Eight “out-of-the-way” places away from the crazy crowd to explore by boat

Week-long itineraries by boat to unusual places, light years

from mass tourism, starting from locations reachable by flights
low-cost. These are the “Sailing Explorations” that the experienced skipper Alex Mazzetti has chosen for you and which we reveal in two installments. Let’s explore pristine archipelagos in the seas Northern and maritime cities. Where we would all like to sail once in a lifetime.

Eight out-of-the-ordinary places to explore by sailboat

Nn I am a professional skipper. For a living, I am an employee of an IT company: salary, 13th month, “commanded” vacations. My summer vacations consisted of being an instructor and skipper for various sailing associations in the most popular seas: Sardinia, Aeolian Islands, Balearic Islands, Croatia, Greece. After years and years of repetitive skippering, I said to myself, let’s change it up a bit, let’s try to explore less stereotypical seas….

Thus my concept of “Sailing Explorations” was born: week-long, chartered sailings in seas suitable for novices and experts alike, in locations reachable by low-cost flights. Using the boat as if it were a “camper” rented locally, it is possible to combine visits to the historic centers of seaside towns with sailing in the wilder archipelagos. It is a form of “responsible hiking” that is conscious and respectful of the environment and local cultures. The most intriguing aspect is that the locations are new even to the skipper, so the sailing takes on an adventurous and exploratory connotation, nothing like cruises where the skipper acts as a tour guide, yawning in front of Facebook, while others are excitedly taking selfies on the boat. In two installments, I reveal the seas I have been exploring for the past 10 years.

LOFOTEN ISLANDS – NORWAY

The sun goes down and the randist says “shall we have an aperitif and then throw in the pasta?” and I look at my watch and find that it is 3 a.m.

Where are we? Lofoten Islands. Here in July the sun never sets, you can do night sailing in the sunlight. The Lofoten Islands are at latitude 68°N, but thanks to the Gulf Stream, the climate is not prohibitive and in July the average temperature ranges from 12 to 15 degrees.

The oldest town in the Arctic Circle is Svolvær, founded by the Vikings and discovered by the Venetians in the 14th century, who brought the practice of stockfish (stock fish) processing to Italy. As you sail through the archipelago you may come across tiny fishing villages hidden among small fjords with yellow and red cottages and wooden piers. Don’t miss a mooring at the bottom of the Trollfjord, a long channel between high mountains that are reflected in the still water.

Where to rent a boat: Svolvær, www.boreal-yachting.com

One-week itinerary: Trollfjord, Henningsvær, Nusfjord, Reine, “Å” (the country with the shortest name in the world!).

Why go: To jibe under the midnight sun.

Fun fact: After disembarking, indulge in an afternoon of climbing on the “Capra” rock, from which you can see the entire archipelago; equipment will be provided by on-site mountain guides.

JERSEY ISLAND – CHANNEL ISLANDS

Sailing in the Channel Islands is a mess…. unusual boats that rest on the bottom, harbors that become streams at low tide, course deflected by tidal currents.

To land at the Isle of Jersey (in the English Channel) you do not need a harbor, but just wait for low tide and let the boat rest on the seabed to walk down. The problem is figuring out the tide times, because here you start from a French island, pass into an English island and arrive in another island that is French again, all with different time zones and Tide tables with different notations between French and English. Then there is the allure of entering a state that is neither a Republic nor a Monarchy but a “Bailiwick,” Guernsey’s ancient feudal form of government.

If you broadside in the open sea and see a small cluster of colorful cottages that appear to be floating, it is the incredible islet of Marmotier, which at high tide is submerged, leaving only the houses to emerge. But the highlight is Saint-Malo (France), a fortress city with a maritime vocation, an ancient land that has never been thoroughly tamed. From here it is possible to rent bicycles and ride to Mont St. Michel Abbey.

Where to rent the boat: Saint-Malo, www.saint-malo-sailing.com

Week-long itinerary: Chausey, Jersey, Sark, Guernsey.

