On the morning of 19th September we slipped ur lines from the Marina in Porto Vecchio. Yesterday the wind howled and today it is as calm as calm can be. As we left the marina a lone dolphin played around the Red pilot buoy, possibly pushed into the gulf for shelter from the rough seas the previous day. We motored out of the gulf and set sail.
We have sailed many thousands of miles now, with many memories good and difficult, but by far our best sailing days are: The first 24 hour sail on the Atlantic after leaving Antigua in the Caribbean to sail back to the Med. We made 200nm in 24 hours…..faster than our hull speed and went like a bullet train ! The second was this sail from Corsica to Sardinia. The sails were set, the wind worked its magic to give us the very best course and we flew like a train. The wind increased in the Bonifacio straits but Tioram put her shoulder into the sea sturdily and we flew even more. We passed the Maddalena Archipelago, the wind often changes when funnelled through and around islands but our course stayed good. Finally as we cleared the Maddalenas we knew we would not make the course turning around Caprera island and into the gulf of Arzachena. The wind shifted and we sailed right to the anchorage and dropped sail. On tack, all the way south along the coast of Corsica, passing the archipelago, passing the coast of Sardinia and into the gulf, all different directions and winds and unheard of in one single tack, 32 nautical miles……. sailors understand how fab that was…. what a gift!!
During the trip I took a lot of photos because the sunlight was just stunning and the light onto Tioram, the sea and the islands was quite spectacular. Enjoy !!
Yacht Tioram sailing blog.....11 years sailing the seas and oceans. 