5
The best sailing experience with the best crew!
Lisa
sept. 2016
What an amazing week we had on this boat. Thanks to Globe Sailor, the operator and especially our crew of Ciccio and Maria. They really made our experience the best.
We arrived in Portorosa on Saturday afternoon after being picked up from our hotel in Taormina (we decided to come in a day earlier to sightsee in the Taormina area). The transfer was smooth and easy. Paolo arranged everything. We even had 3 different groups arriving at different times from different places, and Paolo coordinated it perfectly so everyone arrived safely and in time for cocktails and dinner that evening.
There are a few small shops, a bar and a couple restaurants at the marina, as well as a small market. You'll want to do as much shopping as you can at the market (which closes at 7pm so plan to.arrice before then to leave enough time to.shop) because the prices are very reasonable and it is much easier to find food and drink items there. You can buy almost everything you need for a week's sail, except you may want to buy your fish or shellfish at the local island markets during the week. The market is small and can get crowded. It helps to have Maria shop.with you or at least have someone who speaks Italian. Makes it easier. Another pleasant surprise was that two of our friends have gluten sensitivity and there were several really good gluten-free products to choose from (look.for "senza glutine" on package) including gluten-free pasta! Which the rest of the gluten-free eaters couldn't tell the difference.
Speaking of food preferences, our hostess, Maria was amazing. We had one friend with celiac disease (gluten-free) and another who had severe food allergies to nuts, dairy, shellfish, gluten and even some other fruits and vegetables. Maria prepared delicious meals everyday that accommodated everyone. Sometimes we felt bad because she would have t prepare different dishes for different people. But she did it with a smile and everyone was so happy. A couple of our favorite dishes were her Pasta alla Norma and her mussels. Wow! And the last evening she made a special tiramisu that was one of the best I've ever had. And the tomatoes there. You'll never want to eat tomatoes anywhere else once you have them.
Our Skipper, Ciccio, was the best. It really pays to have a local who knows the islands. I've bareboated in the Aeolians before, bit sailing with Ciccio took it to another level. He knew exactly where the best spots to swim, snorkel, and relax were. And at night he always chose the best positions to anchor. You could tell which boats were skippered by locals and which were amateurs. He also.was an expert at knowing the weather patterns and which islands would be the best to visit on which days. His knowledge was extremely valuable and we all felt so secure and safe under his guidance. He brought us to the most beautiful and perfect spots. It was incredible. Like I said, I've sailed the Aeolians before, but this was the best time by far and it was because of Ciccio.
The water in the Aeolians is the best. So clear and clean. Warm but not too warm. Refreshing without being cold. The perfect temperature. We went Aug 20-27 and it was hot and sunny everyday.
The cabins are spacious. My boyfriend is 6'4" and he had no trouble standing up in our cabin or sleeping in the bed. There's plenty of room indoors and out to hang out. We had 8 guests plus the crew and we never felt crowded. And I was really impressed with the automatic toilets! I have always sailed on boats with the ones you had to manually hand pump. These had automatic buttons you pushed instead. Really a nice touch! The boat, although not new, was nicely refitted and kept up. It was like.new. We loved it.
A couple things I'd recommend bringing on the boat would be beach towels (there are these new microfiber quick dry kind that are great), cards (although I think we left a couple decks there), a Bluetooth waterproof music speaker (we like the UE Roll and used it the whole week alternating with the boat's music speakers), water floats and loungers (we again left a couple on the boat that maybe will.still be there if you're lucky.), shower gel/soap That can double as laundry soap to.hand wash things if you need it.
We had the most amazing week. Besides a couple of us, the rest of our friends had never been sailing They all loved it and are now sailing vacation converts. They are already asking me when we are going back next year!
Lisa from NYC