Extending the Italian theme of stylish, relaxed cruising delicious food and glorious wines Sicily is ideal for 'short hop' cruising with minimum stress. Visit the Aeolean islands to be greeted by spectacular smoking volcanos, friendly locals and well-run marinas. The distances are small and the winds moderate; trim the sails, crack open a bottle of wine and enjoy the ride. Or play hide and seek with other yachts in the rocky coves of the Egadi islands, a sense of wilderness so close to home. For more extended cruising the shortest distance to Malta is 40 miles and to Tunisia, 85 miles.

The island has a mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers, and mild and rainy winters. Along the coast the average temperature varies between 19 C and 30 C, while inland it goes down to 13 degrees. Rain is scarce on the coast but constant sea breezes moderate the hottest of the summer heat. The whole of peninsular Italy and the large islands of Sicily and Sardinia have very changeable weather in autumn, winter, and spring in marked contrast to the settled sunny weather of summer. Throughout the winter, however, cloudy rainy days alternate with spells of mild, sunny weather.