Sicily and the Eolian Islands Cruising Tour

580nm approx., 16 stages day sailing (with 1 night & day 24h sailing, eventually), 18 mooring nights in marinas

Objectives: Long Tour Sailing/Miles Building, Nature, Adventure, Discovery, Culture

Type: Long Sail Coastal/Miles Building; Difficulty: Easy & Medium; Sailing License: Yes & No; Crew: 2-6 & Skipper (us)

Remarks: This is a long sailing tour (16 stages, 33-35 days all) that can also be joined in and out in various shorter formulas (see below).

Highlights: This is a full cruising tour of Sicily, including most of the islands of the Eolian Archipelago. It has been designed generally as a one-sailing-stage = 1day + 1 day stop-over at destination, with Siracusa, Palermo and Agrigento being allocated one extra day each. Depending the season, with the various trade winds (Scirocco-SE, Mistral-N/NW, Grecalo-NE) and the peculiar aspects of coastal sailing, some of the stages of the cruise will have to be sailed with the engine (typically at 6-8kn/h). There are four long day-sailing stages and one night and day sailing stage. The stopovers are a mixture of world famous historical cities (Siracusa, Agrigento, Palermo), sea resorts (Taormina, Céfalu, Castellammare del Golfo) and, of course, the spectacular volcanic islands of the Eolian Archipelago (Vulcano, Stromboli, etc) passing through the strong currents and heavy marine traffic of the Strait of Messina, the northeasternmost point of Sicily and one of the legs of the Trinacria the ancient symbol of the island. There are countless antique monuments, piazzas, palaces, churches, fortresses and museums to visit, or just wandering the narrow streets of Ortigia in Siracusa, Taormina or Lipari where you can sample excellent italian-sicilian cuisine and wines, including the fresh(est) seafood you’ve ever tasted. Swimming, snorkelling, underwater scooter and SUP are the staple water activities of this cruise.

Cruise Stages:

  1. Marina di Ragusa – Siracusa (60nm, 8-10h) – day sailing
  2. Siracusa – Taormina (55nm, 7-9h) – day sailing
  3. Taormina – Strait of Messina – Milazzo (60nm, 12-14h) – difficult day sailing (strong currents, winds and traffic)
  4. Milazzo – Vulcano Island (20nm, 4h) – short day sailing
  5. Vulcano Island – Lipari Island (7nm, 1-2h) – very short day/afternoon sailing
  6. Lipari Island – Panarea Island (12nm, 2-3h) – very short day sailing
  7. Panarea Island – Stromboli Island (15nm, 3h) – very short day sailing
  8. Stromboli Island – Malfa Island (28nm, 5-6h) – day sailing
  9. Malfa Island – Pecorini Island (18nm, 3-4h) – short day sailing
  10. Pecorini Island – Alicudi Island (13nm, 2-3h) – very short day sailing
  11. Alicudi Island – Céfalu (38nm, 7-8h) – day sailing
  12. Céfalu – Palermo (40nm, 8-9h) – day sailing
  13. Palermo – Castellammare del Golfo (25nm, 5h) – day sailing
  14. Castellammare del Golfo – Agrigento (135nm, 24h) – long night & day sailing. Might be split in two long day sailing stages with a stop in Marsala (60nm+75nm)
  15. Agrigento – Marina di Ragusa (58nm, 8-10h) – long day sailing.

Moorings: Marina di Ragusa – home port; All others – marinas.

