By Raffaella Marozzini
A passionate sailor from a young age, Raffaella Marozzini is the founder of a boat vacation business. She soon met her husband, Giovanni Viviani, with whom she would fulfill her dream of a life under sail.
After deciding to leave everything behind, Rafaella and Giovanni set out in 2015 on their Etap 39s Obiwan for an ongoing voyage around the world. In April 2021, Raffaella’s book about the first part of their journey, from the Mediterranean to Australia, was published in Italian by Editions Perrone and the author recently translated it into English.
An adventure that began eight years ago has seen Obiwan cross two oceans, putting more than 20,000 miles under her keel from the Med to the Caribbean, Panama, the Galapagos, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, New Caledonia, and beyond. The aspect of this book closest to the author’s heart, she says, is the many encounters with people they met, both ashore and on other boats, on a route marked more by friendships and exchange than by miles.
You can follow Obiwan’s voyage (in Italian) online at obiwanavelaintornoalmondo.it. Available on Amazon in paperback and ebook editions, Barefoot, windswept, sun-kissed is a very enjoyable read. ■
Having learned to sail at the famous Glenans school (where she soon became an instructor), Raffaella Marozzini is a yacht broker involved with sailing charters and holidays. She and Giovanni live aboard Obiwan.
