Logged · October 2023

Sicily ’23

A week aboard a catamaran along Sicily’s north coast — Palermo, the Aeolians at a distance, a great deal of Birra Messina, the kind of charcuterie that ruins you for British supermarkets, and a yellow Piaggio Ape called Nina that nobody quite got over.

The shape

When: Mid-October 2023
Boat: Lagoon 42 catamaran (not the Drake norm — fun once, monohull from here on)
Where: Capo d’Orlando base · Tyrrhenian coast · Aeolian fringe
Crew: Eight around the table, two on the helm at any given time, one at the espresso pot all morning

What stuck

Messina & limes for cocktail hour. The bottle and the bowl shown up on every other deck stop.
Squid-ink risotto stuffed into actual squid. A taverna in Cefalù, the first really excessive dinner of the week.
Lipari boats as serving plates. Hand-painted ceramic boats holding the prosciutto, capocollo and capers. They are for sale, in case anyone wonders.
Palermo at twilight. The yellow chapel, glowing balconies, narrow lanes — every walk back to the boat felt like a film set.
Nina the Ape. Three wheels, no doors, a name in cursive on the bonnet. Greatest taxi of the year.

Lessons we’re taking forward

Catamarans are fast and sociable but feel like a hotel barge under sail. Sicily ’26 is back on a monohull (Sun Odyssey 440).
Lipari is worth a full day, not a stop-and-go. Build it in.
The fancy dress night is non-negotiable. Held the line.

Who sailed

Lagoon 42

Chris L. (skipper), Leona G., Joanne L., Kim P., Idit G., Laura M., Iain S.

What’s next

Sicily ’26 is the return trip — same destinations, monohull this time. The Kavala trip is gathering interest. BVI ’27 is on the slate. Drop a name on whichever fits.

Sicily ’26 → Kavala → BVI ’27 →