Ok

Four boats, two islands, a family: a few points to sum up one of the most beautiful holidays ever. Dinners at anchor under the stars, aperitifs at sunset, naps under the sun. But also coves and wild beaches, sperm whales and unexpected "wild". On board, a lot of sharing that, from the beginning, led us to bond with each other and to make us feel, right from the start, friends since always. A unique experience to experience the sea in a memorable way.

For me and my daughter first experience on a sailing boat. Unfortunately the weather and the sea were not the best but thanks to Andrea, an experienced and professional skipper, it was a wonderful experience!

I would not recommend an experience on the Claudia boat. What was missing, first of all, was the feeling of freedom that a person seeks when choosing to sail. Leonardo is certainly a prepared skipper and very attached to his boat, but he did not seem suitable for the role of tourist skipper: he appeared too attentive to his own needs and not enough to those of his guests. From the beginning, he and his wife welcomed us with a list of prohibitions and rules, without any enthusiasm or desire to convey the joy of making us experience a beautiful holiday. They did not try to involve or create a group, and every time they set a limit or a prohibition they did so in a rigid manner, often accompanied by looks of mutual impatience that conveyed contempt rather than attention. Just a few practical examples: After each swim it was mandatory to change your swimsuit in the stern platform, preparing it in advance with a dry towel, and you could move from there only if completely dry. To smoke it was necessary to ask permission every time, and you could only do it in the stern platform/platform, and only if you "could no longer resist". At the simple request to open the awning we witnessed quarrels and screams. The passage by tender to the port of Ponza was explicitly denied despite the fact that we were at anchor in the port 50 meters from land, saying that he did not consider the idea of picking us up (without any of us having previously said he wanted to be late, otherwise it would have been understandable) and that there was a taxi boat for a fee. His wife Elena, if on the one hand cared a lot about the internal cleanliness of the boat (the bathrooms were in fact well cared for), on the other hand did not contribute to creating a relaxed atmosphere: she watched over every action done in the kitchen or below deck, rather than helping us feel at ease. What really left us stunned was the total lack of respect for the sea: several times we were asked to throw everything into the water – cigarette butts, napkins, fruit, toothpicks – and each time we refused. Such a request, from those who should love and protect the sea, we would never have expected. Although we were in an ideal context, we practically never sailed, except for about twenty minutes. To every request the answer was that there was "too much wind" or "too little wind", even when the conditions seemed favorable, there was no hurry and other boats sailed with their sails unfurled in the same direction. Finally, a very serious aspect was the failure to respect the maximum number of people on board: an extra seat was rented and I found myself sleeping in the dinette, despite having paid for a cabin. A few days earlier I had been asked to move to a bunk cabin, indicated on sailsquare as an additional 'skipper cabin', with the motivation of not creating a mixed cabin that could embarrass another guest. I had given partial availability to evaluate the spaces, being very high, and the real needs, but the management was incorrect and I felt "cheated". In reality, an additional place had been rented. To make the situation worse, Sailsquare's assistance proved to be completely insufficient and at times inquisitive. After several previous positive experiences, I wonder what is the point of relying on Sailsquare and not on other channels if, in times of real need, you do not receive any support. The Pontine Islands have very interesting scenery and a beautiful sea. The Ponzesi with whom we interacted seemed to us to be exquisite, welcoming and friendly people. Positive notes: The boat is very nice and comfortable for ten people (only the eleventh was missing a seat at the table). The management of fuel expenses was extremely correct with what was indicated and spent.