At the age of 23, Violette set off solo from Sète on a coastal raid aboard her trimaran Passepartout. Her ultimate goal is to reach Turkey. In this 3 e section, Violette describes her crossing to Corsica and discovering the east coast.
Route change
After 25 days at sea from Sète, Violette and Passepartout discovered Tuscany, in conditions that were quite favorable for the small trimaran. But Violette is going to change her itinerary. After all, nothing is written in stone, and this trip is being carried out in total freedom, and solo:
" Originally, I wanted to ride down the Italian coast to the heel of the boot. Then I decided to change my itinerary and head for Corsica and Sardinia ".
Violette easily reached the north coast of Elba, then put herself on stand-by to wait for the right weather window:
" I wanted a perfect day to sail the 28 miles to Corsica. Passepartout is still a small boat, and the Mediterranean is in a choleric mood in winter. I need a little wind and no waves. I stayed several days in Elba, a real Napoleonic exile! But the locals were so friendly and hospitable. Campsite owners agreed to open their facilities to me free of charge ".
A weather window seems to be opening up. Violette talks to the local fishermen and confirms that Sunday will be a perfect day to make the crossing.
Small boat, big crossing
Violette heads for Porto Azzuro, to the west of the island, to be better positioned for the big sail. November 20 is the big day!
"Last night, I could see the reassuring lights of Bastia from the Isle of Elba. It's with some trepidation that I'm preparing for this crossing. There are 28 miles between Elba and Corsica. It's a big day's sailing with my boat. In these conditions, I expect to average 3.5 knots, which would mean 8 to 9 hours of sailing. I'm planning a 6:30 a.m. start to give myself a bit of leeway .
Departure at dawn, a little before 7am. You can just see it. A bit of fear at the start! It's a first for me, sailing alone far from the coast. It's the same fear I have before a big mountain race. It's a good fear, one that tells you that you're at the right level of vigilance. As an early riser, I'm treated to a magnificent sunrise over the sea!
It was an incredible day. Being alone in the middle of nothing was great. I didn't come across any boats.
After 8 hours of smooth sailing, Violette and Passepartout beachent on a Corsican beach. We achieved our goal for this beautiful stage!
The east coast of the island of beauty
In Campoloro, Violette makes a forced stop to take shelter from storm Denise. She takes the opportunity to replenish her supplies while waiting for the gale to pass.
Life as a solo sailor isn't the easiest on a small boat as winter sets in. It's starting to get cold, and Violette orders a drysuit to cope with the falling temperatures.
On November 23, as she approached Solenzara, she put in a fine day's sailing, covering more than 30 miles:
" The mountains in the distance are already well covered in snow. The coast is now wild. Miles of deserted beaches fringed by vegetation. The view of the mountains behind is magnificent. Then the weather turns cloudy, and the wind weakens. The mountains play hide-and-seek with the clouds in a magnificent play of light. "
Arriving in Porto Vecchio, Violette underwent a technical pit-stop for a few days, and desperately awaited delivery of her precious drysuit, which never arrived.
Despite this setback, Violette remains fully motivated. Heading for Sardinia in the hope of warmer temperatures!
