To those who have never been on a sailing holiday before, sailing looks incredibly glamorous – watch out Duran Duran, her name’s not Rio and she’s too posh for sand.
While sailing holidays are many things – peaceful, relaxing, liberating, and much much more – they are rarely glamorous… unless you’re on a super yacht with staff to cook, clean and sail for you.
Chartering a yacht is like camping on water. Expect bruises. Expect breakages. Expect a little bit of tension with your fellow sailors.
The best way to have the best time on a sailing holiday is to prepare. Here is a list of things you might not think to pack but should, things you shouldn’t pack but might, and a few top tips that you should know before you leave.
DISCLAIMER: this list is more appropriate for hot weather sailing. If you are going for something a bit more hardcore, head to my post on sailing in the Stockholm Archipelago for some top tips.
What to pack for a sailing holiday:
- A soft suitcase: a boat has limited space so you need to be able to fold your bag up and stow it somewhere convenient. A big-old hard wheely case is certainly not the answer.
- A range of swimwear: you will live in your swimwear and it won’t necessarily be able to dry overnight – there’s nothing worse than sliding on a cold, wet pair of bikini bottoms. However, for tan lines’ sake – try to get similar shapes. A sailing tan is second to none so you may as well make the most of it.
- Decent sunglasses: I’m not talking Ray-Bans. I’m talking wrap-around, UV protected glasses. The sun is strong and is reflected off the sea, you’re bouncing around and fiddling with fenders and sheets, and the contrasting light between deck and galley means you’ll be taking them on and off frequently.
- A tonne of sun cream: you are constantly in the sun and, as I said, it’s reflected off the water too. I promise you you’ll get an incredible tan no matter what – so cream up! You don’t want to have to buy more abroad – it costs a fortune.
- After sun: on that note, your skin can feel like it’s taken an absolute pounding after a day in the sun so treat it to a creamy (perhaps glittery) after sun at the end of the day.
- An easy on/off dress/sarong/kimono/tshirt that you can jump around in: it’s not classy to be bent over a winch, trying to secure a fender with one boob popping out as you come into port. Instead, float around in something glamorous and comfortable that says ‘I’m the yacht totty and a valued member of the crew’.
- Books in abundance: I tend to read my yearly quota of novels on sailing holidays – there’s nothing else to do! Bring books you can swap with others and a variation of worthy classics and absolute trash.
This is how you play ibble dibble - A warm jumper: whether you decide to night sail or not, you’re bound to be up in the cockpit playing ibble dibble late into the night. Coastal winds are cold.
- A good playlist: sailing can make you very pensive and you’ll want a soundtrack to accompany your every mood. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to plug your devices into the boat speakers and argue for the entirety of the holiday over who gets to play their music.
- Some technology: depending on how fancy the boat is, you may or may not have charging ports etc. What is certain however, is that the charging ports won’t be able to be on at all times – only when the engine is running or you’re plugged in. This means battery packs and the like are recommended.
- A deck of cards, poker or any games you might enjoy in the evenings.
- Hair ties and a hair brush: after a long day at sea, you’ll want to be able to sort out your wind-swept mane.
- Bits and bobs that might be helpful: while you do want to keep packing to a minimum, sailing can be unpredictable. I always bring waterproof bags, a penknife and caribiner clips. The waterproof bags are particularly helpful.
- A pair of sailing gloves can often come in handy. Even if you’ve got electric winches (shame on you), there might be moments of manual pulling to be done.
- Citronella candles: bugs bugs bugs. Just make sure it’s in a jar to keep it protected from the wind.
- Eco-friendly shower products: whether you shower off the stern of the boat or in the head (bathroom), your bubbles end up in the sea so spare a moment for the fish who don’t appreciate Pantene Pro-V floating on their home.
What not to pack for a sailing holiday:
- A razor: whether you’ll be a beardy skipper or a fluffy armpitted crew member tugging on the halliard, nobody cares. Just don’t be that person who uses all the fresh water for their hair hygiene.
- Too many clothes: this is a difficult balance to get because it is nice to dress up if you step off the boat (maintain that glamorous misconception); however, the cabins have limited wardrobe space and you’re bound to be sharing with someone.
- Stupid shoes: even if you are planning to have a fancy night out, you will still be coming back to the boat and walking the gang plank to get back on board. I tend to bring one pair of deck shoes, one pair of nice ‘off board’ sandals and one pair of easy on/off flip flops. And that’s probably more pairs than my Dad brings.
- Devices requiring internet: if you want internet, don’t go on a sailing holiday. It’s the most boring and tedious thing when someone jumps off board and spends the entirety of their on-land time in a wifi bar. This is more of a life lesson than a sailing lesson: don’t let wifi take over!
- A snorkel and flippers etc: generally, these are provided with the boat and will just waste space in your luggage. However, if this is particularly important to you, do check with the charter company.
Some things to know before you go sailing…
- Showers should be few and short due to the finite tank of water you have. The best way of monitoring this is to shower off the stern of the boat; there’s a little hose there (to hose yourself after swimming to avoid getting salt in the living area), which, after your final swim, you can use to shampoo and shower gel etc. Massive amounts of soapy bubbles floating around a port is frowned upon so you should probably only do this when you’ve dropped anchor in a bay.
- Before leaving, girls, you should paint your nails. It’s a similar approach to camping – they might get quite dirty so you should cover them up.
- The salt can get a bit overwhelming at times so try to keep two separate towels: one for salty drying and one for clean drying.
- Generally, you just need to be as low maintenance as possible. No hair dryers, no straighteners, makeup only for evenings and willingness to muck in.
- Don’t be the ‘while you’re down there’ person. Heading up and down from the cockpit to the galley can be tedious but you should never be the person that sends everyone else around the boat to collect what you need. Just get up and do it yourself.
Got any other top tips? Leave a comment! We alllll want to know.
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