August 18, 2022

Medicane in Corsica 2022

A fierce storm with hurricane strong winds hit Corsica on the morning of Thursday eighteen August.  The worst hit was the West and Northern part of Corsica with winds reaching record speeds of 121 knots, this recorded at Marignana to the West of Corsica.  The same storm also hit the North Tyrrhenian sea particularly the region of Tuscany couple hours later.  Over five hundred boats and yachts received some damage, with about one hundred of these receiving extensive damage which made them unusable to use before repairs are done.  Some of these unusable boats and yachts also ended up beached or sank and are a wreck.  Six people where reported dead in Corsica with three dying in Italy because of the storm with one of these being related to boating. 
The 2022 Mediterrean Summer season was particularly hot, with sea temperatures reaching thirty degrees at the beginning of August, result is that a medium strong cold front ends turning in a Medicane, a Mediterrean Hurricane.  Storms like this has happened in the past, possibly of lower intensity, but it is also important to note that our weather reading has become much more precise and sophisticated in recent years.  Being in high season and Corsica a popular destination created the right dooms day environment for all this chaos to happen.  
A Mondomarine Arrow 50 is seen before sinking outside the Saint Florent marina.  Designed by Cichero the Mondomarine Arrow was released in 1984 first as 52 and then rebadged as 50.  The model was produced till 1992 with an Open version released on the same hull in 1987.
This eighties Raffaelli Middle Flying mt 12 was a lucky one at Saint Florent who ended starboard side on the South West breakwater of the harbor, while a sail boat unknowingly pulled him to the middle of the marina before the boat suffered further damage, and possibly a sinking. 
A Princess V53 is seen beached in Calvi the worst hit area with tens of boats, most of which sailing yachts finishing beached.  In Calvi most of the swing moorings failed with boats ending up hitting each other, with the end result being tens of boats and yachts damaged.
Another Calvi victim here a Beneteau Swift Trawler 34 ended in a difficult beaching, in between rocks and extensive damage to its bow.
Possibly this was the worst damage in a beach near Calvi where this Cranchi E52 F Evoluzione has separated from its upper deck and had its hull split in two.  Forward to this was also a beached Beneteau Antares 9.80.
An Absolute got some damage to starboard stern side when a classic sailing yacht broke its moorings in Marina di Carrara in Tuscany.  Important damage in Carrara also happened to dry stacked racing sail yachts, which flew off there cradle.  The World beating Maserati trimaran of Giovanni Soldini also sustained damage in this storm.

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