Why go there: to touch the bottom at low tide

Fun fact: Try using the toilet pump while the boat is dry at low tide…

CIES ISLANDS – GALICIA

“The Islands of the Gods,” as the Romans called the Cíes Islands in Galicia, Spain, are now a paradise for sea lovers and eco-hikers. Nothing to do with the stereotypes of Spain; there is no Andalusian flamenco here, no Canary Islands’ nightlife or Balearic frenzy. The Atlantic Islands National Park offers pristine scenery, so much so that the British newspaper The Guardian called Praias das Rodas the most beautiful beach in the world.

Sailing in Galicia is a surprise: after bathing on a warm wild beach we were enveloped in thick fog, and sailing turned into an adrenaline-fueled fog horn experience. A must is to moor overnight in Pontevedra, the city that boasts top awards for quality of life, urban excellence, and immense pedestrian areas.

Where to rent the boat: Vigo, www.sailway.es

Week-long itinerary: Bayona, Islas Cíes, O Grove, Illote Guidoiro Areoso, Illa de Ons, Combarro, Pontevedra.

Why go: to sail safely overlooking the great Atlantic.

Fun fact: Galicia traces its origins back to Celtic times; in Combarro it feels like Ireland.

FÆR ØER ISLANDS – DENMARK

They are the secret hidden by geography. The Faroe Islands are an archipelago of 18 islands with few inhabitants, lots of sheep, and plenty of seabirds. They lie in the center of the Iceland-Norway-Scotland triangle, on the edge of the Europe that matters. Sailing in the Faroe Islands offers spectacular sheer cliffs with bombastic waterfalls, then landing in unlikely marinas lost in the green.

As you walk among the innocent little red wooden houses with grass roofs, you discover that they are actually the headquarters of Parliament and the Ministry of Finance. Lake Sørvágsvatn is one of the most incredible optical illusions created by Mother Nature: it appears to fly over the sea. We rented a very strange boat, handcrafted from steel, which we nicknamed “the tank.”

Where to rent a boat: Tórshavn, www.enniway.com

Week-long itinerary: Nólsoy, Drangarnir, Gásadalur, Vestmanna, Eiði, Fuglafjørður, Klaksvík.

Why go there: to navigate among the Trolls.

Fun fact: A world-renowned rock music festival (Summarfestivalur) takes place in front of Klaksvík harbor.

ESTONIA AND FINLAND

The Gulf of Finland vaguely resembles our Adriatic: narrow and long with a historic city at the bottom, Venice for us and St. Petersburg for them. Its narrowest point is 45 miles, ideal for a nice day crossing.

You depart from Tallinn (Estonia) and after 10 hours of leisurely sailing you come upon the majesty of Helsinki (Finland) and dock in front of the neoclassical Lutheran Cathedral. Cold? Not a chance: the weather in Estonia in August is the same as with us in April, averaging around 20°C. Finland’s Porkkala archipelago is made up of thousands of small islands, and the nautical chart looks more like a noodle than a map.

When the sea seems open to you, the shallows will force you to follow precise tracks, marked by alignment dromes. Some marinas are hidden in the meanders of remote islets, and to reach them you have to navigate narrow channels through grass. The Estonian islands, on the other hand, are another story: in Naissaar there is a bar made out of a former Soviet-era mine depot, and today the bar stools are defused mines. Oh I forgot, reserve an evening to dive into the exciting nightlife of Tallinn’s nightclubs.

Where to charter the boat: Tallinn (Old-City Marina), www.sailing.ee

Week-long itinerary: Prangli, Eteläsatama (Helsinki), Porkalafjärden, Inkoo, Elisaari, Naissaar.

Why go there: to moor under “ar Cupolone,” not the one in Rome, but the ones in Helsinki.

Fun fact: Up there everyone moors bow to the dock, not for technical reasons, but for more privacy while dining in the cockpit.

HEBRIDES ISLANDS – SCOTLAND

The Hebrides archipelago in Scotland is considered one of the most beautiful sailing areas in the world. The plethora of islands ensures ridges and pleasant sailing by taking advantage of tidal currents.

