Good manners often are thrown over board on a yacht charter holiday. Following our 8 tipps for etiquette, you ensure that your charter runs as smoothly as possible.
Good manners often are thrown over board on a yacht charter holiday. Following our 8 tipps for etiquette, you ensure that your charter runs as smoothly as possible.
1) Put your t-shirt on Be it G-String, topless or naked – you may dress however you want while sailing. But things change when you approach a harbour or an anchorage:
Make sure your nudity is covered by at least a t-shirt and swimming trunks. The harbour master and sailors around will appreciate. And, let´s face it: Only few lucky people have the shape of a supermodels… T-shirts, by the way, have another important benefit: They protect your back and belly from sunburn.
2) Bear in mind that your music may disturb others Holidays are for relaxing – that´s a fact. But consider that relaxing may have a different meaning to your neighbours than to you. Maybe they prefer silence over your recent iPod playlist.
Loud music can virtually hurt – especially when you are moored at a silent anchorage. Not only other sailors, also native animals may be harmed by beats at high volume.
On the other hand, yachties who seek silence should refrain from visiting places that are known as summer party hot-spots, like the island of Pag in Croatia. It is easier to agree to a noise compromise in anchorages and marinas that are rather known as family friendly.
3) Don´t throw any rubbish over board Following several reliable sources like reset.org, 675 tons of rubbish per hour are dumped into the sea. Seagulls and seals die because their stomachs are filled with plastic parts. Regarding these shocking facts,
you better make sure that all your waste is recycled properly. That may mean you have to transport your trash for several days before reaching the next marina where you can dump it. Smell can be prevented by washing items with sea water before putting them into the bin.
Another important advice: Don´t throw organic waste over board, though it decomposes rather quickly. Imagine swimming in a bay that is littered by potatoes, pasta and other leftover food – disgusting, isn´t it?
Especially for smokers: One cigarette butt on 1 litre of water is enough to kill a fish, aside from the fact that each butt needs 400 years to decompose.
4) Learn the most important phrases of the country you are travelling Though English is a universal language, you can´t always expect harbour masters and staff in restaurants or supermarkets to understand you.
Learning phrases like thank you”, “please”, “hello” and “good bye” should be part of your preparation for a yacht charter trip. Using them creates a friendly and cooperative atmosphere between you and locals.
Felix Wolf f.wolf@yachtbooker.comFelix Wolf is co-founder and owner of YachtBooker. He is a charter skipper himself and enjoys discovering new sailing areas.