Top 5 things about a Yachting Holiday

1. Sailing in the sunshine

Sailing on its own is a massive pleasure, with the wind, the waves and free transport giving you a feeling of winning at life.  Add to that glorious sunshine, and it is genuinely such a pleasure that you almost feel guilty for enjoying yourself so much.  Taking the helm is certainly easier in the sunshine than in the cold!

2. Freedom!

You have a week off work, the phone is in your bag below deck, and the nearest civilisation is a few miles a few miles away.  No one can bother you here, except if they forgot to turn on the fridge!  The sense of freedom from modern life is exhilarating, but also the freedom to go wherever you like: not constrained by buildings and roads and costs: go any direction you like, as far as you like, it’s all free!

3. Adventure

Going to new places each day and night heightens your sense of adventure.  You find hidden bars in idyllic bays, or an amazing meal and warm welcome at a tiny non-descript marina.  You can land at uninhabited islands, have beaches literally to yourself, and follow your nose in search of anything interesting.

4. And… relax

With all that freedom and sunshine, it’s almost impossible not to relax on a sailing holiday.  There is not much to do on a boat, and there is all day to do it in (and there is a whole crew to help to get it done).  Life drifts along at a more sedate pace, where there is time for reading, sunbathing or real-life conversation.  Plus, you’re on holiday, so you can have a beer or G&T whenever it feels right.  Bliss.

5. the Crew

This becomes #1 when you return home and become a land-lubber again.  The people you take with you are not just friends any more – they’re  crew-mates.  They’re people you’ve lived with in close company, and chatted to, and eaten and drank with, for a week.  You’re now bonded in ways you never knew how, and, believe it or not, these people made your holiday: the key to a brilliant holiday is always a happy crew.

Have I missed anything?  Let me know!