The Elements

After filling up with water at the lifeguard station, we went in the tender to snorkel at the rocks at the end of Cap Negre. There was a variety of fish of different colours, some tiny juvenile blue ones to multicoloured wrasse.

The afternoon was spent sitting under a cloudy sky reading and appreciating being slightly cooler. The sky grew blacker and blacker throughout the afternoon. The forecast had warned that there could be thunder storms and we were about to take a direct hit. The wind began to increase and the rain started. We took everything inside so it didn't get wet and then we experienced a monster of a storm! The boat was at anchor and laid on its side by the force of the gusts which were phenomenal. We soon became soaked and very cold. Most boats dragged their anchors and were forced to head out to sea away from the rocks. As the storm continued we started to move too. In all only about 10 metres but we started the engine and prepared to take to sea. The gusts continued to weave and turn us in all directions but we have never been heeled over with bare poles! Our anchor must have found some good ground to hold on to which was a huge relief. The holding in the anchorage was poor because of the weed (posidonie - sea grass) which produces a lot of oxygen like a rainforest. The whole scene can only be described as carnage. A powerful motorboat tried to re anchor unsuccessfully near to us and was hit with a massive gust that ripped off his stainless steel bimini and deposited it in the water.

Once the storm had passed a little yellow boat anchored near to us. They called over asking for our telephone number to send a photo they had taken whilst we set our anchor again. And here we are under a rainbow!