***relaxing on Gone with the Winds trampoline after another big day!***Lunchtime in one of Porto Cervo's swanky waterfront restaurants - but where is everyone??***Annie, Bridget and Amanda all looking very colourful in the dinghy***
We left the 'ships' to play with each other and moved onto quieter pastures. With the northeast tip of Sardinia behind us we turned left and sailed between the northern Sardinian Coast and La Maddalena archipelago. This compact island group sits between Sardinia and Corsica in the Bonifacio Straits, a renowned wind tunnel like most straits. The Maddalena archipelago is a marine reserve and national park, with different zones for designated activities. Several spots are off limits for anchoring. Although it looked lovely as we passed, the cost of the permit for staying outweighed our desire to visit it, so we sailed through in gentle seas to our next stop at Cannigione in Golfo Arzachena. Our first encounter with the Straits of Bonifacio went well.
We stayed 2 nights here, another pleasant local community with a low key tourist presence made it an enjoyable place, plus there was a bar with a big screen tv, another World Cup Football semi final was watched, skipper was content again.
Our time in Sardinia was nearing the end. On yet another clear sunny day we moved 10 miles west to our next spot in Porto Liscia. With just an almost deserted campsite ashore and only two other yachts in the bay Sardinia continued to surprise us with its open spaces, beautiful anchorages and lack of tourists and cruising yachts. Sure the huge power boats were there, but they huddled around Porto Cervo and were seldom spotted further afield. It was a great place to cruise in relatively sheltered waters, endless shallow anchorages most with clear water and sandy bottoms and plenty of places to hide if the dreaded 'mistral' winds decided to visit .
We had only travelled around 70 miles since arriving from Ponza in 13 days, my sort of day sailing. What we couldn't understand was why so few boats were there, but we sure weren't complaining!!
July 11 dawned clear and sunny yet again, but there was an unexpected 10-12knot breeze blowing from the west. We were planning to stay to watch the World Cup final, but the lure of a beam reach across Bonifacio Straits was just too much. So it was ciao for now to Sardinia and all things Italian, down with the green, white and red courtesy flag and up with the blue, white and red instead - Corsica here we come.Cruising info for Cannigione and Porto Liscia:-
Anchorages -
Cannigione - 41 06.485N 09 26.83E 4.5m sandy patches amongst weed. We heard you could tie up for free on the inside wall of the outer breakwater for the marina which is unfinished and there were some boats there. Not many bollards to tie to though.
Porto Liscia - 41 11.875N 09 18.931E 6.5m sandy patches amongst weed. Its a big long bay and we were in the eastern end
Communications - WIND dongle, TIM and Vodafone phones all working ok
Money and Provisions - Cannigione has everything you would expect from a small town. Fuel dock on outside wall of marina. Nothing at Porto Liscia except small bar and windsurf school
