Intro to Sail Week Croatia
We waited eagerly by the harbor in Split, Croatia for the start of Sail Week Croatia 2019. While waiting, we crossed paths with last week’s travelers as they exited their boats. Before even saying hello, we shouted: “How was it?”. They looked at us worn out and exhausted. It looked like they had just come back from an all-out boxing match. A girl with a cast looked at us, looked at the cast, and said: “best and worst week of your life.” That is how our Sail Week Croatia 2019 began.
What is Sail Week?
What is Sail Week you might ask? You might have heard of the more famous company, Yacht Week; Sail Week is almost a carbon copy of Yacht week, offering a similar experience run by a different company. If neither of these sounds familiar to you, here is a quick overview. Consider Sail Week as one of the most epic party trips you can have. The concept is simple yet genius. Yachts hosting people from around the world set sail along Croatia’s beautiful coastal sea. Together, they dock on an island where travelers disembark and participate in adventure activities, fine dining, and LOTS and LOTS of partying. This process repeats itself for seven days with each day’s parties getting crazier and crazier, and ultimately ending with a float party in the middle of the sea! Sound amazing? Sound crazy? Sound tiring? All of the above are true. Here is what the week looked like for our boat!
Day 1
Day 1 was really a half-day. We got onto our boat around 5:00 p.m and got a chance to meet our skipper Marco and are hostess Nela. Our boat was beautiful, but you could tell right away it wasn’t going to be easy living on it for a week. The rooms were small and bathrooms even smaller.
Our trip started with a quick safety briefing. The most important rule that was emphasized to us was to keep showers very brief due to limited water in the tank and to try and wait till docking for bathroom usage due to the hand pump flushes. Not the most pleasant news to start our trip, but no one cared (for now). We were on a yacht, in one of the most scenic coasts in the world, ready to party and ready to set sail with all the other boats.
After all the boring stuff was taken care of, it was time to set sail. Sail Week 2019 had begun and no better way to start it off than by blasting some music and popping some champagne! Day one’s itinerary was simple given the late start; We were headed to the nearby island of Supetar where we would grab dinner, pregame, and then head to a welcome party. Nothing crazy, nothing wild, but again sheer adrenaline made us exert more energy than we probably should have. Champagne, beers with dinner, shots after dinner we all wanted to party hard. Looking back, this was the day we should have taken it easy as the madness was yet to start.
Day 2
Our first real day had begun, and for me, this was the true start of Sail Week. Now normally after a night out, most people sleep in; This is not an option on Sail Week. Why? Well, for starters you almost feel guilty not being awake as the boat sets sail. The scenery is so beautiful in Croatia, and honestly, half the fun comes on the boat itself. If guilt doesn’t wake you up, the loud music from your boat or another boat might. There are some high energy people on this trip, so don’t expect peace and quiet. If neither of those wakes you up, then the infamous no bathroom while sailing rule just might. You will DEFINITELY want to wake up and use a restaurant’s bathroom before you set sail.
So, after an early wake-up and less than 6 hours of sleep (6 will soon be a luxury). Day 2 began. Our hostess made us a delicious breakfast spread as we drank early morning beers. The island for today was Makarska, an island known for its scenic mountain backdrop, adventure activities, and world-famous cave club. As we set sail, we popped, of course, another champagne bottle. For a while, the whole boat just took it easy as we all sat, talked, and enjoyed the incredible sea views. After about 1.5 hours of sailing, however, all the boats docked for a swimming break (/party). Everyone started jumping in one by one and busting out their floats. Music was playing from all over as people attempted stupidly drunk backflips. It was a unique experience just swimming in the sea like that.
After about 2 hours, the swim stop ended, and we were back sailing until we finally reached the stunning Makarska by early afternoon. This island offered a lot of adventurous activities, and so that is how we spent the day. We started with cliff jumping, which was exhilarating, and then went on to parasailing. Flying 500 meters into the air and seeing the gorgeous island scenery was a feeling I will never forget.
Here is a quick video of the swim break and cliff jumping!
And the Parasailing here
After some dinner, there was time to walk around before pregaming for the famous cave club. Other yacht party companies were also on the island today, so the club was packed. The cave club was on the beach, and it was hands down one of the coolest clubs I’ve ever partied in. The night went on till late with people crashing at different times. A few of use (including myself) ended up calling it a night at 5:30 a.m.
Day 3
Fast forward three hours, and day 3 had begun. That is right, three hours of sleep. Most of us were surprisingly still energetic though you could see the energy level down just a notch this morning. Our skipper informed us that today there would be two parties on the famous island of Bol. The swimming break we took today, helped us re-energize, but before long, we were back at it.
