27 Mar SAILING TOURS, OUR SECRET PASSION

Sonia and Alessandro, long before the creation of the Boutique Hotel in Piazza della Signoria, have always had a passion, that for the sea. For thirty years they have shared this great passion for the sea and navigation and have transmitted it to us children: Giulio, Umberto and Matteo.

“Ely J”, model Grand Soleil Maxi One is the seventh boat owned by the family.
It is a sailboat of almost 19 meters in length, designed in 1990 by Bruce Farr, a famous designer of cruising and racing yachts, and built in the prestigious Cantiere del Pardo of Forlì. It represents an excellent example of balance between elegance and power that distinguishes the best “made in Italy” boats.

Launched in 1992, it was conducted by the first owner exclusively in the Mediterranean.
With the second owner he went around the world also crossing the canals of Panama and Suez. It reached the Caribbean and there he participated in the prestigious Antigua Sailing Week regatta.
The third owner, after a long restructuring of the boat, left for a cruise where he had the misfortune of dismasting, as they say in sailing jargon, that is to heavily damage the mast of the ship following an accident, and after a while it ended for abandon it and give it up.

In December 2012 we saw the charming old lady, and, even though she was put up rather badly, we fell in love with her at first sight.
We decided to buy it and all of us in the family, with the help of our wonderful friends, went to work on site, with the aim of restoring it to its original splendor.
After 7 months of hard work, replacing the tree, the engine, the upholstery among other things, Ms. Ely J returned in splendid shape, elegant and powerful as at her first launch. Finally in mid-July 2013 the new launch took place and from then on the sailboat never stopped sailing along with our family about 22,000 miles.
Ely J has participated in several regattas, including the 151 miles of 2017 where we reached the 2nd place among the maxi yachts.

The passion for navigation has always been part of our family, and sharing it with friends is one of the things that enriches us the most.
We put our knowledge of the sea and the Tuscan archipelago at your disposal to let you live a vibrant navigation experience, quite different from the usual.
Our mini cruises are in great demand to plan a romantic holiday or an authentic team building experience between colleagues and friends.
It is the best way to explore the Mediterranean sea more intensely or simply to relax on a luxury boat and enjoy small beaches that are difficult to reach from the ground, where you can swim in crystal clear waters.

After the tour with Ely J, one of our guests wrote: “We spent two days on a boat north of the island of Elba. Napoleon preferred it to Corfu for his exile and the poet Dylan Thomas wrote that he had made wonderful baths there. Pure magic to see the stars lulled by the waves holding a glass of wine.”

There are seven islands in the Tuscan archipelago: Elba, Giglio, Giannutri, Capraia, Pianosa, Montecristo and Gorgona. The largest is the island of Elba.
Third in size among the islands of the Mediterranean, it is an inexhaustible source of attractions and therefore requires adequate time to visit and stay in order to fully appreciate it.
Also the other six islands are distinguished each for determined peculiarities, but they are all united by the wild nature of the landscape.

Our sailboat is only an hour’s drive from Florence and we will take care of moving you from the center of Florence to the port where Ely J. is moored.
It is possible to organize both daily and multi-day saling boat tours for couples or groups of 4/6 people, always in the company of our crew.
To find out about costs and all the informations you need, call us at +39 055 299546 or contact us at info@inpiazzadellasignoria.it.