summertime goes south

12th Sept. Saint-Florent to Calvi
We set off at about 9.30 heading for Ile de Rousse some 20 miles to the south west. With no wind we had a leisurely motor to a famously beautiful beach, only accessible by sea. The white sand and clear sea were very inviting and we anchored for coffee, a swim and then lunch.
Setting off at about 2 o'clock the wind began to increase and within half an hour we were sailing along at about 7 knots with a strengthening wind and the sea building. After so much recent motoring, we were glad for the chance to sail. Running downwind with a big following sea we enjoyed an exhilarating ride. In the Med the waves build up very quickly and can become very confused. They were hitting us from all angles making Summertime roll and pitch.
We arrived at Ile de Rousse in double-quick time. The exposed harbour was completely untenable for an overnight stop as waves came directly into the harbour. Neither mooring nor anchoring looked possible so we decided to press on to Calvi, 10 miles away. A couple of larger yachts came to the same conclusion and we all left together.
The wind and sea did not relent and covered the 10 miles in under an hour and a half finally arriving at Calvi around 6pm. We were very tired after our battering and it is a long time since we experienced such a rough but exhilarating ride.
The day was a real contrast, the idyllic anchorage followed by a real harum-scarum downwind ride with the wind increasing to over 25 knots, which was not forecast. Corsica's topography and position mean winds and sea conditions can be very localised. What we initially thought was the afternoon sea breeze became much more powerful under the combined influence of the mountains and Cap Corse!