Costa Smeralda and the archipelago in the Mediterranean

Corsica and Sardinia are separated by the Strait of Bonifacio. It is 30 miles long. At the narrowest point only 7 miles wide.

On both sides there are high mountains. Yet, the strait is only 50 meters deep.

Towards the western Mediterranean, the depth rises steeply to 2.000 meters. Towards the Tyrrhenian Sea in the east as abruptly to 1.000 meters.

One pilot book stated that the strait is one of the windiest areas in the Mediterranean and that a friendly beaufort 4 usually turns into a less friendly beaufort 6 at the other end of the strait. Another, that the waves are unpleasant and confusing in an easterly wind, and long and frighteningly high when it blows from the west

Bonifacio to Sardinia

We left Bonifacio over dinner. Once again we felt small as we sailed out through the narrow entrance with the 70 meter high vertical limestone walls. It was blowing from the east. A friendly beaufort 3 with an equally friendly beaufort 5 in the gusts. At that wind speed, the waves were neither confusing nor unpleasant. We set sail. As we headed for the course, we got a 90 degree wind angle and felt almost flying towards Santa Teresa in Sardinia.

Sardinia

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean. It is three times larger than Zealand and has 1,7 million inhabitants. Santa Teresa is the northernmost town on the island. It was founded in 1808. The population is only 5.000, but in high season it increases by thousands of tourists.

Santa Teresa

We were in the last half of September. The peak season was over almost 3 weeks ago. There were plenty of vacancies in the harbor. The grotesquely high fees were now at a reasonable level.

A couple of hours after we had moored, a thunderstorm with strong winds passed over us. When the storm was over, a German couple in a charter boat arrived. They docked their boat into the berth next to us.

"We were anchored in a magnificent bay on Spargi," said the wife, "it was fine weather, but suddenly it became 'ein furchtbares gewitter'. Sky and sea stood in one. We pulled the anchor in a hurry and sailed here. It was a terrible trip. My husband has promised that we will stay here until the weather haas settled , ”she concluded, looking confidently at the man, who with a slight nod confirmed his promise.

The next day, it the wind was even stronger. Again it came from the east. Either the German husband had forgotten his promise or the wife had recovered from yesterday's scary event. Around noon they made ready for departure. The goal was Bonifacio, which they just had to experience before they were to deliver the boat back.

We stayed in Santa Teresa for a few days. Drove with the small train to the town, located on the top of the cliffs high above us. Went to the cafe at Piazza Vittoria Emanuele. Enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and impressive views of the high mountains of Corsica, which we had just left.

In the harbor, a couple of boats had already been winterized.

“But we will be staying on the boat until the end of October. Then we go back to Germany and come again in early May, ”Barbara explained. Together with her husband Bernd, she had been sailing for the last 10 years in most of the Mediterranean. This year they sailed from Sicily to Sardinia and decided to winter in Santa Teresa.

The next day the wind calmed down. We left Santa Teresa. After half an hour of sailing we passed the northernmost point of the Sardine.

Nuragic culture

On a cliff inland, we saw one of the over 7.000 towers scattered across the island. The towers are built by the Nuragh people. They are believed to have come to the island 2.000 BC.The Nuraghs did not have a written language. Therefore, little is known today about their history and culture. No one knows for sure what the many towers were used for. It is also uncertain when the culture ceased. Some archaeologists believe that it can be dated to the year 238 BC. It was the year in which Rome first defeated Carthage and took Sardinia as booty. Others believe they have evidence that the Nuragh culture existed for almost 800 years longer in Sardinia's impassable highlands.

The archipelago

Once we had passed the tower, we entered the archipelago of La Maddalena. It consists of 7 larger islands and 50 small islands. In the early 1700s, only a few Corsican shepherds lived on the islands. No one else had interests in them and they were forgotten in the peace treaty that in 1720 made Sardinia part of the Principality of Savoy. It then became the Kingdom of Sardinia, which also included Piedmont.

