The Needles

On Sunday, the Club left Lymington in thick fog and eerie calm, crossing the Solent with visibility down to a cable or less, we passed a couple of ghostly drifting yachts, but thought the sea empty apart from the Needles foghorn and the IOW ferries' regular blasts well East of us. However, once across, an easterly breeze swept the fog away revealing a vast armada of motorboats and yachts, bearing down abreast across the entire width of the Solent, just keeping clear of the fog. If it had cleared 10 minutes earlier we would have been rabbits on the motorway.

The mist added a dramatic quality , the cliffs could have been 1000m high.

Fog still swirled around,

as the Club ended the Needles play session with a fast 'follow-my-leader',

threading the pinnacles and lighthouse. Occasional sets of swell added to the interest, but, only one capsize and rescue amongst the rocks.

Corsica, part 2, The South

This is the second part of our trip to Corsica, check out part one. We took a week or so to paddle from Piantarella, E of Bonifacio to Capu di Muru, the idea was to continue to Ajaccio, but the long forecast bad weather finally arrived and we scuttled back to Propriano with the wind.

The wind scoured limestone cliffs of des Bouches de Bonifacio, with their deep caves, often looking as if the sea is merely reworking existing cave systems,

and the town itself. Even when it is variable Beaufort 1-3 elsewhere, it is 6-7 in the Bouches.

The granite Lavezzi, tempting close to Sardinia.

Approaching Capo di Feno, we were pleased that the SE F7 was from behind and that the SW swell was meeting the wind blown chop half a mile or so offshore, setting the yachts pitching violently, and not on the headland.

Granite and more granite is my memory of the rest of the coast.


With idyllic beaches,



spectacular views from headland to headland,

fine sunsets, and camping on the cast up sea-grass. Hot by day, but chilly at night.