summertime goes south

5th September: Marciana to Bastia, Corsica. To reach Corsica from Elba, boats have to cross the Corsican Channel, the main north/south shipping route. The trip is 35nm and we took just over 6 hours. Compared to the English Channel the shipping is light and with good visibility posed no problems. We headed for Bastia on the east coast, the main commercial centre of Corsica and on the approach to the harbour, we encountered and avoided our usual quota of ferries.
Bastia is a busy town, with a slightly faded air, but we found a nice restaurant by the Vieux Port on our first night and enjoyed moules and frites, a combination which seems to have passed the Italians by.
We chose to stay in the newish marina, Port Toga, rather than the picturesque 'Vieux Port' which is reported to be exposed to strong winds from the north through to the east. This is precisely the forecast for the next couple of days.
On our second night we were enjoying dinner al fresco, in the part of the old town called Terra Vecchia. It was a balmy evening, then the most almighty thunderstorm erupted, almost without warning. Diners scurried for cover as strong gusts sent everything flying. We hurriedly paid the bill and dashed for the boat which was some way away but we were caught by the downpour. The thunder and lightning, torrential rain and powerful gusts hit us and we were instantly soaked. The serene evening was turned into Armageddon. It was a pretty wild night and we were glad not to be in the exposed Vieux Port. I had foolishly left my much criticised hat on deck and it took the opportunity to dash for freedom. We searched for it the next morning and surprisingly found it on the far side of the marina. It's a good job it floats as this is the second time it has been for a swim.