Napoleon's first defeat

73 years later, a mere 24-year-old Napoleon tried to conquer the islands. Now there were 867 residents. They were engaged in smuggling, which the island's unclear affiliation provided fine conditions for. In the first attempt, Napoleon had to return to Bonifacio due to unsettled weather conditions in the Strait of Bonifacio. In the second attempt a couple of days later, he managed to cross the strait and sail over to the islands. 

A several days bombing was initiated. The Kingdoms defense, however, was so strong that Napoleon had to retreat. This was Napoleon's first defeat. But it was also the start of a process that, a few years later ended with Napoleon conquering Corsica after having expelled its leader Pascal Paoli. 

A few years later, the English fleet under the command of Lord Nelson anchored in the archipelago. The aim was to protect Sardinia from a French invasion. To avoid diplomatic entanglements, Nelson avoided to go ashore during any of his three stays, the longest of which lasted 18 months.

In recent times, the United States and NATO also had a naval base in the archipelago. To the regret of several of the residents, it was abandoned as late as 2008. Today, only the Italian naval command resides on the archipelago.

The archipelago is the only protected waters in western Middelhavn and has some of Sardinia's most beautiful beaches. It is a popular destination for tourists and leisure sailors. In 1994  it was laid out as a national park. This means, among other things, that anchoring in a leisure boat requires a permit. It is easy to get and can be bought online, but for a maximum of 6 days at a time.

La Maddalena

We visited the port of La Maddalena. It is located on the main island of the same name. The town has a rich selection of cafes, restaurants, specialty shops and a good supermarket. The port is located almost in the middle of the city. From the cockpit we could follow the lively cafe life, while scooters and Fiats drove past on the city's main street a few meters from us. Almost like being a spectator in a live version of Felini's "Roma Roma". 

In the next few days an unfriendly beaufort 8 blew from the west. But we lay safely in the well protected harbor and saw more of La Maddalena and the neighboring island of Caprea. This was where the young Garibaldi came on his way to exile. Later he returned and spent his otium at Caprea after having been one of the driving forces behind the creation of Italy. The kingdom of Sardinia also had a significant role in thid and its king Vittoria Emanuele became Italy's first king. 

Complications

When the wind blew off, we got ready for departure. Started the engine and threw the moorings. We came only a few meters out from the quay when the engine stopped.

... hmmm

I turned the ignition key and pressed the start button. The engine started immediately, but when Pia pushed the throttle forward, it stopped again

Missing diesel? Air in the system? Before more options flew through our heads, we looked down into the water. There was the culprit. The hauling line had been wound into the propeller. None of us had the courage to jump into the water, dive and wrap the line off the propeller. We waved to a ormagiatorre who immediately sailed towards us.

"How could that happen?" He asked in astonishment. But before we could answer, he cut the hauler line on both sides of the propeller, replacedthe line ashore with a new one, which he tied together with the line in the water. Now the hauling line could be used again. Then he tried to unwrap the rest of the line from the propeller - in vain. We started the engine and put it in reverse. It stopped - again.

… Hmmm - again 

"We need a diver," our ormeggiatori said resolutely.  

"It's going to be expensive," he continued, raising an arm and with quick movements rubbing his thumb against his index finger to leave out any doubt as to who should pay. 

«OK»

"But it's Sunday and I'm not sure I can get one," he continued as he dialed a number on his cell phone. Then followed a brief conversation. Then he looked up at us

«Twenty minutes and it costs 200 €. OK ? »

Much and annoying money. But our bargaining power left us no other option than to say yes please while trying to look relieved

Help and a little more

Twenty minutes later, the enterprising ormeggiatori returned with a man in a diving suit. The man put on diving equipment, slid smoothly into the water, dived and sent bubbles of air up to the surface. Two minutes later he reappeared. Triumphantly, he held out a hand with the stump of the line in the air. We and the many spectators who had gathered on the quay to follow the drama clapped enthusiastically. As an extra service, our man dived once more under Heron and tightened a screw holding an anode.

