Mirabella

We had to leave Giannutri early the next morning as the wind direction changed and we would have been pushed onto the rocks. The weather was due to change. There was a Gale Force 7 with gusts forecast on the VHF radio, from the French Riviera and down across Corsica. It sounded like the Mistral. In the early morning, the wind was low and we sailed across to Santo Stefano on the mainland. We arrived in the small, town marina early afternoon and prepared the boat for the forthcoming wind.

The town of Santo Stefano is very pretty with fir trees and smart houses as a backdrop with a working fishing quay complete with a fleet of trawlers. There are good fish stalls here and we bought some sole to cook for dinner. There is a paved walkway along the coast and at night the trunks of the palm trees were lit up with tiny white lights. To the opposite end of the quay is a port with ferries going to the nearby islands of Giglio and Giannutri. A small supermarket and laundrette are close by.

We spoke with a couple from the yacht Tancho, and they came on board for a drink. They were heading to Sicily, so we exchanged information with them on good ports and anchorages.



Time: 3:00 hours Miles: 14nm Total Time: 48:30 hours Total Miles: 569nm