Cannes to Sicily - passage plan mid Oct

[gstent]

Any suggestion of a passage plan for Cannes to Sicily in mid October? Due to a change in plans we have just taken delivery of a Lagoon 450 and want to get to Sicily to leave it for the winter. Safety the priority of course. Short handed. Should we go via Corsica or is it safer to go via the Italian coast? Weather has been intense here for the past week - 55 knot mistral from Marseille to Toulon. Been at anchor outside Port de Cannes for a couple of days in 25 - 45 knots ENE - and an interesting night anchored in the passage at Il Ste-Marguerite in 50+ knots - long night! We are feeling a little bashed around and don't want to push it.

[bikesherpa]

Hi,
If I had time, I'd go to Cannes, Sanremo, Macinaggio in Corsica (a short 80 Nm passage), Elba and then south on the Italian coast.
You'd have a rather long passage to Sicily, if you went South on the Sardinia coast.

[JONA]

hi,
Yes the wheather is not nice and forecast too!
IMHO, I would suggest the east coast of Corsica and Sardegna because you should have better sailing conditions and less ferrie's traffic.Just take care on meteo between Corsica and Sardegna ("bouches de Bonifacio").You will find nice anchorage places and marinas are empty at this period!.
Welcome in Sicily! Where will you let the boat?
Gilles

[Hydra]

IIRC, there is not much shelter between Ste-Marguerite and St-Honorat...

I would go E of Corsica to avoid the "Bouches de Bonifacio" between Corsica and Sardegna, where the wind is stronger than elsewhere.

On passageweather.com, the low presently on the Balearic islands is expected to move E toward Sardegna tomorrow, resulting in strong cyclonic winds around Corsica and Sardegna until Friday evening.

On marinetraffic.com, there appears to be more traffic off the Italian coast than off Corsica.

The final choice depends on where in Sicily you are going.

Alain

[Michele iCan]

Hi,
i think you have to split your journey into two legs: both of them depends on the weather forecast. Mid-October can be very tricky, so despite your short handed condition it is better to run if possible, i mean if the wether is favourable. First leg, good weather = Cannes straight to Bonifacio Strait, cross it and call at S.Teresa di Gallura, or Palau for example, anyway east coast of Sardinia. 180 nm, only one night out, and if necessary the last miles are close to the west coast of Corsica, with some shelters (Ajaccio, Propriano, Bonifacio). This route is shorter, if anyway the mistral will be probable, the Corsica east cost is longer but more sheltered, only wind, less waves.
Second leg, by strong mistral anyway the best solution is to sail east Sardinia, plenty of wind but quick and safe. With southerlies you're adivised to wait sheltered, both in the west and in the east coast. Your last port of call can be Villasimius, south-east tip of Sardinia, or if the weather will be good you can decide to take off and make for Sicily anywhere from Sardinia coast. It depends where in Sicily you are going. The option of Elba and Italian coast is not bad, but i think it's plenty of trafic and by northerlies and southerelies the sea is always very rough.

[jreiter190]

Originally Posted by bikesherpa

Hi,
If I had time, I'd go to Cannes, Sanremo, Macinaggio in Corsica (a short 80 Nm passage), Elba and then south on the Italian coast.
You'd have a rather long passage to Sicily, if you went South on the Sardinia coast.

Best way. Mistral seldom last more than a few days, but you have following wind and seas.

[gstent]

Many thanks for your replies which give us options depending on the weather.

The marina we are considering is Marina di Cala del Sole in Licata - seems to offer a very reasonable rate for catamaran winter storage - of course open to other suggestions.

Any relevant weather sites also appreciated - thanks for those already mentioned.
The weather here is certainly more difficult to predict than the east coat of Oz

[JONA]

a "must have" for weather and sailing :
Wind and Sea Forecast | Consorzio LaMMA

see also :

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ly-135595.html

have a good trip

Gilles

[Polux]

The best course depends on the wind.

I would say tomorrow is the best day to go. Giving the wind I would went directly to Stintino on the North of Sardinia. You only need no to arrive there before 7 of October. Then I would avoid the straight of Bonifacio and would go down the West coast and would arrive at Sicily ideally before 13. You have 10 days of perfect weather, rare on October. Probably 10 days are enough to do it. After you will get strong headwinds to Sicily.

Use this for a broad picture on the weather:

https://www.windyty.com/?2015-10-13-18,38.501,11.799,7

[bikesherpa]

Hi,
The west coast of Sardinia can be very nasty in a mistral or "libeccio" (SW) gale.
Last week an Austrian crew was rescued by the Italian CG just 20 NM off the western coast of Sardinia in a F9 gale. The crew abandoned the boat which was later found ashore. You can watch the rescue video here
Mare in tempesta, il salvataggio di due 60enni alla deriva su una barca a vela
I do not think that the sea and boat conditions required abandoning the boat, but it is nevertheless a reminder that sailors should be cautious when sailing that stretch of sea.

[Charlie]

Summer before last I was trying to get my boat from Cagliari to La Spezia. It was difficult. We had wind blowing in our face constantly. I made some bad decisions because the kids wanted to get to the mainland. Shredded my mainsail. The west coast of both Corsica and Sardinia are very exposed to weather from France. I personally would make my decision based on the 3 day forecast. I would follow the main land unless there was a great forecast. From San Remo or near I would head for the east side of Corsica and then work my way down the coast. There are a few stops in Marina's but not much for anchorages till you reach the southern end. Crossing the straights of Bonifacio on the east side of the Magdalena's is a bit easier because the islands break up the waves. It can still be windy but the waves are not as big. Also staying close to the East coast of both Cors and Sard makes life easier if the wind is blowing SW because even if there are strong winds there is not much fetch for the seas to get really big. If you are in a hurry it can be dangerous.

[gstent]

Many thanks for all your advice. It sounds like that passage can be tricky in general and certainly this time of year. We have now decided that an easier passage will be to go straight to the Balearics and winter in Catagena - that was my original plan and so long as we get a weather window next week we will head off. I'll let you know how it goes!

[Polux]

Coming from Nice to Baleares can also be tricky but Cartagena is a great place to pass the winter. Fantastic natural port improved (it was a Carthaginian main naval base and that's where the name comes), very nice marina with good prices, very nice town very near the marina, great climate, good prices on restaurants and very good food

Keep us posted about the voyage.