Kosher Sailing in the Mediterranean
This is not a cruise where you will be waited on hand and foot…. rather it is an active adventure when you can help the skipper and be a team-member when we anchor, moor, raise the sails, wash down the decks, fill the water tanks or make the cocktails for happy hour! You can take turns on watch when we are underway and slice and fry the onions or wash up after meals. You can learn about sails, navigation, the wind, tying knots and can ask as many questions as you want.
Sailing is an amazing experience when you can get up close with nature…. you can choose how to split your time between being on the boat, in the water or on land.
We want sailing to be more accessible to those who keep kosher and shabbat and we offer a range of kosher sailing trips in the Mediterranean which are personal, fun, educational and relaxing.
The kitchen on the catamaran is kosher and we take turns to cook on board or opt for a private chef. Due to space limitations, we usually cook milky and vegetarian and try and get hold of fresh fish most days but often there is an option of meat as well. Read more about our kashrut policy here.
The catamarans we choose for kosher sailing usually have between 4 and 6 cabins with en-suite bathrooms for 8 to 12 people. You can come as a family, organize a group of friends or join one of our groups and make new friends from all over the world.
2023 Sicily Volcano Sailing
The Spectacular Volcanos of the Aeolian Islands
This year, we have chosen to focus on Sicily and the Aeolian Islands in the north where you’ll find 7 volcanos of which 2 are active. During our 7 day volcano sailing adventure, we will visit most of the islands and see incredible Stromboli which has been erupting every 5 to 20 minutes for thousands of years!
Our home is Eden Planet, a Dufour 48 catamaran with 4 double rooms with ensuite bathrooms and 1 single room with 2 bunk beds. She has air conditioning, generates her own electricity and has a kosher kitchen, outdoor BBQ, water toys and most importantly an espresso maker!
On Shabbat we’ll be tied up at a marina on Lipari, the main island, and in the afternoon, a local tour guide will show us around this historic town. The rest of the time we will be visiting the other islands and will be walking, swimming, sailing, diving, eating, drinking and volcano watching. Read more…
Custom Sailing Holidays
We are focused on Sicily in 2023, but we will be delighted to arrange custom sailing trips for you in Europe in the summer and the Seychelles in the winter. The Seychelles offer an incredible sailing experience around a tropical paradise. Please contact us for more details.
For our discerning clients, we also offer kosher superyacht charter in various locations in Europe on some of the most exclusive yachts available. These fully crewed yachts offer gourmet cuisine, five star service, water toys, jacuzzis and a range of other ways of keeping you busy and entertained. Typically with 4 to 10 cabins, these superyachts are the ultimate in luxury, fun and relaxation. Read More…
From Our Blog
Wet Corfu
October saw our last sailing of the season and a return to Corfu. It's always a risk with the weather at this time of year but you can be rewarded [...]
Corfu & Albania
In July I joined a group of professional sailors in Corfu for some skill honing time and some kosher sailing. It was a great bunch of people led by Barak [...]
Greece – Saronic Gulf
We have just returned from our June sailing in the Saronic Gulf and are still on a high from the trip. Because of the limited tourism to Greece, it has fewer tourists at the [...]
Sailing
Our skipper will be happy to teach you about sailing and you will need to help raise the sails, lower the fenders, tie off the mooring lines or drop the anchor. You’ll have fun, learn and be a great help since the skipper can’t do everything himself! We’ll teach you about knots (both how to tie a knot and why speed is measured in knots), reefs, winches, compasses, latitudes, longitudes and more!
Dive, Snorkel and SUP
Jump off the boat in sparkling coves to snorkel and we can organize scuba diving even if you’ve never tried it before. Fins, snorkels and masks are on the boat for you to use and if we dive, we only use authorized and professional diving centers who keep the highest safety standards.
Most boats include a Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) so you can try your hand at balancing and paddling in crystal clear waters.
Hiking and touring
We have the freedom to drop anchor or moor anywhere we wish to allow you to climb a hill, tour a town, hire a bicycle or drink a beer in a local tavern. Tour guides can be organized and many of the coves or harbors where we tie up are peaceful and off the beaten track.
Typical Catamaran Layout
Frequently Asked Questions About Kosher Sailing
On The Boat
When there is no wind, or the wind is blowing in the wrong direction, we will be using the engines and usually travel at around 5 to 7 knots. When we are under sail, we are typically at anything between 4 and 10 knots depending on the conditions.
1 knot = 1.85 km/hour or 1.15 miles/hour
We have a wifi router on board that provides fast internet via the cell network. Most of the time, we are in range of a cellphone tower and will have great internet but sometimes the reception will be a little weaker so plan on staying in touch with home and news but don’t plan on zoom meetings or netflix!
Although the layout of different catamarans are not all the same, in general they are from 12 to 18 meters long and 7 to 10 meters wide and are divided into a number of living areas:
- Each of the 2 hulls contains 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms which you access via stairs that go down from the indoor living area.
- The indoor living area includes a kitchen, a dining/sitting area and a pilot’s table which usually includes electronic instruments and communication equipment and a space to roll out charts.
- The outdoor area at the stern (back of the boat) includes a covered sitting area and dining area. It also includes the 2 platforms used to enter/exit the water or dinghy or to step onto the quay in port.
- The outdoor area at the bow (front of the boat) includes a seating area and trampolines which are the netting at the front of the boat between the 2 hulls.
