To reach Corsica from the mainland, there is the ferry or the plane. This summer there is now another option to cross the Mediterranean Sea. It is more ecological but costs a little more: the sailboat.
After a look at the weather charts, checking the life jackets, it’s off. “We are leaving the port for Calvi”, announcement by walkie-talkie Frédéric, the captain of the sailboat. This 15-meter-long monohull makes daily connections all summer long between Saint-Raphaël and Calvi, on the northwest coast of Corsica. It is an initiative of the company Sailcoop. The idea is to try to offer a slightly more ecological alternative to the plane or the ferry to cross the Mediterranean, two options that consume fuel and therefore emit greenhouse gases.
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This crossing will last between 18 and 20 hours. On board, Jérôme, a 30-year-old Belgian passenger, is going to join friends in Corsica and he is convinced that we can no longer consume as before: “I try to show people that there is a way to do it. I took the train from Brussels so there is a way to go from Brussels to Calvi or even further to Corsica, in almost ‘zero carbon ‘.”
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For this trip, the balance is almost “zero carbon” because for lack of sufficient wind, half of the journey is finally done by motor and not by sail. In 2022, on average, four and a half liters of diesel were consumed per passenger. It is in the name of this ecological interest that the company Sailcoop won the green light to test a daily line this summer.
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It has a cost. The one-way trip by sailboat is 240 euros per person, compared to 40 euros on average for a ferry and often less than 100 euros by plane. Still, for the eight passengers who can board, it’s a different experience. “Holidays really start on the boat, believes Frédéric, the commander. Whereas when we take the plane, we can’t wait to get to the airport to be in Corsica and be on vacation”.
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Passengers can enjoy the landscape: oily sea, no one on the horizon, a slight rolling is heard. A dinner is served on board, facing the sunset and for the lucky ones, facing some dolphins. Once night falls, everyone returns to their cabin, wooded and cozy. The next day, the sailboat sails a little longer to reach its destination, the port of Calvi. “About something, it takes the same time as by ferry but it’s ten times more pleasant. It was a very nice crossing”assures Jerome.
A continent-Corsica connection by sailboat – Agathe Mahuet’s report
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