Mooring at anchor: discovering the Côte d'Azur aboard a 15-meter sailboat

My partner and I spent two weeks on this beautiful ketch with Cyril, and it was an exciting two weeks. He shared with us his passion and vision of sailing. Life on board was very pleasant and we discovered idyllic anchorages at the end of the season with beautiful and flamboyant sunsets... Cyril is a very experienced sailor with a certain experience, he is a real sailor! Cyril likes to pass on his knowledge, he is a great pedagogue and he has generously transmitted to me his competence, both for navigation and for maneuvers and in all the positions of crew that it is possible to occupy on his boat. He was very available and always answered my many questions. Thanks to these two weeks, I was able to complete my skills and acquire a good mastery of sailing. Thank you Cyril for a wonderful holiday that I will not forget!

To travel with Cyril and Solal is to show contemplation and acceptance. Now a seasoned sailor, Cyril lets Solal be carried by the wind and carries Solal to the wind. Sailing in short, pure sailing. It is therefore time to spend a week to let yourself be carried away also, in the calm of this authentic navigation, in the serenity of anchorages always chosen with full knowledge of the facts, for the comfort and safety of all. It was a first to spend a week on a sailboat. It will be hard to spend another one... on another sailboat.

Thanks to Cyril, and to Solal for this week. Thus, that to Sevim and Fred, also present A week of sailing bathed in sun, and wind, ... Sailing, essentially. Cyril took me on a walk, sure of very nice anchorages, and evening music .. another ballad. On the last day we had a beautiful storm, perhaps, to crown in sounds and lights, these moments lived together, in sharing, contemplation and our differences. It's hard to talk about feelings... But it was a week away from everything, ... Thank you again, Solal for being this very beautiful sailboat Thank you Cyril (you know why)

We spent a magical week aboard Solal, a sailboat of character that took us to Porquerolles, Port-Cros, Brégançon, to discover a wild part of the Côte d'Azur. The anchorages were beautiful, as was Saint-Mandrier, a charming little fishing and pleasure port. Cyril has been a wonderful skipper. He taught us the basics of sailing, answering each of our questions with a lot of pedagogy. The ends and the marine knots now have no secrets for us! Every day, after a few hours of sailing, Cyril made us reach in annex the most beautiful beaches and coves, and came to pick us up at the end of the day. When the day waned and everything around us fell silent, it was time for an aperitif and dinner on the deck, very convivial moments during which we exchanged to the sound of superbly chosen music, under a studded sky, dotted with shooting stars. Like in a dream.

We had experience with previous sailing cruises, but this was totally different, and in a good way. We were used to engine sailing in the mornings and mooring in harbours in the afternoons with maybe a stopover for a swim in a secluded beach/creek, so we got to see "civilization" every day. With Cyril, it was sails sails sails, anchorages, beaching by dinghy, and homemade food, and we were pleasantly surprised. We honestly didn't think we'd enjoy it this much. Being anchored in a beautiful bay at night by le Fort de Brégançon, having homemade dinner and drinks on board and then laying on deck to watch a full display of stars has no price. We also had the luck of "scorting" the Zaca, Errol Flynn's boat, for a couple of days! re Cyril, he's a very experienced mariner and you'll always feel very safe in his hands, and the Solal is beautiful and charming, with loads of personality, same as her owner :) We got along very well with him and he's honestly a character we'd love to see again.

The experience that could only have been happiness given the magnificent landscapes and the very good weather conditions (between 5 and 15 knots of wind except Thursday 20/25 knots) was spoiled by the organization of the navigations and the aggressive attitude of Cyril towards the crew in particular the 2 other teammates (verbal aggression almost systematic for banalities, hours imposed for meals on board, lack of answer to questions etc).) Cyril has never sought our opinions / desires unlike our initial exchanges in writing and the good conduct of a skipper who of course decides unilaterally when it comes to the safety of all but who must at least keep us informed and try to respect the program which was not the case despite the wind conditions. The duration of the navigations was very limited by Cyril (from 1h to 2h per day except the 1st- 3h and last day- 4h). No Kayaking. Did we fall the wrong week? We are very disappointed.

The islands of Hyères form an exceptional setting and have made this week of cruising magnificent. Unfortunately, for some reason that escapes us, Cyril had a dry and brittle behavior with us at the slightest question, which quickly cooled us to ask him anything. However, he was full of goodwill when he sent us an email a few weeks before the cruise asking us what we would like to do. And yet there was not a single consultation at the beginning of the cruise. Certainly, Cyril is a good skipper and wanting to sail only by sail is commendable but when there is no wind, difficult indeed to be able to visit all the places offered without putting the engine ... We only made 2 stopovers: 1 in Giens and 1 on the peninsula of Giens. In short, we did not feel welcome and comfortable on his boat, the atmosphere was more than icy throughout the stay, which can quickly seem long.----------- ANSWER FROM THE SKIPPER ------------ Hello Elsa, I am very surprised by your particularly malicious comment. During this cruise, I was constantly listening to you, even when your requests were disrespectful. Every day, I explained the possible navigation choices for the next day: due to the changing weather conditions, especially at this time of year, it is impossible to predict a priori a fixed route and stick to it. We did not visit all the sites stated in the description of the cruise (but the vast majority, I even made you perform sailings not being on the initial program of the cruise), not because of the non-use of the engine, there was enough wind each day to move us sailing (we did an average of four and a half hours of sailing per day), but because of the orientation of the wind. Indeed, for our safety and for your comfort, I chose, after having told you about it, to anchor in bays located downwind and not in places in the wind (I assure you, as I had explained to you, that if we had wet in the wind of the coast when there were 25 knots of mistral, you would have been in great physical difficulty). You are talking about 2 stopovers... in fact we did 5, in 5 different places... I also do not understand your comment about the atmosphere on board. She was pretty good with your two teammates. Perhaps your feeling is due to the fact that you have systematically isolated yourself from the group during the navigations and as soon as the meals are finished. Perhaps it is also due to your lack of command of English which was mainly used because of the nationality of your teammates. I am sincerely sorry that I did not systematically do simultaneous translation. I am nevertheless happy that you found this week of cruise magnificent, this validating the itinerary that I made us take.

