Now we were twelve friends holding sailing licenses in our hands. Of course, having a sailing license doesn’t automatically make you a professional skipper—but we were enough people to support and learn from one another. Three of us jumped into cold water and skippered a boat for the very first time.
During this trip we sailed day and night. When we think back on this trip, we remember arriving in ports after midnight and leaving again at five in the morning. Most of the time, we didn’t even see ports or bays at all—we were simply sailing. The one night we actually stayed in a port, we managed to have the police show up due to a noise complaint. We were partying a bit too loudly—to our excuse it was the birthday of a friend.
This trip was pure joy. By the end of the week, we arrived more exhausted than ever before, having sailed over 300 nautical miles while managing three boats—something we were doing for the very first time.
And all of this was still happening during COVID times. We thought parking our three boats in the old harbor of Dubrovnik would be fine. It was—and it wasn’t. It turned into an experience no sailor will likely ever have again: docking three sailing yachts in Dubrovnik’s old harbor and playing hide-and-seek through the completely empty old town. Wandering those streets without another soul around, feeling utterly alone in one of the most famous cities in the world—memories that will remain truly unique forever.