby, so I had prepared with waypoints and charts on the computer. The strait has a fearsome reputation, but we crossed in almost flat calm and arrived at Bonifacio as a ferry was leaving.

The harbour lies beneath a magnificent walled town and fort. We found room alongside a French yacht and went ashore to explore the old town, shops and restaurants. After Spain, Corsica immediately had a very different French feel.

Sardinia

We sailed on in company for part of the way with Dennis and Jo on Aurora, whom I had first heard on the radio during the Port to Port Rally in the Pacific in 2004. The sailing community can be a very small world.

After the Fornelli Passage we visited La Maddalena and then headed towards Porto Cervo. The famous resort and marina were surprisingly quiet when we went ashore, its exclusive shops standing almost empty. For us, anchored out in the bay, it was interesting to see but not the extraordinary cruising ground its reputation suggested.

On 8 May we raised anchor and set sail across the Tyrrhenian Sea. Rome was next.