To pack things for a sailing trip is a whole different game than packing for a classic vacation at sea. Bad news: you need to take a practical and minimal approach and consider unexpected situations. “Fortune favours the prepared mind”, - so check out our list of equipment and applications recommended by experienced sailors that will help make the voyage easier.
Essentials on your sailing packing list
Before leaving, check the validity of your travel documents and whether you have packed the same document as written on the crew list. As a captain, keep the following documents always on hand and in one place - a skipper’s license, a VHF radio operator’s license, a crew list, and a document/number for the insurance company.
It is still a good idea to have enough cash in local currency since cards are not accepted in every remote bay. You can do your big grocery shopping on the spot, but keep in mind that storing food onboard is tricky. The fridge is small and turned off when sailing (without an engine) and anchoring away from marinas. You should have food and water supplies on your charter boat for at least three days (even if you plan to dine mostly in restaurants). Durable food and bottled drinking water supplies are a must. We recommend having some water available in the cockpit area for the entire crew.
As for the medicines, the crew should be aware of the health conditions of others in case someone has a more serious diagnosis. It is also necessary to know where this person stores her medicines.
Packing clothes and personal belongings for a sailing adventure is a bit more challenging. You share limited storage space in one cabin with another crew member. It is essential to pack everything in a backpack or duffel bag; don’t take a clumsy suitcase on wheels. In addition to regular clothing, the basis of every sailor is non-slip shoes with a white sole, a waterproof jacket and ideally also, trousers, microfiber towels, T-shirts with a UV filter, sunglasses and a cap. Opt for quality and versatility rather than quantity.
Top gear approved by sailors
We have collected a few tips for super useful sailing gear and gadgets to make your voyage more comfortable and pleasant.
Gear related to clothing
- Light duffel bag and dry bag
- Ideally, you should be able to pack all your stuff in a single backpack. A dry bag is practical when going for short trips by dinghy to the shore. - Sailing (or cycling) gloves
- Heavy and thick mooring ropes tend to be overgrown with sharp shells, and pulling such rope with bare hands is not a heroic act :) - Waterproof cases for documents, tablets and mobile phones
- Hat or sunglasses retainer clip - to keep them on your head in windy weather
- Laundry pegs - especially in high season
Electronic gear
- 12-V USB charger (from a car) and portable chargers
- Remember that 220V sockets on a board work solely in marinas or city berths; while sailing with an engine running or anchoring, the boat runs on a battery, and only 12V sockets are available. - Tablet - you will appreciate it not only during the navigation (place the tablet inside a waterproof case), but kids onboard won´t oppose its presence during lousy weather :)
- Extension cord - there are never enough sockets on board
- Headlamps (with red light) - our eyes adjust faster to a red light at night. However, use white light when making a night trip with a dinghy.
HINT: Stand-up paddle (SUP) and a lightweight hammock are guaranteed success on the boat.
Gear for repair and improvements
- A classic “duct tape” (black or silver)
- A sailing boat is a magical place where things break or tear more often than on land. The good old “MacGyver” tape is a must-have. - Multi-tool or Swiss-army knife
- Apparently, every crew used this gadget on the boat. Some sailing knives have a special hook to untie tangled knots. - Shackle
-It is something like a carabiner that enables you to fasten ropes, chains or sails. Each captain should have a few spare shakels. - Vegetable peeler, aluminium foil and kitchen towels
- With a peeler, you can peel vegetables more safely, even when the boat is heeling; you can wrap leftover food in a foil; and with kitchen towels, you will wipe not only the pots but also the constantly wet floor :) - Scented diaper bags - put used toilet paper in these bags. You should never throw paper directly into the toilet when living on a boat.
HINT: if you have kids on board, take a small pool that will fit on the deck. Please bear in mind that a life jacket for children is not a standard part of the charter boat’s equipment.
Apps approved by sailors
Weather and wind applications are an essential part of every skipper´s smartphone. The most used weather applications are Windy and Windfinder, in which you can see modelling and visualisation of weather changes by the hour. These apps will complement your weather forecast analysis very well. Weather & Radar is also a popular weather forecast application even outside the sailing world. You can set notifications in the apps when conditions in a given location change.
- Navionics is a great help in route planning and navigation. It is worth investing in the paid version as well. The application allows you to quickly create a route that automatically takes into account depths, isolated dangers and other constraints. Contacts, ratings and photos are available for plenty of bays and marinas.
- AnchorPro application allows you to keep calm when anchored. You can set up the radius in which the boat should move safely while being anchored. In case the anchor is released, and the boat leaves the defined circuit, the application triggers an alarm.
- The mySea, Navily and SeaSy applications (for Croatian marinas) are great choices for smooth and quick reservation of buoys or berthing places in marinas. You can follow the reviews from the sailing community.
- You can see all vessels equipped with the AIS system around you during the night sailing, thanks to the VesselFinder application. You will have information about the real-time vessel position, its type and course.
- SplitWise is another sought-after application. This app enables transparent recording and a fair splitting of the expenses of the entire crew. Revolut app is useful when withdrawing cash from an ATM as the exchange rate tends to be better than other banks’ rates.
- And finally - as a skipper, you can train the crew through the Colreg app that contains various quizzes with navigation lights and signals (useful especially for night sailing).
Hopefully, these tips and tricks will help you pack better for your next sailing adventure. If you have additional tips for sailing gear, feel free to share them :)
