MOTORYACHT - MOTORSAILER

As regards cruises on motorsailer yachts, we will try to respect the program, the itinerary and every activity included. These are summer cruises along the coast, with stops, excursions, moments of relaxation on board, interaction with local realities, special moments of sharing, entertainment, free time, panoramic navigation, tastings. Thanks to motor navigation, this type of vessel allows a certain ability to navigate in most weather conditions and therefore maintain route, itinerary and experiences as planned.

SAILING BOATS

On boats that rely on the wind for navigation, first of all you can expect to have fun, as long as you accept the type of experience that these boats offer a priori. It is to be expected that things do not go as planned: the wind, strength and direction, the weather in general, and the sea conditions, but above all the weather forecasts, greatly influence the commander's choices on how to manage navigation and 'itinerary. It should be said that every sailing trip has a unique and unrepeatable route. There will never be one cruise the same as another.

Questions like: "What time do we leave?" or “How long until we get there?” they don't have a precise answer when you're on a sailing boat, other than: "We leave when we're ready"; "We will arrive around...".

Then, upon arrival there are the maneuvers necessary to moor the boat, which could include stops in the port waiting for someone to show us where to dock, or for the port operators at the dock to have time (or to notice) us - which is not at all a given .

Still talking about small sailing boats, we will have to find a buoy or a free harbor that is right for us, an adequate anchorage that allows us to drop anchor so as not to disturb other boats in case the wind direction changes: the harbors can also be crowded with boats of different sizes that need large spaces around the anchor.

And then once we arrive, if we are at the buoy or at anchor, to land we need to use the tender, which is usually a small dinghy that allows us to get to shore.

You can expect to be involved in docking maneuvers, when a hand is always needed, to throw a line, or secure it to a bollard, or to lower the gangway, or for more difficult maneuvers such as attaching the buoy using the so-called "boat hook" i.e. a long stick with a hook.

It is to be expected that we will be asked for a more or less long period of time to put our hands on the rudder and "hold the course" or a certain direction, or even to "follow a course" perhaps with an eye on the route traced from a computer (displayed on the on-board computer, on a tablet or a smartphone), an eye on the compass, or often more simply on a reference point on the horizon, on the ground, such as an island, a rock or any point identified in front of us, which could also be another boat proceeding in the same direction as us. In short, we will feel involved and... sailors.

It is possible that we are asked to check that there are no obstacles in front of the boat, such as swimmers, small boats, fishermen, divers, rocks, buoys or maritime signals, and also other boats and ships that cross the same stretch of sea .

We could offer to cook or prepare a snack, help with the maneuvers by hauling or loosening the jib lines, and in general the appointment with terms unknown to us such as cleat, sheet, mainsail, jib, genoa, stanchion, forestay, haul, will become daily, lashing, winches, fenders, and many others (here on the site there is a section dedicated to nautical and weather terminology that you can refer to) or familiarize yourself with the names of the winds (Tramontana, Bora, Grecale, Levante, Scirocco, Ostro, Libeccio, Ponente, Maestrale) we have also dedicated a section of the site to the Winds as well as to the Knots, such as the "parole" and the "gassa d'amante" which we may be asked to learn because they are among the most used and useful on a boat .

It is to be expected that you will share the space of the boat with other people, therefore it is necessary to respect each other, both in needs, requirements, but also in each other's characters. It is possible not to understand each other, or to understand each other later. The small space does not leave much room for misunderstandings; therefore it is necessary to be clear and frank, but not abrupt; and this applies both to the crew and to a good commander.

It is normal that it may happen that things are said in a decisive way, this can happen in delicate moments such as docking or a tack change maneuver (tack or jibe) as these situations leave little room for courteous ways that would not get the reaction necessary in the heat of the moment. But a good commander also knows who to assign a task to and gives the right instructions well in advance.

But above all we should expect that great harmony will be created, that we will laugh, that we will dance, that we will toast together and that beautiful friendships will be born. In short, the boat, the sea, navigation and stops are moments of life, and like every experience this too will be all the more beautiful the more it is lived in an authentic and true way.