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Yacht Week is Sodom and Gomorrah at sea

By Stuart McGurk

Here's a random list of things you can expect to occur on Yacht Week, the sailing holiday popular with the world's moneyed youth, and described in the Croatian national press as "Sodom and Gomorrah at sea".

You will watch someone almost fall off a boat, drunk, into the sea, but recover at the last minute. You will watch someone not recover at the last minute and fall off a boat, drunk, into the sea. You will see rich men throwing themselves into the water, before realising their money is still in their pockets, and hurriedly doggy-paddling after hundreds of dollars slowly escaping in the tide. You'll see drinking games, champagne showers, stripping, island rampages, selfie sticks held up like glow sticks, spirit bottles worth hundreds of dollars delivered on silver service with fireworks strapped to the necks, and people spending the average year's salary just by slurring the word "again!" You may see - as I did - more than 40 people scramble onto a yacht meant for six for an impromptu all-night boat party, which, after a certain amount of vodka, feels more like a real-life game of Screwball Scramble. You may see - as I did - an Australian girl so drunk she keeps kissing two men on the same night under the impression they are the same person, and not understanding why this person is getting so upset, and in different voices.

Nearly everyone is beautiful, single, uninhibited, and bottle-service wealthy. Several have been on reality-TV shows. It is the only holiday you can go on, I discover, that includes two staff photographers taking pictures of everything you, the hard-partying customer, get up to at all times.

I joined the Yacht Week for its "black route" - one that sails around the exclusive islands of Croatia, on the Adriatic - to see just why it's become such a phenomenon. The idea, after all, is fairly straightforward. You join an armada of yachts - up to 50 on any one route - after selecting your yacht-mates, booking a skipper, and even arranging an on-board chef if your budget will stretch that far (nearly all do). While on board, you drink and eat and sunbathe, and then party at every island you dock at, mostly at special Yacht Week events. It's Club 18-30, essentially, for people far too rich and glamorous to go on Club 18-30 holidays. The bigger Yacht Week has become (it started in 2008, and now has 45 routes across six countries, mostly in Europe, with plans to expand into South America and beyond) the more controversial it has been. The island of Hvar on this week's route, for instance, has increasingly become known as the new Saint-Tropez, with the mega-yachts lining its harbour belonging to everyone from Roman Abramovich and Bill Gates to Beyoncé and Tom Cruise.

Perhaps understandably, residents and guests haven't been too keen on "Hvarday", when the Yacht Week horde descends for perhaps the most raucous parties of the week (the notorious afternoon party scheduled at Carpe Diem bar sees champagne bottles worth hundreds of dollars sprayed like fire extinguishers). Just a few hours of "Hvarday" are said to be worth around £40,000 for the owners. The Hvar town council has repeatedly voted for Yacht Week's banishment, citing noise and drunken abuse; some claimed people were vomiting into the water and passing out drunk on the boardwalk. The diners next door at Gariful, Hvar's most exclusive fish restaurant, one of

Giorgio Armani 's favourite haunts, were said to be less than impressed. Yet, each time, Hvar's mayor has reached a compromise with Yacht Week's founders. And so, as with every year since it began in 2008, Yacht Week sails again.

At the marina, a short drive from Split airport, I meet our skipper for the week, Sebastian, a fastidious Spaniard almost certainly given to us to show how serious about safety they are, and who chides every error (you're required to help out when docking) like a father telling his son not to murder any more prostitutes ("It can never happen again"). The other members of HMS GQ are Charlotte, an easygoing Dane who will be our chef for the week, and the GQ photographer Rebecca. We are not the typical crew. Even the smallest yachts, like ours, sleep six - making ours the only boat not at capacity.

Part of Yacht Week's appeal, it turns out, comes with selecting your boat mates. Each yacht is required to be a strict 50-50 split in gender. The majority of people I spoke to found their remaining shipmates via the "CrewFinder" section on the website, which is essentially Yacht Week's version of Tinder, and which mostly sees men advertising the remaining female spaces on a yacht they've reserved. "We are calling our boat Noah's Ark cause it is going to be filled with Animals!!!" reads a typical ad. "Looking for 4 more beer-chugging, shot-taking, pirate-costume-wearing, no f***s about what anybody is caring girls to join in the mayhem!"

Nearly all the men list their Instagram accounts for the girls to check out.

By Adam Cheung

By Daisy Jones

By Conrad Quilty-Harper

"It's like The Real World! " a Californian blonde named Amy explains to me, referring to the American reality-TV show, but also, one presumes, the real world.

Many go purely on emails and images. Only one girl I met on my week - Cayla, a 29-year-old American teacher - took the precaution of travelling to New York to size up their potential male shipmates before she and her cousin took the plunge. "We ended up having a really boozy lunch - it was great!"

Cayla, who like nearly all on Yacht Week is single, rules out sex with her boat mates, "but we totally support bringing other people back to the boat and getting the job done."

Being a skipper on Yacht Week also has its difficulties, Sebastian informs me as we set sail. A fortnight ago, he had eleven Spaniards who barely slept, and he recalls the experience much like the sole survivor of an ethnic cleansing. Brazilian men, most skippers agree, are the worst (many mistreat female staff; a recent group got kicked off their boat for doing coke on deck).

Australians, the loudest. Americans, the most dressed in their own flag.

Skippers have an ongoing game called "Worst Question At The Worst Time". Favourites include: requesting a fry-up in a storm (oil is not your friend), trying to chat up a skipper while he's navigating a tricky mooring (most skippers are men), and having sex while you're supposed to help downing anchor.

After only a few hours, we arrive at Milna on the island of Brac, and I come across some guys from a mostly Dutch boat drinking with their skipper, an American man known as Cowboy Carl on account of the fact no one has seen him without his trademark cowboy hat for more than a year ("I did see him without it once," Sebastian tells me, "but I didn't recognise him").

It's around 6pm, but they already look very drunk. "They started with two bottles of vodka," says Cowboy Carl, almost misty-eyed. "And they've nearly finished them!" He hugs them. "My boys!" Carl has done 48 Yacht Week runs, and his ambition is to get to 52 to make a full year.

The opening night of Yacht Week is fairly tame, and so simply consists of a welcome open-air party in the relics of an old building involving pole dancers, light shows, vodka shots and some mild grinding. It's on this night I meet Tribble Reese. Reese is a child's idea of an American male as drawn hurriedly in crayon. He is a huge man with a jutting jaw, perfect teeth, blond hair that points to the sky, piercing eyes that would be devastating if not for the fact they're slightly too close-set, and has the nervous gregariousness of a man who has high-fived during sex. A former high-school quarterback from Atlanta, Georgia, who never quite made the grade to go pro, Reese is semi-famous in America for being the star of a reality TV dating show called Sweet Home Alabama . He was named South Carolina's Most Eligible Bachelor by Cosmopolitan in 2008.

At 29, however, he remains a bachelor, which is why he is at Yacht Week. He's out, he says, to have the experience of a lifetime - and rack up the numbers. "Nobody knows about this in the States," he tells me, excitedly, if not exactly accurately (there are more Americans here than any other nationality). "It's like the Bahamas on steroids!" Currently, Reese is most agitated by the female attention the skippers are getting. "So now I just want to be a skipper. They get laid like crazy." (The skippers, it should be said, deny this, but then of course they would. "I've had girls try to jump me," says William Wenkel, the CEO, co-founder and former skipper himself. "But I've never used my power.")

If the average age of the people who go on 18-30 holidays is early twenties, then, at 29, Reese is the average Yacht Weeker.

Take your pick from any number of reasons: a generation marrying later, an international moneyed elite looking for a wilder time, or simply the 18-30s holiday finally going high-end via the addition of boats (docking at a different port each night, after all, allows the Yacht Week to visit high-end hot-spots not yet touched by beer-boy tourism, while also promising the allure of adventure, despite that adventure coming with a timetable and personal chefs).

There are other benefits, as Reese would attest. As we set sail the next day, where your boat docks becomes the subject of much discussion. Put another way: you want to dock next to the people you got chatting to the night before. In some cases, this simply leads to jealously. In others, bribery.

Just last week, Cowboy Carl skippered a boat with many beautiful Brazilian girls on board, and found himself the subject of offers from other boats, asking them to dock next to them. "You will always meet someone you fancy," says Wenkel, "and the lubricator is the boat."

Or, more exactly, the dock. As we set sail on the second day, it becomes clear that most days follow a similar pattern on Yacht Week. Up, breakfast, leave dock, sail, stop at a cove, swim off your hangover, lunch, then sail again to that night's destination.

Eat. Party. Repeat.

Each swimming stop-off (which isn't so much about swimming as drinking on inflatables) is designed for two reasons: to socialise with other Yacht Weekers in swimwear, and to have social-media pictures taken of you while you do so. "I'm so drunk I've forgotten how to swim!" shouts one Australian man, who takes a brief pause from pretend-drowning to flirt with the real thing as he tries to wave at the photographer taking a picture of him. The two photographers who accompany every Yacht Week run, co-founder Erik Björklund later tells me, were there pretty much from Yacht Week's inception. Indeed, they're the reason for Yacht Week's phenomenal success. Nearly everyone I spoke to said they chose Yacht Week either due to the professional pictures on Facebook their friends were tagged in, or because of the YouTube trailer, made by a director better known for music videos, which has currently been viewed more than three million times. "We were pretty tech-savvy from the beginning," says Björklund. "We wanted to grow the company [by getting] people to go, have a really good time, and then share it. That's why we put photographers at every event, and then put people in good situations on the ocean - these are the images we want to be associated with."

The "good situations" are crucial, as they work both as holiday highlights (for those who are there) and de facto photo shoots (for those who are not). The second day we stop at a beautiful cove where people dive off an overhanging jut of rock into the water below while pictures are taken. These are later filtered through to Björklund back in London, to decide what goes on Facebook. A few days later we'll take part in one of Yacht Week's most popular (and photogenic - the two are nearly always one and the same) events, which involves tethering up to 20 yachts together in a star formation while everyone jumps in the middle on their inflatables, many necking Jägermeister straight from the bottle as they do so. "It's an international cesspit!" shouts one Australian girl, approvingly, while a bearded American TV producer attempts to cause hilarity by squeezing a 4ft foam rod between his legs and some Americans attempt to dole out shots while doing doggy paddle. On this day, along with the standard two staff snappers, Yacht Week will often attach a camera to the top of one the masts, all the better to take a shot already perfectly framed by the boats - shooting aspiration in a barrel.

"The boats in star formation proves particularly popular," says Björklund, when I ask about the images that attract the most attention. "Or just a group of young, hot people." But the shots of the foam-penis man will not be uploaded. "We're after aspiration."

Those not swimming are generally Instagramming, and it is partly for this reason all boats are fitted with Wi-Fi. The last thing I hear as we untether the boats and head to our next party is an Irish voice yelling, "I can't wait to see the comments!"

Yacht Week began life simply enough - an exclusively Swedish thing, not a holiday so much as a gathering. A group of like-minded folk, sailors all, got together in 2005 to form a small armada, sail around some Croatian islands, and have a few drinks when they got there. They got home, posted their pictures on Facebook, and, says Wenkel, "said we'd never do this again".

Then they started getting the Facebook messages. How could they come on this amazing boat holiday too? "People did this before, but it never spread. We have Facebook to thank for that. We couldn't have predicted it."

They had something else to thank, too: just as Yacht Week began, in 2008 the financial crisis hit, "which meant not as many rich guys taking yachts", meaning there were more available to rent and there was more harbour space free on the premium islands. And so it grew and grew, Facebook albums spawning Facebook albums, the rise of Instagram throwing petrol on the flames. And with it, stricter rules applied by some islands, banishment from others, tense negotiations from yet more. "And now," says Wenkel, "I have to control this little Frankenstein."

Currently, this particular little Frankenstein's monster is taking the form of Tribble Reese, who is attempting to neck a bottle of vodka the size of a parking bollard. This is not an exaggeration. We are at a party on the island of Vis, on the top of an abandoned fort built in 1813 by the British Royal Navy, and now put to use by Yacht Week as an exclusive party locale. The DJ is spinning, hands are in the air, spirits are being downed, lanterns hang from the trees above us, and by 2am, all the ships' captains will stand in a circle, holding bottles of champagne worth several thousand dollars in total, bought by their respective passengers, to spray over the entire dance floor.

For now, the Amex black cards and MasterCard gold cards are getting a thorough flexing partly due to the bottle service - each spirit bottle arriving with some form of fireworks attached - and partly due to the sizes of the bottles being served. Hence, Reese is currently upending a six-litre bottle of Belvedere into his person. I can honestly say I never knew vodka could be purchased in quantities so huge. Having heaved it high above his head, he looks, to all intents and purposes, like a gerbil who has liberated its water bottle from the side of its cage, and is now wondering if this was such a good idea. It probably shouldn't come as a shock, however, that Reese was posing for a shot for GQ 's photographer at the time. Throughout the night, he gamely heaves the bottle high above his head for any other iPhone snappers or eager Instagrammers who are interested, while directing his friends to do the same. Look how crazy he is! There is no strict evidence he drinks a single drop. "Man, I've done reality TV, so let me know what stupid quotes you need!" he tells me later. I say he's already made the piece. He looks very happy.

These survivalist-sized vodka bottles, remarkably, are standard on Yacht Week. Even more remarkably, many were bought at the marina shop on the first day to drink on board, meaning a week's worth of watching people heave up bottles with both hands in order to pour, veins pulsing in their necks, looking like firemen with high-powered hoses, and often causing vodka tsunamis when they rock from a wave. They're not exactly ideal for the high seas. Yet almost every time someone pours, someone Instagrams. Just look how big they are! Imagine the comments.

It stands to reason, perhaps, that a holiday born from Facebook jealousy and spirited by social-media word of mouth should attract people keen to pass the envy baton along, and show their own friends what a good time they've also had ("I think self-expression is really important for a lot of young people," says Björklund, by way of explanation. "When you have these experiences, you want to share them").

But there are other, more curious, things about Yacht Week. Take the parties. Nearly all the venues are actually tiered amphitheatres. At the party on top of the abandoned Fort George, for instance, the dance floor is actually sunken, with three levels ringing around above it, meaning, in practice, everyone is on display to everyone else at all times, but often too separated, by distance and depth, to talk to anyone they don't already know (pick the social-media metaphor out of that). It also resulted in the most curious sight of the night: half the people on the upper levels facing away from the actual party at any one time as they attempted to take selfies with the dance floor in the background, but looking, from a distance, like Manchester City fans doing the Poznan, or dissidents enacting some form of political protest.

This tiering has other uses too. When I joined the notorious afternoon blowout - and cause of so many complaints - at Carpe Diem bar on Hvar island later in the week, as House Of Pain's "Jump Around" boomed from the sound system, the multi-levels that spanned 360° around the main dance floor were being used by those spraying the champagne, and all the better to get pictured while doing it too.

While being expensively drenched, I get talking to Benjamin, a 29-year-old hedge-fund manager from Chicago. Last night, he says, he and three friends spent $40,000 on champagne. He still owes his friend his $10,000 share, "as the island didn't take Amex!"

Yesterday, after docking, everyone in the boats nearby immediately emptied their pockets and jumped into the water for a refreshing swim. Walking along the pier afterwards to dry himself off, "I walked along the dock, and you'd see seven Amex black cards, six Rolex watches... everything you can imagine. It's insane."

Last month, says Charlotte, GQ 's on-board cook, she remembers watching hundreds of dollars float past in the water, followed by a wallet, following by a frantically paddling American who asked, "Have you seen a Gold Mastercard float this way?" "They're either rich or mommy and daddy are," says Julian Brockburst, a skipper. "But it's more than a holiday. As a networking event, it's unbeatable."

Last year, he says, an entrepreneur passed him his card, "and I'm now doing coding for him!" (He had never done coding before).

Another person, he says, recommended he buy shares in e-cigarettes when they were just $1. He didn't. "And now they're $14! But all these guys, they're masters and MDMAs." (He means MBAs - people possessing master's degrees in business administration - rather than people possessing the illegal compound of ecstasy.)

But on this evening, the champagne sprayers aren't just being recorded by others - many are recording themselves. At least three people in the writhing, jumping crowd have selfie sticks held aloft with GoPro cameras attached. It turns out they're recording footage for "YouTube trailers" of their own holidays, which they record every day, and which they'll later professionally edit, set to music and upload - or get someone else to do it for them.

So popular, in fact, Björklund tells me later, they're integrating them with the official Yacht Week website. They've recently set up a new section called "Yacht Week Independent" where they highlight the best.

These things will happen before Yacht Week ends.

Reese - after striking out for four days in a row, virtually unheard of at Yacht Week - finally gets laid. He will run up and high-five me with this news. More incredibly expensive champagne will be sprayed, of which a New Zealand girl, Sian, will later write on her blog: "$100 bottles of champagne being sprayed over the crowd seems like something just from the movies, not for us!"

