Calvi, Last day of May

It's quite a weird sensation, seeing snow. The last couple of days - feeling hot, the sky blue, people on the beach and swimming in the water. Mountains rising inland and on top, very clearly, there is snow. I didn't believe it at first, but the peaks are between 2,500 and 2,700m high, so as high as we were skiing in March.

But to backtrack, the Scandola nature reserve is very red, very craggy - the only breeding ground for a bald-headed buzzard (very rare) and an important habitat for all manner of endangered species. There are several "heart-in-mouth" passages between vertical rocks / islets (one called dog-leg passage) - narrow with deep water channels. The sea-state had not yet calmed sufficiently for us to try any of these until towards the end of the reserve so we decided to go through a gap just for the fun of it. An unnerving experience to see rocks that close either side of you!

Now in Calvi, the Citadelle rises hewn out of the rock on a promontory. It took a severe battering from Horatio Nelson (this time from land as it is impenetrable by sea) and the damage inflicted has not really been repaired. Inside, there is still a garrison, and the individual dwellings are slowly being renovated as bijou residences and restaurants. But still impressive. This is where Nelson lost his eye, apparently helping(!) Paoli reclaim Calvi from the nasty Genoese.

Calvi old town is a nice place. We are anchored off in the bay. There is another storm brewing out in the Golfe de Lion, that will impact us tonight or tomorrow/tomorrow night. Today for the first time it is overcast, the odd spot of drizzle and there is a thundery feel. So will probably stay put here for another night and see if we can move on tomorrow.

But showtime is beginning, we are coming into main season, the big boats are coming out to play - no doubt by crew, who are preparing them for their billionaire owners to join them shortly. So we can watch the antics of the big boys. Mind you, looking down at the anchorage from the top of the Citadel, we did look exceedingly tiny in comparison to everyone else. But pretty and perfectly formed - as other HR owners will testify.

No signals here, so not sure when this will go up. Plan is to go up and over the top of la Corse to Bastia and from there back into Italian territory to the island of Elba. 'Til later. Xx

Wednesday 1st June - Still here and stuck. There are further gales blowing. Now it is a libecce, a southwesterly. In Provence the forecast has been for F8/9 occasionally F10. And F8 for Bonifacio Straits and F7 for us. We are dancing around our anchor in Calvi Bay and cannot even get ashore, it is too rough. Typically French, our neighbouring boat anchored too close to us and now Madame keeps looking out anxiously (and accusingly) as they yaw and swing perilously close to us. But all anchors seem to be holding, a boat has just limped in with a flapping genoa, torn and completely shredded. Hope this does not go on too long. The noise and weaving about is wearing on the nerves, and cabin fever will set in…. But by the time you read this we will have moved on and all should be well.