July 13

Hi from Tapestry,
Before I tell you of today's adventures, I should probably mention some of
what the cruising life is like. Imaging yourself living with your mate 24/7, in
a house 35 feet long and 11 feet wide. Most of the time there is no escape.
There is no work to go to, no tv, little radio. When you travel, you tilt 10 to
20 degrees. Anything you left on the kitchen counter falls to the floor and
breaks. Most everything you do takes strength and balance. Lose your balance
and bruises or cuts result. Laundry is done in the sink. Water is a constant
concern. You NEVER let the water run. Navigation is important. A mistake can
sink the boat. Each night that you anchor there is the constant threat of
breaking loose and landing on the rocks. There is always the the fear of other
boats breaking loose and crashing into you. You seldom sleep well at anchor.
It is essential that you have a safe place to stay each night, but marinas
seldom take reservations, marina operators speak little English, and, if all the
marinas are full, night navigation is dangerous and not wise in these parts.
Mechanical failure of any kind is difficult to repair and often very expensive.
The boat requires regular maintenance, most of which includes filter and oil
changes of the three engines on board. It is messy, nasty work. Shopping
requires walking, sometimes miles, and carrying everything back to the boat.
Small towns don't often have taxis. You hear very little from home. U.S. news
seldom makes the B.B.C. world service. It costs $100. minimum U.S. to have your
mail sent from home. You pay for overnight delivery, but expect two weeks
before it arrives, if you are lucky. It seems like a very romantic life, but
when the temperature approaches 100 degrees, there is no air conditioning, no
wind, and nowhere to go to escape the heat, well, then you have an idea of what
the "cruising life" is like.

Today, however, was nothing like most of that.
We left Maddalena at 8, motored through the small harbor and headed across the
Straits of Bonaficio to Corsica. The wind was on the nose at first, and the
diesel droned as we plunged through small waves. On the port side we spotted
the "bear" an overhanging rock formation that looks for all the world
like a bear sitting on its haunches. Homer mentioned the formation in the
"Odyssey."
Finally, we entered the Straits of Bonafacio. This area is renouned for
strong winds, but today they were moderate, about fifteen knots. It was a
gorgeous day. Gradually the winds fell off to port and we raised sail and shut
down the engine. As we sailed along the white chalk cliffs of Bonofacio rose
above us. Yachts of all sizes, along with a huge container ship, showed us of
what a busy port this is. Tapestry heeled far to starboard, we gushed ahead
under full sail. It was wonderful. By 10:30, we had arrived at the cliffs and
spotted the harbor entrance. It was narrow, but very busy. Yachts, large and
small were motoring in and out in a constant stream. We fell into line and
suddenly found ourselves being passed by a sightseeing boat to starboard as a
huge sailboat approached to port. I tried to take video, steer, and control the
speed all at once. Not possible. We squeezed through the entrance which opened
to a beautiful harbor, but the busiest I had ever seen. Suddenly there was an
inflatable dinghy pressing against the side of the boat. A red faced French boy
was yelling something at me in French. I assumed he wanted to know if I needed
a slip. We spotted our friends on Sugalite, and pointed. He raced ahead and
found us a spot just one boat away. We squeezed into the slip and finally tied
up. what a beautiful and spectacular place! Tall cliffs with beautiful
buildings surrounding the water. There is a huge fort at the harbor entrance.
Homer describes Bonafacio in the Odyssey. His fleet sails into the harbor,
hidden from the sea by chalk cliffs, and most of the ships head for the interior
(where we are) to anchor for the night. He is suspicious and anchors in a
little cove near the harbor mouth. The locals attack during the night and rain
rocks down on the fleet. Only Odysseus and his men escape.
After just a few minutes we are greeted by James and Karen from Blue Heron,
an H.R. 43. They are American friends from San Francisco. They invite us for
drinks and suggest we all walk up to the old city for dinner before the
fireworks. Tomorrow, the 14th, is Bastile Day, a big deal in France.
Steve and Jan demonstrate their new washer - wringer by washing our sheets,
and then we walk up the long ramp to the fort and the walled city. It is a
magnificent edifice with breathtaking views. Later we do cocktails aboard Blue
Heron and then climb again the stone ramp and over the drawbridge to the old
city. Dinner is in a hole in the wall restaurant with rough stone walls and
wonderful food and wine. Later we return to the boats as fireworks rain down on
us from the old fort. The night turns from fireworks to music.
To say this was a neat night, doesn't say it.

More later, Hank and Julie

Continue the voyage