We will go to a party on a private island that does feel like a movie. We will get there on a water taxi, arriving at what feels like the most exclusive festival in the world, with the beautiful super-yacht rich in attendance; we will raise our hands in the air as the DJ plays, and the trees sway, and see others with their arms outstretched too, holding selfie sticks to the sky for the best angle possible, the night of their lives already self-fulfilled.

Months later, Tribble Reese will email me. Yacht Week changed his life, he says. He's spent the past few months sailing around the world with a skipper he met there. His cook, randomly enough, is Charlotte - the same patient, easygoing Dane who fed HMS GQ so well. They're currently in the Caribbean, and plan to head for the British Virgin Islands to join the Yacht Week armada once more. Then, on to South America, and adventure. He has a ton of cool footage, he tells me. He's making a film of it. He'd love to show it to me.

By Brit Dawson

By Daphne Bugler

By Thor Svaboe

By Cam Wolf

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By Peter Bevan

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THE TRUTH ABOUT YACHT WEEK | 6 Things To Know Before You Go

Last summer, my friend and I spent a week exploring Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro then met up with Kiersten ‘The Blonde Abroad’ and the rest of our all-girls crew for a week of sailing in Greece with The Yacht Week . As a whole, I loved the experience, but there were several things I wish I would have know prior to booking the trip that would have allowed me to enjoy it to the fullest. So here are 6 things you should know before you go on Yacht Week.

1) The Yacht Week will be more expensive than you think!

I budgeted around $75 a day for food and drinks for our seven day trip and quickly realized that that was not going to be enough. Upon arriving, we were told we needed to go shopping for costumes for the sailing competition and parties. Next, we had to put money in for the “Kitty Fund,” which is food and drinks for the boat for the week. We also had to pitch in money to tip our skipper and pay for gas for the boat. At the parties you usually get 1 or 2 free drinks with your wristband, but after, that you pay for your drinks. So it can get expensive, especially if you want to splurge on bottle service. It’s nice to have a heads up on all this so you can budget accordingly. Bottom line: if you plan to drink and eat out and don’t want to worry about running out of money, you should plan to spend around $130 USD/day. Here’s a quick budget breakdown…

$150 Kitty $50 Costumes $525 ($75/Day Restaurants + Drinks x 7 Days) $100 Gas/Tip for Skipper $100 Bottle Service _______ $925 TOTAL

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2) The Yacht Week is more about partying and less about sailing

Yes, you will sail from island to island (my favorite part of the trip!), but the main focus of Yacht Week is the parties they throw. There is a big welcome party the night you arrive, and for the rest of the trip, there are day parties and night parties every single day. I didn’t fully understand this coming into the trip so I wasn’t in the right frame of mind, but once I realized the basic agenda was sailing from party to party, I was able to just go with the flow and also plan some other stuff I wanted to do, without feeling like I was going to miss out.

With that said, I highly recommend skipping one or two of the day parties and exploring instead. On the Greece Route , forget the day party at Love Bay Beach (it’s a dirt beach and not that pretty) and check out Poros! There is a lot to see and you only get one night there, so skip the day party and wander around this cute little town. Also, Hydra Island ( my favorite stop on the Greece Route ) is another must see! Definitely ditch the day party and spend your time exploring this magical place. There are so many gorgeous spots to take photos on both islands.

3) Unless you splurge on a bigger, nicer sailboat, you will not be able to use the toilet onboard for #2!

You can go pee on all the sailboats, but you can’t flush toilet paper down the toilets, and on many of them, you cannot go #2. I am sorry. I know this is a disgusting topic, but it is even more disgusting and horrifying to find yourself on a boat, sailing for hours or docked somewhere overnight, and realize there is nowhere that you can go to the bathroom. My friend Misha and I stayed at several hotels along the way because neither of us wanted to handle not having proper use of a toilet for days on end, but many girls were not as lucky, and there are some very embarrassing stories that I will not repeat here. Had we known about the bathroom situation prior, we would have splurged on a bigger sailboat that could accommodate people using the toilet. So make sure you look into this before you book your boat!

4) Your boat will get dirty real quick!

We had an all-girls crew and our cabin still got crazy dirty every day. Make a pact to all help clean. If everyone pitches in, it takes just a few minutes a day to keep your boat clean. Stay on top of dishes. Do them right after you are done eating, and try to keep all your personal stuff in your own cabin. The last thing you want is to spend a week in a tiny cramped, filthy space. This is the real Yacht Week v. your Instagram Yacht Week…

5) There is no air conditioning on the smaller sailboats

This is really not a big deal but when it’s very hot, it is hard to sleep in the cabins. I recommend bringing a yoga mat or buying one the first night you are there, so you can lay it out and sleep on the deck of the boat at night. And if you do choose to sleep on the deck, make sure someone sleeps next to you. A lot of people will be walking to and from the boats at all hours of the night, so it is safer to use the buddy system, especially for girls.

6) You will have the time of your life!

Just go!   If you can’t find a friend to go with you, just go on your own. Every single girl on our boat was amazing and our skipper,  Gregor , was one of the kindest and most responsible guys I have ever met! I had the time of my life and I can’t wait to go on another Yacht Week trip, especially now that I know what to expect. It is nothing like the real world and it will be an amazing experience!

Do you have you been on Yacht Week? Please share your stories, tips, and questions in the comments below! 

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Vanessa Rivers

Hi! I’m Vanessa Rivers, a California surfer girl living in Malibu after seven years in London. I started Glitter&Mud to share my adventures around the world to help my readers make the most of their travels. I am a Founder of the popular travel community We Are Travel Girls and a proud mom to a little travel girl named Sadie. I hope my stories inspire you to travel more, see the beauty in the world around you, laugh more, love more and believe that anything is possible! EXPLORE. DREAM. DISCOVER. BELIEVE. LOVE.

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46 comments.

Great article Vanessa! I have been on Yacht Week a couple of times now, its super fun, but its definitely good for newbies to Yacht Week to hear how to prepare to make sure they really enjoy it! Completely agree on splurging on a bigger better boat, we went for a much larger yacht for BVI than we had in Croatia and it made such a difference! (Having a stand up cubicle shower next to my cabin was a treat!!) Thanks for sharing your tips! You girls and the bikinis are really cute too!! xoxo

Done yacht week three times – great experience. But as you said its about party. Now moved on to Sailing Nations which focuses more on sailing and has super interesting sailing destinations.

Hi Bob! Thanks for sharing! I will have to check out Sailing Nations. Sounds very cool! I love being out on the water. Sailing makes you feel so free!

I’ll be leaving in a few weeks. Wondering what the currency will be like and how much to exchange. Did you use Euros? Or Kuna?

Hi Liz! Greece is on the EURO. Are you coming from the US? Right now 1 USD = .90 EURO – Enjoy your trip! X

Croatia is on the Kuna.

Great article ! really helpful for rookie yacht weeks . I will leave in a few weeks for the Italy route. Do the budget shown here applies for italy as well?

Hi Gil! I haven’t bee on the Italy route yet but the activities and cost will probably be similar. Have fun!!!

What currency is your estimated cost list in? Thanks so much!

Hi Eloise! It is in USD! X

Hello Vanessa. I’ve got a group of 4-6 guys who want to go to Croatia next June and definitely want a higher end boat. I assume we should be able to set this up as their must be others who are willing to spend more to get more. A couple of questions; are all boats single sex boats? Would it be wise to get a few hotels at some of the ports/stops? How about paying for a single cabin? Basically I’m trying to gather as much information as possible before booking starts in a couple of weeks. Thank you, Chip

Hi Chip! If you just want the boat to be your 6 friends I am sure you can find a high-end boat that will work for you (you’ll just need to pay more for a nicer boat) but generally Yacht Week wants there to be at least 50% girls on the boat. So there are all girl boats and mixed male/female boats but rarely all male boats. However I am sure it is possible to have an all male boat. I would contact Yacht Week directly to ask about this: [email protected] | As far as hotels, if you get a nice boat with proper bathrooms you won’t need to rent hotel rooms. I would recommend putting the money you would spend on hotels rooms towards getting a nicer boat with nice, proper bathrooms. Have a blast on your trip! X

Hi Vanessa, excellent piece of work! I wanted to ask you few things because i’m planning to go with some friends of mine from Argentina. If you can answer, that will be appreciated. 1. I read that a Hostess is really helpfull. But, the captain that is not included, is 100% neccesary? 2. How much is the bottle service approximately? 3. How much did you spend, between food, drinks, extras and yatch during the entire week? 4. It’s recommended to make a reservation just for me and my friend, and then the company join us with another group for the 50% rate of men?

Hi Juan! Thanks for your questions! 1) You don’t need a hostess but I am sure it would be nice to have one. You absolutely need a captain or a skipper to sail the boat. 2) Bottle service prices vary depending on where you go. We did the Greece route and I think our bottle service was about 150 EURO for 1 bottle but again this varies. 3) In my post you will see the price breakdown. It was approx $925 USD for the week for my trip. 4) Yes, I would book spots for you and your friend and the rest of the boat will be filled with a mix of males and females for a 50% female/male ratio.

Your review was so helpful! We just booked a yacht for Greece!! Cannot wait!

Hi Sharita! I’m glad my post was helpful! Have a blast in Greece!!! X

Hi Vanessa. Thanks for your blog post # 1 was most important for me as I definitely wanted to know how much additional cost I would be spending. I typically budget $100 per day for trips. Great blog post in general. I will be sharing this with my crew.

Thank you Orane! Glad you found the post useful! And thanks so much for sharing it. If you or your friends have any questions about The Yacht Week you are welcome to post them in the comments section here and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. X

Hi! When I think of yacht week, I want those typical parties where the boats link together in the ocean and create a mini village to mingle for the day. I’ve only heard of this on Croatia routes. Does this happen for Greece at all?

Also what’s the age range like?

Hi Arly! This does happen on the Greece route, and I think all of the routes! The age range is typically a majority of people in their early to late twenties, with some people a little younger and some people in their early to mid thirties. Most people you will be in there twenties. I think I was twenty-nine when I went, which is on the older side! Have a blast!

Hi Vanessa! Great article. My best friend and I plan on doing Croatia this summer! The $130/day you estimated, does that include the port fees and electric fees at each port? Thanks!

Hi Lindsey – thanks for reaching out. I don’t remember specific cost for port fees or any electric fees but I know our Kitty Fund that everyone pitched money into at the start of the trip cover all the boat related costs on the trip, so yes, all your boat fees are included in the $130/day! X

Hey Lindsey, are you and your friend booking your own yatch? We’re looking for two girls to join our crew for week 25.

Question: the catamarans seem a lot more stable (and thus probably a better place to gather people for the party) whereas the Beneteau Oceanis 60 is just a sexy beast. We want to make sure we can have people over at our boat to party (and that it is stable enough for it). Which one do you think is the way to go (from your observations)?

Hi Kay – I am not a boat expert but I think any sailboat would be fine to have people on to “party” as long as you don’t go over the max weight limit for the boat. The skipper will let you know how many extra people you can have. X

Have you reviewed or compared the two routes? I can’t decide between Croatia and Greece. I have visited both and loved them both for different reasons. But, I am so torn between the two routes.

Hi Jami! I have been to both Croatia and Greece but I have only done Yacht Week Greece. I can personally say YW Greece was amazing but don’t have any experience with the Croatia route. However I am sure it is amazing too! My friend Kirsten – The Blonde Abroad – has done both and she gives a good review here: http://theblondeabroad.com/2014/11/03/best-route-yacht-week/

Hope this is helpful!

Hello Hello, may I ask what marina did you leave from and did you happen to see any yacht week prop stores near the marina are on your route? Someplace to buy floaties, temporary tattoos, UV body paint, and the like. We’re trying to maximize our carry on space by strategizing what we can buy in Athens.

Hi Lynette! I took this trip a few years ago so sorry I do not remember the name of the marina but I remember stores for everything we wanted to buy were within walking distance of our boat including a place to buy floaties, body paint and costumes etc! So unless there is something specific you want you can just go buy stuff with your boat crew when you arrive! 😉

Where do the floaties go after Yacht week? I leave in about 3 weeks and am purchasing floaties now. But every photo I see everyone is on a floatie. Would it make sense to just buy some off of them instead of lugging them half way accross the planet in a carry-on? Or is somewhere in Split just the location of the worlds largest floatie graveyard

Hi Jason! On the Greece route there was a store right in the harbor where we bought floaties the day before we set sail. I don’t know what people do with their floaties after yacht week. Mine got holes along the way and deflated so I threw them away but I would have given them to someone if they made it to the end! You can probably just wait and buy them when you get there. Maybe buy one floatie before and then get the rest when you arrive that way you know you at least have one!

Vanessa, Great article. I’m planning on doing this with a few friends. I noticed that you kept bringing up bottle service as being expensive. What if we ended up buying a lot of supplies (booze included) before getting on the boat. Would that be an issue? Maybe you pointed this out already and I stupidly missed it. Thanks.

Hi Allen! Thanks for your comment! I just mentioned that if you want to splurge on bottle service it is expensive and can add up quickly. You can also of course buy supplies and just drink on the boat and not spend money when you go out to the parties but you can’t bring alcohol with you the clubs obviously, so if you want to drink while there you will need to factor in the extra cost of drinks. TYW gives you a wrist band that usually gives you at least 2 free drinks at each party but you have to buy your own drinks after that so just be sure to factor in the cost if you plan to drink when going out!

Great read, very helpful! I noticed you mentioned 100$ for tip/gas (how many people were on the boat total?) Just trying to get a rough estimate on how much we should tip our skipper, including myself, we have 7 people.

Hi Jade! We had a crew of 8 girls. I think the amount you tip should depend more on how good your skipper is/ how much he does and how much your sailboat cost to rent. We had a small, cheaper boat but our skipper was really awesome so we wanted to tip him well. He went above and beyond to make sure we were all safe, happy and having fun! Hope this helps. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have more questions! Have fun!

Is there a farewell party Friday night on the Greece route?

Hi Alyssa – Thanks for your comment. I don’t remember there being a farewell party on Friday night! X

Thanks for the help! Does anyone have any recommendations for other cities/countries to visit before/after Croatia yacht week? Trying to book a 2-week trip overall, and there are so many options! Would love help narrowing it down! 🙂

Hey Vanessa, There are 8 of us girls looking into booking this summer, Greece or Montenegro route but we are concerned about the age range. We are between 30-35…what was the age range like? Also, we were debating on if we book in pairs (cabins) and be on separate boats or if we book our own, what are your thoughts?

Hi Kelsy! Thanks for your comment! Most people are in their 20s on yacht week but there are lots of people in their 30s too so you girls won’t feel out of place. I would try to rent your own boat all together. It will be easier if you are all together otherwise you will spend most of the trip just trying to meet up. Yacht week is about relaxing and having fun so you don’t want to work about stuff like that on your trip. You will also have plenty of time to mix and mingle with other people at the parties and when you are docked together or anchored during the day together! Hope you ladies have a blast! If any of you want to write a guest post about what it is like to do yacht week in your 30s I would LOVE to publish your story here! X, Vanessa

how much was it for each bottle for bottle service? would it be liter bottles or standard US 750ml bottles?

Hi! Bottle service in Greece when I went was around 150-200 EURO for US 750ml bottles. Cheers!

Is there a ‘best’ month to do yacht week? My friends and I don’t want to do the Ultra music festival. Curious if July or August is better. Thanks!

Hi Kelly! I don’t think there is really a best month but you might find cheaper flights and the places you go to might be a little less crowded in August. June and July are peak high season so best to try to avoid touristy spots during those months if you can.

Do you remember how much of your budget you were able to pay for with credit card, or how much of it had to be paid for with cash? I want to avoid converting too much of my money into cash euros for the Greece trip.

Hi Kurt! I paid for my spot on our boat with my credit card online prior to the trip. Everything else I paid for in cash. It is much easier if you have cash on hand to pay for meals and drinks etc. If you get bottle service at a bar you will be able to pay with a card but a drink here or there and meals where you are in a group it is much easier to each just throw in some cash. I would suggest taking maybe $300 out before you start the trip then getting more at one of your stops along the way that way just to be safe. I did not have anything stolen from me on the trip but it is always a risk if you have too much cash with you. Have fun! X, Vanessa

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The Ultimate Guide to Yacht Week Croatia

Croatia , Travel Tips

Aug 29, 2015

comment 87 Comments

By Ryan Gargiulo

Last Updated: August 14th, 2020

Welcome to my in-depth guide to planning for the Yacht Week Croatia .

Below you’ll find the answers to all of your questions about Yacht Week Croatia as well as my insanely popular Yacht Week Packing List which features what I call the “Yacht Week Necessities”, aka a short list of some of the best things to pack for the Yacht Week in order to really get the most out of the experience.

I think you’ll find this article to be extremely helpful with your planning for Yacht Week. As always, if you have any questions, please be sure to leave a comment and I’ll respond as soon as possible.

