Anchorage

Falaises de Bonifacio

Shelter: N, NE, E
Seabed: sand, rock
Anchoring: Allowed

Anchorage below the limestone cliffs of Bonifacio on the southern tip of Corsica, 0.4 nm from the fjord-like harbour entrance.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Approach from the south between Capo Pertusato and the harbour mouth. The bottom is mixed sand and rock, with sandy patches in around 6 m, but the rock is fissured and the anchor jams easily, so several crews have struggled to recover it and it suits a daytime swim stop more than an overnight. Sheltered from N, NE and E winds, fully exposed to the libeccio from the SW, when boats retreat into the goulet. Wash from passing yachts builds from mid-morning.

Practical

No moorings, no services on site. For a night aboard a sandier anchorage lies further south along the coast. Bonifacio marina lies 0.4 nm NW through the natural inlet, with 170 berths, water, diesel, showers and full provisioning on the Quai Comparetti.

Ashore

Staircase of the King of Aragon cut into the cliff, 187 steps down to the sea. Old town on the cliff edge 0.5 km up from the marina, Bastion de l'Étendard and Saint-Dominique church from the 13th century. Marine reserve of the Bouches de Bonifacio starts immediately east.

History

Bonifacio was founded in 828 by Boniface II, Marquis of Tuscany, as a fortified post against Saracen raids. Genoese from the 12th century until the French annexation of Corsica in 1768.