Best sailing areas in Sicily. Sailing routes, weather and wind details, facts about region and important details to sail in Sicily.
Sicily is the largest island in Italy. It is separated from the Italian mainland by the Strait of Messina. In the north, it is washed by the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the east - by the Ionian Sea.
Sicily has a mostly mountainous landscape and is home to the highest active volcano in Europe - Etna.
Sicily is the largest island of the Mediterranean, the heart of tourism and a great place for yacht cruise. It’s washed by the waters of three seas: the Mediterranean, Tyrrhenian and Ionian. Also, The Suez Canal and Gibraltar are not far away.
The international airport is located in the capital of Sicily, Palermo. You can get here both by airplane from any corner of Europe and by ferry from Italy.
The climate is mild Mediterranean. The high season for yacht trips in Sicily lasts all summer months. The low season is from October to April. Yacht leasing is still possible during these months, but the weather can get worse and heavy rains are possible.
Yachts often prefer the area between the northern coast of Sicily, Calabria, and the Aeolian Islands. Palermo, Cefalu, San Agata, Milazzo, and Porto Rosa are ideal places to start sailing in Sicily. On a sea voyage between harbors and bays, you can thoroughly explore the northern coast of the island. We recommend building your route to the Aeolian Islands (Lipari Islands).
On the east coast, the port of Catania conveniently locate near the airport. Those who travel from the east to the northern coast or sail to the Aeolian Archipelago should explore the Strait of Messina route in more detail. It isn't easy to navigate here, primarily because of the strong, continually changing currents. Also, there is an active movement of ferries and ships. This strait is not suitable for beginners.
Here is the itinerary for a sailing yacht around the Aeolian Islands, located in the northwest of the Sicilian coast:
The season in Sicily starts in May and ends in October. Best time to travel to Sicily — hot and dry summers with mild and humid winters. Average temperatures in coastal areas are around 26 ° C in summer and 10 ° C in winter. During the summer months, due to the hot desert winds of the Cirocco, temperatures in southern Sicily can reach over 40 ° C. For the same reason, it rarely rains in summer.
Forecast and storm warnings can hear on the radio around the clock, and it sounds in Italian and English on channels 68 and 21.
For information about weather conditions, use the following services:
accuweather.com — accurate weather data, satellite imagery, cloud cover;
weather — a site with accurate synoptic data;
windfinder — a service for tracking tradewinds Sicily, viewing water and air temperatures.