The Linton Hope schooner, Morwenna raced for the first time since 1932 and Corsica Classics was the regatta of choice.
The Captain, Robin Kenyon, reports:
After a delay in Calvi for a day whilst the SW blew itself out the fleet made its way to the stunning Golfe de Girolata for the race to Ajaccio. Light onshore breezes made for a long day but the spectacular backdrop of the coast and squeezing around Cap Rossu kept a shine on events. We think it was also the first race for Morwenna since the Fastnet in 1932, a cause for celebration in its own right! After crossing the line it was still a fair few miles to Ajaccio. With the sun setting the race was on to get through the pass inside the Iles Sanguinaires before the inky black night set in. We made it but not without trepidation as it really was very dark, and I am always loathe to trust the GPS but trust it we had to do.
We were stern to the quay by 10pm. After a beer on board I made my way into the old town to find a pizzeria for take-aways for the crew. This achieved, a tired and hungry sailor stumbled back to the boat with the pizzas, taking in the ambience of the old town. As I looked up at the street sign I discovered it was Napoleons’ birth-place. Ah the sense of history of it all!
So the next day was the race to Porto Pollo. Tibo, ever the media man, set the starting area close into the port providing a suitable back drop for his TV cameras. We skipped the first cocktail party, staged on the beach near the finish, deciding to keep our powder dry for the next one further on in Porto Pollo. Well worth the effort as the restaurant had laid it all on with spectacular views over the bay. Tibo is a well connected man as the level of free hospitality we received in all the different ports of Corsica was a thing to behold.
The next stage of this Corsican Classic regatta had us racing down to Bonifacio. Mate! What a place for pirates. The entrance swallowed us up as we entered at dusk. Tied up at the head of the harbour cocktails were once again in full swing, followed by regatta guest international DJ Charles Schilling spinning some discs and twiddling knobs in a near by establishment. I caught up with him for a rum prior to his set in a pirate’s cavern and he is very keen on getting more involved with the classic scene in the future. What a dude! On board we also had Manu, a Parisian electronic sound engineer of Daft Punk fame. He dug the whole classic deal too and I made sure his camera was full of shots of him loving it at the helm.
The next leg saw us starting off the cliffs in a squally 20 knots plus beating against the current past the southern most point on Ile Lavezzi. They were conditions to revel in. Following the finish we decided to sail the remaining 10 miles in a fading breeze all the way to the breakwater off the harbor of Porto Vecchio. I reckon our boatbuilder-helm extraordinaire, Yann Mauffret, was at the helm for almost 7 hours. Such is his natural passion for sailing.
Porto Vecchio capitanerie laid on a great feast and plenty of booze to satisfy the thirsty sailors. Then the party began on the pirate ship ‘Sirena’ with much revelry and a lot of passion on the foredeck.
Back to Bonifacio the next day with some great pilotage through inner passages. And then party party party on Oiseau de Feu until the early hours.
The next day was an in-port race from Bonifacio. The crew on Morwenna were tired and lonely (there were only 2 of us left). So we walked off our hangovers down and up the famous stairs in the cliff and got our act together for the prize giving on the ‘Belem’. Well done Skylark for winning the most pots. A quiet night followed as most crew were too exhausted from the week to send it any further.
Tibo and his team did an amazing job with this event. It’s a lot to organize but they somehow manage it with very little sleep. If you’re after something different from the standard med regatta fare this could be the one for you.