And then we were ready to sail on.

Costa Smeralda

In the late 50s, a consortium led by the Saudi Arabian prince Aga Khan bought land on the coast opposite the archipelago. There was no infrastructure and the area was plagued by malaria mosquitoes. They were  first exterminated when the Americans sprayed with the new wonder drug DDT.

Roads, waterworks, telephone systems, electricity and garbage facilities were constructed. Villas and hotels were built according to strict architectural requirements for colors, height, materials and visibility. A golf course and several tennis courts were laid out. Finally, a marina was built - Porto Cervo - with an adjoining 'village' with shops, hotels and restaurants.

Inspired by the emerald green color of the crystal clear water of the area's many bays, one of the consortium's famous architects suggested calling the area Costa Smeralda.

"The Costa Smeralda is for people with more than an average fortune," said Aga Khan. He later moderated to “We are not stupid. We know there are not enough billionaires to make a 55 kilometer long leisure area profitable. There will be something for every wallet ».

Glamorous characters like Peter Sellers, Greta Garbo and Brigitte Bardot and notables like Princess Margaret and King Juan Carlos were invited to the Costa Smeralda. Others came to. Even today, the small coastal area is one of the most luxurious holiday areas in Europe. Later, holiday areas were laid out elsewhere on the island. Today, tourism is Sardinia's largest and most important source of income.

When we got out of the harbor we sailed south along the Costa Smeralda. On our starboard side were high rocks. At the top, several were shaped into imaginative figures of the Mistral. It emerges on the French Atlantic coast, builds up through the Rhône valley and blows across the western Mediterranean. When forced through the Strait of Bonifacio it becomes even stronger on the northeastern side of Sardinia. Here it blows so heavily and so often that it has over time changed the shape of the hard rock peaks.

There were several boats on the water. Some came towards us. Most were charter boats. They had just embarked on a one or maybe two week holiday cruise. Weather permitting, they would probably reach Bonifacio. From there, they would sail back to the marina from which they had started. Off Porto Cervo a race was underway and in the bay just south of the harbor lay a megayacht at anchor.

Porto Rotondo

When we had rounded the outermost of a couple of small rocky islands, we changed course, set sail, came again under the shelter of an island and glided in the flat water down towards Porto Rotondo.

Porto Rontondo is referred to as part of the Costa Smeralda. Strictly speaking, it is not. It was built almost 10 years later by the Venetian Donà dalle Rose. Today it is owned by a Sardinian family business that has the production of cork as its core business. The Aga Khan's consortium has long since sold its holdings on the Costa Smeralda (apparently at a handsome profit). Today, the oil state's Qatar Investment Company owns the consortium's former holdings.

'Come back after six o'clock. Then I'll probably find a good berth for you, 'assured the guard, smiling, as we entered the port office to hear if we could get another berth than the one we with a' no capisco 'had been allocated by a very young ormeggiatori.

When we got back to the port office, the guard took out a map of the port, pointed to a place and said

"I suggest you go there"

«It looks fine »

«How long will you stay? »

« A couple of days »

"OK. Then just sail across the square. Try to find your way. You can pay when you leave »

The next 4 days it was blowing hard. First from the northeast. Then from the west, when a Mistral suddenly reached us.

All the boats in the marina were fine in the strong wind. Next to us lay a boat similar to Heron. It was from Gothenburg and, like most other boats that lay here, was ready for winter. There were no swells in the harbor. "There never is," explained a ormeggiatori, who looked after the boats several times during the day. The winter fee was the lowest we had yet seen in the Mediterranean. The whole area was video-surveilled. Carabinieri´ere drove there several times a day. The archipelago was magnificent to sail in and it was almost 15 kilometers to the airport in Olbia.

Winter in the water again?

Maybe not so crazy to winter here. Even though we due to the winter accident in Menton, were planning to let Heron spend the winter 'on the hard' as the americans say. 

We went over to the port office and asked a lady if we could stay in the square until spring.