- Going up a floor, the pilot’s station is where the captain pilots the boat and controls the sails and behind him/her or to the side there are usually lounging/sitting areas.
This 3 floor configuration offers ample space for everyone to find a quiet corner to watch the sunset or to get together for breakfast, dinner or evening drinks!
Most of the catamarans we use are equipped with:
- Air conditioning (not for use when under sail)
- Generator/Inverter for 200V power
- USB power connectors
- Water maker (desalinator)
- Nespresso coffee maker
- Gas oven and stove/hob
- Fridge and freezer
- Wifi
Take as little as possible! On board, we dress very casually and shorts, T-shirts and swimwear are the norm and you might want a pair of jeans and nicer shirt for evenings in towns. Together with some underwear and a toothbrush… this is probably all you need!
Oh and there is no room to store suitcases on board, so try and put it all into a soft bag that will squash down after its been unpacked.
A catamaran is inherently more stable than a monohull yacht and the motion that causes sea sickness is far less acute because of its stability. The two hulls act as a buffer, reducing the rocking motion and if the sails are up as well, the boat will be even more stable due to the lateral pressure of the wind. In addition, we monitor the weather, the wave heights and the wind and do our best not to go out if conditions are choppy to the extent they would cause sea sickness.
In the mornings, the sea is often flat and we motor along smooth water until the wind picks up for us to raise the sails as the day progresses.
Logistics & Booking
Of course! We’d be delighted and will fill up multiple catamarans to make up a flotilla. Come along with a larger group of friends or family but keep in mind that we need to fill the rooms for it to work so 14 to 16 people (7 to 8 cabins) would be a perfect number!
You will arrive at the catamaran in the afternoon and get settled in. We’ll then have an extensive briefing to explain about the basics of the boat and most importantly about safety on board. We may set sail that afternoon but it could only be the following morning and since we stop from Friday midday to Sunday morning for shabbat, it means that 7 days are never enough. Sailing is not fast and we need a couple of days after Shabbat to get back to our starting point.
For example, lets say you arrive on a Tuesday, we start sailing on Wednesday morning and then travel over 3 days to reach our furthest point where we stop for Shabbat.. we then we need 2 days to get back to our base by the following Tuesday.
We operate from bases which are mostly serviced by the budget airlines. In the case of our Sicily trips, our base is in the Portorosa marina and you can fly into Catania (WizzAir) or Palermo from where you can take a train or taxi.
The cost varies depending on whether you join us during the low season (May or October) or the high season (June – September). The price per person will include everything on the boat…. the charter cost, food and drink for the boat (but you’ll be cooking with us!), wifi, fuel, water and boat insurance. The only additional expenses you will incur will be those that you choose off the boat including:
- Diving
- Tour guides
- Taxis
- Moped/off-road vehicle/car/bike hire
- Drink/food/coffees
You can expect the price to be in the range of EUR 1500 – EUR 2500 per person in a double room for an 8 day trip depending on dates. Please be sure to fill in your details in the form below and when we have a better idea of your requirements, we will be able to give you a price.
Kashrut & Shabbat
Absolutely! There is nothing ‘religious’ about our trips other than 3 factors:
- The kitchen is kosher (milky)
- We tie up in a marina from Friday midday until Sunday morning
- We will cook before Shabbat and have shabbat meals together
Everyone is free to do as they wish inside their cabin on Shabbat. You are also free to go onshore and eat and drink whoever and wherever you wish and do not have to eat meals with us. We simply wish to make sure that the boat is ‘kosher’ and shabbat friendly for those who desire it.
We make sure to tie up in a marina from Friday midday to Sunday morning. We’ll be connected up to shore power which means we can have air conditioning on the boat.. dinner will be hot but we will usually have a cold lunch. Everyone is invited to be together and eat meals together on shabbat but you are free to go off and wander around the town or do you own thing.
Lights are left on over shabbat where they are needed and the water system, although operated by pumps, is a delayed passive system which we can explain so you can decide if you wish to use them. Toilets are usually operated with a manual pump mechanism.
Should you feel more comfortable in a room off the boat for shabbat, you are welcome to go to a hotel or AirBNB nearby.
Due to space limitations, we only have milky and no meat on board. We also do not have a dedicated kashrut supervisor (Mashgiach). We kasher the kitchen and use our own dedicated dishes, pans and cutlery as necessary. We shop fresh ingredients and basics locally and take cheese and wine with us from Israel or buy local kosher products if available. We buy fish directly from fishermen or fish markets.
We all cook together on board and are our own kashrut supervisors although there is an optional chef who will cook for you during the trip.
About Us and Kosher Sailing
We are based in Israel and while we enjoy our wonderful beaches, we realized that we are missing out on all the Mediterranean has to offer. It touches our shores but is underused and underrated!
After qualifying as a skipper and sailing the seas around Israel, we cast our net wider and started chartering catamarans in the Mediterranean. This is a fantastic way of traveling within the framework of keeping kosher because the catamaran has its own kitchen yet can be taken to the most beautiful parts of the Med.
As the word started to spread and friends and family wanted to join us on our adventures, we decided to offer kosher sailing in the Med to a wider audience. We are a family business in Israel working with partners around the Mediterranean to bring an amazing and unforgettable sailing experience to the kosher world!
Interested in Joining Us? Please fill in our contact form and we'll be in touch
For custom itineraries and locations, we’re here to organize whatever you need.
