Happiness, we scooped it up with a spoon
And we were a little drunk,
from sea winds, waves
and from the views from above.
From walking under the moon
with the bustle of the restaurant
and from the songs on the stern,
singing in the dark)))
Here is a bouquet of wonderful emotions,
beautiful, Sicilian!
(Author - Igor Rassolenko - cruise participantMarketing under sail«)
It hasn't been a week since we returned from our unforgettable sailing cruise in Sicily and only now we have the opportunity to post our impressions of the cruise, which we want to share with you, dear friends.
Route
Program
Day one - September 14
We are going as one big team, we are called "Captains".
We set off, the skippers took the boats, and the participants went on an excursion around Palermo, fortunately there is much to see in the capital. In the evening, a dinner of acquaintances took place in a coastal restaurant, where Sicilian businessmen were invited. Everything was very tasty and even somehow homely, despite the fact that today Palermo is mostly a tourist city, no one forgets that they love and know how to fish here, amazingly fresh, aromatic seafood awaited us, everyone ate, frankly speaking, to their heart's content. Someone already managed to swim at night right in the waters of the marina. Tomorrow morning we go out to sea, everyone is in anticipation ...
Day two - September 15
The morning delighted us with dazzling sunshine, a light breeze whispered that it was time to set off, but our team could not set off without an introductory lecture on yachting and without tasting a crispy Italian croissant with aromatic coffee... We received the instructions, we are ready for the sea voyage, fair winds to us!
The sea greeted us warmly, we practiced various yacht control techniques, turned around to our heart's content, even tore the sail from zeal. The spray from the created heel refreshed us from the heat, the sea never tired of delighting us with its blueness and transparency, we swam jumping from the boat, some even with extreme, barely catching up with the yacht carried away by the waves. In the evening we arrived in Castellammare del Golfo. Despite the fact that the city became famous as the birthplace of the godfathers of the Sicilian mafia, it did not give the impression of a gloomy citadel of organized crime. Castellammare was quiet and cozy, which immediately won us over. The main advantage of Castellammare del Golfo is its coastal landscapes, with steep cliffs. The passage was long and difficult. We stayed for the night.
Day three - September 16
Sicilian Giacomo, the owner of a local pizzeria, laid out a wonderful, real Russian breakfast for us!!!! With an omelet!!! Moreover, he generously agreed to trust Ilya with his car and become a driver of a tour bus to Segesta - a place with amazing energy. It is understandable: now these are just the ruins of an ancient city, but once Segesta was one of the richest cities in Sicily. Since ancient times, a Doric temple has been preserved here (by the way, in very good condition: today all of its 36 columns have been preserved), and the ruins of an amphitheater, which, although much worse preserved than the temple, is nevertheless very interesting. The amphitheater in Segesta serves as a logical continuation of the temple and is also part of the ancient complex. The masters, in some unknown way, carved it right into the rock, on the slope.
Immediately after spiritual food, we decided to improve our body health by going to the famous healthy thermal springs of Segesta. How nice it is, after a busy program in the middle of a hot day, to plunge into warm, crystal clear water, visit the so-called natural sauna, arranged right in the pool, with a temperature of 36-38 degrees, and then, under the warm soft rays, to collapse on a chaise lounge. The mineral waters of the radon springs of Segesta were used by the ancient Romans to treat rheumatic diseases and arthrosis.
In the evening, having dined with the hospitable Giacomo, who had already cooked a fresh lamb steak for us in a friendly manner, some of the especially adventurous “Captains” decided to conquer the mountain, beautifully illuminated from all sides by lights, where a magnificent view of the night city and the sea opens up. Tired, but happy, they decided to stay the night here, in the morning at sea…
Day Four - September 17
The sea was rough, but incredibly beautiful. Working with sails involuntarily promotes the development of dexterity and, most importantly, collectivism and camaraderie. The peculiarity and main advantage of our sailing was the fact that there was almost no individual work on the vessel. Sometimes, yachting conditions can make you change your view of yourself and your place in life. We were again faced with a long passage, but we heroically coped with the task, although we tore the sail again, this time on another boat. In the evening we arrived in Trapani - on the one hand, just a nice provincial town, and on the other - a very interesting place. Beautiful and original. We liked both the landscapes and the service, we stayed overnight.
Day Five - September 18
The morning began with a very juicy and tasty pizza, as well as a very informative and interesting lecture by Sergey Kotyrev on psychosophy. We defined psychotypes, selected "comfortable" people for ourselves, figured out which of the four functions needed to be pumped up, and then went to Erice by cable car.
Arriving in this fabulous city on the mountain, we had an unfading feeling that time had somehow stopped here, while other cities and villages on the island could not resist the onset of modernity. Due to its location, the city literally floats in the clouds. This picture is truly indescribable and amazing. We were lucky, the good weather opened up a breathtaking panorama of Trapani and the Egadi Islands from the heights of the mountain, which we decided to go to later.
Erice also boasts a large number of Gothic, Norman and Romanesque churches and architectural monuments.
Day Six - September 19
The sun warms with its heat, and Sergey Kotyrev again trains "Captains", but now on Internet marketing. A lot of practical information, really useful for our businessmen. But time does not wait, Favignano is ahead, so go ahead "Captains"! Practicing yacht control techniques went "with a bang", we worked out "man overboard", saved the fender more than once! All team members are gradually turning into real "sea wolves", independently control the yacht, skillfully handle the sheets and sails, in general, we are great!
In the evening we arrived at the island. A great place. A huge stage was set up on the shore, rehearsals for the concert were taking place. Great weather, beautiful beaches, very easy to get from one to another. We met mostly Italian people, it seems that foreigners barely know this little paradise. After a delicious meal, we went to bed, because tomorrow we will have new adventures…
Day Seven - September 20
After breakfast and listening to another theoretical seminar on the basics of yachting from Mikhail Voronov, we set off to arrive at our final destination - Marsala on time and have time to swim in this indescribably transparent, emerald water. The beauty of the coast will forever remain in our souls. From the yacht, we swam to the shore ourselves, the landscapes of the sandy beach and the island itself, the azure color of the water - one of the most beautiful not only in Italy, but also as if in the whole world. After having a delicious, self-cooked on the yacht, fish soup, from fresh fish, we headed to Marsala - the final destination of our journey, where we were awaited by the presentation of diplomas of a certified crew member and logbooks, with the already completed week of sea practice! Probably the most pleasant part of the trip. Everyone seemed to have become one big family, a sea of emotions, a sea all around, enough impressions and colors for half a year ahead, very nice, interesting people, emotions that cannot be expressed in words. Then, a farewell dinner awaited us, part of the team left for Palermo, because of early flights. It was a little sad in the restaurant, I didn’t want to go to rainy, cloudy Russia, I didn’t want to part.
The warmest and most pleasant memories, photos and blogs will warm our hearts for a long time, right up until the February business cruise in Thailand! Goodbye, hospitable Sicily, hello, heavenly Thailand! Captains, go ahead!
The general sponsor of this cruise was Chief-Time magazine, for which special thanks to it. Huge thanks to all partners and friends, thanks to whose help this cruise took place. We are waiting for you on our cruises!
