Yacht Week: Croatia

Never did I think I would be going on Yacht week but heck, one of my friends organized the trip and I am happy I decided to go. You may have heard it, and read about it on other blogs... The Yacht Week!? There are several locations for yacht week to choose from: Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Italy, British Virgin Islands, Thailand. There is also a route for Ultra Europe and Ski Week. For our first yacht week, we decided to go to Croatia. It was a week of sun, water, beautiful scenery, and parties.

It felt strange to come back to the real world... so strange that my friend and I are thinking of going to British Virgin Islands next time.

TBH;
All in all, to be completely honest, yacht week is the experience you want to make it. I knowww, that sounds cliche. As someone who does not drink much anymore, and the mere thought of shots make me shudder, and I had a heck of a fun time, being sober or at some times tipsy, and not hungover on a rocking yacht. I get quite peeved when people in blogs will say that it is necessary to drink alcohol to have the "yacht week experience." If you want to drink, drink. Cheers to you! But I think "the yacht week experience" can be so many versions. So yes, yacht week can be the week you want to make of it. Take my list of suggestions below as things that are important to me, and remember, modify to your own preferences! :)

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Learned Lessons?!
Food&Supplies

Oh man, food and supplies. If you do not have a hostess, you need to buy your own groceries and supplies on the first day. There are markets at each port but it is much easier to buy a load of items the first day, than constantly buying water or perishable foods throughout the week when you are sun-tired and hungover. P.S. You need to feed your skipper! My flight into Split was delayed and I wasn't able to go grocery shopping with my crew. Here are items I would recommend buying:
- shampoo and conditioner (if you did not bring your own carry-on)
- toilet paper, paper towels,
- sunscreen, at least 1 bottle per person
- aloe or after-sun care
- plastic cups, plastic utensils and plates, plastic shot glasses (think, how often do you want to do the dishes?)
- water. my crew went through 8 gallons of water in a day
- ice. with strong sun, anything cool will be refreshing.
- juice
- any type of alcohol you want, if you want: beer, champagne, liquor
- eggs and yogurt and granola are optional and depends on the crew
- non-perishable foods
- dried meats
- crackers
- pasta
- nutella or peanut butter

But what to bring to yacht week?

- inflatables. I must say, if you want a specific inflatable like a cute pegasus to sit on, bring it!
- swim suits. I brought 7 pairs of suits and only wore half of them.
- bikini cover up, optional
- summer dresses
- flip flops/sandals and a close-toed shoe
- crew costume for the regatta
- multiple sunglasses and hat
- ear plugs and sleeping blindfold
- personal medication
- sea sickness medication, advil, anti-diarrhea, vitamins
- pedialite powder
- face/baby wipes
- zip lock bags
- audio cable
- wireless waterproof speakers
- lights to decorate the yacht
- glow sticks
- water guns
- flag for the yacht
- hammock
- ramen. pasta is a good replacement and can be found in the markets but given that I lived off ramen in college, it was suitable to relive that experience on yacht week.
- dried fruit like dried mango

Who to go with?
It is important to find a good crew to go to TYW with. Being on a small boat for a week can become tough or it can create an amazing bond and friendship. Think of who you enjoy partying with, is flexible and open-minded, and will pitch in for the group like cleaning the boat. It is also common to go solo and find a crew to join on TYW's Crew Finder. And don't forget to pick your yacht: a monohull or a catamaran.

Which location to go to?
Each location provides a different experience and vibe in terms of party level, chill factor, and daily activities. Keep in mind though, that most of your time will be spent on the boat. If you want to go to a certain country to travel that country, arrive a few days earlier or stay after yacht week and explore locally.

Now, what is NOT pretty about yacht week?
To be frank, there are always the ugly to a beautiful vacation. So, what's up? The yacht will get dirty and messy quick. With more than ten people on board, it is bound to get complicated. The toilets do not handle toilet paper so unless you want a clogged toilet, don't throw toilet paper down. Don't expect to shower every day. There is barely any silence even at night so if you need to catch up on sleep and you probably do, bring earplugs. It was chilly and comfortable at night to fall asleep in the cabin but it becomes very hot, very early. By around 8am I often woke up in my own sweat. Be prepared to get seasick or landsick! My crew got hit with bad waves one day for about two hours. At first it felt like a fun rollercoaster while sitting on our inflatables, but that soon ended. Some of our inflatables also didn't make it from all that rocking... The trip is a marathon, so pace yourself on energy!

xoxo,
Winscribbles