Despite my previous sailing experience extending to little more than a gentle pedalo around the lake of a local park, I’ve long been a keen believer in the healing powers of being out on water. This concept is also the driving force behind Vincent Braakman and Vallery Melcher’s wellness sailing holidays in the Mediterranean.

When I discovered their eight-day trip around the northern coast of Sardinia via Venturesail I knew I’d found a perfect incentive to step outside my pedalo comfort zone while testing my notion of water-based wellness – with the chance to explore the bucket-list beauty of the Maddalena archipelago thrown in.