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Family cruise in the aeolian islands august 2026.
Automatically translated.
I rented a Dufour 430 from 2024 for a family sailing trip in the Aeolian Islands from August 8 to 15, 2026, due to our children's work commitments. 6 adults aged between 30 and 66. Access from France (Toulouse / Palermo) via Volotea, then a taxi (2h30), or by train and taxi (5h) for some, to the boat's home port at the Porto Rosa marina (Tonarella), in the northeast of Sicily. Rental company (GAIS): Very well received, competent staff, efficient, good advice, and very helpful. Marina: It hosts at least 5 rental companies, so there is a lot of activity on weekends. Be careful on the return from the cruise and the queue to refuel, remember to refuel on Friday morning, and in the afternoon, sail in the bay or in case of calm, anchor just next to it, in front of the Saraceno cave, under the basilica of Tindari, it’s beautiful. Boat (Dufour 430 GL): The boat is in good condition (2024) and clean, but having sailed on a Dufour 405 GL during previous cruises, I noted a few negative points, namely: Comfort: There is a significant lack of ventilation on this boat. The hatches are either too small or very poorly placed, for example, the forward cabin and its hatch are placed just above the cabin door, which means that fresh air is directly sent into the saloon without ventilating the cabin. The cockpit is spacious and well thought out but could not be fully appreciated because the floor, which is meant to imitate teak, becomes scorching under the sun, especially in August, so even with the bimini, your feet are constantly searching for a shaded area. Navigation: I was a bit surprised by what a self-tacking jib implies, namely that its single sheet comes to the piano, and that the mainsail sheet is on the two genoa winches (which no longer exist). Fortunately, brakes allow you to release the winch to replace the mainsail sheet with that of the gennaker, which we really enjoyed, as August in the Aeolian Islands was forecasted to be calm, so I opted for a gennaker for the pleasure of "sailing". As for the sailing area, it is superb. It is very beautiful and quite preserved. The volcanic aspect adds extra interest to this magnificent cruise (hiking, visual distance safety imposed (2NM) on the regularly active volcano of Stromboli, explosions, fumaroles). Climate observation: The months of August and September are becoming increasingly unpredictable and dangerous for sailing. Indeed, on August 12, 2026, around 10 PM, all weather models indicated a windless night. We were anchored in front of the small village of Stromboli at 9 m depth with over 30 m of chain. In just 10 minutes, the wind picked up, the sea formed, from the large luxury motor yacht to the 2 magnificent Hanse 510s owned by us next door, we were all surprised. Our anchor slipped, and due to a windlass failure, we let our anchorage drift to avoid danger and take a buoy later that night. Fortunately, we were able to recover our anchor the next day and repair the windlass, but I think all the skippers present that night were apprehensive about seeing a repeat of what happened in Corsica on August 18, 2022, or in Formentera on August 15, 2024, or again in Porticello on August 19, 2024 (wreck of the Bayesian). Conclusion: A superb sailing area to discover, but beware of the "sometimes" unpredictable weather in August and September in the Mediterranean.
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