What to bring on your sailing holiday

What people take with them when they go sailing varies by the kind of sailing they are doing, where they are sailing, their experience and personal preferences, but here we try and give those uncertain what to bring some guidelines on useful items to have with you during a sailing holiday with Greek Sails.

Clothes

If your holiday falls between mid-May and the end of September, you won’t need much in the way of clothes! A couple of swimsuits, towels, some T-shirts and shorts and something casual for the evenings are all you need. It’s a good idea to include a windproof jacket in case of stronger winds. It is also good to have sailing gloves to protect your hands and office calluses.

Closed non-slip shoes (deck shoes/sports shoes) are a must for safety on board and don’t forget to bring a sun hat, sunglasses and include plenty of sunscreen for protection from the sun. Reflection from the water means you soak up a lot of sun while sailing.

It is preferable to pack in soft bags rather than hard suitcases as hard cases are more difficult to stow away in lockers onboard. It’s a good idea to chose soft bags with wheels or have a collapsible trolley for ease of transport. What we guarantee you won’t need is a stepladder!

For early and late season sailing; before mid-May and after September, a fleece/sweater and some warm trousers may be necessary and it’s wise to include wet weather gear too - just in case!

Toiletries and medication

Most brands of soap, shower gel, shampoo, sunscreen etc. are sold in Greece although they tend to be more expensive from the small harbour-side shops. If you take prescribed medicine, it is advisable to bring enough with you for the duration of your holiday. Although all our yachts have a basic first aid kit, it is a good idea to carry one of your own which should includes travel sickness pills, antiseptic cream, insect repellent, antihistamine cream/gel for insect bites and anything else you personally may need.

Food

Although you will probably find everything you need in the supermarkets in Greece, if you have food allergies (milk, wheat gluten, etc.) it is advisable to bring the substitutes you use at home as they may not be readily available in the small shops you will be using in Greece.

Documents & currency

You will of course need your passport or ID card (EU member countries). If you are from a non-EU country you should check with your Greek consulate as to whether you need to apply for a visa. You should also bring your sailing certificates as they are sometimes requested by the Port Police. If you intend to hire a car, motorbike or other vehicle whilst on holiday you should also bring your driving licence. Your personal holiday insurance documents and if you are from a European Union member country, the EU medical card should be included in your hand luggage.

We recommend that you bring a combination of cash and traveller’s cheques together with your credit cards. Most of the time it is better to buy your Euros in Greece. You can use bank ATM cash machines in most places to obtain Euros so long as your bank card operates while abroad; not all do.

You can use credit cards in shops and restaurants Poros and the larger ports you may visit.

Remember that the smaller and more remote ports may have no banks; no ATMs and that in small tavernas credit cards may not be accepted. It’s therefore a good idea to carry enough cash to buy daily supplies and pay for dinner, especially if you are bareboat chartering and going further afield.

Useful Extras

You will need a continental 2 pin plug adapter for use on shore (charging cameras, phones, etc. in tavernas & cafes). As all our yachts have 12v sockets it would convenient to bring the appropriate 12v charger (car plug) for your laptop, mobile phone, digital camera, etc.

Packing checklist

To make things easy, here’s a checklist!

• Swimsuits
• Towels;
  • beach towels for sunbathing
  • tea towels
  • towels for showering. Microfibre towels are excellent
• T-shirts
• Shorts
• Casual evening wear
• Windproof jacket
• Sailing gloves
• Deck shoes
• Sun hat
• Sunglasses with lanyard
• Sunscreen/sun cream
• Lip salve/screen
• Toiletries (all-in-one shampoo/shower gels can be handy)
• Food favourites/substitutes
• Prescription medicines
• First aid kit
• Travel wash if you want to rinse things out in the evening
• Music CDs if you want to take advantage of the boats’ CD player
• Passport/ID card/visa
• Your sailing log &certificates
• Driving licence
• Holiday insurance
• EU medical card
• Cash/traveller’s cheques/Euros/credit cards
• Camera with batteries and 12v (car plug) charger
• 2 pin continental plug adapt
• 12v car-type charger for mobile phones, cameras etc.
• Fleece/sweater
• Warm trousers
• Wet weather gear

What is included & you don’t need to bring

• All bed linen
• Blankets...although you are unlikely to need them!
• Navigation instruments (dividers etc.)
• Pilot books or charts
• Stiletto heels or your bowler hat