Thursday, 9 April 2026

7 Days to Go – Living on a Yacht

“How Do You Actually Live on a Boat for a Week?”

Up until now, I’ve been focusing on sailing.

But there’s a small detail I may have overlooked:

You also have to live on the boat

For a whole week.

With other people.

In a space smaller than my kitchen. Now I have done this lots of times before. We have taken holidays on the canal, we have cruised up and down the Canal du Midi, but we have never done this at sea with swell.

Sleeping (or attempting to)

Sleeping on a yacht involves:

Small bunks
Odd angles
No guarantee of silence

And possibly:
Falling out if the boat moves suddenly

I suspect:
Earplugs may become my best friend

Toilets (The bit everyone worries about)

Ah yes… the marine toilet.

From what I understand:

It involves pumping
There are rules
Breaking those rules is… memorable

I have been warned:

“Nothing goes down there unless it’s passed through your body first”

This feels like important advice.

Cooking (at an angle)

Cooking onboard means:

Things slide
Liquids move
Balance is everything

So meals may range from:
“Surprisingly good”
to
“Why is this on the floor?”

Space (or lack of it)

There isn’t much.

Everything has:

A place
A very small place

And if you leave something out:
It will be in everyone’s way

Final Thought

Living on a yacht is less about comfort…

And more about:
Adaptation

Let’s see how adaptable I really am.

Day 8 – Knots Refresher

“The Knots I Should Know (But Might Forget)”

There comes a moment in every sailing journey where you realise:

You definitely learnt the knots
You’re not entirely sure you remember them

That moment is now.

The Essential Three (Apparently…)

Bowline (The “proper sailor” knot)

Forms a fixed loop that:
Doesn’t slip
Doesn’t tighten

Very useful.

Also very easy to forget under pressure.

Clove Hitch (Quick… but don’t trust it)

Great for:

Temporary tying off

Not so great if:
You forget to secure it properly

Sheet Bend (When ropes don’t match)

Used for:
Joining two ropes of different thickness

Which sounds simple…

Until you try to remember which end goes where.

My Own Survival Strategy

Fortunately, I’ve written all this down before:

https://pmrsailing.uk/sailing-lessons/sailing-terms-list/

So in theory:
I should know these

In practice:
I may be quietly checking my own website…

Final Thought

Knots are like:

Passwords
Or names at a party

You know them… until you need them

Then suddenly:
Nothing.

Wednesday, 8 April 2026

Day 9 – Safety at Sea

“What Happens If Someone Falls In?”

This is one of those topics that starts as theory…

And very quickly becomes:
Something you really want to get right

The Reality

If someone falls overboard:

Time matters
Visibility matters
Calm thinking matters

And shouting:
“They’ve fallen in!”
is only the beginning.

Back to My Previous Blog

I’ve already looked at this on the Thames:
Recovering someone when a safety boat isn’t immediately available

On a yacht at sea:
It becomes even more critical

(No convenient riverbank to drift towards…)

Man Overboard – The Basics

The key steps are simple (in theory):

Shout & point – never lose sight
Throw flotation – anything that floats
Press MOB on GPS (if available)
Turn the boat – quickly but under control
Recover the person – safely

In practice:
It’s harder than it sounds

Lifejackets vs Buoyancy Aids

This is where things get important.

Buoyancy Aid:

Helps you float
You still need to keep yourself safe
Common in dinghy sailing

Lifejacket:

Turns you onto your back
Keeps your airway clear
Essential offshore

On a yacht:
You’ll be wearing a lifejacket

No debate.

The Key Lesson

Safety isn’t about:
Knowing what to do

It’s about:
Doing it quickly, calmly, and correctly

Preferably:
Without needing to use it at all

Final Thought

I fully intend:
Not to fall in

But if I do…

I hope someone’s been paying attention.

Tuesday, 7 April 2026

Day 10 – Cameras & Filming Plan

“Filming a Sailing Course Without Falling Overboard”

This is, I suspect, going to be harder than the sailing.

Because it turns out:
Sailing with cameras is one thing
Sailing while filming properly is something else entirely

And ideally:
I would like to return with footage… and still be onboard.

The Plan (In Theory…)

The goal is to document the whole experience:

Learning as a Royal Yachting Association Competent Crew
Life onboard
The mistakes (there will be many)

All while:
Not dropping expensive equipment into the Adriatic Sea

The Camera Setup

360 Cameras (The “point and hope” method)

These are my favourites on a boat:

Capture everything
No need to aim (very helpful when you’re busy not falling over)
Great for action shots

Downside:
They also capture everything… including mistakes

Olympus Tough (The survivor)

My trusty Olympus Tough TG-6:

Waterproof ✔
Drop-proof ✔
Sailor-proof (hopefully) ✔

This is the camera I can hand to anyone and say:
“Just press that button”

The Backup System (Because things go wrong)

Every day:

Dump footage to a hard drive
Possibly a second backup (if I’m being sensible)

Because losing footage is:
Worse than getting wet
Almost worse than falling in

Cross-Filming Plan

This is where it gets interesting.

We have:

Two boats
Two filming teams (Steve doesn't know tjhis yet)
Often the Sunsail Instructors also film

I’ll be filming the catamaran, my wife will be filming me
Steve will be filming us on the yacht

Which means:

External shots ✔
Different perspectives ✔
Much better storytelling ✔

Assuming, of course:
We don’t both miss the shot at the same time

Final Thought

The aim is simple:

Capture the experience
Tell the story
Stay dry (optional)

What could possibly go wrong?

