David's Diary: Friday, May 17, 2002

Stintino, Italy to Bonifacio, France

Three days ago we left Ciutadella, Menorca, Spain. We've spent two days in Italy and today we head for France. When we set off on our Mediterranean adventure, it was just this sort of travel that we imagined. The straight between Corsica and Sardinia is often filled with gale force winds. Today, we have a modest Force 5 wind, but it's almost straight from Bonifacio. We spend some time sailing and some time motoring as we take the day to work our way across the straight.

Approaching Bonifacio

By late afternoon, we approach the towering cliffs of Bonifacio. The cliffs were home to the Laestrygonians in the story of Odysseus. Odysseus anchored at the entrance while the rest of his crew moored inside the calanque where we moor Dragonsinger. In the Odyssey, all of Odysseus' men are eaten or killed by boulders thrown from the cliffs while Odysseus and the crew from his boat escaped because they moored in the entrance. We moor under the cliffs and there appears nothing more dangerous than the tourist shops that line the quay.

Bonifacio Harbour

After dinner we climb the cliffs to the citadel that looms over the harbour. As the sun sets we look down the harbour and wonder what Odysseus thought when he was here. He might have been chased away, but we think this is a special place that we're going to enjoy exploring.