Full-day Cap Corse & Nonza

A full day along the Cap Corse west coast

Seven hours under sail to travel up the Cap Corse west coast to the perched village of Nonza, anchor in front of its black pebble beach, share a lunch on board facing the cliffs, then return to Saint-Florent in the golden afternoon light. Our full-day Cap Corse & Nonza cruise is the mineral counterpart to the Agriates day — more abrupt, more dramatic, marked by Genoese towers and cliff-hanging villages of schist.

Departure: out of the gulf heading north

Meet at pontoon E of the Saint-Florent marina at 10 AM. Welcome coffee, five-minute briefing, and we head out of the gulf due north. The departure is usually under sail: there is rarely no wind here, and the direction towards the Cap Corse lets us sail reaching or close-hauled — comfortable points of sail that get the yacht in her finest rhythm.

We first pass the Pigeon Caves, carved into the foot of the Cap Corse cliffs — a discreet spot known to the local crew, where Audouin’s gulls and European shags nest.

Sailing towards Nonza

An hour and a half of sailing along an almost deserted shore: a few isolated houses, plenty of schist rock, the Genoese towers of Farinole and Olmeta-di-Capocorso standing watch every few kilometres. This is the least-driven part of Corsica — the D80 never comes down to the sea on this stretch. What you see from the deck, no one sees from a car.

Cliffs sometimes reach 100 metres in height. The seabed drops off steeply from the coast, giving the water that deep blue intensity characteristic of the Cap Corse — very different from the bright turquoise of the Agriates.

Nonza: the postcard village

Around midday, Nonza appears. The village perches 100 metres above the sea, crowned by the square silhouette of an 18th-century Paolian tower built under Pasquale Paoli. Below, the beach extends for a kilometre of dark, almost black pebbles — the legacy of an asbestos mine closed in 1965.

Anchoring and swimming in front of the cliffs

We anchor roughly 50 metres from the cliff face, in 15 metres of crystal-clear water. Clarity is remarkable — the seabed drops off fast, granite blocks colonised by anemones and sponges visible from the surface.

Lunch break

Lunch at anchor

1 PM. Anchorage off Nonza. Lunch is being prepared. While you swim, Emiliano prepares a meal on board, composed according to the morning’s market and adapted to the dietary needs you’ll have shared at booking (vegetarian, gluten-free, allergies). Our ingredients come exclusively from local Corsican producers in short supply chains. Giacometi cuvée des Agriates wine (rosé and white), soft drinks and water included. No set menu on board: Emiliano composes day by day.

Extended swim time after the meal, a nap under the bimini, or a sunbathe on the foredeck.

Return in the golden light

We let go around 3 PM and head back to port in the gentle light of late afternoon. The sail home is usually running or broad reach, and the yacht glides gently back into the gulf. Arrival at the Saint-Florent marina at 5 PM.

A perfect complement to an Agriates day

This day fits beautifully with our full Agriates day cruise. Pairing the two — Agriates one day, Cap Corse the next — gives the most complete panorama of maritime Northern Corsica: white sand and turquoise water on one side, schist cliffs and perched villages on the other. Two faces of the same region, impossible to grasp without the sea.

For everything about Nonza, the Cap Corse villages and the AOP Patrimonio wine region that rings the gulf, consult our complete Gulf of Saint-Florent guide.