Monacco
In Monacco we stayed in the small boat marina which was quite reasonable. This marina is directly across the highway from the supermarket. We tried and succeeded in getting our grocery cart from the store to the marina but it involved carrying the cart up some stairs. Backpacks would be better.
France
Corsica
Our first stop in France was the island of Corsica coming across the Bonafacio
straits from Sardinia. We went first to Porto Vecchio to meet friends and
this proved a wonderful anchorage in a large deep bay.
Many boats raved about the spectacular anchorage at Rondonaria just south of Porto Vecchio.
We also stopped at Bonafacio which is sort of a must. There are a few anchoring spots but you need to have a boat that backs up well and be confident about putting it in a tiny spot and getting a line ashore to hold you there before all hell breaks lose. It was very windy and not our cup of tea so we sprung for the marina which gave us a chance to sample the wonderful dockside restaurants.
We had a hankering to see the wild west coast of Corsica. It was fun and mostly all went well but there are definitely not a lot of protected anchorages so watch the weather and have a backup plan.
In Adjaccio you can anchor waaay in close to shore by the supermarket otherwise you will be anchoring in 60 feet. We took a bus up and train back from the old capital inland at Corte which was worth the trip.
Good anchorage and well protected at Galeria and hike to the tower.
We also enjoyed Girolata where we anchored one night and took a mooring the next night. Excellent walks and great views. The coast along this stretch is really pretty and rugged.
In Calvi the marina came out and warned us that the impending storm would be way to rough to sit outside and so wisely we took the berth they offered for several nights.
We found tolerable protection in the Baie de Macinaggio for an overnight stop before departing at about 4 am on a long passage to the Italian mainland at La Spezzie.
French Mainland
By the time we were in France it was October and 25+ knot winds were occurring every few days. Places that other boats had reported anchoring in September were far too rough now. We anchored at Villefrache for one good night and several rolly ones. We stayed at Marinas in Antibes, St. Tropez and Toulon taking trains to visit Cannes, Nice and Marselles.
From Toulon we jumped off for an overnight passage to Barcelona, Spain.