"Let me see," she smiled. Ten minutes later we had a rental agreement (So much easier than when we were looking for a winter place in the South of France last year)

The mistral disappeared as suddenly as it had come.

The seven Germans on the boat opposite us now had only two days left of the week they had rented the boat.

“Porto Rotondo is fine. It has been great to be here. Now we can just sail to La Maddalena before we have to hand over the boat. But so it is with boat holidays. Last year we had rented a boat in Greece. We were not out sailing a single day, "said one of the men as they got ready in the morning for the first and second last sailing of their holiday week.

We had to agree that the German was right.

Porto Rotondo is nice. Cafes, restaurants, shops and low pastel colored townhouses with lawns are located down to the circular harbor basin. From here there is access to the small town with a piazza, a church and an amphitheater. From two small basins there is access to the large basin through a narrow entrance with curved wooden bridges. 

It is as if the founder Donà dalle Rose was inspired by his hometown Venice when planning and building the little town. 

Next to the bay is a hotel and two smaller beaches. Three residential areas surround the little town. Four beaches with white sand and turquoise green crystal clear water are within walking distance.

Smeralda expedition

In the afternoon we sailed on a trip to explore Costa Smeralda

When we had come out of the harbor we both set sail. Tightened the sheets as much as we could and crossed over to the bay of Cala di Volpe. It was in this bay that Dodi al Fayed's yacht was at anchor when paparazzi photographers began the hunt for him and Princess Diana. From there, they fled to Paris, where they died in a car accident.

“Stay away if your boat is shorter than 100 feet. That bay is only for megayachts” warned a review on Navily (Navily is an app where you can review and read reviews of harbors and anchor bays).

But the season for megayachts in the bay was over. There was not a single one. All anchor buoys were removed. Hotel Cala di Volpe, whose presidential suite is Mick Jagger's favorite, was closed. We sailed a tour of the bay, felt a bit like "Palle alone in the world" and sailed on to Porto Cervo.

Porto Cervo with the super rich

An hour later we arrived at the outer pool of Porto Cervo. This was where Sarah and Thijs had been anchored in their 28-foot sailboat in August. Price for a single night 150 € (1.125 Danish kroner for a single night to avoid any doubt). Here, too, the anchor buoys had been removed and the basin was completely empty. 

We were received by a slightly irritated ormeggiatori who directed us into a berth in the more than half empty port.

The next day we went up to the church Stella Maris, whose simplicity creates a strange contrast to the discreet but luxurious surroundings. From there we found over to la 'village', where most well-known luxury clothing, cosmetics and jewelry brands were represented with their own shops.

While eating lunch at a café, we watched tour buses pick up and drop off tourists to this distinctive city. On the way back to Heron, we stocked up on what was absolutely necessary in a small supermarket with several empty shelves and high prices.

"Everything dies when we come to October. It's almost like pulling the plug, 'said the talkative girl at the port office, where we had gone up to pay.

“We ourselves have 20 seats. The rest is Qatars. We get 30% of the fee when we let a berth . In two years we will have more berths. Then we revise the fees and get more boats out of season, ”she explained when we asked why there were so few boats in the harbor.

Cannigione

We sailed on along the Costa Smeralda. After a few hours we reached the small town of Cannigione. It is located at the bottom of a bay surrounded by mountains. The city was a pleasant contrast to Porto Cervo, which in its discreet and elegant luxury seemed a bit dull. Without coziness, as we say in Danish. In Cannigione, the plug had not yet been pulled . There was life in the main street. At one shop we bought local wine that was bottled directly on the bottle from a large cask. In another shop we managed to find an oil filter, which we had difficulties in getting in Menton in the spring. Cafes and restaurants were still open and at the end of the main street was a well-stocked supermarket. Here we provisioned the goods we could not get in Porto Cervo.

