I just got back from my first sailing trip during which we basically camped for a week on a yacht around the shores of the beautiful Croatia. I used the word ‘camped’ to describe the experience as I do find it somehow to be similar to the one spent travelling in a camper van. Sleeping and bathing experiences are literally similar, kitchens in both vehicles are cramped but existing, space for the occupants is limited and better be shared with the ones we’re willing to get to know rather well. Overall both means of transport are actually designed to be able to move in space by carrying occupants and their stuff, food and drinks with the intend to explore the best mother nature has to give. Of course sails on the yacht add to the complexity of getting the thing to move, but the reality as it appeared to be the case, was that the small motor was used every day to going, which only adds to the comparison with the motorized camper van. Views are very opposingly different and there’s something especially relaxing in spending full week on the water and observing land from the distance rather than vice versa. The boat we travelled in was 41 feet long, so an integrated camper in a relative comparison – not the smallest one and not even aiming anywhere near the ones with the helicopter pad. Of course camper van it is not, as getting suntanned for the passengers during the traveling legs on the van is hard not to mention being illegal for not having the seat belts fastened.
When the day ends, the night comes and there are few options to spend it on the yacht stationary, realistically three – find the spot in marina (aka camping site), at anchor and attached to a buoy (aka a dedicated parking lot). Marina option (~70-80 EUR) does give access to land surface for the evening walk, cup of coffee at the local shop, sometimes shower and bathroom facilities, and neighbors you cannot choose around the ship, however at the same time it stands as the last choice for purist seekers who would opt for the anchored stay as much as possible.
Which doesn’t come with its own challenges, I’ve learnt. It’s not safe during worse weather and overall captains of the ship have less quality sleep when anchored as there are stories of the boat being dragged by the current and winds even when anchor seemed solid. The upside is that it’s free.
Buoys in theory should be the best of both worlds – someone did the anchoring of the buoy itself already so it provides a solid point to attach to and provides for lovely sightseeing as literally you’re sleeping surrounded by water. Downside is, at least in Croatia, they are hugely expensive with prices being somewhere around 30 EUR for a spot a night. This was hard for me to digest that a night in the wild can be this relatively expensive considering that fact that what the human built and maintains there is an anchor base.
And I move to my next concern – our yacht didn’t seem to hold resources well, namely water tanks realistically need to be filled up every second day to accommodate 6 passengers and batteries seemed to drain out sooner than expected. All of which means a visit to marina for filling up and marinas charge for it.
This brings me to the conclusion – in theory yacht seems to be the mean of transport suitable for a lovely blend with the best nature has to provide, however are we not taking it a tad too far by making off-grid experience so expensive?
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