The day party started off very chill. It was an outdoor beach lounge with some beach vibes and music. Chill was perfect, and what we needed. That is until… the Saxophone man came on. This man was incredible and got the entire venue up on their feet. He mixed in amazing beats with some famous club dance songs, and everyone was euphoric. In a matter of 30 minutes, the whole bar/club was taking shots and dancing like crazy. It was so much fun and a dance party unique to any other. The day party practically carried into the night as no one wanted to leave the venue. We ended up having dinner so late that we skipped the night party altogether. I used all my day’s energy for that party, and I’m glad I did. It may have been the most fun I’ve had at any party. Take a look for yourself:
Day 4
Day 4 was the day you could see people begin to wear out. Two-minute showers, hot weather, lots of adventure, and nonstop partying had most people needing a break. We arrived at the island of Vis early in the morning having a full days itinerary ahead of us. Vis was an ex-military island that had a different feel compared to the other islands we had been on so far. It was more low-key and calm. Unfortunately (or fortunately) tonight’s club, which was in an old military fortress, was closed for some reason. I could only imagine how unique this party would have been, but in some sense, it allowed all of us the opportunity to recharge.
Our group tried to rent scooters to drive around the city but almost crashed them during the driving test, and were not allowed to use them. Instead, we decided to make our way to one of Europe’s most beautiful beaches, Stiniva. The beach was stunning. Small but beautiful. It felt like a place where they would shoot a movie scene. The only downside to the beach was that it required a 45-minute hike down a steep mountain to get too. Not ideal for a “rest day” but so worth it!
The views from the hike back up up during sunset were even nicer.
After returning, I did some exploring through the old streets on the island. I loved how authentic Vis felt. It was a quieter and low key evening but a much-needed one. Of course, no day in Sail Week can go without partying, even the chill ones, and so at the end of the night, we decided to hit up a local bar and spend the rest of the night grabbing a drink with locals.
Day 5
Let’s go! We had hit the home stretch here, and we were off to Croatia’s most expensive, bougie, and party-centric island, Hvar. Everyone was ecstatic because this pier actually had free showers available for us to use! For the first time in five days, we could take a real shower (longer than 2 minutes). I never appreciated a shower as much as I did that one.
The energy level across all the boats had ramped up to its highest level this morning. We ended up having an impromptu afternoon party on our boat as people from other boats piled in. After lots of fun socializing and a nice buzz, it was time to check out the island and the two parties that were in store for today. The first was Hula Hula beach club. This place was buzzing from the minute we arrived. It was so lively! Situated right by the water, you had the option to lounge, party, or even swim to some awesome beats. It was an incredible vibe and a great way to party while seeing Croatia’s gorgeous sunsets.
The island of Hvar was absolutely stunning as well. It was very luxurious but also really scenic. Every restaurant and bar seemed to be full of energy, and I was excited to sit down for a meal and enjoy the lively vibes.
After enjoying a nice dinner at one of the island’s more popular restaurants, you guessed it, went to another party. Sticking with the theme of Sail Week, it was yet another unique party setting. This party was at a place called Kiva Bar. The bar situated inside a small classic cobblestone European street, but the bar itself was so small that the party flooded on the streets! It was essentially a much cooler European version of a block party.
The night didn’t stop here either. Hvar has tons of clubs and bars, and after Kiva Bar died down, we bar hopped for the next few hours. No covers, no dress codes, just an island full of music, energy, and insanity.
Day 6
This was it the last real day of Sail Week and the day everyone was waiting for for-the raft party!! All of Sail Week’s yachts came together in a circle, and a separate boat for a DJ joined us. The music was cranked up, and a brave soul jumped into the sea ring that had been created. Within minutes everyone else started jumping in and hopping onto their floats; An all-out sea party had begun. For the next 3-4 hours, everyone went back and forth between their boat and the giant water party that had formed. Backflips, champagne chugging, football throwing, you name it, it was happening. And the coolest part of it all was that it was in the middle of the Adriatic sea.
The party was so much fun that it seemed to have ended all to quickly. We were still near the island of Hvar so the evening was spent there followed by one last bar hop on this fabulous island.
Day 7
Day 7, our last day to swim, jump off our yacht and take in the beautiful scenery of Croatia. Most of us on our boat just laid and enjoyed a bit of peace before it was all over. By early afternoon we had arrived back in Split Croatia. The boat was still ours to enjoy for one more night, but almost everyone spent the day roaming around split (and recovering!). The last day ended with a final bar crawl that we decided to pass on. Instead, we had a final group dinner with our skipper. It was an incredible week despite the struggles of living on a boat and getting little sleep. With the conclusion of dinner, our Sail Week Croatia was officially over.
Sail Week Reaction
There were two things I loved about Sail Week. The first was the sheer amount of unique parties we had. It is one thing to party a lot but another to do it in many different ways. From pregames on a yacht to cobblestone block parties to clubbing in a cave to dancing to a saxophone to a sea bar to, of course, a raft party; Sail Week provided endless unique party experiences (even with our bad luck in regards to the military base club being closed).
The second thing that made this experience amazing was the coast of Croatia. It is beautiful, and the times we were not partying it was just awesome to enjoy some of the best coastal scenery in Europe.
Overall, if you love partying, this is the ultimate trip for you. Meet lots of new people, take in amazing views, and party late into the night with some of the most unique parties you will ever find, and oh not to mention you are on a yacht! Sail Week Croatia was everything I expected and more.
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