This cruising tour project is proposed in five formulas*:

  1. Eolian Islands: 14 days – Milazzo, Sicily – Céfalu, Sicily. 8 days sailing (1 stage/day), 7 days relaxation (Vulcano, Lipari, Panarea, Stromboli, Malfa, Pecorini, Alicudi). Rendez-vous in Milazzo and embarking, Céfalu debarking. You will have to organize your own airport transfers (e.g. Catania-Milazzo, Céfalu-Palermo).
  2. Sicily Eastern Coast & Eolian Islands: 22-23 days – Marina di Ragusa, Sicily – Céfalu, Sicily. 1-2 days preparation (Villa Mireabilis, Scicli), 11 days sailing (1 stage/day), 11 days relaxation (Siracusa/2, Taormina, Milazzo, Vulcano, Lipari, Panarea, Stromboli, Malfa, Pecorini, Alicudi), debarking in Céfalu. You will have to organize your own airport transfers (e.g. Catania-Scicli/Marina di Ragusa, Céfalu-Palermo).
  3. Sicily Northern Coast & Eolian Islands: 19-20 days – Milazzo, Sicily – Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. Rendez-vous in Milazzo and embarking, Castellammare del Golfo debarking. 10 days sailing (1 stage/day), 10 days relaxation (Vulcano, Lipari, Panarea, Stromboli, Malfa, Pecorini, Alicudi, Céfalu, Palermo/2). You will have to organize your own airport transfers (e.g. Catania-Milazzo, Castellammare del Golfo-Palermo).
  4. Sicily Eastern & Northern Coast & Eolian Islands: 26-27 days – Marina di Ragusa, Sicily – Castellammare del Golfo, Sicily. 1-2 days preparation (Villa Mireabilis, Scicli), 13 days sailing (1 stage/day), 14 days relaxation (Siracusa/2, Taormina, Milazzo, Vulcano, Lipari, Panarea, Stromboli, Malfa, Pecorini, Alicudi, Céfalu, Palermo/2). You will have to organize your own airport transfers (e.g. Catania-Scicli/Marina di Ragusa, Castellammare del Golfo-Palermo).
  5. Full Tour of Sicily & Eolian Islands: 33-35 days – 1-2 days preparation (Villa Mireabilis, Scicli), 16 days sailing (1 stage/day), 17 days of relaxation (Siracusa/2, Taormina, Milazzo, Vulcano, Lipari, Panarea, Stromboli, Malfa, Pecorini, Alicudi, Céfalu, Palermo/2, Castellammare del Golfo, Agrigento/2), 1 day cool-off and departure (Villa Mireabilis, Scicli). The very long stage between Castellammare del Golfo and Agrigento might be split in two stages with a stopover in Marsala. You will have to organize your own airport transfers (e.g. Catania-Scicli/Marina di Ragusa and return).

Prices**:

  1. Eolian Islands: 8000 Euros (skippered by us) + all expenses shared by the crew (marinas, fuel, food on board). Does not include restaurants.
  2. Sicily Eastern Coast & Eolian Islands: 12000 Euros (skippered by us) + all expenses shared by the crew (marinas, fuel, food on board), including 1-2 nights stays in B&B+*** at Villa Mireabilis. Does not include restaurants.
  3. Sicily Northern Coast & Eolian Islands: 11000 Euros (skippered by us) + all expenses shared by the crew (marinas, fuel, food on board). Does not include restaurants.
  4. Sicily Eastern & Northern Coast & Eolian Islands: 14000 Euros (skippered by us) + all expenses shared by the crew (marinas, fuel, food on board), including 1-2 nights stays in B&B+*** at Villa Mireabilis. Does not include restaurants.
  5. Full Tour of Sicily & Eolian Islands: 17000 Euros (skippered by us) + all expenses shared by the crew (marinas, fuel, food on board), including 2-3 nights stays in B&B+*** at Villa Mireabilis. Does not include restaurants.

* – Disembarking and departure from a different point than Villa Mireabilis/Scicli is possible as long as there are at least two crew at any time.

** – These are Mireabilis Cruises and the prices are all-taxes included. The price is for the boat, shared among the crew whatever the size of the crew might be (skipper not included).

*** – B&B+ means: 1. one or two meat/fish/veggie barbeques will be offered in our gardens at the villa; 2. e-bikes are offered for the days of stay at our villa.

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