Luxury sailing holidays: The best boats for the Med, including the one owned by Roland Emmerich

Sailing in the Mediterranean offers an intoxicating mix of sunshine, beautiful views, warm breezes, bright blue sea and gorgeous food and wine Ask friends what they want from a holiday right now and they’ll most likely tell you it’s a chance to escape, a sense of freedom and an opportunity to push the boat out when it comes to budget. You can sail on this Lagoon 52F catamaran on a one-week luxury SailSterling Wine & Catamaran Club cruise of the spectacular volcanic Aeolian Islands in Italy Five gleaming catamarans, each with just three or four cabins, sail from Capo d’Orlando on the north coast of Sicily. It offers cruises around the islands close to Sicily Luxury Sicily specialist Cognoscenti Travel offers one night’s B&B in the hotel and six nights’ exclusive charter of the gulet for up to 12 guests, from £17,000 – about £1,400pp. Luxury classic yacht Kairos, pictured, is a handsome two-mast schooner with five crisp white sails and eight cabins for up to 16 passengers After plotting a route with the captain, who knows every nook and cranny of the islands of Hvar, Korcula, Vis and Brac, your party can stop off in craggy coves and snorkel in sea caves, go ashore to sandy beaches and sleepy villages or wake-board, tube-ride and water-ski from the boat. Calming waters: Take an island-hopping trip and drop anchor off Minorca on a week-long holiday sailing around the Balearic Islands Set sail from Palma de Mallorca and, when you’ve had your fill of pottering around the white-sand beaches of Majorca’s coast, the skipper of your catamaran can take you to much smaller islands and islets.