Sailing with the Treleavens

With lots of very good memories we leave the Italian and French Riviera. We have no complaints and will be back. The people where helpful, the food great and the cruising ground fantastic. We are very fortunate to see it all from the water and found it no more expensive than anywhere else. We loved the ability to either go into towns big or smalland enjoy the restaurants, cafes, shops, museums and churches or you can anchor off in bays and just enjoy being on the boat.

Our crossing to Corsica was very uneventful and had to motor - sail all the way, 170 miles to Bonifacio, taking 26 hours. We have now linked up with our sail around the Mediterranean, we where in Bonifacio 14/10/2003, it was very late in the season then and snow on the mountains.

Bonifacio is magnificent from the water with its clinging white cliff top houses and natural Calanque harbour.  Janey leaves us here to join Maximus the super maxi from NZ in Porto Cervo. We will join them on the 1st September and I am looking forward to being in a marina for 10 days and enjoying some days on my own while Ian is racing.

Corsica is untouched by developers with lots of natural inlets and islands to visit with rugged, crystal clear beautiful bays. Renowned for its wind, we watch closely as to where to anchor. Port de Rondinara is a bay that features in all advertisements of Corsica, a moon shaped beach with turquoise water and golden sand. With fantastic all round shelter it give's us time to slow down to do some domestics.

We think we have found paradise when 2 catamarans full of Aussies arrive and the English keep calling out, what's the cricket score. We are asked to a party on the 4300 catamaran and accept before we see the banner go up "The Castle". A very noisy night and a line up of inflatables trail the Cat. Even the Italians, with magnum in hand, joined in, thinking we are a bunch of young ones.

Too much for us, we head out to the island of Cavello where the rich and famous have holiday homes and a very busy helicopter pad. This area looks like a pile of huge boulder stones landed here, some created islands and others lie everywhere in the sea. The homes are camouflaged amongst the boulder stone and still very natural looking. As for the lethal boulders, in the water we are paying extra attention to the charts.

Crossing to Sardinia is only 8 miles to yet another group of islands called the Archipelago of La Maddalena National Park with beautiful contrasting colours of red rock, deep blue water to sky blue water over white sand. I have never visited a beach that is completely out of bounds to everyone. Pink Bay is a small unique pink sand beach that is immaculate and very special. The reason that no one is allowed here anymore is because the people where taking the sand. You can walk around on a wooden constructed platform while being watched by not very nice custodians.

The water way is full of cruising yachts but the weather is not being kind to us. Still August we are surprised at the sudden cooler change and hoping the summer will return, but it doesn't stop us swimming and snorkelling in warm clear shallow water. I see a lot of sand castles but the sculpture of a nude woman in photo has to be the best.

There are more than 40 inlets around the seven islands covering 49 sq km. They charge you to anchor for every day you are here and for a boat our size it costs $55, the only thing in our favour is that they have to find you.

Summer has returned and every bay is another wonderful sight of wind shaped granite rocks and on the east side of the islands the water has changed to emerald green. Our favourite islands being three islands Razzoli, Budelli and Santa Maria that come together and form a very protected passage way.

We are now on our way into Porto Cervo for the Maxi Worlds. Forecast is beautiful days with light breeze and looking forward to seeing 40 Maxi's racing. Ian is to become a kiwi and I will sit on the fence. Here from Australia is Scandia and Maximus from NZ.

Very hard to leave St Tropez as we love it so stay longer, why not; times like these make us appreciate that getting around as we do leaves us free to move whenever we want to. The weather is perfect; one thing that has surprised us is it's not a very hot August and even the nights are cool.

Port Grimaud is only a few miles away from St Tropez and we spend a morning taking a look at this modern day Venice style, yacht-laden, waterway. Once a swamp in 1960, it is now 7km of canals, colourful traditional style terrace houses and 3000 boats individually at their doorstep. Very well planned with bridges over the canals but too enclosed for me.

Our stay wouldn't be complete if we didn't have one more day at the Nikki Beach Bar. Taking the yacht around to the 3 mile long golden beach we treat ourselves to an afternoon lying on huge mattresses, drinking rose wine and eating sushi, pretending to be rich. By the end of the afternoon the credit card is given a "you only live once" signature and then it's up to me and young Ian to navigate Cadiz back to St Tropez. Where is Ian… well he is in dream land; he lay next to this beautiful Romanian brown bare bum all day.

Ashore in St Tropez we enjoy a very good morning shopping, it's so good here for clothes and CDs. The beach bars have a set of music on their own CD and are the latest in electronica/dance music. Dean Martin move over, we now groove while we sail.

Up until now we have only had BBC Radio on the SSB to listen to but now we have found Riviera Radio 106.5 in English which has been a pleasant change.

Time to move on, and after a calm night between the Lerins Islands off Cannes, we head back once again to Antibes.  Its young Ian's birthday and we taxi to Juan Les Pins for dinner on the beach, literally shoes off while sitting in the sand, as the tables are to the waters edge.

One leaves and the other arrives, our daughter Janey has joined us for a week while Maximus is sailing to Sardinia and young Ian has gone home very reluctantly. He had such a good time in Europe for his annual holidays and can't wait to return next year.

