Anchorage

Cala Longa

Shelter: NW, N, W, SW
Seabed: sand, rock, algae
Anchoring: Allowed

Deep Corsican cove on the Bouches de Bonifacio, east coast of the southern tip, 1 nm SE of Sant'Amanza bay and 3.4 nm east of Bonifacio.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the east, the cove opens between limestone cliffs and is easy to identify. Mixed bottom of sand, rock and posidonia: sand lies through the centre with rock round the edges and closer to the beach, so keep to the middle and pick a clear sand patch in 5 to 8 metres. Anchoring is prohibited on the posidonia meadows under the Parc Marin International des Bouches de Bonifacio regulations. Holding is good on the sand and has held a near-gale from the WSW. Sheltered from NW through W to SW, open to E and SE where the levant builds steep seas.

Practical

No services on site. Nearest refuge Sant'Amanza, 1 nm NW, offers a sheltered bay with restaurants ashore. Marina de Bonifacio, 3.4 nm west, has full services inside the fjord-like natural harbour.

Ashore

Small beach at the head of the cove, with villas on the slopes above and little going on ashore. Cove inside the Parc Marin International des Bouches de Bonifacio, created in 1999, one of the largest marine protected areas of the Mediterranean. Limestone cliffs of the plateau bonifacien rise 60 to 70 metres, same formation as Bonifacio's clifftop citadel. Hiking on the Sentier du Littoral towards Cap Pertusato 4 km south, lighthouse from 1844 marking the southernmost point of mainland France.