27th of September '24
Port de Taverna, Corsica - Isola di Montecristo
44.2 Nm
(total 131 Nm)
morning wind 4 Bf, afternoon increased to 6 Bf
morning mainsail + jib, afternoon just main sail 2nd ref (24 Nm)
morning sea 3 Ds, afternoon 4 Ds
Sailing on a broad reach. Around noon I lowered the jib and took the steering wheel because the waves from the side were unpleasantly tilting the boat while sailing with autopilot.
By around three o'clock I had also lowered the mainsail and for the last 2 Nm to the island, I was sailing only on engine.
I headed to the northern leeward side of the island to look for a bay suitable for anchoring. However, I assessed all the ones I passed as "stuck anchor on a rocky bottom".
On top of that, there were gusts of wind coming down the hill that ranged from 30-35 knots. The boat, set broadside to these gusts, was tilting considerably even without sails. So I cut and ran and moved further north to a respectful distance from the island, out of reach of the gusty wind.
It was clear that there would be no rest at anchor. I let the boat drift and lay down in the cockpit to rest (dark green line on the map below).
Around ten-thirty in the evening, a wave that tilted the boat threw me to the bottom of the cockpit... and so I set off again... course north... destination was Elba.
