WHAT IS A TYPICAL DAY ON ANNAMARIE LIKE?
It is not easy to give an answer which applies to everyone since you are not the same as the other guests, so your boat holiday is also planned according to what you enjoy most.
Of course we always have to deal with the weather, if it's very windy we'll go and hide in some sheltered bay, if it's sunny we'll look for a cool breeze or drop anchor for an extra dive.
I will certainly welcome you at the port of Desenzano (BS).
Some useful information and we are ready to get on board.
The boat can be booked exclusively for you and your partner or for your family/friends or you can book single seats and join other "lovely pirates", however intimate groups of a maximum of 6 people
AND ONCE YOU GET ON?
As soon as we get on board we become familiar with the boat, we place our bags in the cabin (so that in the cockpit there are no objects that make us trip or hinder our movements. Yes, of course! there are shelves and safe pockets where you can keep your mobile phone , cream and everything you need.
Quick safety briefing, which doesn't happen, but it's interesting to know what to do if someone falls overboard or where the safety jackets are (when we're at anchor I wear it to abandon myself in the water and float effortlessly... it's a super relaxing experience to try).
Requests? No? Ok, let's take one last look at the weather and we're ready to set sail... who can help me untie this rope.
Optimal! let's set sail :)
Once out of the port we head towards Sirmione, from Desenzano we can see the castle tower, do you want to take the helm? good, then we divide the tasks to open the sails: first the mainsail and then the jib, haul the mainsail, go upwind. Ready to turn? Release the starboard sheet and you pick up the port one at the helmsman's start. Well done! a team of real sailors or rather adorable pirates!
AND THEN ?
To reach Sirmione by sail it will take one or two hours depending on the wind, as well as taking part in the maneuvers we will have the opportunity to enjoy some fresh air, take some photos, and also relax on the bow letting ourselves be pampered by the waves (which at sometimes they are mischievous and splash on us but we are pirates and we are not afraid). In Sirmione we can decide to land, I will be happy to explain to you what maneuver to do to catch the pier buoy. Here we will be able to go ashore to take a walk in the characteristic streets of the historic center.
Upon returning to the boat, a fresh aperitif and some appetizers await you. Everyone ready? Let's start again, a navigation of about twenty minutes to circumnavigate the Sirmione peninsula, leaving the castle behind us, to arrive at the Grotte di Catullo and the famous beach called Jamaica beach (by boat I will tell you where this name comes from), here we could drop anchor a few meters from the Boiola spring of sulphurous water. You know that it originates at 800 meters above sea level on Mount Baldo, crosses the rocks and descends to minus 2,500 meters below sea level and after a journey of several years, flows out at 69° degrees rich in beneficial minerals. And if you want you can immerse yourself in this magical water with a strong scent... yes, sometimes the sulfur present in the water wants to be noticed.
AND THEN? AND THEN?
We sailed, we admired the landscape and we took a dip, maybe you even took the boat's SUP for a trip around the natural pools of Jamaica beach. Well now I'd say it's lunch time! Don't worry, while you were in the water I put on the stove and everything is ready;
you just have to decide whether to eat at the table in the cockpit or have a sort of picnic lying on the mattresses in the bow. I know you're on holiday and you don't feel like thinking but tell me if you prefer a bubble or a spritz ;) The fresh water is already in the jugs.
I cooked with fresh local products, trying not to overdo it with the condiments which on a boat are advisable to eat lightly but if you want I prepared a yoghurt sauce learned in Greece... when booking you told me you didn't have any intolerances right?
AND NOW?
The mocha is bubbling, you can smell the aroma of the coffee mixing with the lake breeze. At this time the swans usually arrive asking for a piece of bread, they are majestic and make a bit of an impression but if there are cubs they make your heart melt. No we can't feed them because if they get used to receiving food from tourists this winter then they no longer know where to go to get food.
If you want, now let's put on some soft music, which encourages relaxation and we let ourselves be lulled by the waves, giving ourselves a little rest or a chat. If you still have the energy to take the SUP and slip into the submerged courtyard of the Scaligero Castle, I can lend you the waterproof case for your mobile phone: a magical and unreachable place like that from the ground is worth immortalizing.
We'll leave in about an hour so if you want to go for another swim this is the right time, even with fins and a mask but don't expect to find the coral reef.
WE HAVE TO GO?
I'm afraid the time has come to weigh anchor and get back on the road but there is still one special thing we can do... halfway between Desenzano and Sirmione there is a point in the middle of the lake where the depth is about 140 meters, do you dare to dive where the water is bluer? I didn't doubt it... as a reward as soon as you get out of the water there is a nice slice of watermelon waiting for you. Today you got a lot of sun and watermelon is rich in vitamins and mineral salts. On the return journey we find the sun right in front of us but the sails completely open grant us a providential shade, now we can also take the last photos of the Grotte di Catullo as it is illuminated from the west with an angle suitable for real photographers. The navigation in the afternoon is usually calm, the sun has moderated the wind that blew energetically in the morning, the water is calmer and the boat glides slowly towards the port. A bit of tiredness begins to make itself felt and the peace of the lake and its colors embrace us, giving us relief and a sense of deep tranquility.
LANDING
Dear adorable pirates of Garda, the day is coming to an end, a few miles away the entrance to Desenzano awaits us, some operations to arrange the boat for the imminent mooring and we are ready to return to the port.
We too get cleaned up and decide on the music that will accompany us to the mooring, no please Titanic no, okay then let's play the pirates of the Caribbean pom porompom pom pom
You feel a bit like a pirate who has wandered the Caribbean seas (after all, we touched on Jamaica) and now he is preparing the assault on the caravel with the treasure.
Kisses and hugs, it was nice to have you on board, don't forget anything or maybe yes... so you have an excuse to come back ;)
