Katabasis Cruises 2022: history and the future!

Since 2005, Katabasis cruises have been taking sailors, freedivers and spear fishermen from all over Europe and beyond to discover new horizons.
I’ve always believed that combining two activities as essential as sailing and freediving was a good idea, and I was right!

The lightness of a sail pushed by the wind has a lot to do with the breath of a freediver, while a hull that ploughs through the waves is very similar to a freediver who glides gracefully under the surface of the water.

The choice of the sailing areas was linked both to the geographical aspect and the sense of discovery, and to the participants’ ability to reach the place of departure, and I must say that, especially during the pandemic period, combining the two was not always easy. Fortunately, my history with the sea began much earlier and so I have been able to resist well the limitations imposed in recent years!

With Katabasis Freediving and Sailing I have sailed in many places: Greece, Croatia, Turkey, Sicily, Sardinia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Porquerolles, Italy from Genoa to Trieste and also Azores, Philippines, Caribbean; I have always maintained that the limit is a very relative concept and therefore I have always liked (and I will always like) to discover, to plan, to experiment, to go…yes to go, as De André says: “for the only reason of the trip, to travel”.

Elba and Capraia have always deserved a special place in my sailing history because the sea surrounding them is the one where I grew up. It was 1991 and when I was just over 20 years old, in a school on the island, I discovered my vocation for teaching sailing and I went from student to skipper in the space of a few months.
I remember crossing from Elba to the Bocche di Bonifacio without a GPS, consulting the Mancini pilot book (a veritable bible for estimated navigation) amidst the incredulous looks of my first pupils.

Time went on and so came freediving… it was 2004 and I had already done a lot of sailing; it didn’t take me long to realize that the time had come to combine the two passions. In fact, no one at that time was organizing anything that had continuity, something that I was determined to create, until today, or rather until tomorrow!

2022 will be the year of re-confirmations; routes already known to be tackled again with new eyes; new breaths towards the horizon, Freediving meeting Sailing, which in turn takes you to the perfect spot for spearfishing. It is a world that is never still, always evolving, full of surprises where you can find yourself in the company of the immensity of the Sea and its silence. And where are we going this year?

– Elba and Capraia from 25 June to 2 July

– Azores Islands from 13 to 20 and from 20 to 27 August

One aspect not to be underestimated is that during the cruises a real sailing course is included! Participants have the opportunity to learn all the basic aspects of sailing with a professional trainer/instructor, such as: wind direction and strength, basic knots, gaits and sail trim, safe navigation in and out of ports and much more. There will always be the possibility to practice recreational freediving or spearfishing provided you are paired up with a buddy while freediving or spearfishing lessons will be given as an extra on request.

And from this year, we will often have a welcome guest on board: Emanuela Pozzo, a professional cook who will enliven our “Dolce stare in Mare” with her recipes.

We’re almost there…are you ready? Yes, I’m waiting for you!

Carlo Boscia