In May 2020, during the first COVID lockdown, Philipp Walus and Guido Witt-Dörring came up with a bold idea: escape the lockdown and go sailing in Croatia. The only problem was that we were in the middle of a lockdown. Surprisingly, this didn’t seem to stop us.
Two days before the trip, Guido called his mum for her birthday. During the call, Laja overheard the sailing plans, immediately packed her suitcase, left Tyrol, and decided to join the adventure.
We made various plans on how to cross the borders. In the end, all the “humanitarian” explanations failed, and we simply decided to give it a try.
At the Croatian border, we told the officers we were heading out for a sailing trip. We were wished a polite “have fun” and crossed without any issues. While driving, we called a charter company to rent a boat. They were waiting for us at the pier with a bottle of wine—we were their first clients in months. Shortly after, a journalist called to ask for an interview for a German sailing magazine.
The trip itself was unforgettable. Six people in a completely empty Croatia. We discovered stunning places that were usually crowded with boats and tourists, now entirely deserted. It was during this trip that Guido and Laja decided they needed to get their sailing licenses—an idea that led to many future adventures. At that moment, we couldn’t possibly have imagined what was still to come.