Mediterranean Islands

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Hi All!

SICILY * AMALFI COAST * IBIZA & FORMENTERA * CAPRI ISLAND * SARDINIIA

I have been traveling to all of these places for years.

This is the first time I write a Blog and I am sorry if my english is a little disaster! I can speak better (as french, spanish.. and of course .. Italian).

I have been sailing since I was 8 years old. I won the International European event coming in 8th place out of 350 sailors when I was 12 years old. Sailing and nature are truly my life passions. I own a sailboat called Miaplacidus that I travel with all year.

The experience of travel in several countries and different culture trough a sailboat can be very interesting for anyone who never did it. I sail from from when I was born (on my father sailboat) and I do charter from 1980 so I have a wide esxperience about sailing in Mediterranean Sea and more. I know all the best spot in Sicily, Capri area, Sardinia, Corse, Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorca and Minorca.

My longest travel was from Palermo to Caribbeans, me and my friends spent almost 45 days in this great trip, stopping in Spain, Africa, Canary Islands and then sailing straight for 17 days to the warm wheater.
Now I am in Sicily, near Palermo preparing my sailboat Miaplacidus for summer 2011.

Miaplacidus stands at a colossal 20 meters (67 foot). And it is a little house with everething onboard for a luxury but simple life in the nature.

My plan for the 2011 season is first to navigate around all the AEOLIAN ISLANDS, maybe also to AEGADIAN ISLANDS (passing from USTICA and the NORTH COAT OF SICILY). I have been there many times and I allways love to go there, a paradise of 7 little islands each one different from the other.

After Sicily my plan is to sail to CAPRI ISLAND. In Napoli aerea i will sail along the AMALFI COAST including POSITANO, then down to the south coast: THE CILENTO COAST. Which is out of the main tourism but very interesting for ancient village, crystal water spots and lovely local cuisine.

Then will be early July and I think to sail to SARDINIIA and CORSE, right in the midlle "Bocche di Bonifacio" the straight between Sardinia and Corse. There are many many islands and tiny rocks with a simply transparent water and white sands. The thing I like more are the rocks, so round that seems Soft!

After having spent a while in this area I will sail to the BALEARIC ISLANDS.. reaching first MINORCA, then MALLORCA and Finally IBIZA & FORMENTERA.

After that i don't know, I will think about.. any suggestion is welcome!

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Photos

Miaplacidus
That's Miaplacidus ketch, 20mt.(67foot). 4 cabins per 8 guests plus me and the crew (total 2/3 crew)

In Ibiza with guests
That was last year with one of the several group of friends coming for about one week..

Miaplacidus Master cabin
This is the bigger cabin, the suite!

Ibiza - Isla Es Vedrà
A little paradise close to Ibiza, Isla Es Vedrà is a desert Island .. amazing

Sailing in Formentera
Here with a nice party of guests .. making the periple of Formentera .. from a white beach to another :)

In Formentera - Ses Illetes
A break from sailing around Formentera!

Arriving in Algeri from Formentera
Last summer was a great experience to spend a couple of days in Algery! We were the only sailing tourist and the locals were very welcome to us.

Sailing to Stromboli - Aeolian Islands
Cruising around Aeolian with a lovely Family

Arriving in Barbuda - Caribbeans
Some years ago while sailing around Caribbeans..

Fishing in Atlantic Ocean
Great El Dorado onboard..

Barbuda Island
Just landed from little crossing Antigua to Barbuda

Comments

[pat t]

looking forward to reading more of you...
I was browsing the newest blogs and saw yours... I think your life experience as a sailor is amazing... It's great to read you :)

[lucalian]

thanks!
Great to read your comment. I wish to be in touch with more people and spread out about sailing in our free way ... i did also a facebook page which is "Miaplacidus Sailboat" with many pics. :)

[lucalian]

Finally in the water ... Miaplacidus launched just before easter 2011 / Dominica experience
Right now I am going from Palermo to Naples on a big ferryboat in a confortable cabin positioned right on the front of the ship! Amazing view on the night sea and the breaking wave noise is just so close. I think next time I will ask for the same cabin number 10100 :) Yesterday I came back from a weekend in Ustica on Miaplacidus with a nice family guests. We had a wonderfull morning cruising 4 hours between 8 and 12 knots speed! Ustica has is special energy with the little and small village on the "port" (open to east!) and the blue grottos around the island. Was a nice Easter spent in a relaxing atmosphere. The summer season is defenetely started now. The Boat is in the water again, varnished and well maintained with a professional make-up. The weather should quickly improve with a drastical change to very hot temperatures... now still raining. Not a big adventure compared to some experience around... once in dominca island (littler antilles) I had a very intense experience. We were sailing during the night from an Island to the following, passing Dominica in between, I had to decide were was better to pass the island, and i choosed the north.. wrong theorically. Normally I pass the downwind side (more protected), but from up wind was a better angle for reaching the other island and we went north side, open to the ocean waves. I remembered also that on the north of dominica there are some population with almost no contact with the modern civility.. and that made it so fashinating. Was very hard to steer in the north coast, the rudder was very hard to maintan and many quick turns were needed in order to maintain the direction! .. being more friends onboard was easy to make turns. Then I was looking on the top of the cliff, with a total moonlight making green the forest, and I felt like being watched from some tribal people in the wide and high forest. The feeling was of plenty happyness and curiosity about how was going to visit this place up in the north cliff of Dominica. That was happening about 6 years ago. Soon I go back sailing, probably the 6th and i don't know yet where we will go from Palermo, to be decided..