It’s not just a course and a sailing licence that help: if you buy a sailing boat without ever having sailed, you need a sailing and cruising coach. A good sailing and cruising coach, a professional skipper who can not only sail, but also explain clearly what needs to be done when and under what conditions in order to sail around the world with the wind. Stephan Rauer is such a professional skipper. He sailed with us and our Amira, a Lagoon 450S, from northern Italy to Greece. A training and transfer trip to winter storage on Corfu.
In 21 days, from 30 October to 19 November 2022, we sailed from Loano in northern Italy via Elba (Portoferraro), Salerno (near Naples), the Aeolian Triangle with the islands of Stromboli, Lipari and Vulcano as well as Catania in Sicily to Preveza in Greece. We then sailed to Corfu (Mandraki Marina) via the island of Paxos (Lakka).
We moored our catamaran with mooring lines in harbours, we moored “Roman Catholic” and we anchored. We sailed with a mainsail and genoa and with a winaker (a kind of parasailor). We sailed through rather stormy weather and had to motor through lulls. We learnt to navigate with the plotter (Navionics), to use radar when sailing at night and to interpret weather charts (Windy, Predict Wind) in advance. And, and, and…As a passionate sailor full of drive, Stephan also helped us to optimise the set-up of our boat – from correcting the reefing lines to maintaining the sails and setting up the router. As a multilingual (English, French, German), he also accompanied us to appointments with craftsmen and a shipyard, so that we now have a generator on board, among other things. Stephan is not only a fantastic and enthusiastic sailor, he can also explain things wonderfully. Not everyone has this gift. And not every skipper has the patience to sail with real “greenhorns” who have no idea what a halyard, a sheet or a shackle is. Stephan has the necessary calm and composure. He was always in a good mood, uncomplicated and happy. 21 days in a confined space: that was no problem at all.
We learnt a lot from Stephan and also had a lot of fun together. What could be better than a training cruise like this on your own boat? We now feel equipped for longer trips and have already travelled alone in the Mediterranean.
Peter & Renate
(Translated from German)
PS from Stephan:
Peter and Renate have since continued their sailing journey with great passion, cruising extensively throughout the Mediterranean before crossing to the Caribbean. They are currently in Guatemala with SY Amira and will soon sail through Gibraltar to begin their Pacific adventure.
I feel truly privileged to have met them and to have played a part in helping them achieve their dream.
Stephan (September 2025).
Cruising coach
Onboard sailing coaching
Yacht coach
Mediterrannean sailing coach
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