Windy and Meteo (our two preferred weather models) had for a few days unanimously exposed a strong Mistral to the area. But now it looked like it would reach us within the next 24 hours. We left Cannigione and sailed back towards Porto Rotondo

Soon there was silence

Shortly before we passed Porto Cervo, we got the news of Kim Larsen's death. An era in Danish music and self-understanding, which we really knew was over, was now definitively over. Sad. We sailed into Cala di Volpe. Dropped the anchor in 3 meters of water with a fine white sandy bottom, had a late lunch and swam while we listened to the long memorial broadcast on Danmarks Radio. As the sun was about to set, we raised anchor and sailed back to our regular spot in Porto Rotondo.

At night, the Mistral came. It lasted like last time for 4 days.

It is closed for this year

“We’ve been wintering here for the last ten years. Everything will be shut down in a few weeks, 'said the Austrian, who had invited us on board his boat. «But it is cheap to rent a car here and there is a good shopping center 15 minutes drive from here»

The Austrian was right. Porto Rotondo was also closing down. The selection in the small supermarket had become visibly smaller. In the city, the windows of cafes, restaurants and shops were now shuttered for the whole day. Yet most of the harbor was open. Two cafes proclaimed on a sign that they were open all year. It almost felt a little reassuring.

We rented a car and stocked up in the mall the Austrian had recommended.

Olbia

When the Mistral stopped again, we sailed to Olbia, which with 60.000 inhabitants is the fourth largest city in Sardinia. From here there are regular ferries to Genoa, Livorno and Rome and trains to Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia. Several European cities can be reached from the airport. Here is also a department of a university that researches and teaches tourism. The city has many restaurants , shops and historical monuments. It is visited by a fair number of tourists, but seems more like a busy metro for north-eastern Sardinia than a tourist town.

There are several marinas in Olbia. Two of them are located in the city center a few minutes walk from the city's lively main street. One is owned by the municipality. It is free to stay here, but there is no access to water, electricity and toilets. It is there in the other, where in return a port fee is charged. An eyewitness account of rats swarming in the municipal harbor after dark caused the male part of Heron's crew to insist on choosing the latter. But the story was over 30 years old. Now there was neat and clean all over and the whole crew enjoyed being one in town with a lively pulse.

One more expedition

On the third day, Lars, who we had shared a boat with, signed on before we bought Heron almost 10 years ago. He had flown from Copenhagen at a little past seven and boarded less than 3 hours later. We got ready for departure and said goodbye to our English neighbor. They had been sailing around the Mediterranean for 2 years and had gone 'all in' after the last few years had sold their house in England. Now they were toying with the idea of ​​starting a circumnavigation of the globe next year.

There was no wind and we motored out of the long entrance to Olbia. During the afternoon, the sun had warmed the land and sent a sea breeze from the southeast toward us. We set sail and got a pure whipped cream sailing (we call sailing sailing without waves in even winds) through the archipelago to La Maddalena.

The next week we visited Caprea and Cannigione again, anchored in one of the many other bays and returned after almost a week to our winter berth in Porto Rotondo.

The professionals

The next few days it blew again well.

" Fantastic trip. We logged 12 knots close hauled on the way home from Maddalena, ”said the skipper of a 70-foot sailboat that had just been docked ay a berth opposite us.

“We got the boat from the yard in the spring. We sail to Genoa on Saturday, get a few repairs done under warranty and then come back and stay here over the winter »he answered when asked where they were going.

«The rig is the same type as the Volvo Ocean racers. It is very strong and weighs almost nothing. The engine spins like a cat and then I have lithium batteries installed with a capacity of 750 amps »he answered proudly when asked if he was happy with his new boat.

«Lithium batteries? Then you do not need the solar panels »

"No. But the owner insisted on getting it, 'replied the skipper in a less enthusiastic tone, which may have been due to the realization that the boat was not his. Or maybe the annoyance that the owner had not understood the benefit of the expensive lithium batteries.

"Do you know if I'm doing this right? "Asked Lars, who was preparing the squids he had bought when we provisioned in the mall.

"No idea, but I know someone who does," replied the Skipper, shouting, "Madeleine, these people need your help."

