Sailor Duffle Bag

Fabric Duffle Bag

The biggest joke:  a suitcase!  Take a suitcase along, and you make yourself the laughing stock of the sailing world.  A suitcase is considered a sore thumb amongst sailors. Only landlubbers would even consider going off to sea with this kind of container. There are very good reasons why you don't ever go on a sailing holiday with a suitcase. First of all, you can't put it anywhere.  Cupboard space on a ship, although ample, is small.  You can fold up a duffle bag, once you've unpacked it, and stick it somewhere - you can't do this with a suitcase.  The other important reason, is that sailboats rock 'n' roll out on the high seas, and a hardshell suitcase can easily turn into a projectile, and injure someone when it goes flying through the cabin.

Shoes

1 Pair of Deck Shoes
Please bring "deck shoes".  They don't have to be expensive, exclusive, regatta yachting captain shoes, but they do have to have light-coloured soles and preferrably non-skid soles, and they have to comfortable. Dark-coloured soles tend to leave nasty skid marks that won't go away, so please don't bring this kind of shoe with you.  
Why do you need "Boat Shoes"?  These are the only pair of shoes that you only where on board, so that you don't track tiny grit or peebles onto the deck and scratch the gelcoat surface of the boat. 

1 Pair of Street Shoes
Generally, whatever kind of shoes you had on when you came are alright.  Preferably, they should be walking shoes.

1 Pair of Beach Sandals (Shower Shoes)
These are not only vital for preventing you from catching athelete's foot from public showers; they also come in handy for walking on wooden docks and over beaches, until you can put on your street shoes without getting peebles in your socks, or if you have the camping sandal version, with heel strap, for walking underwater and not accidently stepping on sea urchines.

Warm Clothing

Sometimes you even need warm clothing in warm places like the Med.  It could get chilly on breezy evenings, so having something long-sleeved on board is always a good idea.  A sweatshirt or a lightweight jacket is just fine in such a case. And a pair of trousers, usually the pair you had on, when you arrived, is just fine.  Many bring a pair of jeans and a special pair of deck trousers, that stretches, and doesn't have rivets on the seat that could scratch the deck.  A waterproof windbreaker jacket should complete this group of clothing, just in case it does rain a bit.  What you don't need to bring is rubber boots and foul weather gear.

Underclothing

Certainly there isn't anyone who goes on holiday with only a single set of underclothing.  Take along as much as you think you'll need, but not less than one change per day.  We recommend 100% cotton for this region, to prevent yeast infections.

Swimwear

Please bring at least two changes of swimwear. A sailboat is a draughty place, and despite the warm temperatures, you could catch cold if you sit around in wet swimwear. 

Snorkling Gear

Whether you want to bring along a complete set of snorkling gear is up to you. Usually that depends on how much room you have in your bag, and how much weight you are allowed to take with you. If you want, you can just buy a cheap set locally, or just take along the snorkle and the mask, and leave the fins at home. If you want to take underwater pictures, you should bring a diving case for your camera, if it isn't waterproof.

Bed lines are already on board

Bed Linens

On our charter trips in the Med, bed lines (top & bottom sheet, blanket, pillow, pillowcase) are included.  This means that you don't have to bring along a sleeping bag or your own linens.

Towels

Take along two dark-coloured towels (so you don't see smudges), a wash clothe and a dish drying towel, because the charter ship will have no towels on board.

Sun and Insect Protection

Nature can be merciless.  That's why it's very important to take along a quality sun protection lotion and a good brand of insect repellant.  Even if you are dark-skinned or tan easily, we suggest that you take along sun lotions with a high filtering factor or sun blockers.  We can expect up to 14 hours of water-reflected sun exposure per day.  
An effective insect repellent is important to have evenings.  Although insects are not quite as common in the summer months as they are in the spring on the Med, one mosquito is enough to keep you awake at night.  

Technical Toys

Take along whatever makes you happy.  Just keep the amount of space in your bag, the weight you're allowed to take with, and the relative value of your devices in mind.  If your devices were particularly expensive, maybe you should consider a luggage insurance policy. We suggest that you bring along the "media" with you, whether it be film, cassettes, storage chips or CDs.  This is because it hard to find blank media, that's widely available, inexpensive, and that's been properly stored.  This is especially true for colour film. We also recommend that you bring along an extra set of rechargeable batteries, since it may be a couple days before we are connected to land power, where you will be able to recharge your cell phone, camera or computer. The power supply sockets are continental European sockets with 220V and 50 Hz.

Glasses

If you wear glasses or contact linses, you should make sure to bring an extra set along with you.  Glasses have the annoying habit of falling overboard at the wrong time - usually at 300+ m of depth. We also suggest that you purchase a safety strap, available in most sporting goods shops, to prevent this from happening.  A good pair of sunglases with at least a 400 UV filter factor are also recommended.  If you wear contact linses, please bring you care chemicals with you, since you probably will have a difficult time find such supplies in most harbour villages.

Medicine 

A ship's first aid box, with things like bandaides, aspirin, and ointment is always on board. However, if you require special medicine, such as a prescription, you should bring this along, because it may be difficult getting it elsewhere. If you have a particular medical condition, that requires regular medication, such as diabetes, asthma or an allergy, please inform the skipper about the medication you have to take, where it is, and what to do if require first aid.  

Life Jackets / Life Belts

These are always available on board, and have been safety certified.  But if you would like to bring your own, you are welcome to do so.  Please remember to disassemble the gas cartridge.  If you bring this on an aeroplane, you will have to register this with the airline.