Yacht Week Croatia

Yacht Week Croatia is absolutely insane. It’s fun, it’s wild, it’s crazy and it’s downright exhausting to say the least.

It’s likely to be one of the most memorable weeks of your life. I mean, how could it not be, right?

You, your friends, lots of sunshine and drinks in hand.

The perfect recipe for creating memories that will last a lifetime.

The people, the parties and the experiences at The Yacht Week await you but my question for you is…

Are you ready to set sail on Yacht Week and see where the wind takes you?

My Yacht Week Croatia Experience

As many of you know, my friends and I just finished up a week of madness on Yacht Week Croatia and I’m here to report to you that this week was not only the longest and most tiring week of my life but it was also a week that I’ll never, ever forget.

If this is your first time attending the Yacht Week, there’s a good chance you probably felt a lot like I did when I first signed up. 

Like me, your mind is probably filled with curiosity and a seemingly endless list of unanswered questions.

Some that won’t be answered until you experience them first hand.

I’m going to do my best to try to walk you through The Yacht Week Croatia process and give you a bunch of really useful information that will prepare you (at least somewhat) for what you’re about to experience on The Yacht Week.

How to Book Yacht Week Croatia

1.   Find Some Adventurous (single) Souls — The first step in booking Yacht Week is to find a crew of people that are down for a true adventure. While I recommend going with at least a few people that you know, plenty of people join the crew list on yachts with a group of strangers and still manage to have an incredible time. That being said, attending Yacht Week Croatia with a group of friends is the ultimate way to go in my opinion.

• Open Minded People:  When choosing your crew it’s very important to try to gather up a good group of open minded people. Close minded, complainers, and those who are “accustomed to life back home” should be your last resort when trying to fill your boat.
• People with Similar Interests: Choosing a crew that has similar interests is important. The yachts are small, personal space is limited and more importantly Yacht Week Croatia can get weird  (no explanation necessary) so having close minded or grumpy people on board isn’t the best idea.
• Singles. Not Couples:  Couples on Yacht Week. I know I might receive some harsh feedback for this but Yacht Week is for single people. Straight up. Couples do couple-y things. They generally keep to themselves, they bicker, they argue, and they’re usually a lot more reserved around their significant other. While there’s nothing wrong with these things (it’s completely natural), it can definitely put a damper on the environment of your boat. I spoke to a few singles who had a couples aboard their boats and all of them said the same thing. The Yacht Week Croatia is not for couples. Again, this is strictly my opinion based off of what I’ve experienced and after speaking with others on YW.

2. Choosing your Route — The Yacht Week has routes in Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Thailand and the BVI’s although the most popular route is Croatia, where TYW first originated.

There are two routes you can take on Yacht Week Croatia; the Black Route and the Red Route.

Both routes are identical, they just operate in the opposite direction of each other.

I asked my skipper what the most popular route was and he said the the Black Route is far more popular than the Red.

For example, we had 48 yachts on our route (Black Route) versus just 24 boats on the Red Route. Go Black!

3. Choosing Your Yacht — As I mentioned above, Yacht Week Croatia is a long week of partying and fun in the sun. If you’re wanting to truly make the most of your trip, I highly recommend you charter the best yacht possible.

There are a variety of yacht charters available on Yacht Week but the quality, price and amenities available on board can vary big time.

Do yourself a favor and rent the best yacht possible, or at least the best yacht that you can afford.

At the end of the day you and your crew can try to pinch pennies to make Yacht Week happen but if you’re not on a decent boat, it’s going to make your week that much more exhausting.

If there was one complaint that I heard most during my week when speaking to other YW’ers, it was that their boats were blazing hot throughout the night.

The amount of time you have to sleep on Yacht Week is already limited due to the nonstop parties and the nature of the trip.

Imagine heading back to your boat at sunrise to catch up on a couple hours of sleep and not being able to sleep due to the heat? Nightmare.

In my opinion, getting a yacht with air conditioning is crucial.

Now that I’ve done Yacht Week Croatia with an air-conditioned yacht, I wouldn’t do it any other way.

Our yacht happened to be one of four boats on Yacht Week with air conditioning.

Did I mention there was 48 other yachts sailing alongside us that week? 

That means if you’re wanting to snag a boat with air conditioning on board, you’re going to have to act fast when booking.

4. Registering and Checking in  —   Once your yacht is booked, go ahead and make sure you send out your personalized invite link to your entire crew so they can register for a Yacht Week account and check in on the crew list.

It’s a requirement for all crew members to register and check in on your yacht week booking prior to arriving at the marina.

Upon arrival to the marina, your crew will need to fill out details such as their name, passport number, nationality, email, date of birth and gender.

How to Prepare for Yacht Week Croatia

1. Travel Insurance —   When prepping for Yacht Week Croatia, your first priority should be to make sure you make a small investment towards your health and well being by purchasing a  travel insurance policy  for your trip.

Not only will this policy cover you if your bags are lost/stolen and if your flight is delayed/cancelled, but you’ll also be covered for all medical and injury related issues as well.

Nobody wants to have to cover the cost of you getting airlifted home from the middle of the Adriatic Sea (no, not even your parents).

Anytime you mix partying out on the open water and slippery boats, you’re just about guaranteed to encounter a few injuries along the way.

When it comes to Yacht Week, travel insurance is an absolute must and a win-win situation when considering how inexpensive travel insurance is these days.

2. Create a Yacht Week Playlist  — The best way to manage your music on Yacht Week Croatia is to create a few killer Spotify playlists. Oh, and don’t forget to pick up a standard 3.5mm aux cable. With the aux cable, you’ll be able to connect your phone directly to the onboard stereo system on your yacht and jam out all day.

Now, you’re probably thinking. But, if I don’t have Internet, how can I listen to Spotify? Well, here are two ways to go about it.

• If you’re a Spotify Premium user, you’ll be able to listen to all of your music offline. Anytime, anywhere. Grab your subscription before you head out and don’t forget to make all of your music available offline before you set sail. *Spotify Premium is FREE for 30 days so be sure to take advantage of the free month right before you head out on your trip. After the first 30 days, you will be billed $9.99/mo. If you don’t want to pay, simply cancel your subscription.
• The second and best option (IMO) is to pack an unlocked smartphone with you when you head to Croatia. Why? Well, with an unlocked phone, you can pick up a sim card at T-Center (aka T-Mobile) when you’re in Split and you can purchase a 7-day unlimited data sim card for approximately $12 USD. Now, you’ll be able to stream your spotify all week without worrying about data overages.

If you don’t want to deal with streaming music on Yacht Week, simply throw together a playlist on your phone and you’ll be good to go.

3. Diet & Exercise  — Working out and staying in shape prior to Yacht Week is important on so many levels. You’ll be surrounded by boat loads of good looking people wearing little or next to nothing so being comfortable in your own skin will be key to enhancing your overall YW experience.

Remember, Yacht Week is a week long marathon of sailing, partying and eating whatever you can get your hands on.

Preparing yourself by eating healthy and exercising prior to Yacht Week is highly recommended before setting sail on a week of mayhem and very little sleep on the open sea.

Try this free  bodyweight workout  to get you started.

4. Planning your Arrival — I highly recommend that you do not plan to arrive on the actual day of departure for Yacht Week.

International flights often get delayed and even cancelled and I’m pretty sure you’re not going to want to splurge on Yacht Week only to find out that your flight isn’t going to make it and you’ve now missed out on an incredible week that you’ve had planned for months now.

Do yourself and the rest of your crew a favor and plan to arrive at least one day prior to the start of Yacht Week Croatia.

5. Accommodations prior to Yacht Week — When it comes to Yacht Week accommodations, I can personally recommend and vouch for this Airbnb apartment in Split.

6. Split Activities and Tours  — If you find yourself in Split for a couple of days before or after Yacht Week, you should definitely make an effort to explore the city and wander all the little alleyways that connect the city to the sea.

There is so much to see, do and experience in Split. Here are some of the best  tours and activities  to check out during your visit.

Are you a Game of Thrones fan? If so, you might be interested in this exclusive Game of Thrones Tour .

7. Which Marina? — In order to prepare for Yacht Week, you’re going to want to figure out which marina your yacht is assigned to. Why? Because there are several marinas in Split. Some of the marinas are quite far from each other and I can see this becoming an issue if you or your crew decide to show up on the day of departure.

You can find the marina assigned to your yacht on your Yacht Week Croatia reservation page.

Once you figure out which marina you need to be at,  click here to find directions to get there.

8. Crew Explorer — Now that you’re all booked and ready to go, it’s time to find out who else is going to be joining you on Yacht Week.

Go ahead and log in to your booking and scroll down to the Crew Explorer section to see a list of Facebook profiles for all the other Yacht Weekers that will be joining you on your route.

Another great way to meet fellow Yacht Weekers is to download the official Yacht Week app  (iOS only). Upload a photo and introduce yourself now.

Yacht Week Packing List

Overpacking for Yacht Week can be a huge mistake.

Let’s face it, nobody wants to be tripping over giant mounds of clothes and accessories that will ultimately never get worn or used.

As I mentioned above, no matter how big of a yacht you charter, space is still going to be tight no matter how you look at it.

Don’t Miss: The Ultimate Yacht Week Packing List

Do yourself and your crew a big favor and pack a carry-on bag for Yacht Week Croatia.

A must-have for Yacht Week Croatia

Of course, before you start your journey, be sure to find a suitable and convenient accessory to keep your important items. Custom Lanyards Cheap are the best choice! You can wear your lanyards around your neck to tuck your phone in a waterproof bag, hang your keys, etc.

It will make it easier for you to enjoy your fun time. Design shiny and unique custom lanyards as a gift for your partners who will spend a happy time with you will make them feel even closer to each other.

Recommended Luggage for Yacht Week

Tortuga Outbreaker Backpack

The Outbreaker (available in 35L or 45L) is my recommended go-to bag for The Yacht Week. 

After a few days of everyone tripping over each others belongings on our yacht, everyone will be wishing they had picked one of these up.

Besides, other than a few bathing suits and a few of the cool things on this Yacht Week packing list, how much do you really need to take with you anyway?

You can read my in-depth review of the Tortuga Outbreaker or you can head on over and pick one up now by clicking on the button below.

CLICK HERE NOW TO SEE THE FULL YACHT WEEK PACKING LIST!

Food & Drink on Yacht Week Croatia

When it comes to food and drink on Yacht Week, you’ve got two options. You can either hire a hostess that will join you for the week and take care of all the cooking, cleaning and food shopping OR decide to do it on your own.

We decided to skip out on hiring a hostess and we survived.

That being said, if I was to do another Yacht Week I would definitely prefer to hire a hostess next time around.

Not only do they know exactly what to buy and how much to buy when it comes to food and drinks, they also cook/prepare meals for you on board while you kick back and enjoy Yacht Week.

Oh, and how many of you want to do dishes and clean the yacht while on vacation?

Because we did Yacht Week on our own without a hostess, I’m going to provide you with a short list of what you should consider picking up before setting sail.

Yacht Week Croatia Shopping Checklist

• Beverages — Lots of them. You wouldn’t believe how hot it gets when you’re out at sea. In order to stay hydrated, a good rule is to buy 1.5 to 2x more than you think you’ll need.
• Bread — For sandwiches, of course. Start with two or three loaves of bread and see where that gets you. Worst case you have to pick up another few loaves on one of the islands.
• Deli meats — Choose food that is easy to prepare. Deli meats do the trick and they’ll last at least a few days in the refrigerator.
• PB & J — Perfect solution for a nice snack in between meals. Easy to slap together and always delicious.
• Snacks — Don’t forget to pick up snacks like chips, pretzels and nuts. Almonds are great for keeping you full and healthy for you, too.
• Pasta — Pasta is not only super easy to cook but it’s also a meal almost everyone eats. Don’t forget to buy twice as much sauce as you think you might need. Sauce goes fast.
• Fresh fruit & vegetables — Pineapple, berries, apples, oranges and bananas are perfect for the morning and even afternoon snacks. Veggies such as spinach and tomatoes are great for whipping up quick salads. Don’t leave without stocking up on fruit and vegetables.
• Yogurt — Great breakfast option with a side of fruit or granola.

My partnership with Cayman Jack came in seriously handy for Yacht Week as they were nice enough to send out a small shipment of margaritas for my journey.

I must say, there’s nothing better than sipping on a few bottles of CJ after a long day of fun in the sun on Yacht Week. Yum!

Uber Discount for Split

Did you know Uber serves the city of Split? If not, now you know. What’s even better is that you can get your first ride free (up to 50 HRK or approximately $7.50 USD) when signing up for a new Uber account.

All you have to do to take advantage of this Uber discount is the following:

Already have the Uber app?  CLICK HERE  and follow the simple step-by-step instructions to receive your 50 HRK credit towards your first ride.

Got questions about Yacht Week Croatia? Feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

87 thoughts on “The Ultimate Guide to Yacht Week Croatia”

This looks insane, how early did you start booking everything

It certainly was! We booked on March 18th for the week of July 25th-August 1st. I would recommend you try to book things as soon as possible.

• Pingback: Pause The Momentos: July 2015 Edition

My group and I are booking Croatia tomorrow. Do you recommend the food package? We’re all picky eaters and 1/3 of the items we won’t eat. Thanks.

Awesome! Nah, I recommend you do your own shopping especially if you’re picky. That way you can buy exactly what you guys like to eat/drink. Best of luck. You’re going to have the time of your life!

Sick review mate. Did you go for bottle service at the clubs? What was the pricing like?

Thanks Daniel. Yeah we did bottle service at most of the venues. It’s really nice to have a table to call home although it’s not always 100% necessary. If you’re going to get a table/bottle service at any venue throughout the week, make sure you get one at the White Party. Trust me on this.

Ryan! Thank you so much for your super helpful and informative article. Similarly, I am a yacht week newbie and me and some friends are planning to go in August of 2016 – Croatia – we’re all turning 30 :) No one has been and I’m the appointed group organizer- I’m wondering if you might be able to advise on some additional items: 1. How many people did you have on your boat? (We might have to book 2) 2. If we hire a hostess, they take care of the food right? And I assume it’s the food packages listed on the site? I don’t think any of us will want to shop/cook/clean. Should we be buying our own alcohol? 3. How much approx would you say each person spent all in on average? I know that might be tough to answer, but I’ve told ppl to assume at least $3k a pop for boat & flight. 4. For flying out – did you fly out a day after or same day of the final docking? 5. A couple friends of mine who went before said they got super seasick/motion sickness – it was hard to sleep at night and being hungover didn’t help much – did anyone on your boat experience this and do you have advice? 6. This year I see they also have a Croatia Ultra route – do you know anything about that? Would you advise that over black? 7. That’s it for now but I’d really love to pick your brain some more as I go through this process!

No problem at all. Glad to be of assistance to you.

2. The Yacht Week Hostesses will take care of the shopping for you. They won’t BUY the food/drinks, that’s on you. They will shop for you though. If you want to avoid things like shopping/cooking/cleaning, definitely shoot for a hostess.

3. Unfortunately, I don’t know the numbers. I’d say I probably spent somewhere around $2k all in. That being said a couple of my friends on board picked up bottle service in a few of the clubs and they ended up spending a lot more than I did. Also I should mention that I was already in Europe for the summer so my flight to Croatia was cheap.

4. I was in Europe from June to October so I didn’t actually fly in for Yacht Week. I arrived in Split two days before Yacht Week started and spent a night or two on the tail end before flying to my next destination.

5. Nobody on our boat had any issues with sea sickness. I know some people wore these wristband things but I can’t remember what they’re called. They seemed to think that they worked well.

6. We had one of the most experienced skippers on our boat and he said Ultra week + Yacht Week is a waste. Do one or the other. Yacht Week is crazy enough. Combining both Yacht Week and the Ultra Music Festival doesn’t sound like a great time to me. That’s just my two cents.

Feel free to reply to this comment with any other questions! Best of luck.

YES! Great review Ryan and THANK YOU!

I’m a hostess for The Yacht Week — last season I did four weeks in Greece and then four in Croatia! Best job EVER.

A little more detail on us — we’re fun ambassadors — we want you the have the best week of your life so our sole job is to make sure you’re having the absolute best time with the least amount of stress or worrying about the “little things”. We cook, clean, and make sure you know the best of everything on the islands (excursions, things to do/see, best places to eat – you name it!) plus we work with the skippers to book tables and any reservations you might want. I’ll guide you to ferries, Carpe Diem Beach and all the other fun things TYW has planned and some that aren’t (treehouse drinks in Palmy anyone?).

When it comes to food — we’re magic. We know the boats, the grocery stores and we will prepare you delicious breakfasts, lunches and maybe a dinner or two. It will seem like pure heaven to wake up after a crazy night out to a clean boat, hot coffee and a breakfast of pancakes, Egg Benedict, fruit platters, parfaits and whatever else we whip up. We aren’t serving just cereal that’s for sure and we’ll go over the menus (yes, menus) that we have in mind for your input prior to your arrival. We’ll also pick up fresh bread, fruit, etc. during the week. We’re definitely worth it. :)

Hi Shay! Thanks for stopping by and giving everyone some more insight on what it is you hostesses do. This is gold!