Soon Madeleine sat in the cockpit and confirmed with a glass of red wine in her hand that Lars was on the right track.

She and the skipper made up the crew of the boat. They both lived in Sardinia not far from Porto Rotondo. She had been hired by the skipper, whom she knew well. "It's only on the big boats the crew is hired by an agent," she explained.

She loved sailing and when she disembarked in November she was going tracking in India.

"I have tracked a lot in the area here in Sardinia," she said, willingly telling of places she thought we should see.

The next morning we drove Lars to the airport.

Hinterland

Two days later we went to see the hinterland of the coast. On advice from Madeleine we limited our trip to the northern half of Sardinia.

Here were the ruins of the Nuragh people's temples, tombs and villages. Highlands with mountains and rivers. Forests where older people gathered giant mushrooms. A cafe where loud-mouthed hunters sat with long knives in their belts. 

A coastal town that still reflects having been under Spanish rule 300 years ago. A road cut into a 45 kilometer long mountain wall, falling from hundreds of meters vertically down to the Mediterranean.

Roman baths with hot springs. A hotel in the midst of the deserted maki. 

Picturesque mountain villages with wide views and imaginative paintings on the building facades. A seaside resort with many Danes and spectacular beaches that could only be reached by boat.

Live-aboards

After almost a week we were back in Porto Rotondo.

Several boats had arrived; while we had been away. Most were abandoned for the winter. A few were worked on during the day, but at night there was no one on board. Two left the port and one, who was on his way to Malaga after having visited the Black Sea, stayed for a few days on the guest bridge because the couple on board liked the port so much.

The `live aboard` community was not large, but the better we looked for the more ´live-aboards' we discovered. Such as South African Marc, who had to stay all winter on his father's boat and was desperately looking for a job. Or the Dutchman who smoked strong tobacco and some evenings played long guitar solos with full distortion on the amplifier but otherwise did not talk to anyone.

"This is normal. The bad weather yesterday is the abnormal »said our French genbo as the sun again shining from a cloudless sky.

«That is a good way to look at it. Where are you going? »

“I live in Ajaccio in Corsica and always stay here in the winter. Here is cheaper and the port is better protected. Do you come over for a glass of wine? »

The Frenchman named Richard was born in Algiers and had been deported along with 1 million other Frenchmen when Algiers seceded from France in 1962. He had worked all over the world, had sailed most of his life, gave us a good tip on how to moor for the winter and told about his boat trips to Tunis, Algiers and Morocco. 

The days went fast.

In the morning we made Heron ready for winter. In the middle of the afternoon we went to one of the four beaches and swam in the water. It was still over 20 degrees hot. When we got back, we got a capucino at 'our' cafe while the sun went down.

Two days before we were going home, a Norwegian boat was sailing. The skipper Christian, who also owned the boat, said they had sailed from Oslo in June. They had sailed 'around' to the Mediterranean. That is, through the English Channel, across the Biscay and down along Spain and Portugal to Gibraltar. They too were to spend the winter in Porto Rotondo.

Back home

On the day of departure we got up while it was still dark. Went through the checklist for the last time. Drove out the airport. Here we said goodbye to Christian. He was planning to go home a week later and drove with us to pick up a rental car at the airport.

It seemed to be another great summer day. We got into a completely Norwegian airlplane. This summer's last direct flight to Copenhagen.  

A few hours later we landed in an 20 degree colder Kastrup. Here we were welcomed by our children, their girlfriends and little Augusta, who somewhat puzzled participated in the warm welcome.

The next couple of months will be busy.

The house in Humlebæk has been sold - again. But this time the buyer has no regrets and will take over the house in a few months. Before then, it must be emptied - completely. We will also spend some time decorating the apartment in Hellerup. And then we are to be grandparents again. To yet another girl who has already been given the name Luva, even though she has not yet come into the world.

In late April we go to Sardinia and continue sailing in the Mediterranean.

Where we will be going ? We are not quite sure

Yet