Anchorage

Plage de Miomo

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

Day anchorage off Plage de Miomo on the eastern shore of Cap Corse, 3 km north of Bastia, Haute-Corse.

Beach
Seagrass

Guide

Approach and anchoring

Straightforward approach from the east. A Genoese watchtower on the headland marks the anchorage. Drop the hook on the sand patches in 5 to 6 m, holding well there, and avoid the dark posidonia, which is protected and gives poor grip. The wash of the Bastia ferries sets the anchorage rolling even in calm weather, so some crews lay a second anchor astern to hold the bow into it.

Practical

Forain anchorage, no services. Mixed sand and seagrass bottom. Shelter from W, NW and SW winds blowing off the Cap Corse ridge. Exposed to the E and to the ground swell that runs down the east coast. Port Toga in Bastia lies 1.9 NM south and Erbalunga 2.1 NM north.

Ashore

The Tour de Miomo, a round Genoese tower built in the 16th century as part of the Cap Corse coastal defence system, stands above the beach. Behind the beach are a bakery, pharmacy and small supermarket, a beach shower, and the Torre Mare restaurant. A coast road runs to Erbalunga, a fishing hamlet with restaurants and a small square, 2 km north.

History

The coast of Cap Corse was fortified by the Republic of Genoa between the 16th and 17th centuries with a chain of watchtowers to signal Barbary corsair incursions. The Tour de Miomo is one of around 85 such towers still standing on the island.