The sweet torments of a sailing tour

A sailing tour is considered by many to be a luxurious type of holiday, often associated with maximum convenience and careless comfort. However, sailing away to remote destinations, as we do on the Kornati Sailing Adventure and Rivers by the Sea, we choose to compromise on some of the convenience of developed tourist destinations in favor of pristine nature, secluded beaches, and stary night skies. Upon boarding, we kindly ask our passengers to observe a few basic rules to ensure that everyone’s experience onboard is a pleasant one. Some of these include observing a no-shoe policy onboard, keeping communal areas tidy, boat-specific hygiene rules, and tips on fresh-water and electrical energy conservation. Here we give you a preview of 5 situations to prepare for and what to expect once you come aboard.

1. Packing sensibly

When planning your sailing tour remember that the storage space onboard is limited and that the communal area on the boat quickly gets cluttered if passengers on board leave their belongings lying around. On the other hand, you risk cluttering your own cabin if you have too many things you don’t really need with you. Apart from the lack of space, with all the sun, sea, salt, heat, and wind – a sailboat is no place for perfect makeup, an impeccable hairdo, and classy evening gowns. Your days will be spent being wet, salty, and covered in sun cream. In the evenings, you will be transported by dinghy to rustical taverns on uninhabited islands surrounded by rocky terrain and prickly vegetation. With a no-shoe policy on board, and a need for sporty and sturdy footwear off the boat, it’s best you leave your fancy heels behind too.

2. Preparing snacks, drinks, and cash

With the beauty of remote locations comes the slight inconvenience of not being able to get what you want at all times. You will therefore be advised to prepare for the tour by buying three days’ worth of snack lunches before boarding. Since space in the kitchen and the refrigerator is limited, you should prepare this sensibly too.

However, this shouldn’t be a problem considering breakfast is provided and dinners are planned in local taverns. Tap-water on board is safe to drink so you don’t need to bring bottled water on board. It is enough to have one reusable drinking bottle for refills which eliminates excessive waste in the form of plastic water bottles. Another thing to keep in mind is that many local businesses accept cash only and there may not be a money exchange or a cash machine when you need it – so having some cash with you is advisable.

3. Conserve fresh-water

There is a freshwater tank onboard which is regularly disinfected and filled with fresh-drinking water prior to each departure. Apart from being safe to drink, the freshwater is also used for cooking, dishwashing, and showering which makes it important for everyone on board to use it consciously. If not used excessively, one tank will last everyone on board quite comfortably for the duration of a four-day sailing tour. Besides, who needs half-hour showers in their cabin when there’s a turquoise lagoon waiting for you outside!

4. Rationalizing electricity use

Whenever the boat is docked and plugged into the electrical post, or when its’ engine is running – all electrical appliances can be used freely. While anchored or docked in a secluded bay where there is no place to plug in, we rely on the boat’s battery which we use for everything from charging our phones and gadgets to cooling fans. However, most passengers would agree that a night spent in a private bay, rather than a crowded port, is worth giving up the luxury of unlimited electrical energy. Passengers are therefore encouraged to prepare for this minor inconvenience by charging their gadgets beforehand, as well as unplugging appliances when they are charged – especially during the night.

5. Pump that toilet clean!

How about a lesson and a demonstration on proper toilet use as an ice breaker right after you meet the staff and the other passengers? Well, this just may be the most important lesson you will learn to ensure smooth sailing for everyone on board. The boat has a pump toilet system that uses sea-water to flush the toilet after you’re done using it. While this is a great system because it doesn’t use the freshwater from the tank, it does require you to know how to properly pump-flush it.

There is a lot one can learn about rationalizing one’s life while staying on a boat! In the end, most of us are happy to have ditched mass tourism and experienced something rarely found in a tourism hot-spot like Croatia. With prior information, proper planning, awareness, and respect for others on board, most people find that it takes minimal compromise to achieve a perfectly comfortable sailing holiday.