Video of First day dinghy cruising with Enrico Franconi’s “Liguria Proje ct”, with the intent to sail from East to West along the coast of Liguria, from Bocca di Magra to Bordighera, on MIRA, a homemade dinghy, class Goat Island Skiff.
We will add more over the next few weeks.
- Day 1 – Bocca di Magra – Levanto
- Day 2 – Levanto – Sestri Levante
- Day 3 – Sestri Levante – Camogli
- Day4 – Camogli – Genova
- Day5 – Genova – Varazze
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Sail and oar along the First Section of the Liguria Coast – Translated from the Italian
My Cinque Terre , as in a negative photo (above), reveal a profile and a dimension that you do not imagine: not the green, the earth and the drowsy and crowded villages, but the waves that raise Mira and break on the coast, making everything unstable and changeable. An unusual perspective . We have navigated the Cinque Terre with nobody around , except for a marvelous two-masted wood in front of Manarola. Cinque Terre out of time .
The dream takes shape: the forecast for the weekend gives a lot of clouds and lots of rain . But give the
wind: enough and above all in favor. In this season it is not advisable to wait too much, because the more you go on, the harder it is to find favorable conditions. So you go!With Nic, a companion in many adventures, we give up the moorings from Bocca di Magra at 10.30 am on Saturday 22 October , after a hike from Turin and a trip on the motorway under intermittent showers of water.
We are determined to cross the Gulf of La Spezia and go up the coast to the west as far as we can. If the conditions are still decent we will resume sailing on Sunday, then leave Mira somewhere . In the case, we have with us the need to camp.
Cruising Dinghy – the Departure under Sail
10:30 in fact, we leave Bocca di Magra and its navies already in winter , with half-empty piers and boats undergoing storage. Nicola rears along the 2 km of river that lead to the sea. Moral high and will remain so throughout the day. But the beginning is not the most encouraging: no wind, then oars . Let’s take turns. We are afraid of the possibility for today to arrive only in Portovenere, which would be a nice whammy. The coastal cruise , especially the one without the aid of an engine, is like this: you take what you get. And as a result the travel times of dilate and shrink in an amazing way.Instead, shortly after having blown Punta Bianca , the wind arrives and with him a great deal of rain. We proceed to starboard tack, towards a Palmaria Island that has almost disappeared in a curtain of fog. La Spezia is invisible. Rain and more rain. On the sail, in the boat, on the water. We hope that the stuff in our bags stays dry.
Begin to take off the vertical and barren coast of Muzzerone. At a distance of six seven knots (a few points to eight) to starboard tack, we are at a safe distance. At the far end of the left the Scoglio Ferale is our first reference.
Subsequently the wind becomes more inconstant in intensity , falling near the rocky spurs that enter the sea and then increase at the valleys of the coast. Punta Monersteroli , Scoglio Grimaldo , Punta Castagna , the head of Montenegro and its yellow medes and finally Riomaggiore , the first of the Cinque Terre and then Manarola .
Changing to Oar as the Sails Droop – just as well the Goat Island Skiff is an excellent rowboat.
So far we have gone in the carriage, but now the wind drops completely . We can not afford to do less than a knot. So out of the oars!It is a pleasant row, chatting and nibbling. Even the sun has reappeared on a placid sea. Corniglia , the only one without a landing place. Vernazza , the most inviting having the most protected port of all. Rowing blandly we make two knots around and around. It is clear at this point that Levanto is the goal for today. And it’s a great thing because from our calculations it took 25 miles to reach it. We scapolo the rocky and steep Punta Mesco , protected area when the last surprise of the day arrives: new wind.
Piling the sail on again.
A sudden wind gives us the opportunity to end the day in style: via the oars, on the sail and our cruising dinghy Mira snaps forward at four knots. It is a bowline towards the ground, towards the first lights of Levanto, being that the sun is setting right at this moment. Spectacular.
After passing the small protection dam, we land on the sandy beach . Nobody around. Slowly we inflate the two hauling rollers and pull Mira, safe from the waves. Worn out civilian clothes we enter the formidable country in search of a restaurant and a bed & brekfast. Great satisfaction. Grandissima Mira.
More about the Goat Island Skiff Plan here
https://web.facebook.com/groups/GoatIslandSkiff/
Original Article in Italian