Thanks again.

Ryan, thanks so much. This is great!

Shay, you answered exactly the questions I was wondering. I’m planning my first Yacht week in Croatia and I have a couple of people that are Vegan. Do you think the hostess would be able to accommodate for that too? Thanks in advance!

No problem. Glad to help.

I’m sure there would be no issues at all for the hostesses to plan around that. You definitely won’t be the first vegan on Yacht Week. ;-)

Which month did you go there? I’m considering going in June, but am a bit concerned about the weather

We did the July 25th-August 1st route. June will be beautiful. Sunny and HOT!

Hey Ryan! Very informative article for a first-timer like myself :). I’ve been doing a lot of reading on what to expect for the YW but I still have quite a few questions if you don’t mind taking the time to answer them!

1. For starters, what do you do about waste? I’m sure it’s very easy to accumulate a lot very quickly. And as a follow up to that, would you recommend getting jugs of water rather than individual water bottles as to try and reduce the amount of waste?

2. Are things such as pots & pans, plates, cups, and utensils all included in the kitchenette of the yacht? Or must we purchase paper plates and whatnot on our own?

3. God forbid we run out of liquor half-way through, but if so, are there markets or places on the islands we stop at where we could purchase more?

4. I’ve read that water and electricity are only available at the harbors: does this mean that showers/sinks/toilets and such cannot be used while at sea?

5. The Crew Boat Party – it looks fun! Is it worth it?

6. Exactly how strict are they about the ‘no music at the marina in the evenings’? Do people just after party with no tunes at all?

7. How much cash would you recommend having on hand for the entirety of the week? I’ve read that some of the organized YW events don’t take cards which is surprising to me.

8. And last, but not least, how much is an appropriate amount to tip the skipper?

Thanks again for your time!

Hi Michaela,

Thank you for the feedback. I’m glad you found the article to be helpful.

1. We bought giant trash bags and our skipper would store them in a compartment at the back of the boat each night. We would get rid of the trash when we docked up. Jugs of water might be a good idea. We bought big packs of individual waters and they ended up being really convenient. That being said, it’s not the best idea if you’re worried about the environment.

2. I can’t speak for all boats but ours had the basics (pots, pans, etc). We bought plastic silverwear and paper plates.

3. There’s always places to re-up on booze although I would recommend buying a huge supply of it before you depart because it goes fast when you’re out on the water. My advice is to buy more than you think you’ll need.

4. We had water and electricity on our boat. Our boat had a big water tank and we used a generator for electricity. I’m not sure all boats have these types of amenities though. I recommend you shoot a msg to Yacht Week to see what your boat has and what it doesn’t.

5. All of the Yacht Week Croatia parties are a must. They’re all unique and you’re guaranteed to have a blast. It’s one hell of a long week of partying. Prepare yourself.

6. Some people play music on their boats but to be honest you really can’t have it loud because it’s not fair to other (non-yacht weekers who are docked up at the same marina).

7. This is such a hard question to answer. My advice is to have more Euros than you think you’ll need. I will say though that some of my crew were putting bottle service on their credit cards at every party. Individual drinks at the bar? Probably cash only.

8. This is completely subjective and depends on how good you think your skipper was. Every crew has different experiences w/ their skippers. I think somewhere between $50-100/pp is decent.

Be sure to let me know if you have any other questions!

Wow! Amazing review. A big group of us just got 2 yachts for Croatia Week 34. We are coming over from Texas! Random questions for you:

1. Where would you stay the night before you sail out? Hotel? Hostel? 2. My boyfriend and I, along with several other couples, are on this trip…is this a couple friendly trip? I always thought it would be and then people started telling me differently. What do you think about this? We already paid, so we are going no matter what! :) 3. What did you do with your valuables credit card, money, jewelry, etc while you were on off the boat? Is theft an issue?

Thanks again so much for your awesome blog! It is much appreciated!

Hi Kate. Congrats on booking your first Yacht Week!

1. I rented an airbnb apartment in Split for a few days prior to setting sail. The morning of departure I taxied over to the port. Simple and easy. 2. I’m not saying your not going to have fun going as couples. You will. It’s just not built for couples (IMO). Yacht Week Croatia is really for singles. The other yacht weeks (Greece, BVI’s, etc) might be more suited for couples. 3. I left all my valuables in my room locked in my bags. In my case, there was always at least one or two people from our boat on the boat at all times. I didn’t really worry about it too much. Fortunately, nothing got stolen.

Thanks for following along. Hope this helps.

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Hey Ryan! Great review, really insightful read :)

Currently a group of 3 of us are planning to do the Week 29 Ultra Cruise (16th-23rd July). We are unsure how to go about booking with such a low number of people.

Could you make any recommendations? Is it viable to just book 2 cabins on someone else’s Yacht?

Cheers from Australiaaaa :D

Hey Jono. Your best bet would probably be to book the yacht for the 3 of you and then add your yacht to the Yacht Week Crew Finder and then single people that want to join Yacht Week can reach out to you and grab a spot on your boat. The only other way you could do it would be to use the crew finder to find 2 spots on someone else’s yacht.

Ah yes this sounds like a great idea. I was wondering if you have experienced or know anyone who has used Quest.Life? We were thinking of booking a 2 person cabin on one of their catamarans for Ultra Week 29, but we are a bit unsure of their reliability.

Hey Jono. No, I’ve never heard of that company so I can’t vouch for them.

Thanks so much for this Ryan!

Quick question: There are A LOT of Croatia weeks available. Is there a specific time that people generally go the most. I would hate to pick a week where no one is there.

No problem Jasmine! I wouldn’t worry too much about being on YW alone. I believe almost every week sells out completely for the Croatia routes. You could always shoot an email to YW and ask them which weeks are the busiest. I think that the first few weeks and the last couple weeks probably have a few less yachts otherwise it’s madness as depicted in this post.

Fantastic blog post, super helpful!

Glad I could help! Best of luck.

Hey Ryan! Awesome Post.

I would like to ask, do you happen to know which boats have Air Conditioning on them?

Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately, I do not. I would recommend you reach out to Yacht Week prior to booking to get a list of the boats available that have A/C on board. Enjoy yourself!

Is there somewhere to blow up our floats in Split if we bring our own? I’d rather bring one with me because we found some awesome ones here in the U.S., but they’re also huge so blowing them up on my own is certainly not going to work out very well!! Thanks!

Yeah there’s a float inflating station thingy at the first stop on the first day. You shouldn’t have any issues at all. Plus, most people bring their own electric pumps so worst case scenario you’d be able to borrow one.

Excellent and thoughtful review. I am heading with a crew for Ultra Week 29 this year and I am counting the moments until we are all there to celebrate.

With regard to the White Party in Hvar, is that a weekly event that is thrown or is it on a specific date?

I look forward to reading your reviews in future and I would truly appreciate your feedback.

Hey Michael. The white party is one of the many parties that Yacht Week hosts during the week (in Hvar) and it depends on which route you do (Black Route or the Red Route). I was on the black route so our party was earlier in the week. I believe the Red Route doesn’t do the white party until the end of the week as they travel in the opposite direction.

Best of luck and enjoy yourself!

Hey Ryan, Great post btw! I have a couple of questions that hopefully you can answer.

I’ve heard that water taxis really stick it to you, Is their any way around them?

How much money do you recommend that we budget daily pp, to have a really good time?

Fine dining options on the islands?

Do they sell commercial liquor and beers at the islands?

Must does on the islands that you recommend?

1. There are free water taxis that are reserved for Yacht Weekers and run to/from the islands from where you’re docked but they only run at certain times. If you want to leave early sometimes you need to take a private one which will cost you but when it’s between a group of people it’s pretty minimal.

2. Most of your eating and drinking will be done aboard your yacht. Drinks at sea go faster for whatever reason so make sure you stock up big when you do your first shopping trip. What you spend in the bars/clubs outside of that really depends on how much you drink, what types of drinks and at which bars you’re drinking at. I really can’t help you too much with a daily budget because it’s so different for each and every person. That being said I can’t imagine you spending more than 300 Croatian Kuna per day (approx. $50 USD) between food and drinks (if you eat out at restaurants when on land).

3. There are plenty of fine dining options available. All you need to do is ask your skipper. They know the best and most expensive places on the island if that’s your thing.

4. Yes, the islands rely heavily on Yacht Week tourism so there are plenty of opportunities to pick up liquor, beers, ice and more.

5. I don’t have too many recommendations for the islands because we were either on the boat partying with everyone else or on the islands at night at the nightly parties. The down time you do have is for eating, relaxing and maybe even getting an hour or two of sleep.

Hope this helps!

I decided to get on board (ha) and join TYW. From the US we will be heading over to Greece for 4/5 days and then to Split a day or 2 before departure on the 30th. After reading about your experiences, I think you are the most qualified person I know to ask. My questions to you are regarding the Plitvice Lakes & Barcelona. I really want to visit the Lakes and possibly the Sea Organ before taking a plane from Zagreb to BCN. (would that be the best airport to do that or go back to SPU?)

1. Once the TYW concludes should I stay a night in SPU and make my way to the sites the following morning? Bus? Tour? Taxi? And after the site visits, do I stay in a place nearby? I just need an idea of when to purchase my ZAG>BCN flight. 2. If (when) my site visits happen, I’ll only have about 3 nights in BCN before I have to get to LAX by August 14th. In your opinion, should I skip BCN and save it for another time when I have more time or is that time to get a good taste? 3. When traveling to the locations mentioned above, can I purchase last minute or is that a huge mistake/waste of money? I’m just not certain of my plans.

4. Can I even do this after TYW. Now I’m a little concerned about my energy. “life is short?”

Back to TYW

5. I feel like I may die during TYW. We don’t have AC or a generator…or a hostess! Any advice? How do we survive? Is it really just the basics; fruits, veggies, meats, carbs, and water? 6. Planning on exchanging money here in the states….do I get Kuna or Euros? 7. Are there many skippers who get requests to visit the Blue & Green Caves and Lagoons? I feel like this is a must! right?

I’m nervous and excited for this experience, just need some things cleared up to put my mind at ease. Congrats on all of your travels and wish you even more excitement. #canicomewith

Hey Michelle,

Glad to hear you are joining the Yacht Week. You’re going to have a great time!

I highly recommend you visit Plitvice, it’s incredible. It’s slightly closer to Zagreb (2 hrs 3 mins) versus 2hrs 31 mins from Split. Don’t forget there’s also Krka National Park which is only 1 hr from Split. What makes it more of a popular day trip from Split is they actually allow you to swim there unlike Plitvice.

1. You’ll arrive back in Split for your final night (final Yacht Week party) so if it’s going to be a long night I would recommend you grab an Airbnb for the following day to rest up.

2. You can do a lot in BCN in 3 nights. Just be prepared to use the public transport here because the sights are pretty spread out. I would recommend Park Guell, Montjuic, La Sagrada Familia, Barceloneta Beach.

3. I would recommend purchasing flights at least a little ahead of time. The days of finding cheap last minute tickets are long gone. That said, you can find lots of great deals using some of the European budget airlines.

4. Yes, of course. You might be tired after a week of partying though.

5. Yeah, not having AC on the Yacht Week is a big deal. At least for me. The majority of people on YW complained about not being able to sleep due to the heat on the boats at night. You won’t die but you certainly won’t be comfortable. As for the hostess, it’s not a game changer. She would just make things a little easier when it comes to the purchasing/cooking/cleaning. Fruits, veggies, sandwiches (PB&J), water.

6. Croatia uses Kuna so I would recommend you just grab Kuna out of the ATM in Split prior to departure.

7. Sure. You can ask your skipper to visit the caves. It really just comes down to how many people on your boat want to visit them.

Well, I hope I’ve been able to answer all of your questions and make you feel a little more at ease. As always, be sure to leave a comment if you have more questions.

Amazing! Thank you for taking the time. I’ve decided that after TYW I’m going to stay 2 nights in Zadar in order to take my time resting and visiting the Sea Organ, Plitvice, and Krka. I’ve booked all my travel and will have 5 nights in BCN and excited to check out the places you’ve advised. I’m feeling great about everything, but the yacht AC. Hmmm.

Again, thanks!!

No problem at all. I’m always here to help. Your plans sound great! 5 nights in BCN will be plenty to see most of what it has to offer. Enjoy and best of luck!

Hi there, I’m looking into doing a Croatia sail week next year the week before Ultra. Im just doing my research on the different options, The yacht week, sail H.R or sail Croatia. I’ve heard many good things about TYW and Sail HR. the only thing is I might only be doing my sail with one friend as I’m sure I’ll make new friends during the time anyway. which would you recommend would be best for me? this post was very informative, a good read!

Hi Erica. Unfortunately, I have zero personal experience with either Yacht Week alternative. I think your best bet would be to scour the web looking for reviews on both of those alternatives and see which one suits you best. Another way you could potentially find out more about these is to search Instagram for their hashtags and reach out to people through Direct Message on IG asking them what they thought about the trip. Hope this helps!

Great piece, very informative,

1) I’ve heard a couple people say catamarans are a lot better than the yachts have you heard that at all?

2) is there plenty of space to keep the beers cold (serious question)

3) and just to get an idea how much did you pay for the yacht per person

Thanks Adam.

1. The Yacht Week catamarans are really cool and have a completely different layout than the actual yachts. Regardless, be sure to get one with air conditioning if you plan on sleeping.

2. Our yacht had a pretty big fridge/freezer combo that stored a lot of beers, bottles of liquor, food, etc. I think it really depends on the yacht you choose as each one is different from the next. You could always reach out to the Yacht Week and inquire about the boat you’re thinking of booking.

3. We had 11 people on our yacht (not including our skipper). Total cost for the yacht: $12,934 USD — approximately $1,175 USD per person. That being said, we didn’t want to make the girls pay as much as us so we all threw in more cash to compensate for the difference.

Hope you find this helpful. Feel free to reply with anymore questions you might have. If not, best of luck!

Thanks, one more I’ve been reading about bottle service I saw you mention it in an earlier question, what prices do they charge for it do you know?

Hey Adam. Bottle service prices vary between clubs. It’s nothing to do with the Yacht Week at all. Basically your skipper will line up bottle service for you if you need/want it.

hey which yacht company did you use that utilised airconditioning!? thanks! :))

We reserved our yacht directly through the Yacht Week website.

What was the average age of the people? We are 33-36 years old. Are we too old?

Hi Cristina. I was 31 last year during Yacht Week and I didn’t really feel too out of place. Sure, there are younger people but I’m not sure I ever felt uncomfortable. I would say that 36 might be pushing it a little but who am I to say how old you should be to party? LOL. Go for it and enjoy! ;-)

Hey Ryan, excellent piece of work! I wanted to ask you few things because i’m planning to go with some friends of mine from Argentina. If you can answer, that will be appreciated. 1. I read that a Hostess is really helpfull. But, the captain that is not included, is 100% neccesary? 2. How much is the bottle service approximately? 3. How much did you spend, between food, drinks, extras and yatch during the entire week? 4. It’s recommended to make a reservation just for me and my friend, and then the company join us with another group?

Thank you. Appreciate the comment.

1. I think the hostess can be a great thing if there’s a group of guys who could really careless about shopping/cleaning up after themselves. The hostesses know their stuff and they know what to buy at the supermarkets, what the easiest and most affordable options are when it comes to eating at sea and you can rest assured that your boat will be clean at the end of the week. This is completely up to the group. I suggest you round up your friends and have a conversation about this prior to booking.

2. Bottle service prices ranged from club to club. The bottles we were getting were giant (6L or something crazy) and from what I can remember were $1,500+. I honestly don’t remember the prices.

3.Food/Drinks/Extras: I would say somewhere between $500-700? We drank a lot on the boat so we weren’t buying much out at the clubs. Yes, there was bottle service but that was only at some of the special events.

4. Well, if you charter a yacht for yourselves, you’re going to have to hope that you’ll find others to join. I think if it’s only the two of you, you would be better off finding another yacht that’s looking to add 2 to their crew.

Just wondering how we choose the black route over the red route? Is there an option in the booking process that allows us to choose?

Thanks for your blog post, seriously helpful!

Hey Mel. Yes, there is an option and you’ll find it during the booking process. Glad to hear that you found this helpful!

Hey Ryan, This was a super helpful article! I’m looking to join a boat via the crew finder and see an option in Croatia (with no air conditioning) and another option (with air conditioning) in Greece. Any other information that you know that might help me decide which destination? Thanks!

Well from what I hear… the difference between Yacht Week Croatia and Yacht Week Greece is that Croatia is more of a party and there’s always 1.5-2x the amount of yachts on the route than Greece. I think Greece is a party but a little more chilled and definitely less people. That’s unfortunate about the boat with no air conditioning on YW Croatia. What a bummer. I mean plenty of people do it without AC. Just depends on how comfortable you think you’ll be without it. It’s a tough call. On another note — generally speaking (not talking Yacht Week) I can’t get enough of Greece. It’s one of my favorite countries in the world.