Monday, 6 April 2026

Day 11 – Packing Begins

“Packing for a Yacht – Why Everything Must Be Squashy”

Packing for a sailing holiday is not like packing for a hotel.

There is no:

Wardrobe
Chest of drawers
“I’ll just leave this on the chair”

Instead, there is:
A very small space and nowhere to hide your luggage

The Suitcase Problem

Bringing a hard suitcase onto a yacht is roughly equivalent to:
Bringing a grand piano into a tent

It:

Doesn’t fit
Gets in the way
Annoys everyone

And once it’s empty…

It’s still taking up space

The Answer – Soft Bags

The golden rule:

If it doesn’t squash… it doesn’t come

Soft bags:

Can be shoved into lockers
Fit odd-shaped spaces
Don’t attack your shins at night

Dry Bags (The Sensible Addition)

Water has an annoying habit of:
Getting everywhere

So dry bags are ideal for:

Phones
Cameras
Anything you don’t want to replace

Particularly useful when:

It rains
Someone splashes you
You drop something (hopefully not yourself)

The Minimal Clothing Reality

This is the hardest part to accept.

You do not need:

7 outfits for 7 days

You do need:

A few quick-dry items
Layers
Something warm
Something waterproof

And yes…

You will wear the same clothes more than once
No one will care
Everyone else is doing exactly the same

Final Thought

Packing for a yacht is not about choice.

It’s about:
Survival of the smallest bag

Next Blog Day 11 The Technology Onboard

Sunday, 5 April 2026

Day 12 – The Kit Question

“Do I Need Salopettes in Croatia?”

This is the real question.

Not:

Can I sail?
Will I pass Competent Crew?

But:
Will I be wet, cold… and regretting my life choices?

April Weather Reality Check

Looking at the forecast around Trogir and the Adriatic Sea:

Temperatures: pleasant (15–21°C)
Sunshine: plenty
Wind: oh yes… sometimes a lot of it
Rain: just enough to catch you out

So it’s not exactly tropical.

And definitely not the Med you see in glossy brochures.

The Good News – The Jacket

I did at least get one thing right.

My Gill OS2 Jacket is:

Waterproof ✔
Windproof ✔
Bright enough to be seen from space ✔

In fact, I may be slightly overdressed.

“Prepared for the Arctic… sailing in sunshine.”

The Salopettes Problem

But below the waist…

Nothing.

No waterproof trousers. No salopettes. Just optimism.

So… do I need them?

Reasons to take them:

Sitting on a wet deck = cold very quickly
Wind chill is real
Early mornings / late evenings can be chilly
Spray happens (especially when someone else is steering…)

Reasons not to:

Bulky
Possibly unnecessary if the weather behaves
Yet another thing to pack

Honest Conclusion

For:

Dinghy sailing on the Thames → optional

For:

A week on a yacht in Croatia → increasingly sensible

I haven’t bought any yet…

But I suspect:
Future me may be writing a follow-up blog titled
“Why I Should Have Bought Salopettes”

Next Blog Day 11 – Packing Begins

Saturday, 4 April 2026

Day 13 – What Does ‘Competent Crew’ Actually Mean?

“What Does ‘Competent Crew’ Actually Mean?”

With just under two weeks to go before Croatia, I thought it might be a good idea to work out what I’m actually supposed to be competent at…

Because at the moment, I’m very competent at:

Making tea
Pointing at things I don’t understand
Looking confident while quietly panicking

Apparently, the Royal Yachting Association has slightly higher expectations.

So… what is “Competent Crew”?

The Competent Crew course is designed to turn you from:
“Passenger with enthusiasm”
into
“Useful human being on a yacht”

You’re not expected to skipper the boat — thankfully — but you are expected to help make it sail properly and safely.

The Core Skills (That I’m Hoping to Master…)

Knots (Yes… they matter)

You’ll need to tie a few properly — not just “that one that sort of works”.

Expect things like:

Bowline
Clove hitch
Figure of eight

(And yes, I’ve written about these here https://pmrsailing.uk/sailing-lessons/sailing-terms-list/)

Because nothing says “novice” like a knot that comes undone at the wrong moment…

Steering (Without zig-zagging like a drunk duck)

Helming a yacht is very different from a dinghy:

Slower response
Bigger consequences
More people watching

Keeping a steady course will be… interesting.

Sail Handling (Pull this… but not too much)

You’ll be expected to:

Hoist sails
Trim sails
Tidy ropes (apparently this matters a lot)

Timing is everything — something I’ve already discovered when messing up the jib on the Thames.

Living Onboard (The bit no one warns you about)

This is where it gets real.

You’ll learn:

How to cook without launching the frying pan
How to sleep while the boat creaks
How to use a marine toilet without becoming that person

This might be the hardest part of the course…

So… will I be “Competent”?

By the end of the week, I should:

Know what’s going on
Be able to help properly
Not get in the way (as much)

Which, to be fair, is a solid upgrade.

Final Thought

“Competent Crew” doesn’t mean perfect.

It just means:
You’re someone others are happy to have onboard.

I’m aiming for that.

Anything beyond that is a bonus.