Bonifacio and Maddalena Archipelago
21 August 2019 | Bonifacio
Ros Brice | Fine and hot
Our entry into Bonafacio harbour was nothing short of heart stopping! It was not only the mighty cliffs that rose either side of the narrow entrance that dwarfed Trilogy, but the multitude of craft all pressing to make headway, in both directions. This calanque is considered a marvel, a slit in the cliffs that forms one of the most memorable harbours in the western Mediterranean and that has been known to mariners from antiquity.
Trilogy slowed to 4 knots but it was apparent that not all skippers had read the signage! It was a slow progress exercise, but that gave us all time to appreciate the spectacle. It wasn't hard to imagine the haven that this sheltered calanque would have offered to pirates! Ferries, high speed large tourist rubber duckies, yachts, motor cruisers and even huge superyachts were either tied up at the sea wall or marina that hugged the left side, while a huge number of small pleasure craft were on moorings on the right side. There was a narrow corridor through the middle and it required everyone to be vigilant and show some courtesy, something the French are short on! We were greeted at the fuel dock area which was located beneath the walls of the Citadel perched way up high, by a young female marina staff member, red shirted and zooming around in a 'tinny' (to use Australian vernacular) who explained that there were three yachts to leave and then we could come in. The skipper kept Trilogy hovering with the dock 'n go and in about 15 minutes, he reversed Trilogy into a tight space, with no dramas! Fortunately we had a large rubber duckie on one side and a free space on the other to angle across as we turned. It was a beautiful day and there was a light breeze blowing to keep the heat down, nonetheless the men were in need of a beer to quench their thirst when the water and power were connected.
We had a late lunch with freshly baked baguettes, from the boulangerie that was far too close! It was such a wonderful place to be, the best hotel in town and so close to everything! The usual washing, shopping and cleaning had to be done, but we had allowed 2 nights to enjoy this town, that looks more Italian than French, something it shares with the other Genoese strongholds at Calvi and Bastia.
Bonifacio has been identified with the Laestrygonians in the Odyssey and it matches the descriptions well: 'a curious bay with mountain walls of stone to left and right, and reaching far inland, a narrow entrance opening from the sea, where cliffs converge as though to touch and close'. Artefacts found in Bonifacio indicate that it has been inhabited more or less continuously from the Neolithic period. Bonifacio was utilised by the Romans but it was not until 828, when Count Bonifacio was returning from an expedition against the Saracens, that the site got its first real fortifications and its name. By the 12th C the Genoese ruled Bonifacio and today's appearance dates from that period.
Bonifacio is quite unusual, composed of a lower and upper level, connected by a huge wide steep stone staircase and more recent times, a roadway. The marina and harbour area have grown in response to tourism and fortunately the development does not detract from the charm. A 19th C watercolour shows a considerable number of buildings around the shores, though now the tall masts of modern yachts fill the harbour, not the yardarms and spars of sailing vessels from bygone days.
The Citadel built by Count Bonifacio on top of the cliffs occupied a natural defensive position, with cliffs on all sides except landward. The Genoese further fortified the site and the Citadel was attacked at various times. The most serious attempt to take the town was mounted in 1420, when the King of Aragon attacked it. The haute ville, which sits atop the cliffs within the Citadel walls, is composed of houses 4-5 storey's high, with very steep internal staircases. The streets are narrow and cobbled and along with the usual churches, there are shops, cafes and restaurants, a children's playground, art galleries and plenty of tempting ice cream booths! However, we were more keen to quench our thirst and settled for an orange frais et citron pressé jus.
Once we had crossed the moat and come down the steep zig zag stairs from the Citadel, we were able to access a cliff top walk that offered some amazing views of the cliffs from the top. It was just beautiful to look down from on top and see the rocky shoreline, aquamarine against the cliffs and then further out, a deeper teal colour, pierced with rocky pinnacles that shot skyward from the depths.
