Cala Lazarina

After a couple of days in Bonifacio we decided to move on to Île Lavezzi, one of a number of rocky islands in a Nature Reserve on the French side of the Straits of Bonifacio. The island lies in a mass of reefs but the initial approach to Cala Lazarina is quite straightforward.

Once within half a mile of the beach though, it is a case of threading your way carefully through the rocks and, in the process, trying to keep clear of the tripper boats that make their way in and out of the islands at nothing less than full throttle! The beach, off which we anchored in only 2.8m, is very well protected from almost all directions and consequently is very well frequented by tripper boats and local yachtsmen. We knew that it was a popular spot but we were still surprised at how busy it was on the first day of June (admittedly a beautifully sunny Sunday) – it must be absolutely heaving during July and August. In fact the anchorage was so busy that the available space was somewhat closer to the rocks than we would have liked.

The water was fabulously clear, so much so that when the sea’s surface was still it was easily possible to make out shells and small pebbles on the bottom. It was also surprisingly warm, possibly because we were anchored in so shallow a depth, so we braved our first swim of the year (rather than a wetsuit-clad snorkel).

As the day progressed many of the yachts moved on which allowed us to repositioning slightly so that we were well clear of the rocks. The evening was beautifully still with a fabulous sunset.

Cala Lazarina is a lovely anchorage, just the sort of place we came to the Mediterranean to find.