Corsica, Quickly
Time was not on our side in Corsica. Our very ill generator died at our last stop in Sardinia. Sadly, it was the 19kw generator that can run All The Things All At Once (A/C, washing machine, water maker, etc) therefore allowing us to pretend we don’t live on a boat. We have a small 9kw generator as well, but it can’t handle more than one major appliance at a time. Do we sweat while cooking dinner or should we make or use water? I say all of this lightheartedly, because many cruisers don’t often run a generator at all, make their own water or have A/C or a washing machine. We don’t take any of these things for granted, but it sure is sad when something isn’t working.
Luckily, after scouring all of Europe, Russ found a new replacement generator, 17.5kw, the LAST ONE. It was in Spain but the Spanish holidays were upon us so the already short work hours would dwindle to nothing. They could get the old generator out (requiring a dockside crane) and put the new one in if we could arrive within 4 days. After that, we would have to wait more than a month. As we were already on a timeline to get to Gibraltar to position for the Atlantic Crossing, it was now or never. Long story long, this left us with about 48 hours in Bonifacio, Corsica.
This was sad. Corsica is unbelievable and Bonifacio awe-some. The harbor itself is a narrow cut between high cliffs, lined with yachts and a strip of restaurants and shops on one side, the old walled city at the top. It is so narrow we had to back into our slip the last little bit, but I nailed it, Gus and Russ got the lines on and now we wish we had a drone video.
Corsica is French! That means hot baguettes and flaky croissants, crepes filled with nutella or gruyere, supermarkets bursting with amazing cheeses and ready-to-eat beurre blanc and creme anglaise. I filled the fridge with pre-made pastry, par-baked bread, and rounds of brie.
When we weren’t eating we hiked. We found the most beautiful trail along the ridge between the harbor and ocean and found our way down to what we thought from the water was a white sand beach. In fact, it is layer upon layer of rock that shines white under the sun, and walking down through it is like walking through evolution. Jordan got a quick swim when we lost a water bottle. Amazingly, at the top of the ascent back up to the ridge was a food truck so we emerged from the astounding scenery to fresh burgers and frites. This is why we love all things French.
The evenings were cool with a bit of rain, a fall chill in the air. Since the boat was docked, we enjoyed a family dinner in the old city with Gus and Hannah watching a beautiful sunset. (At anchor we always have one person on the boat so we rarely get on shore together.) The next day we left for a multi-day sail to Castellon de la Plana, Spain, to get our new generator.
