31 August to 3 September 2026

Bonifacio has a stunning marina and an old town perched atop a cliff and well fortified with a citadel. Our hotel, le Royal is in the centre of the old town at the crossroad of two main, bustling and very touristy streets.

It’s been nice to wander around, sampling some of the ubiquitous pizza, local beer and a new drink for the season – a Campari and soda.

We saw some very ,very large and  expensive motor yachts, from Italy, Panama and the Caribbean and the sailing yacht, Scorpione of London (formerly known as Pink Gin). It is a massive, high-performance 46.22-metre (151'8") luxury sail yacht. A crew of seven and eight guests, it is privately owned.

The expression ‘grotty yachtie’ actually applies to those who work on sail. They just don't have the panache of staff on motor yachts.

Monday 31 August. The ferry back to Toulon was the same as the way over. Same staff too. We boarded at 9 pm and grabbed a seat at the front, pointy end bar to watch the departure. Well, we were distracted by two Italian women fighting over where they were to sleep on the banquettes. Flashy called “Cat Fight” but after a push and shove and of course, the traditional Italian slanging match, the silly younger tart was relegated to a lower banquette. The staff just smiled. Security? What security.

I know I have said it before, but why the Ferry Operator allows grotty backpackers and cheap tourists to sleep in corridors, on floors and in bar seats is beyond me. No safety briefing, life jackets or anything resembling a briefing on how to survive a sinking at sea either this time. Luckily some of us know port from starboard.

Also we got cabin 7919. That’s the port hole at the very back of the ship. Not sure if transom is the correct term, but there was nothing abaft us except the inky blue Mediterranean. Another noisy, fitful sleep.

Docking at 7.30 am, we took off straight away for Cahors, about a 6 hour journey with stops and arrived at the Terminus Hotel in time for a walk around and an evening meal. Burgers and wine were just OK.

Comfortable and clean room and a swift departure for the 5-6 hours to home in the morning. We stopped at Aigre and Nanas Café for a late lunch, reacquainting ourselves with the owner and enjoying a lovely fresh salad. The local car wash took care of our Sahara desert sand covered car and Intermache provided supplies on the way home.

Comments

  1. Graeme3 September 2026 at 00:54

    I think stern is the correct term for the rear end of a ship. The transom is from whence the outboard motor falls when it is not correctly secured to said transom.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Roger3 September 2026 at 07:02

    Years of exemplary seamanship, but you F*** one goat ....

    ReplyDelete

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