Sailing Holiday

Pros and Cons of Sailing Holidays

Whenever I am asked to describe a sailing holiday, I find myself in a sort of trouble. That’s probably because I like sailing very much. also my perception of sailing could never be fully objective. As my initial goal when talking about sailing is to ‘initiate’ more sailing fans, I always like to give a full picture of what sailing holidays look like. Therefore I took a bit of research trying to find pros and cons of sailing holidays. Here is what I have learned:

Pros And Cons Of Sailing Holiday

Cons

Lack of space

Regardless of the size and features of a sailing yacht, she is always too small. Sitting in the cockpit, cooking in the galley, sleeping in a cabin and walking up and down the deck. It requires not only a bit of discipline but a great deal of attention. Every space mentioned in the previous sentence is somehow smaller and different from living spaces at home. Not to mention the size of a bathroom or the fridge…

Limitations all over the place

Water tanks are limited to certain capacity. So the ‘water saving mode’ is always in power. Forget about singing opera under the shower. Doing dishes also requires the use of some special techniques. The same applies for power consumption. All water pumps, the water heater, fridge and freezer, as well as lights, hi-fi and other devices. They are run by an electric current from batteries. In the case of a longer stay afloat, the economical use of the power is essential.

Sailing Holiday

Long distances

Regardless of the real distance between destinations, sailing could seem very slow and boring.  Distances may seem endless to first-time sailors. One should understand that a sailing yacht is not to be considered a vehicle. It doesn not transports you from point A to point B, but it’s a life philosophy of travelling. On the other hand, there are no rest areas like there are on a highway. In the case of boredom or exhaustion, one has to wait until docking at a destination to stretch legs and visit a bar.

No absolute control

One could fully control the sailing yacht in terms of handling the sails and maneuvering. But a power mightier than humans decides about conditions of sailing! The wind and the sea. As sailing is about adjusting to the nature instead of controlling it, control freaks will not be happy to make compromises with nature…

Interpersonal relations

Choosing the crew for your sailing holidays is a very tricky task. Especially in terms of temperament and attitude of every personality on board. Since there is little space on a yacht, and there are all sorts of limitations, people get grumpy or nervous much more easily than ashore.

Sailing Holiday

Temperature

The majority of sailing yachts are built with only basic isolation. So living on board could be either very hot (summer) or very cold (winter). One should have in mind that air conditioners or heaters cannot provide the ‘chamber temperature’ like they can at home.

Seasickness

Seems to be a great problem to people who cannot bear the motions of the yacht. Medications that help you with seasickness are usually just against the symptoms. They cannot be against the cause. They also do not solve the problem completely. Also people who take such pills get very sleepy after consumption. Bracelets against seasickness are useful. But I think that the major problem lies in not being fully relaxed, both physically and mentally.

Storage place

All the things that you want to store while having a sailing holiday have to be strategically planned. Shoes and clothes, fins and goggles, food and drinks. You have to put them all in a few trunks and small cupboards. So be a minimalist when packing your luggage.

IT management

Modern life is difficult to imagine without the internet and mobile devices, smartphones, tablets and apps. The lack of signal service appears to be a great problem. At least to those who cannot live without Facebook and Twitter. Even though your yacht is equipped with internet wi-fi router, the signal is not always available in certain areas.

Sailing Holiday

Changed habits

Lifestyle on board is totally different from the one at home. So are the house rules. All actions like preparing the meals, cleaning the deck and interior, getting supplies and taking part in maneuvers and handling the sails have to be organized and delegated to every single crew member. After all, one point of having holidays is to change some of your usual habits.

The problem with authority

There can be only one captain (master) aboard. Whom every crew member has to obey at all times. If the captain happens to be your boyfriend, fiancé or husband (or the other way round), then there is no other way but to leave the yacht if you do not like orders and decisions sent from the helm.

Pros

I find this section of the post is much more difficult because it is self-explanatory that sailing is great fun. All of the facts above are, in fact, pros to me but let’s see what people think about pros:

Feeling of freedom

One is absolutely free to decide when to wake up and go to sleep, where to head to, how long to stay at a certain place or what and when to drink and eat.

Chilling In The Net

Opposite perspective

You can usually see the beaches and coves on islands from the coast. From the sailing yacht, one has a chance to see them from the sea. It provides a different sensation and creates a different image of a certain place. Furthermore, some interesting spots are reachable only from the sea, which gives additional value to sailing holidays.

The full experience of the nature

Sailing the sea involves the constant and direct feeling of the nature. The sailing yacht is powered by the wind that is felt in your hair and all over your body. Every wave moves your body in all directions as it rocks the surface. Once you anchor your yacht in a pristine cove, all you can hear are sounds of nature – the wind blowing through the trees, the waves breaking over the rocks, and the restless song of the crickets. A sudden summer shower or thunderstorm will give you a less romantic sensation but it is still pure nature.

Fishing On Board

Every day tells you a different story

Spending holidays at a hotel resort or a camp usually implies seven days which are more or less the same. Waking up at the same time. Going to the same beach. Having an ice-cream or a cocktail at the same place. Meeting the same people every day… OK, I might be too strict at this point but I think I am not too far from the reality. Sailing aboard a yacht, you will find yourself every day at different but equally beautiful beaches, bays or coves, you will see more than one interesting village, port or town, while there is a variety of people that you might meet at the anchor, in a marina or ashore. On the other hand, sailing on a yacht, you can avoid all of them if you like.

Joy

Last but not least, the joy you feel while traveling under sails is more or less inexplicable, but ultimately pleasant!

As I have mentioned earlier, this post was very difficult to complete because I see very few cons in regard to sailing holidays while pros are self-explanatory. However, I am still want to hear your opinion about the good and less good sides of sailing holiday because I believe that everybody can enjoy their sailing holiday if they prepare themselves in advance. Last but not least, one should keep an eye on their expectations because, in most cases, they lead to disappointment. Feel free to come to us with your experiences and expectations so we can ‘create’ more fans of sailing holidays.

I wish you a calm sea, a fine wind and a strong mast!

4 thoughts on “Pros and Cons of Sailing Holidays”

  1. I love how you said that going on a sailboat is a great way to experience nature because of how you are exposed to it. Going on a sailboat tour or something like that seems like a really great way to accentuate a vacation. My wife and I will have to look into it when we travel to the west coast later this year.

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