Great article. Quick question: what is the average temperature of the ocean in those parts at the beginning of June? I live in a Miami and from what I’ve seen it’s not that warm that week of yacht week.

Hi Millie. I don’t know the average temps of the sea but what I can tell you is that it will be refreshing after being in the scorching sun all day. No worries about the water. It will surely be more cool than the coast of Miami but not freezing by any means.

Hi ! Incredible article…..theres 8 of us going 29 July – 5th August

Regarding the bottle service, how much pp would you say it was ? (probably hard to answer as different clubs vary). I can imagine the tables get reserved quickly….how would you suggest going about getting them sorted ?

Hi Jas. Excellent! You’re going to have a great time for sure. Honestly, I can’t answer the pp prices as it varied from club to club and also there are a variety of brands and sizes of bottles. I just don’t know, unfortunately. As for the tables, you can ask your skipper or your hostess to line those up. Do it, it’s worth it.

This is an amazing article. Thank you so much. I am buying everything on the packing list. I’m going to yacht week Croatia in July. I’m scared I will overpack!!

Thanks Christianne! No worries about overpacking, just be sensible. You’ll be in a bathing suit for the majority of the trip. ;-)

This is a really helpful article! How much is normal for tipping the skipper and hostess? Thanks so much! :)

Hey Amy. I don’t know if there’s a “going rate”. I would advise you reach out to TYW to find out if they recommend a certain percentage.

Incredible article, thanks so much for taking the time to write it. Me and 3 other friends are planning to do the Croatia route next summer. Few questions for you

1. How far in advance do bookings usually become available? 2. How does it work in regards to booking your own yacht then posting for other people to join?

Hi Kam. Thanks for the feedback.

1. I’m not sure exactly how early they announce the dates. I would reach out to the Yacht Week to check on that. 2. You can book your own yacht and then add your yacht to the Crew Finder using this link: https://www.theyachtweek.com/crew-finder

Hey ! Thanks for all the helpful tips ! I was wondering how/where can we send floaties? Is there a place where we can get them pumped ??

No problem Mily! I would recommend you bring your own mini portable pump like the one found here: http://www.yachtweekpackinglist.com/tech/

Hey Ryan! Awesome info!!

My friends and I are thinking of doing this next summer, but have one concern. Are there actual opportunities to see Croatia and the culture on the island throughout the week or do you pretty much stay docked out in the open water unless there are the parties at night?

Hey Rachel — I highly recommend it! ;-) Unfortunately, there won’t be much time to explore much as it’s really about the party. It’s pretty much a non-stop week of partying day and night. There are very few windows of opportunity to actually sightsee and do things on the islands. If you’re looking to actually see and explore Croatia it would need to be either prior to Yacht Week or afterwards. Best of luck!

If you’re looking for a great resource on packing for Yacht Week be sure to check out: http://www.yachtweekpackinglist.com/

Hello, could you help me on one thing? When usually happens the white party? Which day of the seven day trip?

Hi Marcela. The White party was on day 3 for our crew. I think it depends on which route you’re on.

Hi there Ryan!

Your review has probably been the most helpful of them all so far! I have a couple questions I hope you don’t mind answering them?

1. How many days prior to leaving would you suggest staying in Split for? If we decide to do this trip we obviously will be arriving to Split prior to the day the yachts leave, so how many days would be enough to explore Split?

2. We are a group of girls- around 20-23 year olds… Were there much people of that age group going on the yachts or will we probably be one of the younger ones?

3. How does it work booking a boat with air conditioning? Is it randomly assigned or do you select it? Because I see that you had gotten a boat with air conditioning, and I would assume that those are the boats to sell out first, however you had booked yours not too long before leaving!

4. How exactly does paying for yachts work? I could be completely wrong here- Because I figured that it was a specific amount per person, but is it actually purchasing the yacht as a whole? So for example, if I were to get a group of 4-6 girls would we just throw in a chunk of money to pay for the yacht or is it a certain amount per person to pay?

5. Kind of following question 4, if we were to be a group of 4-6 girls, and they say on the website that there needs to be an even ratio would we have to go onto the crew finder to get the other half of our yacht booked? (Keeping in mind we would have a hostess and a skipper additional making that more of like 6-8)

6. Was there a day where you needed costumes for your whole crew? I read something about that somewhere online….

7. Lastly, I saw you said the catamarans were pretty cool but whats the difference between the catamarans and yachts? Sorry if thats a silly question lol

Sorry I have so many questions!! Many thanks in advance! :)

Hey! Is there a week out of the summer that is supposed to be the craziest?

Thank so much for all the info so far!

Hey Lucy — I think most weeks are the same. Everyone is there for the same reasons. ;-)

Hi Ryan, awesome article and photos! Guys, rent a boat for Croatia island hopping and enjoy perfect sailing vacation. You can get best sailing experience at lowest cost in the market on our site.

Thanks my friend.

This is an awesome post! I have a question about the people you wind up being with on your yacht – 1). are you obligated to always be with your specific crew at the parties? 2). Do people ever hop around from boat to boat, or branch off away from their crew and do their own thing? I’m traveling solo and already committed to a boat and crew but was just wondering if people sort of wander off on their own and make friends on different boats. 3). Is it more common than not that people wind up spending the night on a different boat? Thanks so much for your help x

1. No, of course not. You can hang with whoever you’d like. Some people end up sleeping on other people’s boats the entire week. You have zero obligations to your crew.

2. Yes. All the time.

3. Yes. Sometimes you hardly see your crewmates. I believe you do need to be back on your boat in the morning to check in because your boat cannot leave until you’re back onboard. AKA they want to be sure that you’re still alive. LOL

Best of luck, Celine!

Awesome post, thanks for all the info!

As for sleeping arrangements; each cabin has one bed for two people to share?

Thanks for the feedback. Honestly, it depends on the yacht you choose. Our yacht had two beds in the front, two in the back. There were also two single bunk beds. Normally each of the big beds located at the front/back of the yacht sleep 2 people comfortably but for one reason or another one bed would always end up being host to a slumber party with 6 bodies or so. ;-)

Hi Ryan! Thank you for the informative article. My gf and I are turning 30 this summer, her bday is in july and mine is in Aug. Trouble is we can figure out which week to go. I know you replied to a comment in 2016 about either the first weeks or the last few weeks. Any new changes since 2016?

Hi Megan. I think it remains the same. The first and last few weeks are generally the best. Wishing you two a happy birthday and a great trip!

Hi, I saw a video that you have a couple Yacht week special. I was wondering where can I find it on your site ? We are 4 couples who want to book a Yacht and party :)

Thank you !

Hi Ryan! Hope you can read this, do you know what’s the typical yacht if you don’t peak it yourself, I mean the entry level ones. Thanks!

Unfortunately, I do not. I would recommend you reach out to the staff at Yacht Week. I’m sure they’ll be able to help you with that.

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Yacht Week: A Beginner’s Guide 

Table of Contents

If you could sail, swim, and celebrate on repeat each day for a week until you’re happily exhausted, you’d do it, wouldn’t you? Well, boating has just the event for that: Yacht Week. Haven’t heard of it? Here’s a Yacht Week Beginner’s Guide : 

Rent. Charter. Share— only at Boatsetter 

First, what is Yacht Week? 

If you’ve never heard of The Yacht Week , it’s called the original floating festival. You stay aboard a skippered boat with a bunch of your friends, cruising alongside other like-minded travelers. 

A skippered boat is a boat with someone who is in command of it, more or less equal to a captain! This gives your crew opportunities to focus on the fun and potentially learn boating from an experienced guide. 

Options exist for per- cabin bookings, too. Regardless, for seven days, you explore convoy-style, visiting picture-perfect destinations like Croatia, Turkey, Tahiti, and the British Virgin Islands. While you have the freedom to follow your own itinerary, you get your skipper’s first-hand knowledge of where to go and what to do. 

You can dine onboard or ashore , soak up the sun on secluded beaches, and of course, swim. Come at nighttime, and join your fellow adventurers at organized parties on the beach and in clubs. Or, simply star gaze on deck before drifting off to sleep.

Yacht Week’s brief history

The Yacht Week got its start nearly two decades ago. Directors and founders Eric Biorklund and William Wenckel worked for the same company as charter-boat captains in Europe when inspiration struck. A two-week period in Greece was so much fun that they became fast friends with their guests. Figuring they could replicate the success, they reserved 10 yachts for traveling together for a subsequent summer in anticipation of attracting 100 guests. It worked. They then added another five yachts to that total, which also filled up. Guests had so much fun, in fact, that they requested Biorklund and Wenckel arrange more trips. Soon the duo had more cruisers than staterooms available. So, they turned it into a dedicated business, and The Yacht Week was born.

With another business partner onboard, Biorklund and Wenckel set their sights on growing The Yacht Week internationally. That, too, worked. The company went from booking 30 boats in 2006 to more than 1,300 within a decade. 

Experiences you’ve never had before 

( Image Source )

The Yacht Week is more than just skippered boats; the goal is to provide you with experiences you’ve never had before! For example, if you’re into techno, house music, and similar styles, the Croatia Ultra Route dates in July coincide with the Ultra Europe EDM festival. Pro Tip: Your yacht package includes VIP tickets. 

While music is a big part of The Yacht Week—and cruising in general—other itineraries are more about the destinations and camaraderie. 

From May through September, for instance, trips depart from Athens, Greece, and head to a number of islands. To ensure you get to know your fellow cruisers, a raft-up (anchoring your boat side by side) kicks off the first day. 

Each day for the rest of the week, you can explore ancient sites and towns with guides on foot or drive an ATV through the countryside. Fun costume parties, White Parties (where you wear all white), and more occur each day, too. 

To cap off the summer in style, book one of two available weeks (at presstime) in Turkey in September. You’ll enjoy the country’s famed Turquoise Coast, along its southwestern shore, starting out in Fethiye. When you go sightseeing, don’t miss the chance to partake in a Turkish bath. You’ll emerge with your skin feeling invigorated and an amazing story to share.

Pro Tip: Speaking of sharing, you’ll be sharing picture after picture on social media with your friends and family back home. The Yacht Week also has professional photographers and videographers on hand during each itinerary to ensure the best moments get captured. 

Get a feel for boating 

If you’re curious about how the boat operates, feel free to ask questions. Captains love sharing their knowledge and passion, so you can take a turn at the wheel as well. Plenty of cruisers become friends, too, with their fellow passengers, planning future cruises upon returning home. That’s what ultimately makes The Yacht Week a week to remember for a lifetime. 

About Boatsetter 

Boatsetter is a unique boat-sharing platform that gives everyone — whether you own a boat or you’re just renting — the chance to experience life on the water. You can list a boat , book a boat , or make money as a captain . 

Put your boat to work— Start earning an avg. of $20K yearly with Boatsetter

Images sourced from Yachtweek.com

A journalist with more than 30 years’ experience, Diane M. Byrne is the owner of MegayachtNews.com, a daily website educating American superyacht owners, buyers, and their circles of influence about the leading builders, designers, cruising destinations, and more. She founded the website in 2007 as the first, and still the only, American-focused online media outlet exclusively covering this market. It features all-original content, for real stories of real interest.

Diane is additionally one of the most-sought-after journalists for expert editorial coverage and commentary about not only superyachts, but also general boating and yachting. Her byline appears in Boatsetter.com, DiscoverBoating.com, and the magazines Luxury Guide, Ocean, Yachting, and Yachts International.

Additionally, Diane is the Chair of the U.S. Superyacht Association, having been on the Board of Directors since 2015. Outside of yachting, she’s a trustee of Sempre Avanti, a non-profit resource supporting Italian and Italian-American individuals, businesses, and organizations in the United States and Italy.

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8 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU GO ON THE YACHT WEEK

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Have you heard of The Yacht Week ? If not then let me introduce you to what could be the best week of your life. Back in 2014 I spent a week sailing around Greece on an all girls Yacht Week boat. We had an incredible time but there were some things I wish I would have known before the trip that could have made it even better. So here are eight things you should know before you go on The Yacht Week!

1) THE YACHT WEEK COULD BE THE BEST WEEK OF YOUR LIFE – JUST GO!

As you can see from the video above The Yacht Week looks like a lot of fun, and it is! This video is of The Yacht Week Greece trip I was on featuring some clips of our boat. I booked with one of my friends and prior to the tip I hadn’t met any of the other girls who were going to be on our sailboat. All the girls turned out to be awesome and we all made fast friends.

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If you can’t get a group of friends together to book your own sailboat don’t let that stop you from going on The Yacht Week. Just find one friend to go with you and book a two-person cabin! You’ll make new friends, and have the time of your life, especially after reading all my tips so you’ll know what to expect.

2) THE YACHT WEEK IS MORE ABOUT PARTYING THAN SAILING

The Yacht Week is basically one big floating festival! If you want to have a serious week of peaceful sailing then The Yacht Week is probably not for you. You will sail from location to location but you’ll spend a lot more time partying than sailing on most of The Yacht Week routes. You need to be in the right frame of mind for this prior to the trip. So if you plan on going on The Yacht Week put your party hat on and be ready to have some fun!

3) CHOOSE YOUR YACHT WEEK ROUTE BASED ON PACE

You’ll likely look at The Yacht Week website and see a destination you want to go to and decide this is the route you want to take. I advise against this. In order to have the best time possible book a route based on the pace you want to go at.

Since I went on The Yacht Week they have added several new routes including an Italy route which they are marketing as slower paced for “sophisticated sailors and the food fanatics.” I have only been on the Greece route so I can’t vouch for this claim but if you want to do less partying, and more sailing and exploring, booking the Italy route seems like the way to go.

The Greece route I went on is labeled at a mid paced route. I love music and parties but I personally would have preferred more sailing and sight-seeing. Based on my experience, I would describe the mid paced Yacht Week routes (Greece, Montenegro and BVIs) as party routes and the fast paced routes (Croatia and Croatia Ultra) as ultra party routes.

4) SKIP SOME OF THE DAY PARTIES & EXPLORE

As I said above The Yacht Week, overall, is more about partying than anything else but you are visiting amazing places on all of their routes so I suggest skipping some of the parties and exploring your surroundings. On the Greece route there was a day party and a night party at each stop. When we docked at Hydra Island , my friend and I skipped the day party and explored the island which turned out to be one of my favorite days on the trip! There are plenty of parties so don’t worry about skipping some of them and opting to take in some sights and local culture instead.

5) SPLURGE ON A PREMIUM SAILBOAT

This is a gross topic but I have to bring it up because I would never want anyone to be in the same situation the girls on my boat were on. Our Yacht Week boat was a cheaper, economy sailboat and it was not equipped for us to be able to do anything besides pee in the toilets. That’s right, we did not have proper use of toilets on our boat for an entire week! Because of this my friend and I ended up renting several hotel rooms during Yacht Week (read Nikki Beach Porto Heli and Hotel Miranda Hydra Island ) just so we could have use of a toilet and shower.

So what is the moral of this story? Don’t go for the cheapest boat you can find. There are now four types of yachts you can book with The Yacht Week – Economy, Standard, Premium and Premium Plus. Spend the extra money to book a premium sailboat, and check that you’ll have unrestricted use of the toilet onboard before you book.

6) THE YACHT WEEK IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN YOU THINK

I budgeted around $75 a day for food, drinks and extras for our seven-day trip and quickly realized this was not going to be enough. Upon arrival we were told we needed to go shopping for costumes for the sailing competition and parties. Next, we had to put money in for the “Kitty Fund,” which is food and drinks for the boat for the week. We also had to pitch in money to tip our skipper and pay for gas for the boat.

At The Yacht Week parties you usually get one or two free drinks with your wristband, but after, that you have to pay for your drinks. Drinking every day can get expensive, especially if you want to splurge on bottle service. If you plan to drink and eat out and don’t want to worry about running out of money, you should plan to spend around $130 USD/day.

$150 Kitty $50 Costumes $525 ($75/Day Restaurants + Cocktails x 7 Days) $100 Gas/Tip for Skipper $100 Bottle Service _______ $925 TOTAL

7) YOUR SAILBOAT WILL GET DIRTY REALLY QUICKLY

We had an all-girls crew and our sailboat still got very dirty every day. In order to keep your boat from becoming filthy get everyone on your boat to agree from the start to all help clean. If everyone pitches in, it takes less than 20 minutes a day to keep your boat clean. Do your dishes right after you are done eating, and keep all your personal stuff in your own cabin. No one wants to spend a week in a tiny cramped, dirty space. This is the real Yacht Week v. your Instagram Yacht Week…

8) CHOOSE WHO YOU BOOK WITH WISELY

The last thing you want to do is go on what could be the week of your life with someone who can’t go with the flow, relax and enjoy an adventure. If you’re booking a two-person cabin with a friend make sure you are on the same page about what type of trip you both want to have.