Nice is the capital of the Riviera and we are lucky to get a berth in Vieux Port, a very tiny quaint marina near the old town. Surrounded by French architectural apartments and restaurants that specialise in moules et frites (mussels and fries) we find the most pleasant marina staff we have dealt with to date. A walk into the old town of Nice is charming as it hasn't changed its structure since the 1700's.

Crossing our path once again is James Pegum and we dine ashore, very nice to catch up.

This morning we woke to a thunderstorm, heavy rain and a washed boat. Nothing like a good storm to clear the air, we now have crystal clear days. Villefranche looks stunning as the pastel coloured cottages are wet and with a sunny morning the colours are vibrant.

It's a dog's life here in France as there seem to be no rules. When we flew inland I sat next to a dog in a basket and the dog ate the meal. You constantly see dogs sitting on laps at restaurants and as for the bars, they run wild under the stools having their own fun. Consequently you have to watch where you walk on the pavements.

Now back in Monaco and it takes a lot of talking to get a space in the marina. Have you ever seen Ian take no for an answer? In this beautiful small immaculate Principality I have never seen so many super cruisers lining the 3 marinas. We are all very lucky to be here.

One thing that we do find very trying is the different plugs and tap connectors that each marina uses. Ian has become very adapt as an electrician and plumber at changing them but you would think that the French would standardise things.

All dressed up, we walk to the casino square, a dazzling display of lit up white stately buildings, immaculate centre garden all lined with expensive cars. The casino is surprisingly small but dramatic but the odds at the tables don't look good to me so I prefer to watch.

Lunch at the very stylish Yacht Club de Monaco, and surprised to see a model of Merit Cup in pride of place. Merit Cup is our old Volvo 60 Merit. We had forgotten that Grant Dalton had sailed under this yacht club for the race. We had a quiet stroll around this very small state, and were very tempted to do the ride in a Ferrari around the Grand Prix circuit.

Back to our humble yacht, we now plan to cross to Corsica tomorrow, on the tail of a mistral.
 

Wind, wind, wind, but now in the right direction so we are having a fabulous sail back along the coast. Eat your heart out to all our guests this year; we are finally sailing in fresh winds of 30 knots all day, every day.

Marseille wouldn't be complete if we didn't visit the baron islands just off the port. The magnificent Château d'If standing guard was the fictitious Prison to Alexandre Dumas' the Count of Monte Cristo (23 movies have since been made of this novel). Anchoring off this white stone rugged island the imagination runs wild, after a very good tour through the prison cells, where the movies are continuously shown. Leaving with the novel to read
understanding the hardships he would have gone through.

We have gone as far west as planned so now we are retracing our steps and revisiting our favourite places along the coast to Monaco before we cross to Corsica.

Spending two more days in the Calanques with Young Ian, it truly is a very beautiful place, but the wind is a menace. The Pilot book describes the Calanque Port Miou the best along this coast, well; here we have our worst night. All very secure tied to permanent moorings but we roll all night, nothing romantic tonight I can assure you.

By day Young Ian has me climbing the cliffs, diving and snorkelling but I draw the line at dare devil jumps from the cliffs to the water. The wind out side is looking good for a fast sail and I can see Ian eager to put up the sails, so off we go at 4pm, not intending to go very far. However, at 8pm and 40 miles away I call it a day and we take shelter on the eastern side of Presquile de Giens (a great sail hitting 12 knots with Andrea on the helm, and Young Ian way out the back surfing in the dinghy taking photos).

This is pink flamingo area and next morning not knowing where they where, we go on a wild goose chase in search of these beautiful birds. 3 hours later and only a melon in hand we return to the boat without seeing any flamingos, Ian is not amused.

The Islands of the Hyères are here and even though it's very windy we sail across to the National Park on the Island of Porquerolles; a beautiful green island and wonderful variety of trees even some   Australian Eucalyptus trees. Nature at its best with walks and cycling but today the trails are closed due to high winds and that's a fire hazard. The most beautiful bay on the island is Notre Dame and tucking in close behind a point we get some shelter and swim in turquoise coloured water, but we soon have to get going, so once again all sails are up and we surf our way back under blue skies to
the main land for shelter.

Not wanting to miss the last island in this group we are up early and out to see Ile de Port Cros before the wind gets up. Port Man harbour at the eastern end with its Fort at the entrance is tranquil and full of boats. A long walk to the fort, a wasp sting and a swim with the jelly fish, it's all too much and would rather go sailing.

The beach at the Baie de Pampelonne behind St Tropez and made famous by Bridget Bardot is 30 miles away and by the time we get there the wind has died and once again the 2 Ian's are off to the beach bars. The latest and greatest bar is Nikki's (we just missed Paris Hilton) set back from the beach and you have to see it to believe it; outside set on huge white mattresses, matching umbrellas, loud music and a water fight with champagne beside the pool (it's not a place where a lot of clothing is worn). Ian is
glued to what ever and counting the bottles of champagne (I think). The Mistral is back with a vengeance, so back to the boat, and we have another one of those turbulent nights at anchor off St Tropez. 40 Knots all night and with 60 metres of chain out in 6 metres of water, I am very pleased with our big anchor as we don't move.

We spend the morning watching mini Wally yachts (playthings for the rich and famous) match racing around the harbour using super yachts as makers, and then a glitzy night in St Tropez with oneround of drinks at $70, but still a very beautiful place to be.