Now for some explanations about the steep cliff line set of steps mentioned in the last blog and the story behind them. The Staircase of The King of Aragon (Escalier du Roi d'Aragon) cuts across the cliff at near to 45 degrees and is comprised of 185 steps. According to legend, the staircase was dug by the troops of the King of Aragon Alfonso V in a single night during the unsuccessful siege of Bonifacio in 1420. In reality, the staircase descends to a natural spring and cave located at the bottom of the stairway, and is believed to have been dug by the Franciscan monks long before the troops of Alfonso V arrived at Bonifacio. It is also said that the first steps were carved in Neolithic times, and that it has been constantly improved since. Peter and Sue decided to take up the challenge and reported that most of the stairs had a 30 cms riser and that at the bottom, the pathway levelled out went for some way just just above the water level. There is now a lift to bring people up again, but like so many other things in Corsica, it was not working as it was Sunday!
We enjoyed two waterfront evening meals at the marina, not having to walk much more than 25 metres to one of them. We now take it in turns to choose a venue for the evening meal and it was Garth's and Sue's turns The menus are usually a mix of seafood and meat, including duck dishes and some versions of pasta. Sometimes the meat can be a little tough, there is usually some sort of potatoes and a sprinkle of vegetables. We enjoy the chilled rosés and of course the French bread, which is served without butter or oil. As there is a strong Italian influence in Bonifacio it is apparent that the cuisine is a mix of both French and Italian cuisines.
With fresh baguettes and a few French pastries on board, we departed next morning to cruise further south in the channel between Corsica and Sardinia, the Strait of Bonifacio. The Maddalena archipelago lies on the south side of the Strait. The islands are all composed of red granite and are mostly bare of vegetation and have little water, however, there are a few inhabitants. We headed for the northern group of islands (Isolas Razzoli, Santa Maria and Budelli) and on the south side of Isola Razzoli there is a sheltered bay formed between all three islands of this group. There were hundreds (?200) boats in this bay, called Cala Giorgio Marino. It was quite a sight to see all the daytrippers piled onto all manner of speed boats, mostly flying Italian flags and having a great time. There were plenty of larger craft too and we edged our way into the bay to pick a good space for anchoring. After lunch we took the tender right around the bay to explore the beaches hidden from view and decided to snorkel in a fairly shallow lagoon that had a large rocky outcrop at one end. The water was a bit cloudy and there were only a few fish to be seen. The curious little bottom borrowers were fun to watch, and the other even smaller fish that would hang around hoping for a feed from what they were stirring up.
We had a beautiful evening at anchor as most of the yachts had stayed but the day trippers had gone home. There was a big old motor cruiser advertising pizzas and as we motored by we could see him sliding the pizzas into the wood fired oven and there were plenty of customers. Next morning we departed this lovely spot and turned Trilogy in the direction of the south coast of Corsica once more. We had a 10 knot E breeze which was perfect for a beam reach for the 11 NMs across the Strait of Bonifacio.
Our next anchorage was in Golfe de Rondinara, which according to the pilot book was 'an exquisitely beautiful bay, with very clear water'. He was right about the beautiful bay, but after all we'd now seen of Corsica's coastline, this would not be described as exquisite and the water far from clear. Nonetheless we had a great long swim to shore, walked the length of the longest beach, some bought an ice cream at the beach side cafe to fortify themselves for the return walk, then once we had our snorkelling gear on, snorkelled around several more smaller beaches to the point and then crossed back to Trilogy....the tricky bit! This is because there were not only a lot of boats at anchor but there were crazy high speed dinghy drivers only interested in showing off!
We swam back across a large buoyed area that was full of rocks but plenty of yachts had anchored in the space. An official tender appeared and explained that it was a special seaweed that was being protected and tried to move yachts away. This meant other yachts still coming into the bay started to anchor in tight spots and we had a big hassle with one near us. When we had finished dinner, the yacht had swung very close to Trilogy's stern. We got out our super bright torch and shone it at the cockpit which for a while didn't get the response we had hoped for! Peter used his best Italian version of 'vamoose' to no effect! Eventually the skipper realised we were not going to stop shining the torch until he let more chain out and we responded by bringing in 5 metres of Trilogy's! That relieved the immediate issue but the men both felt compelled to do some checks through the night, as the winds were still predicted to be variable.