If you can’t wait to get to The Yacht Week and party all week and your friend is looking for a peaceful, relaxing week of sailing and sightseeing it is not going to work. If your friend wants to do a luxury sailing trip but you want to book an economy sailboat to save money it is not going to work. This seems pretty obvious but I saw both of these scenarios happen and it is a buzz kill for everyone. Make sure you are on the same page with whoever you book The Yacht Week with, wether you are booking a two-person cabin or an entire sailboat.

Have you been on The Yacht Week? If you have any additional tips for our readers or questions for me please leave these in the comments below.

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May 4, 2018 at 2:53 am

Hi, where did you get your bikinis? I love them! Thanks!

James Methew says

August 28, 2018 at 6:02 am

Great Blog! Yacht Charting is considered the best way of spending your holidays and is an interesting activity to include in your traveling.

May 5, 2019 at 5:30 pm

Im about to book the Greece trip with a friend but now I am really concerned about the bathroom situation… can you maybe tell me a little bit more about that?

June 18, 2019 at 7:11 am

The boats have marine toilets; you can use them for #1 and #2, you just can’t flush anything else down them. So that means you have a baggie for toilet paper you throw out once or twice a day. It’s not ideal, but it’s not as bad as you might think, and you get used to it pretty quick. Plus, you’re on land a lot and can use regular toilets pretty much any time you’re not sailing.

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• Travel Guide

The Beginner’s Guide To The Yacht Week

Published: October 12, 2023

Modified: December 28, 2023

by Enrichetta Cifuentes

• Travel Tips

Introduction

Welcome aboard The Yacht Week, where adventure meets luxury on the open seas. If you’re looking for an unforgettable holiday experience that combines exploration, relaxation, and a dose of partying, then The Yacht Week is the perfect choice for you.

Imagine sailing through crystal-clear waters, visiting picturesque islands, and soaking up the sun on the deck of a luxurious yacht. With The Yacht Week, you can make this dream a reality. Whether you’re a seasoned sailor or a complete beginner, The Yacht Week offers an immersive experience that caters to all levels of expertise.

But what makes The Yacht Week truly unique is the sense of community that it fosters. This is not just a holiday; it’s a social adventure where you’ll meet like-minded individuals from all around the world. You’ll forge lasting friendships, create unforgettable memories, and come home with stories that will be the envy of everyone you know.

So, if you’re ready to embark on the adventure of a lifetime, let’s dive deeper into what The Yacht Week is all about and how you can be a part of it.

What is The Yacht Week?

The Yacht Week is a unique and exhilarating sailing experience that takes place in stunning destinations around the world. It offers a week-long yacht charter adventure, combining the thrill of sailing with a vibrant social scene and a touch of luxury.

During The Yacht Week, participants have the opportunity to explore breathtaking coastlines, discover hidden coves, and visit picturesque islands. Each day brings a new adventure as you sail to different destinations, immersing yourself in the beauty of nature and the culture of the region.

But The Yacht Week is not just about sailing. It’s also renowned for its legendary parties. From beachside raves to themed events on private islands, The Yacht Week offers an unparalleled nightlife experience. Dance the night away under the stars, mingle with fellow sailors, and create memories that will last a lifetime.

What sets The Yacht Week apart from a traditional sailing holiday is its emphasis on community. You’ll be part of a flotilla of yachts, surrounded by like-minded individuals who share a passion for adventure, fun, and exploration. It’s an opportunity to make new friends from all over the globe and enjoy the camaraderie that comes with embarking on this shared journey.

Whether you’re a seasoned sailor or a complete novice, The Yacht Week caters to all levels of experience. Professional skippers are available to guide you through the journey, ensuring your safety and providing valuable insights about the destinations you’ll visit.

So, if you’re looking for a thrilling and unforgettable holiday experience that combines sailing, parties, and making lifelong connections, then The Yacht Week is the perfect choice for you.

How Does The Yacht Week Work?

Participating in The Yacht Week is a seamless and well-organized process that ensures you have a stress-free and enjoyable experience. Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

• Choosing Your Destination: The first step is selecting the destination for your Yacht Week adventure. From the stunning coastlines of Croatia to the exotic islands of Greece and the Caribbean, there are multiple locations to choose from.
• Forming Your Crew: Gather your friends, family, or join a group of like-minded individuals to form your crew. Yachts typically accommodate between 6 to 12 people, so make sure to decide on the number of participants beforehand.
• Booking Your Yacht: Once you have your crew assembled, it’s time to reserve your yacht. The Yacht Week offers a range of yachts to suit different preferences and budgets, from spacious catamarans to sleek and stylish monohulls.
• Customizing Your Experience: The Yacht Week allows you to tailor your experience to your liking. Decide whether you want to join a specific route with planned activities and parties or have a more flexible itinerary where you can choose your own destinations and activities.
• Sailing and Exploring: When the time comes, embark on your yacht and set sail. Each day, you’ll navigate to different islands or ports, enjoying the breathtaking scenery, engaging in water sports, and exploring the local culture and landmarks.
• Partying and Socializing: The Yacht Week is renowned for its vibrant parties and social events. From exclusive beach clubs to themed parties on private islands, there are ample opportunities to let loose, dance, and make lifelong memories.
• Safety and Support: Throughout your Yacht Week experience, you’ll have the support of experienced skippers and event organizers who are there to ensure your safety and assist with any queries or concerns that may arise.
• Celebrating the Journey: At the end of your Yacht Week adventure, it’s time to reflect on the incredible journey you’ve had. Share stories, exchange contact information with new friends, and celebrate the memories you’ve created together.

Overall, The Yacht Week offers a seamless and exciting experience, combining the thrill of sailing with the joy of exploration and the magic of social connection. It’s an adventure that will leave you with lasting memories and a yearning to embark on another Yacht Week journey in the future.

Destinations Offered by The Yacht Week

The Yacht Week offers an array of breathtaking destinations around the world, allowing you to choose the backdrop for your unforgettable sailing adventure. Here are some of the stunning locations you can explore:

• Croatia: Known for its crystal-clear waters, hidden coves, and vibrant nightlife, Croatia is a top choice for many Yacht Week participants. Sail along the Adriatic coast, visit historic cities like Split and Dubrovnik, and soak in the beauty of the Croatian islands.
• Greece: The Greek islands offer a magical setting for your Yacht Week experience. From the charming white-washed buildings of Santorini to the lively party scene of Mykonos, Greece is a paradise for both sailing enthusiasts and partygoers.
• The British Virgin Islands: Explore the picture-perfect Caribbean destination of the British Virgin Islands. With its turquoise waters, idyllic bays, and lush tropical landscapes, this destination provides a truly relaxing and rejuvenating experience.
• Italy: Discover the beauty of the Amalfi Coast, the captivating history of Sicily, or the vibrant energy of Sardinia. Italy offers a diverse range of destinations, each with its own unique charm, delicious cuisine, and stunning coastal scenery.
• Montenegro: Experience the lesser-known gem of the Adriatic with a Yacht Week adventure in Montenegro. This country is renowned for its rugged mountains, medieval towns, and tranquil beaches, providing a perfect blend of natural beauty and cultural heritage.
• Turkey: Immerse yourself in the rich cultural tapestry of Turkey as you explore the Turkish Riviera. Sail along the stunning turquoise coast, visit ancient ruins, and indulge in delicious Turkish cuisine.

Each destination has its own unique allure, offering a blend of stunning landscapes, rich history, vibrant nightlife, and warm hospitality. Whether you prefer the vibrant energy of Croatia, the romantic charm of Greece, or the laid-back vibes of the Caribbean, there’s a Yacht Week destination that will cater to your desires.

Regardless of which destination you choose, be prepared to be amazed by the beauty of the surroundings and the adventures that await you.

Types of Yachts Available

The Yacht Week offers a variety of yacht options to suit different preferences and group sizes. Each yacht provides a comfortable and luxurious setting for your sailing adventure. Here are some of the types of yachts available:

• Monohull Yacht: The monohull yacht is a classic choice and offers a more traditional sailing experience. These yachts have a single hull and come in various sizes, accommodating different group sizes. They provide stability and performance while sailing, and often feature comfortable cabins, spacious decks, and modern amenities.
• Catamaran: Catamarans are gaining popularity among Yacht Week participants due to their spaciousness and stability. These yachts have two hulls connected by a spacious deck, providing ample space for socializing, sunbathing, and enjoying the stunning views. Catamarans often come equipped with multiple cabins, ensuite bathrooms, and a fully equipped kitchen.
• Gulet: If you’re looking for a larger and more luxurious option, a gulet might be the perfect choice. These traditional wooden sailing vessels offer a unique blend of traditional charm and modern comfort. Gulets typically have several cabins with ensuite bathrooms, a spacious deck area, and even amenities like jacuzzis and entertainment systems.
• Motor Yacht: For those who prioritize speed and luxury, a motor yacht is a fantastic choice. These yachts are equipped with powerful engines, providing the ability to cover larger distances in shorter amounts of time. Motor yachts often feature spacious deck areas, luxurious cabins, and top-of-the-line amenities.
• Bareboat or Skippered: You have the option to choose between bareboat or skippered yachts. Bareboat yachts are self-skippered, giving you the freedom to navigate the waters independently if you have the necessary sailing experience. Skippered yachts come with a professional skipper who will handle the navigation, allowing you to sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey.

Regardless of the type of yacht you choose, you can expect a comfortable and stylish onboard experience. Yachts are equipped with all the necessary amenities to make your journey enjoyable, including fully equipped kitchens, comfortable sleeping quarters, bathrooms, and spacious deck areas for lounging and taking in the views.

It’s important to consider the size of your group and your desired level of luxury when selecting a yacht. Whether you opt for the classic charm of a monohull, the spaciousness of a catamaran, or the luxury of a gulet or motor yacht, you can rest assured that your Yacht Week experience will be nothing short of extraordinary.

Planning and Booking Your Yacht Week Experience

Planning and booking your Yacht Week experience is an exciting part of the journey. Here are some key steps to help you navigate the process:

• Choose Your Dates: Determine the dates that work best for you and your crew. Consider factors like availability, weather, and personal preferences. The Yacht Week operates during specific weeks in each destination, so make sure to check the official website for the schedule.
• Select Your Destination: Decide on the destination that appeals to you the most. Consider factors like scenery, activities, and cultural experiences. Each destination offers a unique atmosphere, so choose one that aligns with your interests.
• Decide on Your Yacht Type: Consider the size of your group, your preferred level of luxury, and the desired sailing experience when selecting your yacht type. Choose between monohulls, catamarans, gulets, or motor yachts based on your needs and preferences.
• Form Your Crew: Gather your crew of family or friends, or join a shared crew if you’re traveling solo. Yacht Week is a social adventure, so having a group of like-minded individuals will enhance the experience. Make sure to communicate and coordinate with your crew members throughout the process.
• Make a Reservation: Head to The Yacht Week’s official website and follow the booking process. Select your desired package, destination, and yacht type, and provide the necessary information for your reservation. Keep in mind that booking early ensures better availability and allows for more flexibility in choosing your yacht and route.
• Payment and Confirmation: Upon making your reservation, you’ll need to pay the required deposit or full amount depending on the booking terms. Once your payment is processed, you’ll receive a confirmation email with all the necessary details and paperwork.
• Prepare for Your Yacht Week: As your Yacht Week adventure approaches, start preparing for your trip. Coordinate with your crew on logistics, plan your itinerary and activities, and make a list of essentials to pack. Check out The Yacht Week’s guidelines and suggestions to ensure you’re fully prepared for the journey.
• Enjoy Your Yacht Week Adventure: Finally, embark on your Yacht Week adventure and embrace the experience fully. Immerse yourself in the stunning destinations, enjoy the parties and social events, and create incredible memories with your crew and fellow sailors.

Remember, planning and booking your Yacht Week experience should be an enjoyable process. Take your time, communicate with your crew, and make the necessary arrangements to ensure a smooth and unforgettable journey.

What to Pack for The Yacht Week

Packing for The Yacht Week requires careful consideration of the essentials to ensure you have a comfortable and enjoyable experience. Here’s a list of items to include in your packing list:

• Clothing: Pack a mix of swimwear, casual clothes, and evening attire. Opt for lightweight and breathable fabrics to stay comfortable in warm weather. Don’t forget to include a cover-up or sarong for beach visits and a light jacket or sweater for cooler evenings.
• Footwear: Bring a combination of comfortable walking shoes, sandals, and flip flops for beach outings. It’s also a good idea to pack a pair of boat shoes or non-marking deck shoes that provide good grip and won’t damage the yacht’s deck.
• Protection from the Sun: Don’t forget to pack sunscreen with a high SPF, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses to protect yourself from the sun’s rays. A rash guard or long-sleeve top can provide extra protection for water activities.
• Travel Documents: Ensure you have all necessary travel documents, including a valid passport, visas (if required), yacht week booking confirmation, and any necessary insurance documents. Keep them in a waterproof bag or document holder to keep them safe and dry.
• Personal Essentials: Pack toiletries, medications, and personal care items such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and any prescription medications you may need. It’s also a good idea to bring a small first aid kit with essentials like band-aids, painkillers, and motion sickness medication.
• Waterproof Bag: Bring a waterproof bag or dry bag to protect your electronics, valuables, and any items you want to keep dry during water activities or in case of rain.
• Towels and Linens: While yachts provide basic linens and towels, it’s a good idea to bring a lightweight towel for beach visits or as a backup. A sarong or large scarf can also serve as a multifunctional item.
• Entertainment and Gadgets: Consider bringing a portable Bluetooth speaker, e-reader, or a deck of cards to keep yourself entertained during downtime. Don’t forget to pack chargers for your electronic devices and a power bank to keep them charged.
• Cash and Card: Bring a mix of cash and cards for expenses, including meals, drinks, and any additional activities or excursions you wish to partake in. It’s also a good idea to inform your bank of your travel plans to avoid any issues with your cards.
• Reusable Water Bottle: Stay hydrated during your Yacht Week adventure by bringing a reusable water bottle. Fill it up whenever you have the chance to ensure you have access to drinking water throughout the trip.

Remember to pack sensibly and consider the limited storage space on a yacht. Pack light and bring versatile items that can be mixed and matched to create different outfits. It’s all about finding the balance between practicality and style.

Lastly, don’t forget to pack a sense of adventure and an open mind. The Yacht Week is all about immersing yourself in the experience, connecting with new people, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Food and Beverage Options

When it comes to food and beverages during The Yacht Week, you have several options to ensure you and your crew are well-fed and hydrated throughout the journey. Here’s a breakdown of the available choices:

Provisioning: One option is to take advantage of the provisioning services provided by The Yacht Week. This allows you to pre-order your groceries and have them delivered to your yacht before you embark on your journey. You can select from a variety of food and beverage items ranging from fresh produce and dairy products to snacks, drinks, and alcoholic beverages. This convenient option saves you time and effort, ensuring you have everything you need on board.

Local Cuisine: Exploring the local cuisine is an integral part of any travel experience, and The Yacht Week is no exception. During your journey, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to sample the local delicacies at restaurants, beach clubs, and cafes on the islands you visit. Indulge in traditional dishes, fresh seafood, and regional specialties to truly immerse yourself in the culinary culture of your destination.

Onboard Cooking: If you enjoy cooking and want to take charge of your meals, you can utilize the kitchen facilities on board your yacht. Stock up on provisions from local markets or the provisioning service, and get creative with your culinary skills. Prepare delicious meals as a crew and dine on the deck overlooking the stunning views of the sea.

Restaurants and Tavernas: When you want to take a break from cooking, you can explore the local restaurants and tavernas on the islands you visit. Each destination offers a range of dining options, from casual beachside eateries to upscale restaurants. Enjoy a variety of international cuisine, fresh seafood, and local specialties while soaking up the atmosphere of each unique location.

Drinks and Cocktails: Keep yourself refreshed with a variety of drinks and cocktails during The Yacht Week. Stock up on your favorite beverages from the local stores or the provisioning service. You can also visit beach clubs and bars for a wide selection of drinks and signature cocktails that will enhance your party experience.

It’s important to note that while alcoholic beverages are a popular choice during The Yacht Week, responsible drinking is paramount. Ensure you consume alcohol in moderation and always prioritize your safety and that of your crew.

Ultimately, the choice of food and beverages on The Yacht Week is flexible and depends on your preferences and budget. Whether you opt for provisioning, onboard cooking, or exploring local cuisine, there are options to cater to every taste.

As always, remember to stay hydrated and nourished to make the most of your Yacht Week adventure. And don’t forget to savor the flavors and culinary experiences that each destination has to offer.