Cyril is a very experienced skipper, so you will feel perfectly safe all the time. The boat is very well maintained and clean, and it is very charming. He and Nadine are also good cooks, and we did love their music! However, there were few aspects that we didn't like as much. Cyril never uses the engine: this is great from an ecology perspective, but it also means that unless you find the perfect wind for the entire week you will not be able to make the published itinerary. For example we did roughly 50% of it and we were forced to be back in Saint-Mandrier one day before and sleep in front of the port. Besides, we were asked to pay expensive port fees even though we didn't spend any night inside the port. ___________________________________ SKIPPER'S RESPONSE: ___________________________________ Hello Stefano,<br><br> Thank you for the first part of your comment. Regarding the aspects that you did not like, I would like to clarify certain points: - I actually use the engine as little as possible because, beyond the ecological aspect, it seems to me the most suitable and the most pleasant for a cruise aboard a sailboat. During the cruise, we sailed an average of four and a half hours a day, under sail, the engine would have done absolutely nothing in terms of distance traveled. - The route proposed on the site is an indicative route, to be adapted to weather conditions. We did not visit all the sites mentioned, not because the engine was not used, there was enough wind every day to sail, but because some anchorages were "upwind", that is to say not adapted to our safety and your comfort. - Concerning the harbour costs, they correspond to the two passages at the port, the day of your arrival and the day of your departure. Even without spending the night there, the port charges a full day for each passage, ie 72 euros. As indicated in the cruise sheet, these costs are at the charge of the crew. This represents 35 euros per person, which does not seem excessive to me. - Regarding our arrival at anchor in front of the port the night before the end of the cruise instead of in the morning the departure day, I suggested that we make the last trip by doing a last beautiful sailing at the end of the afternoon the day before the end of the cruise instead of going with the engine, due to lack of wind announced, the next morning. I thought you all agreed with this proposal, for lack of opposition from anyone, especially since the anchorage in front of the harbor is absolutely lovely. I hope that these answers will allow you to re-assess the aspects that you did not like. With all my friendship, Cyril

I spent a week at sea on this beautiful Ketch to which Cyril, the captain, knew how to give a soul. He shared with us his love for sailing and the pleasure of discovery, life at sea, anchorages... Cyril is a very experienced sailor with whom you feel safe. He was very available and always answered my many questions. Thanks to this week, I was able to discover jewels of the French Riviera. Life on board was more than pleasant. The very convivial evenings lulled by the music and the lapping of the sea, the breathtaking sunsets ... In short, difficult to end this week and find life on land... I would relive this experience on the "Solal" with great pleasure.

An extraordinary week! Exchanges with an authentic sailor, the discovery of a ship with a real soul. In short, beyond a week of cruising in a sublime place and offering an eternal discovery, it is a real meeting that we were offered. A real adventure for us that Cyril, his wife and his boat offered us. We come out transformed, soothed and so happy. THANK YOU

I had a wonderful stay on Solal! Cyril shows a lot of pedagogy and patience. The days to learn sailing, sailing were of great richness. What better than practicing. I was able to experiment with all the positions, Cyril was able to answer all my incessant questions and all my expectations. Life on the boat, very beautiful human encounters, laughter, mouths, the book, the daily bath, the tireless sunsets and sunrises ... what more can I say. Go there with your eyes closed but don't expect to be cured! Only one desire for me, to go back!! ????????????

A very good experience, Cyril is passionate and it shows. Rich experiences, good memories and also very good advice. Cyril likes to transmit and he gladly shares his knowledge and his boat!

Cyril is a very experienced skipper who will share with you his passion and vision of sailing. Always attentive, attentive and available

A week rich in discoveries and sharing. Cyril adapted to the conditions to find us the best anchorage each time. Great pedagogue during sailings. And a beautiful library on board! A wonderful week!

A week aboard the sailboat was a real pleasure. The soul of the boat and its captain will touch the hearts of both beginners and experienced sailors. An out-of-time experience full of generosity, discovery and magic.

We are delighted with our few days of cruising on board. Cyril made us discover magnificent anchorages. On board this authentic and warm boat, we lived out of time.

We were two couples of friends and privatized the boat. We had a very pleasant cruise: itinerary with magnificent landscapes to discover the Var coast, very attentive and attentive skipper, spacious boat and safe navigation and very pleasant in all weathers. Very good memories in the head and we are ready to leave. Thank you Cyril and Nadine.

Cyril is a very experienced skipper who will share with you his passion for sailing. Always attentive, attentive and available you will enjoy an unforgettable cruise in the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean. The sailboat provides all the necessary comfort for a holiday off the beaten track. You can sail with Cyril with your eyes closed!

A benevolent and very experienced skipper. A warm and authentic homeboat. Books, music and initiation to apnea as a bonus. A beautiful walk in the Mediterranean and 6 days out of time.

A great week with Cyril, always ready for adventure! Listening to our desires, he allowed us, in addition to discovering quiet corners of the region, to go canoeing and snorkeling in the open sea! Cyril also offers his passengers an eclectic choice of books... surprising and very pleasant! 7pm, sacred hour of the aperitif on the boat, really very nice to exchange on music of all kinds, travels, distant countries ... Cyril is a very good skipper but also a person rich in knowledge and experience. Embark on S?lal for a week out of time, you will love it! Thank you Cyril for your kindness and good wind????