We can feel it in the beginning of March, sometimes even earlier on a sunny day during the month of February. It patiently waits for the end of winter, hidden somewhere in our mind and as temperatures start to rise, it comes at night to haunt us. And suddenly, after a particularly hard day at work, we wake up and realise that we can’t wait any longer. That feeling is called: “I need a serious vacation and I wish I could be “gone with the wind”. And lucky for you, we went looking for a Big deal near the Costa Brava, and found “sailing” with a genevois.
Jérôme Plu grew up in our city, his two feet often in our Lake. As he was enjoying a comfortable (and well-deserved) career in graphic design, he decided one day to leave everything behind and embark on a new adventure. He became a long term volunteer at the Glénans school where he fixed, repaired and obtained a certificate in order to sail for tourism and be able to provide sailing instruction. Jérôme’s idea of sailing has nothing to do with competition: he doesn’t care who is going to be the next person to break a record. No, what Jérôme is looking for is to share the experience of sailing. Any person he meets on the ground must arrive by the sea. This social experience persuaded him to buy his own sailing boat named ZEF: a Kirié Feeling 1090 of 11.10 meters, designed by Philippe Harlé himself (for those – like us – who don’t know him, Philippe Harlé has designed over 200 types of boats including Jean-Luc Van Den Heede’s second sailing boat for the Vendée globe challenge).
ZEF in French is a word used by sailors to describe a particularly violent wind, however our research shows that the word is also used as the name of a counter-culture in South Africa.. And going against the odds as well as the wind describes the experience that Jérôme has to offer: Starting in May you will need the wind in order to sail from Corsica or Sardinia and the Costa Brava from October on. And furthermore, you will not need a Big budget!. Although perceived as an elite sport, Jérôme charges low prices for his cruise because he wants to offer an opportunity for everyone.
He will first of all welcome you with a few free drinks just to make you realise you’re really on vacation. Then he will make sure that all your dreams will come true. Describing a ZEF sailing cruise is actually quite hard because Jérôme adapts himself to the needs of the client. You want to participate and learn how to sail? He’ll be your man. You prefer to do nothing and just enjoy the sun? He’ll be your man. But between us, being taught by such a talented and passionate man only happens once in a lifetime: it would be a shame not to enjoy it.
During your booking, make sure you whisper “My Big Geneva” and Jérôme will offer you a bottle of champagne.
As for those who are very selfish, ZEF can be privatised. Do however consider a slight increase in your budget.
Many pictures of the ZEF are available in our Pinterest gallery.
PS: what nobody knows, but we do: a ZEF cruise was among the best vacations the LuLúxpo have ever experienced (and obviously ours too!).
Price: 490€ per adult for a 7 day cruise, maximum of 5 persons. Special prices for kids and groups (for more information, all you need to do is click on the below W icon).