Caledonian castles are the main protagonists of these islands-Duart, Stalker, Glengorm, Gylen. But beware: no pier in these castles, you have to anchor and reach the castle by tender (bring a pebble to remove rainwater from the tender). The main town is Oban, which is also worth a visit for the famous whiskey distillery.

The landscape tends to be green with little gray houses, except Tobermory, which is a charming, picturesque, cheerful, and colorful fishing village. It is a kind of toyland; in fact, it is the scene of the most popular BBC television series for children. The circumnavigation of Mull Island is ideal for spotting animals in their natural habitat, especially seals, whales and otters. When you want to stop at a cove at noon for a nice noodle, you’ll find beaches of the whitest sand that give a vague Caribbean feeling, too bad it rains nine times out of ten… Unfortunately, the visit of Glasgow and Edinburgh is not viable by boat because it is too far from the Hebrides, but you can easily go there by car.

Where to rent the boat: Craobh Haven

Week-long itinerary: Corryvreckan, Tinkers Hole, Fingal’s Cave, Tobermory, Lochaline, Duart Castle Bay, Linnhe (Castle Stalker), Oban.

Why go: to sail between castles and whiskey distilleries.

Fun fact: In the Corryvreckan Strait, the tide forms eddies that cause the boat to spin like a spinning top.

HOLLAND

Holland doesn’t just mean bicycles and tulips. Holland also means sailing! The Netherlands has a centuries-old seafaring tradition and today there are more than half a million boats from the Dutch Markermeer and IJsselmeer inland seas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Navigation is characterized by locks, canals and drawbridges.

The route winds among the wealthiest 17th-century villages where the commanders of the Old Dutch East India Company lived, including Hoorn (which gave its name to the famous Cape Horn in Patagonia) and Volendam (a favorite destination for 19th-century painters). Dutch rental companies offer “retro-looking” but high-tech sailboats with retractable centreboard, hydraulic rudder and transverse bow and stern propellers with joystick control. The retractable drift is very useful, for smooth sailing in the canals that wind through Friesland pastures, the lowest in the Netherlands.

After your stop in Amsterdam (and bike ride), don’t miss mooring in Muiden, whose small harbor is adjacent to an imposing medieval castle.

Where to rent the boat: Andijk. www.andijkjachtverhuur.nl

Week-long itinerary: Enkhuizen, Hoorn, Volendam, Marken, Amsterdam, Muiden, Urk, Lemmer, Sloten, Nieuwe Kruispolle, Stavoren.

Why go there: to sail among cows and windmills.

Fun fact: since time immemorial bridges have been a thing where boats go under and cars go over; but in Holland it is the other way around, boats go over and cars go under.

GULF OF PUCK – POLAND

Poland is certainly not a stereotypical destination for Italian sailors, but it can provide many surprises. “Is there sea in Poland?” they asked, well yes, Poland is facing the Baltic Sea, ever heard of the Gdansk Shipyards?

In addition to sailing among picturesque villages and historical monuments, you will also discover that Poles are excellent sailors. The Gulf of Puck is a sailing paradise: no “irons,” very few boats over 44 feet, very few dinghy racers, many 9-11 meter sailboats, thousands of dinghies, windsurfers, kitesurfers. Edging a day from Puck will land in Sopot, a town of nineteenth-century elegance that boasts Europe’s longest wooden pier, and then in Gdansk, “the pearl of the Baltic.” The Marina Gdańsk is paramount: from the porthole of your boat you see the beautiful medieval buildings from the 12th century.

Where to charter the boat: Gdansk. www.jachty.irsapartments.pl

One-week itinerary: Hel, Jastarnia, Kuźnica, Puck, Sopot.

Why go there: to sail among fishing boats, kitesurfing and elegant buildings.

Fun fact: Polish sailing schools hold courses in which children learn to make moorings on 12-meter cabin cruisers by maneuvering themselves by motor in the harbor.

In the next installment: Cantabrian Sea, Brittany, Sweden, Azores, English Channel, Black Sea, Denmark, Lisbon. To learn more and discover Alex Mazzetti’s Sailing Explorations itineraries: www.nodobandiera.it

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