France
bareboat charter.

## Why sail France

France gives you two coasts that don't sail alike. The Côte d'Azur is short hops between busy harbours and headline names — Cannes, Saint-Tropez, the Îles d'Hyères. Corsica is the opposite: granite, maquis, anchorages you reach by reading the chart properly. Our live fleet sits in Corsica, and that's the trip we know well. A week out of Ajaccio or Propriano puts you within reach of Bonifacio's chalk cliffs, the Lavezzi reserve, and the red rock at Scandola without long deliveries.

It's not a beginner's coast. The wind funnels, the holding varies, and August is busy. But the water is clear to 20m, the food on the quay is honest, and the distances are short enough that you sail in the morning and swim by lunch.

## Sailing areas and harbours

Our charters run from the west coast of Corsica. **Ajaccio** is the main base — Napoleon's town, a working port, easy flights in. From there the standard week runs south: Porto Pollo, Propriano, Bonifacio, the Lavezzi islands, then back up via Porto Vecchio if you've taken the boat round to the east side, or back to Ajaccio if you're staying west.

**Propriano** is the quieter alternative start — smaller marina, easier provisioning, less queueing in July. **Bonifacio** is the set-piece: you motor in under the cliffs, med-moor stern-to in the old harbour, and the town is above your head. It books out weeks ahead in season.

The **Lavezzi archipelago** between Corsica and Sardinia is a marine reserve. Anchoring is regulated, moorings are limited, and you want to be in early. The **Scandola reserve** on the north-west coast is the other showpiece — you can sail past, you can't anchor inside.

For crews who want to cross, **Sardinia's La Maddalena** is a day-sail from Bonifacio. Customs is straightforward, both EU.

## Season, winds and weather

The Corsican season runs **May to October**. Shoulder months — May, June, late September — are what we book ourselves. Water is swimmable from mid-June. July and August are hot, busy, and the prices reflect it.

Three winds to know:

- **Libeccio** — south-westerly, the prevailing summer wind on the west coast. Builds in the afternoon, drops at sunset. Good for reaching south from Ajaccio. - **Mistral** — north-westerly, cold and hard, more common in spring and autumn. Can pin you in harbour for a day. - **Scirocco** — southerly, warm and humid, brings poor visibility and a swell on the south coast. Bonifacio's harbour entrance gets uncomfortable in a fresh scirocco.

Forecasts from Météo-France are reliable. Plan around the afternoon build, not against it.

## Charter types available

We currently list **one yacht in Corsica** — a bareboat monohull suitable for a couple or a family of four to six. That's the fleet, honestly. We're not going to pretend otherwise.

What that means in practice:

- **Bareboat** if you've got the licence and the miles. ICC or equivalent, plus a VHF certificate, plus a sailing CV the base will read. - **Skippered** on request — we can arrange a local skipper for the week, day rate on top of the charter. Useful if you want to sail but not navigate Bonifacio's entrance yourself. - **Cabin charter and crewed catamarans** — not in our Corsica fleet at the moment. Ask on WhatsApp and we'll tell you honestly whether we can source something or whether you're better off elsewhere.

## Costs — what to expect

Ranges, not quotes. The boat is the smaller part of the bill once you're sailing.

- **Yacht hire, west Corsica, monohull 40-50ft**: shoulder season is meaningfully cheaper than peak August. Price on request for our specific listing — it moves with the calendar. - **End cleaning and final fuel**: typically a fixed fee at handover. - **Marina fees**: budget €50-€150 per night depending on size and harbour. Bonifacio is the top of that range. Wild anchoring is free where permitted. - **Lavezzi mooring buoy**: a per-night reserve fee, paid on the water. - **Provisioning for a week of six**: €400-€700 if you cook on board most nights, more if you don't. - **Eating ashore**: a konoba-equivalent quayside dinner for two with wine, €70-€120 is normal. Bonifacio old town runs higher.

Fuel is the wildcard. A week of mostly sailing burns very little; a week of motoring into the libeccio burns a lot.

## Sample route — a week from Ajaccio

**Day 1 — Ajaccio to Porto Pollo.** Short shake-down sail, 20nm south. Anchor off the beach, swim, sleep on the hook.

**Day 2 — Porto Pollo to Propriano.** 12nm, easy. Pick up provisions, eat ashore, fuel up.

**Day 3 — Propriano to Roccapina or Tizzano.** 20nm down the coast, anchorages under the red cliffs. The Lion of Roccapina is the landmark.

**Day 4 — round Cap de Feno into Bonifacio.** 25nm. Time the entry for morning light. Book the mooring ahead. Walk the upper town in the evening when the day-trippers have gone.

**Day 5 — Lavezzi islands.** 6nm out, pick up a reserve buoy, snorkel the granite. Back to Bonifacio or anchor at Cala di Sciumara if the weather holds.

**Day 6 — return leg north**, broken at Campomoro or Porto Pollo depending on wind.

**Day 7 — back to Ajaccio.** Hand the boat back clean and fuelled.

That's roughly 110nm of sailing. Doable for a competent crew with one rest day built in.

## Getting there and practical arrival info

**Ajaccio Napoléon Bonaparte (AJA)** is the main airport, 7km from the marina. Direct flights from Paris, Marseille, Nice, and seasonal routes from London, Brussels, and a few German cities. Taxi to the harbour is short and metered.

**Figari (FSC)** in the south serves Bonifacio and Porto Vecchio, useful if you're chartering from a southern base.

Ferries from Marseille, Toulon, Nice and Italian ports (Livorno, Genoa, Savona) take 5-12 hours overnight. Bring a car this way if you want a road trip either side.

**Documents**: ICC and VHF for the skipper, passports for everyone, EHIC/GHIC for EU and UK citizens. Corsica is France, no separate customs.

**Provisioning**: large supermarkets in Ajaccio and Propriano. Bonifacio is small shops only and pricier — stock up before.

Right for couples, families with teenagers, and crews who can handle a med-moor. Less right for first-time charterers who want hand-holding, or distance sailors looking for big passages — Corsica rewards short hops and patience with the afternoon wind.

Bareboat means you skipper. You'll need a recognised licence (ICC + VHF, RYA Day Skipper or ASA 104+) and a confident hand aboard — if no one on the crew is qualified, take the same yacht skippered and our captain drives.

We brief you on the local navigation: the channels and headlands that funnel the wind, where to anchor versus take a mooring, provisioning ports, and the best first-timer route versus the longer run for experienced crews.