5 Useful Items to Pack for your next Sailing Holiday

If you have your next bareboat yacht charter or flotilla holiday booked, your thoughts may now be turning to what to pack! Whether you are heading to the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean or jetting off to sail in the warm breezes of the Caribbean, we have a few suggestions for you for useful items to pack for your next sailing holiday.

No one wants to take excess luggage on their holidays if they can help it, especially on a sailing holiday when storage space is limited and here at Nautilus we are often asked about which things to take and which things to leave behind. 

In this post we set out five items that are (truly!) useful for your next sailing holiday and which take up very little space in your luggage. We hope these suggestions come in handy and help you with your sailing holiday preparations!

Polarised Sunglasses

Not only are these better for your eyes they actually help your sailing. Polarised lenses will better highlight differences in water colour, meaning you can see dangerous shallows or identify sandy patches for good holding easier. You can pick up details with more contrast, like ripples on the waves to identify wind gusts on the water. They also make the colours look more vibrant so the sea is bluer and the hills are greener.

Most big brands make polarised versions of popular designs but you often end up paying more for the name. Polaroid Eyewear make good quality and affordable polarised glasses in a range of contemporary styles and colours for the whole family.

Sunglasses Strings & Hat Clips

On a yacht, if it is not attached to your person then you are at risk of losing it! A quick look down to secure a line and there go your sunglasses sliding off your brow into the deep blue. A glance up at the windex to check the wind direction and whoosh, there goes your hat...'man overboard!'.

This is where sunglasses strings and hat clips come in! Without these we would have lost many hats and pairs of sunglasses over the years. These are a staple in the Nautilus team's luggage and something that we recommend to all of our clients.

You can find all sorts of designs now for sunglasses strings but we are partial to the stretchy ones. Hat clips just need to be sturdy, but if they have metal clips make sure to rinse them so that the salt doesn't make them rusty.

Phone Lanyard

Similar to your other accessories, if your phone isn't attached then it is at risk of taking a swim! Getting in and out of the dinghy is usually the number one offender for phones sliding out of pockets but there are many scenarios that could prove perilous for your precious phone.

Keeping your phone in a waterproof phone case is advisable, but even just a long lanyard around your neck or attached to a belt loop will be enough to stop it heading overboard.

Quick Drying Towel

All of our yachts come with at least one set of towels per person, but beach towels are not always included as standard. A quick-drying travel towel packs down much smaller than a normal beach towel and is very convenient to take to the beach or marina showers.

Lifeventure and Sea-to-Summit make high-quality micro-fibre and soft-fibre travel towels and there are also a popular range of endless fun designs available from Dock & Bay and Slowtide.

Food Clips & Reusable Food Bags

There is a fair amount of self-catering that happens on yachting holidays and with limited provisioning opportunities, tight storage spaces and high temperatures it can be difficult to keep food fresh. Our Sales Manager always takes a small selection of her own food clips and quality reusable food bags. Some yachts will come equipped with tupperware but you never know how well-stocked the kitchen will be until you arrive.

"Food clips and bags don't take up any space or weight in your luggage and I have always used them while on charter, which is more than can be said for half the dresses I pack!"