What a sailboat is
A sailboat is a boat that moves thanks to the wind. Instead of relying only on an engine, it uses sails: large sheets of cloth that catch the air and push the vessel along. It is one of the oldest ways of sailing and also one of the most beautiful.
Modern sailboats, like ours, also carry a back-up engine. It serves to leave and enter the harbour and for the situations where it is needed. But the soul of a sailboat lies in the sail, in letting the wind do the work.
Why we choose to sail under canvas
At Picarus we choose sailboats on purpose. When the wind is favourable, we switch off the engine. Then the noise disappears and all you hear is the air and the water brushing the hull. That silence changes the day completely.
It also changes the relationship with the sea. Without the drone of the engine, the wildlife comes closer with more confidence. The sea is not a stage and we never promise a show. But sailing calmly gives more chances for an encounter to happen, always on its terms, not on ours.
We do not sell an excursion, we share an experience. Sailing under canvas fits with that: it is a more measured kind of tourism, more respectful and more honest with whatever the sea chooses to offer each day.
A detail to remember
Our two sailboats are called Aemón and Ayla. They leave the marina of Los Gigantes, in the south-west of Tenerife, beside the great cliffs. From there we sail through the Teno-Rasca Marine Strip, a protected area.
Sailing under canvas through an area like this makes complete sense. We go slowly, with hardly any noise and with respect for what lives beneath the water. The sailboat is not just a means of transport: it is a way of being at sea. A calm way of feeling the wind and the south-west of Tenerife.