Activities and Entertainment

The Yacht Week is not just about sailing; it offers a host of activities and entertainment options to keep you engaged and entertained throughout your journey. Here are some of the exciting activities and entertainment opportunities you can expect:

Water Sports: Dive into the crystal-clear waters and indulge in a variety of water sports. Snorkeling, paddleboarding, kayaking, and jet skiing are just a few examples of the activities you can enjoy. Explore the vibrant underwater world, paddle through hidden caves, and experience the thrill of gliding over the water.

Beach Parties: The Yacht Week is renowned for its beach parties. Imagine dancing on white sandy beaches with your crew and fellow sailors, surrounded by breathtaking scenery. From live DJs to themed events and bonfires, the beach parties are a highlight of the Yacht Week experience. Let loose, soak up the atmosphere, and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Exploring on Land: As you sail from one destination to another, take the opportunity to explore the islands and coastal towns on foot. Discover historical landmarks, wander through charming streets, and immerse yourself in the local culture. Visit local markets, try traditional delicacies, and interact with the friendly locals for an authentic experience.

Sunset Cocktails: The Yacht Week offers magnificent sunsets that can be enjoyed from the deck of your yacht or at beach bars along the coast. Raise a glass and toast to the end of another beautiful day as you admire the stunning colors of the sunset painting the sky.

Themed Parties and Events: Prepare to dress up and participate in themed parties and events organized by The Yacht Week. From tropical nights to masquerade balls or nautical-themed gatherings, these events offer a chance to get creative with your outfits, socialize, and experience the vibrant energy of the Yacht Week community.

Island Hopping: Each destination during The Yacht Week offers unique islands and coastal spots to explore. Hop off your yacht and venture into hidden coves, secluded beaches, and picturesque villages. Swim in secluded bays, hike through scenic trails, or simply relax and soak up the sun on pristine beaches.

Relaxation and Wellness: Take advantage of the tranquil setting of the open water and treat yourself to moments of relaxation and wellness. Practice yoga or meditation on the deck of your yacht, arrange for a massage or spa treatment at select locations, or simply unwind and enjoy the peacefulness of the sea.

No matter how you choose to spend your time during The Yacht Week, there are endless opportunities for adventure, fun, and relaxation. Embrace the activities and entertainment on offer, and make the most of your Yacht Week experience.

Safety and Guidelines

Safety is of utmost importance during your Yacht Week adventure. Whether you’re a seasoned sailor or a novice, it’s essential to adhere to certain guidelines and precautions to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. Here are some important safety considerations and guidelines to keep in mind:

Listen to Your Skipper: If you have a skipper onboard, take their guidance seriously. They have the knowledge and experience to navigate the waters safely and handle any unforeseen situations that may arise. Trust their expertise and follow their instructions regarding sailing, anchoring, and safety protocols.

Be Weather Alert: Keep an eye on the weather forecast and stay informed about any potential changes in weather conditions. Your skipper will also be monitoring the weather, but it’s always good to stay aware. If there are adverse weather conditions, follow the guidance of your skipper and adhere to any safety measures advised.

Be Mindful of Security: While The Yacht Week is generally safe, it’s important to exercise caution and be mindful of your surroundings. Keep your valuables secure, lock the yacht when you’re away, and don’t leave personal belongings unattended, especially in public areas.

Practice Safe Swimming: When swimming or participating in water activities, always take safety precautions. Make sure you’re a confident swimmer and be aware of currents, tides, and other potential hazards. Use proper safety equipment, such as life jackets, when necessary.

Drink Responsibly: Alcoholic beverages are often a part of the Yacht Week experience, but it’s important to consume them responsibly. Know your limits and be mindful of the impact alcohol can have on your judgment and abilities, particularly when engaging in water activities or operating watercraft.

Stay Hydrated: With the sun, sea, and potential partying, it’s easy to forget to stay hydrated. Remember to drink plenty of water throughout your Yacht Week adventure to prevent dehydration. This is especially important when spending time in the sun or participating in physical activities.

Respect the Environment: The Yacht Week takes place in beautiful natural environments, so it’s crucial to respect and protect them. Avoid littering and dispose of waste properly. Be mindful of marine life and coral reefs when snorkeling or engaging in water activities.

Emergency Contacts and Communication: Familiarize yourself with emergency contacts and protocols in the area you’re visiting. Ensure you have a reliable means of communication on board, such as a fully charged mobile phone, a VHF radio, or other equipment recommended by your skipper or yacht charter company.

Know Your Limits: While The Yacht Week is an exciting and adventurous experience, it’s essential to know your personal limits. Be honest about your swimming abilities, sailing skills, and comfort levels. If you’re unsure about any activity or feel uncomfortable, communicate it to your skipper or fellow crew members.

Travel Insurance: It’s highly recommended to have comprehensive travel insurance that covers sailing and water activities. Ensure your insurance policy includes medical coverage, trip cancellation, and personal liability for peace of mind throughout your Yacht Week journey.

By following these safety guidelines and remaining vigilant, you can enjoy a safe and unforgettable Yacht Week experience. Prioritize your well-being and the safety of your crew, and make the most out of this incredible adventure.

The Yacht Week offers an extraordinary blend of adventure, luxury, and socializing that creates an unforgettable holiday experience. Sailing through breathtaking destinations, exploring hidden gems, and indulging in vibrant parties and events are just the beginning of this remarkable journey.

Whether you’re an experienced sailor or a first-time adventurer, The Yacht Week welcomes all who seek to embrace the thrill of the open seas. With a variety of destinations to choose from, you can customize your Yacht Week experience to suit your preferences and desires.

As you navigate pristine waters and discover picturesque islands, you’ll also immerse yourself in a welcoming community of like-minded individuals from around the world. The Yacht Week fosters connections, camaraderie, and lasting friendships through shared experiences, beach parties, and themed events.

The safety of participants is always paramount, and following guidelines and protocols ensures a secure journey for all. From listening to your skipper’s expertise to being aware of your surroundings and practicing responsible behavior, these measures contribute to a safe and enjoyable Yacht Week adventure.

So, whether you choose to relax on the deck of your yacht, take part in exhilarating water sports, explore captivating destinations, or dance the night away at unforgettable beach parties, The Yacht Week promises an experience like no other.

As you disembark from your Yacht Week adventure, you’ll carry with you cherished memories, newfound friendships, and a sense of fulfillment from having embarked on this extraordinary voyage. The bonds formed, the breathtaking scenery witnessed, and the adventures undertaken will leave an indelible mark in your heart.

So set sail, immerse yourself in the magic of The Yacht Week, and let the sea guide you towards an unforgettable journey of exploration, connection, and pure bliss.

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Inside Yacht Week

How it works

You've heard us say it's the best week of your life, and you've chosen your dream destination. But how does it all come together? How do you select the perfect yacht? And what's the deal with a host? Here's the lowdown on exactly how you book your week at sea.

Your step-by-step guide

Choose from our yacht categories or pick your own!

Choose your crew; sail with a group or join a shared yacht

Pay & sail; secure your spot for just a 10% deposit

Choose a category or pick your own

Our categories.

Choose from two yacht categories, Classic and Premium, in both Monohull and Catamaran types. Select the one that fits with your crew's spirit and budget, and we'll match you with a yacht that fits the bill. Or, if you're crystal clear about your desires, go ahead and pick your own.

Add your extras

Once you've chosen your yacht, it's time to make it uniquely yours. This is where you can add those exciting extras to turn your week into the dream you've always envisioned. How about adding a host to handle your meals while you soak in the adventure?

Choose your crew

Spend an unforgettable week on a yacht with your very own skipper and up to 12 friends. Can't fill a whole yacht? Use our handy Crew Finder to connect with other travellers.

Go to Crew finder

Set sail with like-minded adventurers in a cabin on a shared yacht.

Masters of the ocean, they’ll navigate and sail your crew, show you the hidden gems en route and ensure your safety is the priority. Skippers are also included with every booking.

• + RYA Skipper License (or equivalent)
• + Trained at YW Skipper Academy
• + Will quite literally show you the ropes if you’d like to learn to sail

Elevate your week to a whole new level with a host. They'll whip up fresh meals for you on deck daily and keep your yacht in pristine condition. Add hosts to any yacht, as long as there's a cabin for them.

• + Culinary genius
• + Local know-it-all
• + Trained at YW Host Academy

Pay and sail

Payment plan.

Pay off your booking in 3 instalments.

Instalment 1 · Confirm booking 10 %

Instalment 2 · 30 days after 30 %

Instalment 3 · 60 days before you sail 60 %

You will only need to pay 10% at the time of booking to secure your space.

• 10% deposit
• 30% of the balance, due 30 days after your booked
• 60% of the remaining balance, due 60 days before your trip

As the lead booker, once you have added your crew to your booking they will create their own profiles and can view the booking and pay their share. That way you won’t have to send money back and forth between everyone in the crew.

Ready to go? Choose your route now

Croatia original.

Dates May - Aug

Price from €638 pp

Greece Athens

Dates May - Sep

Price from €632 pp

Croatia Ultra

Price from €1,041 pp

Croatia Drumcode

Dates 01 - 07 JUNE

Price from €938 pp

Sardinia Refined Route

Price from €1,346 pp

Sardinia Emerald Coast

Caribbean bvi.

Dates NEW YEAR'S EVE

Polynesia Tahiti

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Yacht & Boat Shows of 2016

From the coveted Monaco Yacht Show to the Dubai International Boat Show, discover which of the world’s most beautiful destinations became a hub of viewings, networking, and glamorous parties in 2016.

Be inspired

Popular Yacht Shows

New York Boat Show 2016

6 - 10 Jan 2016

Javits Centre, New York

Phuket Boat Show 2016 (PIMEX)

7 - 10 Jan 2016

Royal Phuket Marina, Phuket, Thailand

Yachts Miami Beach 2016

11 - 15 Feb 2016

Thailand Yacht Show 2016

11 - 14 Feb 2016

Ao Po Grand Marina, Phuket

Superyacht Miami Show 2016

Island Gardens Deep Harbou, Biscayne Bay

Dubai Boat Show 2016

1 - 5 Mar 2016

Dubai International Marine Club, Dubai

Palm Beach Boat Show 2016

17 - 20 Mar 2016

West Palm Beach, Florida

Singapore Yacht Show 2016

7 - 10 Apr 2016

ONE°15 Marina Club, Sentosa Cove, Singapore

Palma Superyacht Show 2016

28 Apr - 2 May 2016

Mallorca, Spain

MYBA Charter Show 2016

2 - 5 May 2016

Genoa, Italy

Mediterranean Yacht Show 2016

7 - 10 May 2016

Nafplion, Greece

East Med Yacht Show 2016

13 - 18 May 2016

Piraeus, Greece

Newport Charter Yacht Show 2016

21 - 24 Jun 2016

Newport Shipyard, Rhode Island

MYBA Pop-Up Superyacht Show 2016

2 - 4 Sep 2016

Porto Montenegro

Cannes Yachting Festival 2016

6 - 11 Sep 2016

Cannes, France

Monaco Yacht Show 2016

28 Sep - 1 Oct 2016

Port Hercules, Monaco

VICL Fall Yacht Show 2016

2 - 5 Nov 2016

Yacht Haven Grande, St Thomas

Fort Lauderdale Boat Show 2016

3 - 7 Nov 2016

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

Charter Yacht Society (CYS) BVI Charter Yacht Show 2016

7 - 10 Nov 2016

Nanny Cay Resort and Marina, Tortola

Ocean Marina Pattaya Boat Show 2016

24 - 27 Nov 2016

Pattaya, Thailand

Antigua Charter Yacht Show 2016

4 - 10 Dec 2016

English Harbour, Antigua

Qatar International Boat Show 2016

7 - 10 Dec 2016

Mourjan Marinas Lusail City, Doha, Qatar

Kata Rocks Superyacht Rendezvous 2016

10 - 12 Dec 2016

Phuket, Thailand

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This is a small selection of the global luxury yacht charter fleet, with 3572 motor yachts, sail yachts, explorer yachts and catamarans to choose from including superyachts and megayachts, the world is your oyster. Why search for your ideal yacht charter vacation anywhere else?

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The Perfect Night Out: GQ’s Best New Restaurants of 2016

By Brett Martin

There is a persistent fantasy in New York City—and probably in San Francisco, Chicago, L.A., and other cities where food madness is now the law of the land—about something called “the neighborhood restaurant.” This, the myth goes, is a place that is ambitious but comfortable, personal but professional, a combination of Le Bernardin and Cheers, that you can walk into at 8 P.M. on a Friday and be seated right away.

It doesn't exist in New York—where financial pressure and the hungry, roving eye of the foodie mob conspire to defeat all modesty—and maybe not anywhere. But I know that when I walked into Staplehouse, in Atlanta, I felt as close to the dream as I ever had before.

I might as well come out and say that my favorite meal in a new restaurant all year was at Staplehouse, a cozy onetime grocery in the Old Fourth Ward, just blocks from the church where Martin Luther King Jr. first preached. The place was born in sadness: Its original chef, Ryan Hidinger, and his wife, Jen, had been running an underground supper club in Atlanta for four years and were planning the move to brick-and-mortar when Ryan was diagnosed with cancer in 2012. He died a year later, but not before the restaurant had been re-conceived, now with his sister, Kara, and her husband, chef Ryan Smith, on board. That's a lot of Ryans and Hidingers to keep track of, but part of eating at Staplehouse is the feeling of joining a family dinner at which everyone refers to everybody else in affectionate shorthand and all fates, names, and histories are ineluctably intertwined. Like dining in a Richard Russo novel, in other words, but happier.

Atlanta’s Staplehouse, our favorite restaurant of the year.

All of the post-tax profits from Staplehouse now go to an affiliated foundation called The Giving Kitchen, which provides emergency aid to Atlanta service workers. But the restaurant's history and mission are only background for the food: If you've been trained by the excesses of other tasting menus to shudder at the term, give one of Smith's five-course menus a chance. Mine began with an amuse: four puffs, arranged on the plate like compass points, each a burst of flavor. One was made of poached rutabaga, topped with savory granola; another of urfa chile with dried scallop. I was also served a thin wedge of chicken-liver tart set on rich dough and topped with a burnt-honey gelée balanced by curls of charred radicchio and dots of satsuma puree, followed by steelhead trout and baby leeks dressed with a vinaigrette of lardo and Meyer lemon, and then a pink rosette of pork loin atop nutty dark roux, beside mustard greens and shiitakes. All of it was both immaculate and soulful, a menu designed not to dazzle but to feed.

Is this not the promise of the Food Revolution? To sit at the bar, Rolling Stones on the sound system, cosseted by warm brick and smooth subway tiles, chatting with regulars and eating food of the highest technique and intelligence? As I traveled the country in search of what was new and wonderful in American dining, Staplehouse acted as a kind of template. It was my first intimation that the best of what's out there are small, idiosyncratic, and intelligent restaurants, homey but not patronizing, borrowing from the evolution of fine dining but making it deeply personal—the kinds of places that make you want to move to their neighborhoods.

Frankly that revelation came as a relief. Preparing to set out on the road, I had been having conversations with far-flung friends and colleagues: How's the eating in your town? What's turning you on? The word coming back was not good. Things were boring, people said. Chefs, faced with ever mounting economic obstacles, had grown conservative, reliant on easy formulas and big-budget restaurant groups. The dining world was spinning its wheels. It was all chicken sandwiches now.

Yes, by popular acclaim, this has been the Year of the Chicken Sandwich. In New York, David Chang debuted Fuku, his bid for a fast-food empire built on chicken sandwiches. Danny Meyer's Shake Shack introduced its Chick'n Shack and nearly caused an Instagram meltdown. From coast to coast, all of a sudden, every time you sat down a fried-chicken sandwich was staring back at you.

On the one hand: Huzzah! This was yet another stage in the democratization of good food all over America. On the other hand, well, they were chicken sandwiches. On the great culinary scale, the chicken sandwich is pretty much the definition of the middle—tasty, yes, but with a definite ceiling. Apply all the technique and enhancements you like—meat glue, brining breakthroughs, umami boosters, pickles, coleslaw, hot sauce—in the end, what you will have is a chicken sandwich. Indeed, the object of all that effort, the widely acknowledged Platonic ideal, is a fast-food product from Chick-fil-A. If that company were open on Sundays, and less politically obnoxious, would anybody even feel the need to re-invent its signature product?

The ceci e pepe, made with chickpea Hozon, at Nishi in Manhattan.

So, there had to be more. What else will you see as you visit the restaurants of this fine country right now? You will see fermenting jugs: These days, chefs just aren't doing their jobs if a section of the kitchen doesn't look like the lab in Breaking Bad. The happy result is widespread levels of fermentation and funk that have only recently been allowed in polite company. You will see octopus, everywhere. You will see crudo, everywhere. You will see fields' worth of Little Gem lettuce and begin to suspect it's just romaine with good PR.

You will see Yacht Clubs: Santa Monica Yacht Club, Liholiho Yacht Club in San Francisco, RiNo Yacht Club in Denver. Why? I don't know—except that the term must conjure a different image for some people than it does for me, which is a dining room filled with Thurston Howell IIIs, gumming bad Cobb salads through their underbites.

