Sicily Sailing Journal By Kali, Nautilus Yachting

My role in Nautilus Yachting generally means I spend my days researching sailing locations, checking availability, and confirming yacht prices. Over the years, I have seen some fantastic options pop up in Sicily, combining top-quality sailing with unmissable seasonal discounts.

With that in mind, I decided that this year I should head there myself and take advantage of the significant discounts that arise during October Half Term. 

Once I discovered a two-year old 47' Dufour 470 for £1600 I took this as a sign to gather my crew, head to Sicily and skipper the biggest yacht I have chartered since getting my Day Skipper.  

 

Day 1 - Saturday - Porto Rosa Marina

The day started with an early flight from London Gatwick to Catania Airport.  There were lots of options for flights to the Island, however, this one from Gatwick offered the best balance of price and number of hours sleep the night before. The marinas serving the Aeolian Islands are a fair distance from the airport, and hiring a car proved to be the most cost-effective way of getting to the marina. A car also meant we could provision from one of the local supermarkets, as well as providing an opportunity to stop for a nice lunch before boarding the boat at 5pm. 
Its was during the orientation that we realised the Dufour 470 is a big boat.  Four double cabins, four heads and a skipper cabin (if your skipper is 5'7" or below).  Once orientated, we unpacked settled in and sought out  one of the marina restaurants for Pizza and a cold glass of something nice. 

Day 2 - Sunday - Porto Rosa Marina to Porto Rosa - Lipari, Punta della Crapazza 23 NM

Checking the week's weather and following the hints and tips of the base, our week's sailing looked to be a leisurely two-day sail to Stromboli, followed by island hopping on the way back to the marina.  
Leaving the marina at 10 am, we tentatively took the boat out of the marina.  Porto Rosa Marina, although filled with boats, is a wide marina with lots of room to manoeuvre,  which was a relief when taking out a 47' boat for the first time.  Once in open water with just 4-5kts of wind, we opened up the engine.   Just as we got going, we spotted a pod of dolphins feeding just 100m away. Just as the excitement of that died down, another member of the crew spotted lots of dorsal fins from a second pod popping out of the water.   An amazing start to the holiday. 

With today's wind skirting around 6 kts, we spent the day motoring, raising and lowering the sails, and desperately trying to see more dolphins. The day ended with us anchored in the strait between Lipari and Volcana. We enjoyed a late afternoon swim and one of the best sunsets I have had aboard a boat.

Day 3 - Monday - Lipari, Punta della Crapazza to Stromboli, Marina del Gabbiano. 28 NM

A new day and waking up to being the only boat in a quiet bay was a fantastic reminder of why I love sailing off-season. My early morning of bright blue sky and a morning coffee on deck was interrupted by a local fisherman asking if we wanted to buy any of today's catch.  With my broken Italian and their broken English, we realised we were okay for fish, and he pootled off to find his next customer. 
Today looked to be the longest day of sailing, so we got moving.  We called the marina in Stromboli, booked a mooring buoy for the evening and headed into the wind. 
Motorsailing for most of the day, we experienced some really surreal moments of sailing between and towards a smoking volcano.  As we got closer to Stromboli and its familiar conical shape, we spotted villages perched on the hillside. As we drew closer to the Marina, we could see the bustling tourist village of Stromboli, with its black sand and thriving tourist industry. Almost as soon as we arrived, we were asked if we wanted a tour of the volcano, and you could hear the thump of a helicopter taking tourists to see the lava flow.  We decided against the 5-hour trek to see the lava as this would have meant staying an extra night. Instead, we headed ashore for a meal.  Heading up the hill, we discovered Ingrid's a restaurant named after Ingrid Bergman from the film Stromboli.  Ingrid provided our second pizza for the trip, copious cocktails, and breathtaking views of Marina del Gabbiano and the Tyrrhenian Sea. 

Day 4 - Tuesday - Stromboli, Marina del Gabbiano to Salina, Marina Porto Delle Eolie 23 NM

We woke this morning to the boat rolling.  We were very thankful that we followed the base manager's instructions and chose to see Stromboli on the calmest day of the week, as the marina is quite exposed.  We set off around Strombolicchio, a small rock to the east of Stromboli, and around the North Side of the Island.  The North Face is the active side of the Island, and even during the day, you can see the red glow on the smoke billowing out of the volcano. Mental note, next time book a tour. 
Sailing from Stromboli to Salina, we stopped near Lisca Bianca, Panarea, for a swim. Here, there are underwater vents that release bubbles into the water 5m below the water line.   The area has no anchoring in the area, so we set about drawing straws to see who had to look after the boat while the others enjoyed themselves.  While on the island of Panarea itself, there are vents on the shoreline that 'hiss' as the waves come in over them, well worth a visit.
Arriving in Salina, we were surprised to see a marina so new it was still being finished. But wide, easy mooring here meant it was a low-stress berth tonight. 

Day 5 - Wednesday - Salina, Marina Porto Delle Eolie to Punta Bandiera, Vulcano 15 NM

With a short sail today, we decided on a late start and took the time to explore Salina.  We are glad that we did. Salina is a great village and a fantastic place to restock. The high street contains a bakery, a fishmonger, butchers, grocers, and more.  The high street was virtually a complete supermarket that runs the length of the village, selling great local fresh produce.   Leaving the marina, the wind really picked up, and checking the Windy App, it looked like Friday would be a storm-bound day.  However, today's sail was the best so far, glorious sailing, 4.5 kts with just the foresail.  Deciding that another night on anchor would be great. We anchored at the very bottom of Vulcano.  Again, we had our own in our private bay and spent a fantastic afternoon swimming and line fishing off the back of the boat.

 

Day 6 - Thursday - Punta Bandiera, Vulcano to Portorosa 18 NM

 

Checking the wind apps, Thursday night and Friday were expected to have 30-plus kts of wind.  We decided to call it a day and head back to Portorosa and the safety of home port.   Today we experienced the full range of October weather. The day gave us glorious 28-degree heat and sunshine all the way to the marina.  Then just as the sun set, the wind hit the island.   By nine at night, we were happy that we had headed back to the marina. We could hear the wind whistling through the masts in the marina, as we relaxed at the bar with steins of beer.

With that in mind, an early end to a fabulous week, and another amazing example of why  October is an amazing month to sail.  Sicily turned out to be a great location for an amazing week on the water. I can happily recommend the area and will certainly head back again, while for me, the first time skippering outside of Croatia and Greece, a little part of me wonders why more people don't consider this fabulous region.