What’s the most amazing holiday you have ever had?
Mine is undoubtedly the one on a sailing boat, or better on a catamaran, with my 6-year-old twins and my husband, sailing between the islands of Corsica and Sardinia.
I grew up thinking I was prone to sea-sickness… but when I sailed, I discovered that it wasn’t true… maybe the sea-bands that I had bought in the pharmacy really did help? Or maybe it was the mantra I kept mumbling to myself “I shall not be sick, I must not be sick”? Then again perhaps it was the fact that catamarans are very solid “boats”, and they are definitely more stable than single-hulled vessels…
Who knows…. the fact is that did not suffer from seasickness at all, and what’s worse I now sufferm from “sailing blues”…”
How to book a holiday on a sailboat
Our decision for this type of holiday was a “last-minute” one, in the sense that we took it one month before the sailing date. We chose Globsailor and they organized everything down to the smallest detail. We left Switzerland in August, by car, heading to Nice. From Nice we took a short flight to Ajaccio in Corsica and at the harbour we found the skipper and a beautiful catamaran waiting for us, ready to set sail on the Mediterranean sea… We discussed the route with the Captain, bought food at the harbour market and then sailed away – southbound.
Corsica
To be able to see Corsica from the sea is extraordinary. Many beaches can only be reached from the sea, so we had them all to ourselves (in August!!). My favorite is undoubtedly the very wild plage de Murtoli, 3 kms of fine sand, with great nature and landscapes. And the sea? Wonderfully clean and warm. It is also worthwhile to visit the Sanguinaires island, in front of Ajaccio, with its extraordinary lighthouse.
Our sailing days continued to the Strait of Bonifacio. The children had a jaw-dropping momentwhen they saw such beauty. From there we spent a whole day sailing to the island of Sardinia.
Sardinia
The sea was equally wonderful, but it was very busy…
We stopped on the islands of Spargi, Budelli and Caprera. On Caprera we were surprized to see little goats roaming on top of the cliffs.
Every night we chose to sleep at anchor (in the open sea) also because in harbours the mooring rates are very high; this is particularly true in Sardinia.
We only stopped in a harbour once, in order to spend an afternoon in Porto Rotondo and to have a drink, but it was so crowded that I very much preferred to spend time on the boat… What we appreciated was the peace and quiet that the catamaran offered us, the close contact with the sea, the wind, the freedom and the very relaxing thoughtless days we had.
And what about the kids? They had a good time. Surprisingly they never got bored, snorkeled, dived, enjoyed banana boat rides, listened to music, played board games, caught starfish, jumped on the net in front of the catamaran, and came up with thousands of new fun activities.
Every day there was always something new to see or do, and we would have gladly spent another week on the catamaran.
Here are some tips for a sailing holiday with children:
- choose a sailing holiday only when your kids are able to swim, this way you will be more relaxed (even if they are wearing a life vest).
- bring lots of board games, even though there will be very few moments when they will use them.
- get sea bands to prevent seasickness (you can buy them in local pharmacies), use ginger andies, and have them have small snacks every hour.
- don’t plan anything: your destination depends on the currents, the winds, the sea, so go with the flow.
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