At Cassia in Santa Monica, the seafood towers come in small, medium, and large.

You will see wood: stacks of it, cords of it, more wood than at an all-male orgy. Great forests have been laid waste to be piled high against the walls of kitchens across this nation, as though in grim preparation for a decade of winter. They are employed in a mighty conflagration, chefs crouched over the flames like blacksmiths, shoveling coal like railroad firemen, bent to the wheels of their Grillworks grills like figures in a Soviet factory poster. Smoke and ash and char: I suspect that for the rest of time, whenever somebody sits down next to me with a half-burnt joint in his pocket, I will be transported back to being served something “wood-fired” in the spring of 2016.

By Frazier Tharpe

By Erin Bunch

By Zoe Weiner

Some great dishes emerge from the flames. At New York's **Pasquale Jones—**where two Neapolitan ovens squat in the open kitchen like Easter Island heads of Boba Fett—prosciutto-and-soppressata-filled calzones are charred, chewy, and irresistible, a far cry from the ricotta-stuffed gym socks sold in most pizzerias. At Odys + Penelope, L.A.'s so-called “modern churrasco,” deep pink tri-tip is served with charred broccolini and béarnaise. And even farther west, at Honolulu's Mud Hen Water, the at-once familiar and befuddling dishes bubble on a multi-tiered scaffold in the blaze that brings to mind the last day at Burning Man—from chunks of meaty breadfruit tossed with fermented black beans to opah wrapped in banana leaves and put to steamy sleep in the coals.

In all these trends, even the retro randomness of “yacht clubs,” you see the pendulum swing away from the over-manipulated, smokeless world of softly whirring sous vide machines and toward the old and the elemental. From a chef's perspective, who wouldn't welcome the healthy margins offered by pizza and pasta? And it's true on the other side of the chef's window, too: It's always been safe and comfortable to gather around the fire.

This was a year in which the conversation turned to restaurants as the agent of social change. René Redzepi mused about changing the kitchen culture of hazing and hierarchy. Dan Barber hosted a pop-up dinner series showcasing the use of what would traditionally have been kitchen garbage. The shift away from tipping promised more economic equity among all restaurant workers.

This is tricky territory, because virtue often makes a most unpalatable spice. The past few years have seen vegetarianism climb out from under that particular burden. It has been the age of Vegetable Forward, a time when chefs all over have been rediscovering the fact that diners might be excited by more than just bacon and short ribs. Traditionally, there are two approaches to vegetarian cuisine: Obfuscation and Elevation—the attempt to make vegetables appear like, taste like, or serve the function of meat, and the resolve to let vegetables stand before you, in all their naked glory, proudly proclaiming, “I AM PLANT.”

Kimchi fried rice at Baroo in L.A.

Both strategies are employed at Superiority Burger, the vest-pocket-sized fast-food veggie-burger shop Brooks Headley opened in New York's East Village. The former pastry chef, a James Beard Award winner, is reportedly a compulsive fiddler with the namesake burger's formula; by the time I ate it, it tasted like a perfectly good veggie burger, no better. But the Sloppy Dave, which consists of tofu, spicy sauce, and fried onions, fulfilled every mandate of a sloppy joe so completely that I might never need to eat the ground-beef version again. Meanwhile, on the Elevation side, there is a constantly rotating list of handwritten specials like a “loaded” white sweet potato, heaped with tarragon, labneh, and capers, and a velvety potato soup enlivened by a shot of coconut milk and chile oil.

A completely different, but no less idiosyncratic, spirit animates Baroo, in Los Angeles. Signless, located in a Hollywood strip mall between a 7-Eleven and a botanica, specializing in fermentation and exotic grains—if Wile E. Coyote were laying a trap for Angeleno foodies, BAROO is what he would put on his sign instead of BIRD SEED. There's some kind of madness going on here, with such witchy-sounding ingredients as Job's tears, passion-fruit powder, and rose-onion pickle. The dish with the smallest number of such elements, scrawled on a blackboard on one wall of the tiny space, still contained at least ten. These ingredients are arranged with the spiraling precision of sand mandalas, and you must dismantle them with the same Zen equanimity, amazed that you can distinguish each item and what it brings to the balance of the whole—saltiness here, acid there, now creaminess, now crunch. This is grain bowl as high art.

Meanwhile, it should come as no surprise that San Francisco is home to the new do-goodism in its extreme form. Much of what seems like parody when first noted in San Francisco (artisanal table water, charging for bread) eventually makes its way out into the world as mainstream restaurant culture. Be that as it may, The Perennial could have been hatched in the Portlandia writers' room. Its owners are Anthony Myint and Karen Leibowitz, who founded Mission Street Food, the charitable restaurant that morphed into Mission Chinese Food. Here, they have earnestly turned their attention to radical environmental sustainability. “We're trying to rethink everything about the food world,” the menu informs you, “and we're happy to tell you about it. (Or you can just enjoy the food.)”

That parenthetical is a lie. The staff can't help themselves. You will hear how the Stinger—a cocktail that deserves a widespread renaissance—is pre-batched, the better to save the water used in shaking; how the straws are actually pieces of real straw (they stirred a deep memory of sipping Hawaiian Punch through a paper straw at some long-ago summer-camp snack bar); how yet more water is saved by using a recycled-glass jade-colored silverware rest, rather than swapping out forks and knives mid-meal. You may be handed reading material for further study, like a postcard explaining how the grain Kernza's deep root system makes it the most sustainable of starches. Across the street, there is a restaurant called Cadillac Bar & Grill, a Tex-Mex spot specializing in deep-fried tacos (“They're fluffy, puffy, and you can't get enough-y!”). After a few minutes at The Perennial, I found myself staring across into its windows, watching the flicker of a Warriors game on the multiple TVs, imagining the clink of sweet, wasteful ice in neon green margaritas and wondering where, exactly, I'd gone wrong.

Then the food rode to the rescue: Poached fennel and slices of pork jowl came draped in a chain mail of razor-thin discs of kohlrabi, delicate as the skin of a summer roll; creamy potatoes were goosed with a clam bagna cauda, a potato salad for a seaside picnic; lamb—neck and a rosy red knot of leg—was painted glossy with a black-garlic jus. The whole thing is tight-assed as hell, desperately in need of the kind of rock 'n' roll Danny Bowien—Myint and Leibowitz's sometime partner—might inject. But even the bread made from that Kernza is warm and nuttily delicious enough to make you forget it's carbon-negative.

The bounty of Shaya in NOLA.

Fresh-baked pita, the heart of a meal at Shaya.

One subset of Vegetable Forward is what I think of as the Ascension of the Homely Vegetables: cauliflowers, squashes, cabbages—it's like the culinary corollary of the hipster revival of old-people names. (In fact, I'd be shocked if there is not at least one kid in Park Slope named Radish.) If a grade-schooler is supposed to turn his nose up at it, you can find it occupying a plate somewhere with all the pride of a rib eye.

Think of it: cabbage. Ugly, gaseous, stinker-upper of tenement hallways, bane of generations of immigrant children—Eastern European, German, Irish, Korean—desperate to distinguish themselves from their parents' food. And yet, there it is, at Moruno, turning on the rotisserie like a fat pheasant, outer leaves charring while its insides turn to custard. There's plenty of meat, too, at Moruno, which is tucked into a corner of The Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles. The place is named for the marinated skewers found in Moorish Spain, here served with either lamb or chicken thighs, in kebab form or as Sub Moruno sandwiches. There are also Flinstonian hunks of chicharrones, tender grilled tripe with white beans, and tasty tapas bites constructed with anchovies, peppers, and olives, all to be washed down with homemade white and red vermouths on tap. No matter: My mind keeps returning to those cabbages, and to a split butternut squash, turned pudding-like in the oven. Its sweetness borders on dessert territory but is countered by a shower of musky dukkah .

Boeufhaus, in Chicago, delivers exactly what you want from a beef house.

More cabbage? Okay. It's also an unlikely contender for stardom at Shaya in New Orleans, this time drizzled with tahini and spiked with hazelnuts. It is nothing less than astonishing that the number one culinary destination in the city of gumbo should be, at the moment, a high-end Israeli restaurant. When I moved to New Orleans, not six years ago, the city was still giddy about finally getting a modern regional-Italian spot, at least a decade after the rest of the country had learned to take handmade pasta for granted. As it happens, the chef of that Italian place, Domenica, was and is Alon Shaya, and his strengths come into full flower at his new namesake. A dozen or so shared dips, pickles, and other mezes sit at the literal and figurative center of the menu, overshadowed only by the steaming, pillowy discs of freshly baked pita bread that flow from yet another wood-burning oven. You dredge hunks of the stuff through dishes of velvety hummus topped with curried cauliflower or with a soft-cooked egg and harissa; or top it with spoonfuls of sweet kibbeh nayah, made of raw lamb and beef, though that dish also comes with a densely layered, grease-slicked triangle of the sweet Yemenite flatbread called malawah. These are breads that threaten to ruin appetites not only at your table but in a five-mile blast radius.

Where else did I see the spirit that I fell for at Staplehouse in Atlanta? I saw it at Petit Crenn, the casual little sister to Dominique Crenn's experimental San Francisco powerhouse Atelier Crenn. Like Staplehouse, Crenn, in its petit form, strips the tasting menu of its overbearing gravitas and allows you to experience instead the pleasure of being in a chef's hands. Not that it forgoes all theatrics: The night I was there, two cooks were employed in presenting a two-foot-long bright silver steelhead trout to each table, in anticipation of its being cooked. Just when you reach the inevitable moment of fatigue, forking plump gnocchi à la parisienne into your mouth and glancing at the menu blackboard, wondering with an inward groan how you are going to make it through the next five courses—voilà!—the next three arrive at once: the trout, grilled over a wood fire and served beneath a sauce vierge with ribbons of crispy garlic, alongside porcelain dishes of roasted carrots tossed with candied kumquat and hazelnuts, and butter beans. It's suddenly a French soul-food meat-and-three.

I saw that same spirit at Mimi, the sliver of a bistro on Sullivan Street in Greenwich Village. Equal parts punk and chic, half of the tiny space is dominated by a stainless-steel bar, the other by snug banquettes. You start with a Mason jar filled with pork rillettes to pass around the table, reminiscent of the wondrous communal terrine that kicks off meals at La Régalade in Paris. From there, it's a wild ride. The 25-year-old chef, Liz Johnson, is canny enough to know her trends—there's a tête de veau dressed with honey, sesame, and roast garlic that could be served at Momofuku—but it's her twisted takes on more classic cuisine that stand out. Boudin noir comes sheathed in a delicate shell of feuille de brick; sea urchin and sweetbreads make startlingly good bedfellows beneath a scallop blanquette. Johnson herself ascends the vertiginous staircase from the kitchen, albeit with what seems like great reluctance, to present the duck à l'orange for two, complete with a flaming orange peel; the duck, when it returns, carved, is intensified by a side of blood sausage under a puddle of rhubarb poached in Grand Marnier. Mimi is an enormously sexy, deeply Parisian-feeling place, a spot where three or four bottles of wine seem to effortlessly disappear. Between midnight and 2 A.M. Thursday through Saturday, the kitchen serves only spicy-merguez-and-French-fry sandwiches, on baguettes—a classic late-night Parisian tool for alcohol absorption. I'm honor-bound to report it also makes an excellent dessert.

Danny Meyer’s Untitled at the Whitney Museum in N.Y.C.

I saw that spirit at Boeufhaus, in Chicago, which neatly takes all the clichés and satisfactions of a traditional Big Shoulders steak house and applies them to an intimate, almost feminine bistro setting. (And makes an astonishing Reuben at lunchtime.) I saw it at Mud Hen Water in Honolulu, where Ed Kenney's dishes meld Hawaiian and European influences cleverly but without a hint of cloying cuteness: a cold rabbit terrine flavored with ginger, pistachio, and puffed rice; beet salad with ogo seaweed; “carbonara” made with what Hawaiians call “smoke meat.” I saw it at Wildair, the companion to the tasting-menu venue Contra, on New York's Lower East Side, a place whose size and wine-bar appearance belie its surprising ambition. Witness a pancake of beef tartare tangled with Cheddar cheese and chestnuts, and a “potato Darphin” with uni and jalapeño, a latke in the grips of a hallucination.

And, oddly, I saw it at Nishi, the bizarro Italo-Korean experiment on the west side of Manhattan that David Chang describes as his “penance” for the chicken sandwiches of Fuku. I know: Almost by definition, nothing Chang does anymore can be considered small or personal. And indeed, you walk in those doors and you're unmistakably in Changland—squatting like a hobo on the same backless chairs, squinting at the same sans serif menus. Even in a world of infinite Momofuku imitations, there's no mistaking the authentic article. What's different are the dishes coming from the kitchen, which look for all the world like Italian food. In fact, Nishi is a mind-fuck of a restaurant, an exercise in trompe l'oeil dining, practically an art project on the subject of cultural preconceptions. It forces you to think about how you feel differently about eating (and paying $25 for) what's called Spicy Beef Sichuan when it looks like pappardelle in a traditional ragù and is served with a fork instead of chopsticks. Some of the illusions, like the much-talked-about ceci e pepe that uses fermented chickpea to simulate traditional Romano cacio, are too identical for you to see the point of all the trouble. But others—like bright red beef crudo with radish and dashi, or spicy chitarra noodles with XO sauce, fermented chile, and fresh and preserved squid—truly leave you in a state of disoriented pleasure.

At all of these places, you feel the joy of chefs set free to dive deep into what inspires and moves them—and you feel their ensuing generosity. If the past decade in dining can be described as the rebellion of the line cooks, this is what happens when they drop their pitchforks and start to learn to govern.

That's not to say there isn't a place in the dining firmament for the big production number. There is something lurid and Vegas-like about the two women making pasta on an elevated stage behind the bar at Monteverde, the Italian restaurant in Chicago's West Loop run by Sarah Grueneberg, late of legendary Spiaggia and a Top Chef alum. They are like an Italian-grandma version of the Weeki Wachee Mermaids, hands hypnotically ablur in the overhead mirror. The bartender told me that one regular always requests a seat with a view of the “pasta TV.” I loved the food, though, even after weeks of eating pasta: mortadella tortellini in a broth, its sheen of poultry grease cut by a tableside shot of added Lambrusco; the house take on cacio e pepe that uses ricotta whey; and most of all, the skate-wing schnitzel, served over boiled potatoes and topped with radicchio and citrus. (Disclosure: I am a sucker for nearly anything that's been well-schnitzeled.)

There are times when I worry for whatever small town—in America or in China—that has tied its economy to the manufacture of those small, pen-sized tools that waiters use to scrape crumbs off tablecloths between courses. I imagine if you plotted sales figures for such “crumbers,” you'd see a fair representation of the decline of traditional fine dining in America. There are no tablecloths at Untitled, at the new Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, but servers do have dedicated gingham napkins, folded like memorial flags, that they dampen to wipe away your detritus. It's a small detail, but one of the many pleasing signs that you've landed in that increasingly rare thing: an adult restaurant. Like the museum it's attached to, and the High Line overhead, the restaurant—run by Danny Meyer—is airy and sunny, filled with a happy mélange of tourists, art types, and locals. Chef Michael Anthony published a vegetable cookbook last year, and his menu is light and precise, with enough moments of robust flavor to remind you of his food at Gramercy Tavern: bursts of bacon in the sunchokes, earthy maitake mushrooms in the freekeh, and a small crock of braised lamb cassoulet waiting at the end, as a kind of reward.

Pastured Lamb at The Perennial in San Francisco.

Above the communal table at Cassia, in Santa Monica, in front of yet another roaring, open wood-burning grill, there is a chandelier in which Edison bulbs are trapped inside metal birdcages. I spent some time searching for the metaphor contained in those lights: Was it the glow of hipsterism, struggling to be free? In the end, I decided it was just part of the whack-a-doodle nature of a place that illustrates just how much the old dining categories and preconceptions have been thrown out the window. Billing itself as a Southeast Asian brasserie, Cassia serves chilled-seafood towers brimming with items like oysters, snow-crab claws, raw scallops paired with peas and ham, and giant “sunbathing” prawns marinated in chile, garlic, and Vietnamese hot sauce. Then there are platters of Asian-inflected charcuterie; thick, crustless kaya toast, smeared with coconut jam and accompanied by a soft-boiled egg; a crab-and-oyster pan roast made with coconut milk and served with oyster crackers; a Vietnamese pot-au-feu.

And so, in the blink of an eye you've gone from Balthazar, to the streets of Saigon, to a coffee shop in Kuala Lumpur, to the Grand Central Oyster Bar, and so on. There's a freewheeling zaniness to the inspiration here that speaks to me of the best parts of the food movement: the way every flavor, every trope, every style of service is fair game, as long as it's done with care and respect and something like love. I imagine some might call it rampant appropriation. I call it another reason to be happy to be alive and eating in 2016.

By Mark Anthony Green

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