Yachts
Packing for a week on a yacht
Soft bags, no black soles, one good outfit and less of everything else. What the crew wish every guest knew before they came aboard.
A yacht cabin has less storage than a hotel wardrobe and the crew have to stow whatever you bring. The guests the crew love are the ones who arrive with a soft bag, a hat and a sense that the boat will provide the rest. It will.
The bag
Soft, always. A hard suitcase cannot be folded and has to live somewhere on a boat where every locker is spoken for. Two soft holdalls for a week is right; the crew unpack them into the cabin and the bags disappear.
Shoes
Deck shoes with soft, pale soles for on board, because black soles mark teak and the crew will ask, politely, that you go barefoot. One pair of sandals for lunch ashore. One pair of shoes for the evening in port. That is all.
Clothes
Linen, cotton and swimwear, in that order, and less of each than seems sensible. The boat has a laundry and a stewardess who uses it every day. Three outfits for the evening cover a week; one of them should be something for the night the captain suggests dinner ashore in Capri. A sweater for the evening breeze; a light waterproof for the tender.
What the boat provides
Towels, beach towels, toiletries, sunscreen in most cases, snorkels and masks, water shoes, the toys, the tender, the fishing rods, the books, the games, and any wine, spirits, soft drinks or snacks that were on the crew brief. If the children need a specific cereal, it is on the brief and it is in the galley.
What to leave at home
Jewellery you would mourn. Electronics you would mourn. Hard cases. Heels. Anything white you want to stay white. The sense that you need to bring something for the crew, which you do not, until the end.
Use it now
Packing List
A list for a yacht week, a villa summer, a winter city or a tropical island, sized to the days, ticked off as you pack.
