GHOST

Ha haaaaaa. I am finally back on the Brad and Kat cruising hotel again, this time with the my lovely girlfriend Anja accompanying me. Anja and I had a super early start from Zurich to make it down to Livorno in Italy in time for our ferry across to Corsica. After encountering many traffic jams along the way and employing some super Mario Italian driving manoeuvres to avoid the crazy Italians we finally made it just in time to park the car and jump on the ferry. A good thing we had some time to spare as the ferry left 15 minutes early! In Italy of all places! After a few hours we arrived in Bastia to be welcomed by Brad and Kat who had hired a car and driven from Calvi via half the island to meet Anja and I in Bastia. This was the first time we have seen each other since I left Ghost in Cascais last year.

We enjoyed the evening drive from Bastia to Calvi which was through some pretty mountainous countryside. With all the winding roads, this was the perfect reintroduction for Anja to life on a boat at sea again. The Corsicans should learn a thing or two from the Swiss and build some more tunnels through their mountains! ;) Before we made it back to Calvi we passed the lovely L'ile Rousse. A pretty little seaside village.

So after reacquainting ourselves with Ghost , it was time for dinner. We found a lovely seafood restaurant and enjoyed some fruits of the sea! After spending some time in Switzerland, one can never eat enough fresh seafood when the opportunity arises! We enjoyed a few Corsican specialities too!

The following day we motor sailed to Girolata due to light winds. Girolata is a great little town that can only be reached by sea. The local harbour boys stuck us on a pretty short mooring where we moored fore and aft to two buoys. We weren't lying to comfortably but luckily the wind remained light. Here we enjoyed the view and fired up the barbie for some snags and a few coldies. The best part was the following morning when we escaped without being hit by the local "mooring tax"! Rumour has it that there are now wanted posters about the town of Girolata with pictures of the Ghost crew on them!

Our next overnight stay was in a great little protected bay called Cala Genoese which we thought we had to ourselves just as dusk was falling. Anja passed comment that we were alone for the night and then not more than 10 seconds later another yacht appeared from around the corner and ruined our solitude. Always the way! We did more fishing than Rex Hunt but came up with nothing but six little tiddlers that we should have thrown back, had we not decided to use them for bait. The snorkelling, swimming and cliff diving were unsurpassed in this little bay! The amazing red rocky cliffs were a sight to behold as the sun set in the evening.

The following day we had a lazy sail down to Cargese where we met the rudest Corsican in the land. We were hoping to stop and get some water and perhaps stay overnight. Upon arriving, our miserable little fellow, let's call him Napoleon, mumbled something to us. We replied in French that we didn't understand what he said, and could he repeat himself. He then went on a mad rant in French saying that in his marina he only spoke French blah blah blah haw hew hawwww. Cleary he was troubled and suffered due to his lacking of certain attributes. Even a few local innocent bystanders were ashamed of his outburst and apologised on his behalf for the Corsican nation. Needless to say we didn't stay a second longer and wished him adieu and a few other choice Aussie phrases used to express ones displeasure when shown a lack of respect from anyone named Napoleon.

We continued on to Sagone where we played some beach boules and a little beach tennis. Anja dominated the beach sports and showed the Aussies/Poms up. We thought that as a German of the former Eastern variety, she must have been doped. A formal drug test shall follow. ;)

Then we made it to the capital Ajaccio after a good sail. This was our first night in a marina so it was a good chance to clean the boat, top up the water and charge the batteries. As we wandered about town we found a great seafood restaurant, and even better, we spied the location of the fish markets which we decided to raid the following day. This pirate raid, was very successful and subsequently allowed us to enjoy our best meal of the trip! A home made paella thanks to Kat's cooking genius. I ran out of superlatives when trying to express how great this meal was.

As we slowly drifted, motored and sailed down towards the southern tip of Corsica we stopped in Baie de Cupabia and Cala de Furnellu. The beach in Cupabia was fantastic and reminiscent of many of the Aussie beaches that I visited in my youth. Not much of a swell running but great sand and far from overdeveloped. There was a simple little beach bar and a little caravan park nearby. Not bad for the Med! A nice change from the normal tourist traps....

Cala de Furnellu was where we experienced our greatest battle with the monsters of the deep. Anja and I spied an octopus swimming along while we were snorkelling about the boat. We tried to entice him with some bread onto our fishing line before nabbing him directly in our net. We quickly swam back to the boat with our captive and were about to board Ghost when I snagged myself on the swimming platform whilst trying to climb out of the water. Needing both hands to free myself, I put the net containing our eight limbed friend down shortly and unhooked myself. Not needing an invitation to make good his escape Mr . Octopus , promptly turned over the net, dragged himself off the swim platform back into the water, and shot off into the deep leaving a trail of ink behind him! Damn! So close and yet so far from a nice pulpo (octopus) salad!

Finally we arrived in Bonifacio.The wind had freshened and the sea state was getting friskier, so it was time to find a safe harbour. And what a harbour we arrived in! Bonifacio has to be one of the Med's, if not the world's most impressive natural harbours. The entrance in between the sheer cliff faces is simply stunning. As you progress up the channel it slowly opens up into the town itself. Like a true pirates lair! The town has a real different feel to it in comparison to other Corsican towns. You can really see the Genoese influence in the architecture. Bonifacio is hugely popular with the boating community, and who would have thought one could squeeze in so many boats into one small place. Boats were packed in like sardines in a can. Brad and Kat executed a masterful berthing of Ghost given this was their second visit to the sometimes challenging harbour. This left us with some time to visit the citadel and the rest of the town. If you ever get the chance to visit Corsica, do not miss Bonifacio. It is amazing to see the old citadel perched precariously on top of the sheer sea cliffs. It is a view that can best be enjoyed from the sea. It was a real treat for us.

Alas, now it's time time to sign off until the next time we meet. Thanks for a great week Brad, Kat and Ghost. We'll miss you all. So much fine food and wine was enjoyed during the week. Now it's time to head home and go for a run! 10 out of 10 in all categories on the visitor's satisfaction card! Bye for now, and until we sail again! ;) Brendan and Anja.

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bradmcmaster1/Corsica2009WithBrendanAnja02#