NEEL 51 LOFT | L'OCTANT

Check-in available in the afternoon at the Charter offices in the Embarkation Marina. After finishing the quick procedures of taking over the boat (technical check-in) and boarding the galley, you can enjoy an aperitif and dinner near the Marina or alternatively set sail immediately and enjoy the first sailing.

After breakfast, set sail to the bay of Sagone or Cargèse (depending on meteorological conditions). Sagone is a small fisherman’s village hidden in the far end of a large bay bordered with a long white sandy beach. A few miles away, Cargèse is made of a harbor and a typical village, located in the heights. The town was long ago settled by a Greek colony. Lunch on board, nautical activities, relaxation and explore the village.

After breakfast, you will sail alongside the wild coast and admire its jagged heads and deep creeks, you will discover Cala di Palù and its renowned stone totems, and eventually the typical « Sugarloaf”. Mooring and lunch at the « Swimming Pool », a creek fringed with sheer rocks. You will enjoy swimming, snorkelling or kayaking. After lunch, you will set sail to Les Calanques de Piana, a sight of vast caves, red, orange and pink, granite cliffs and spiky spiralling carved into amazing animal like rock formations and then to the Gulf of Porto, a classified World Heritage site by UNESCO. You will bypass Capo Cenino before reaching one of the natural marvels of Corsica: the Gulf of Girolata, its Genoese bastion and its fisherman’s village. Mooring for the night in Girolata creek.

After breakfast, sail to the Scandola Natural Reserve. With its wild coast, bordered with tortured reefs and islets, the protected reserve of Scandola is one of the most beautiful geological phenomenons in Corsica. Only day mooring is permitted within the reserve, which allows a temporary visit, thanks to the tender, of this reef’s labyrinth. Snorkeling will let you admire underwater cliffs and countless fish. Mooring and lunch in Scandola, then swimming and departure to Calvi. Calvi, for centuries under Genoese domination, pretends that Christopher Columbus’s soul still inhabits the town. The quays are now crowded with lively bars and restaurants. Uptown, the narrow streets snake to the magnificent citadel. Mooring for the night in the marina.

In the morning, free time to visit Calvi and then departure to the Gulf of La Revellata: swimming; relaxation, snorkeling, kayaking. After lunch, route to Girolata. South of Calvi, landscapes become wild, steep, and cut into a bright red granite. Sailing is the best way to discover the Natural Reserve of Scandola and Corsica’s beautiful coastal vistas. The volcanic origin of the island as well as wind and water erosion created breathtaking landscapes: abrupt cliffs, red rocks with tortured shapes, deserted creeks. Further south, discover Girolata a small fisherman’s village, one of the last places on the coast that is unaccessible by roads and still inhabited. Girolata has a dreamlike quality that's highlighted by the vivid red of the surrounding rocks. A short stretch of stony beach and a few houses are dominated by a stately watchtower, built by the Genoese later in the seventeenth century in the form of a small castle on a bluff overlooking the cove. Nautical activities and mooring for the night in Cala Muretta or Cala Vecchia.

Another call around Capo Rosso and its numerous belvederes, in order to visit the sites not seen during the first stop. Then sailing to Cargese, a typical harbor that became a famous Mediterranean seaside resort. Its history is stamped by the settlement of a Greek colony in the XVIIth century. Swimming, relaxation, nautical activities and mooring for the night.

This last day will be spent sailing to Sagone Bay, where we will drop anchor for a swim and lunch. In the afternoon, you can visit the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte and take your time to enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the city and wander around its cafés, restaurants and little shops to buy a souvenir. Return to port is scheduled for late afternoon.

Disembarkation is scheduled in the early morning after breakfast.