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THE TRUTH ABOUT YACHT WEEK | 6 Things To Know Before You Go

Last summer, my friend and I spent a week exploring Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro then met up with Kiersten ‘The Blonde Abroad’ and the rest of our all-girls crew for a week of sailing in Greece with The Yacht Week . As a whole, I loved the experience, but there were several things I wish I would have know prior to booking the trip that would have allowed me to enjoy it to the fullest. So here are 6 things you should know before you go on Yacht Week.

1) The Yacht Week will be more expensive than you think!

I budgeted around $75 a day for food and drinks for our seven day trip and quickly realized that that was not going to be enough. Upon arriving, we were told we needed to go shopping for costumes for the sailing competition and parties. Next, we had to put money in for the “Kitty Fund,” which is food and drinks for the boat for the week. We also had to pitch in money to tip our skipper and pay for gas for the boat. At the parties you usually get 1 or 2 free drinks with your wristband, but after, that you pay for your drinks. So it can get expensive, especially if you want to splurge on bottle service. It’s nice to have a heads up on all this so you can budget accordingly. Bottom line: if you plan to drink and eat out and don’t want to worry about running out of money, you should plan to spend around $130 USD/day. Here’s a quick budget breakdown…

$150 Kitty $50 Costumes $525 ($75/Day Restaurants + Drinks x 7 Days) $100 Gas/Tip for Skipper $100 Bottle Service _______ $925 TOTAL

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2) The Yacht Week is more about partying and less about sailing

Yes, you will sail from island to island (my favorite part of the trip!), but the main focus of Yacht Week is the parties they throw. There is a big welcome party the night you arrive, and for the rest of the trip, there are day parties and night parties every single day. I didn’t fully understand this coming into the trip so I wasn’t in the right frame of mind, but once I realized the basic agenda was sailing from party to party, I was able to just go with the flow and also plan some other stuff I wanted to do, without feeling like I was going to miss out.

With that said, I highly recommend skipping one or two of the day parties and exploring instead. On the Greece Route , forget the day party at Love Bay Beach (it’s a dirt beach and not that pretty) and check out Poros! There is a lot to see and you only get one night there, so skip the day party and wander around this cute little town. Also, Hydra Island ( my favorite stop on the Greece Route ) is another must see! Definitely ditch the day party and spend your time exploring this magical place. There are so many gorgeous spots to take photos on both islands.

3) Unless you splurge on a bigger, nicer sailboat, you will not be able to use the toilet onboard for #2!

You can go pee on all the sailboats, but you can’t flush toilet paper down the toilets, and on many of them, you cannot go #2. I am sorry. I know this is a disgusting topic, but it is even more disgusting and horrifying to find yourself on a boat, sailing for hours or docked somewhere overnight, and realize there is nowhere that you can go to the bathroom. My friend Misha and I stayed at several hotels along the way because neither of us wanted to handle not having proper use of a toilet for days on end, but many girls were not as lucky, and there are some very embarrassing stories that I will not repeat here. Had we known about the bathroom situation prior, we would have splurged on a bigger sailboat that could accommodate people using the toilet. So make sure you look into this before you book your boat!

4) Your boat will get dirty real quick!

We had an all-girls crew and our cabin still got crazy dirty every day. Make a pact to all help clean. If everyone pitches in, it takes just a few minutes a day to keep your boat clean. Stay on top of dishes. Do them right after you are done eating, and try to keep all your personal stuff in your own cabin. The last thing you want is to spend a week in a tiny cramped, filthy space. This is the real Yacht Week v. your Instagram Yacht Week…

5) There is no air conditioning on the smaller sailboats

This is really not a big deal but when it’s very hot, it is hard to sleep in the cabins. I recommend bringing a yoga mat or buying one the first night you are there, so you can lay it out and sleep on the deck of the boat at night. And if you do choose to sleep on the deck, make sure someone sleeps next to you. A lot of people will be walking to and from the boats at all hours of the night, so it is safer to use the buddy system, especially for girls.

6) You will have the time of your life!

Just go!   If you can’t find a friend to go with you, just go on your own. Every single girl on our boat was amazing and our skipper,  Gregor , was one of the kindest and most responsible guys I have ever met! I had the time of my life and I can’t wait to go on another Yacht Week trip, especially now that I know what to expect. It is nothing like the real world and it will be an amazing experience!

Do you have you been on Yacht Week? Please share your stories, tips, and questions in the comments below! 

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Vanessa Rivers

Hi! I’m Vanessa Rivers, a California surfer girl living in Malibu after seven years in London. I started Glitter&Mud to share my adventures around the world to help my readers make the most of their travels. I am a Founder of the popular travel community We Are Travel Girls and a proud mom to a little travel girl named Sadie. I hope my stories inspire you to travel more, see the beauty in the world around you, laugh more, love more and believe that anything is possible! EXPLORE. DREAM. DISCOVER. BELIEVE. LOVE.

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46 comments.

Great article Vanessa! I have been on Yacht Week a couple of times now, its super fun, but its definitely good for newbies to Yacht Week to hear how to prepare to make sure they really enjoy it! Completely agree on splurging on a bigger better boat, we went for a much larger yacht for BVI than we had in Croatia and it made such a difference! (Having a stand up cubicle shower next to my cabin was a treat!!) Thanks for sharing your tips! You girls and the bikinis are really cute too!! xoxo

Done yacht week three times – great experience. But as you said its about party. Now moved on to Sailing Nations which focuses more on sailing and has super interesting sailing destinations.

Hi Bob! Thanks for sharing! I will have to check out Sailing Nations. Sounds very cool! I love being out on the water. Sailing makes you feel so free!

I’ll be leaving in a few weeks. Wondering what the currency will be like and how much to exchange. Did you use Euros? Or Kuna?

Hi Liz! Greece is on the EURO. Are you coming from the US? Right now 1 USD = .90 EURO – Enjoy your trip! X

Croatia is on the Kuna.

Great article ! really helpful for rookie yacht weeks . I will leave in a few weeks for the Italy route. Do the budget shown here applies for italy as well?

Hi Gil! I haven’t bee on the Italy route yet but the activities and cost will probably be similar. Have fun!!!

What currency is your estimated cost list in? Thanks so much!

Hi Eloise! It is in USD! X

Hello Vanessa. I’ve got a group of 4-6 guys who want to go to Croatia next June and definitely want a higher end boat. I assume we should be able to set this up as their must be others who are willing to spend more to get more. A couple of questions; are all boats single sex boats? Would it be wise to get a few hotels at some of the ports/stops? How about paying for a single cabin? Basically I’m trying to gather as much information as possible before booking starts in a couple of weeks. Thank you, Chip

Hi Chip! If you just want the boat to be your 6 friends I am sure you can find a high-end boat that will work for you (you’ll just need to pay more for a nicer boat) but generally Yacht Week wants there to be at least 50% girls on the boat. So there are all girl boats and mixed male/female boats but rarely all male boats. However I am sure it is possible to have an all male boat. I would contact Yacht Week directly to ask about this: [email protected] | As far as hotels, if you get a nice boat with proper bathrooms you won’t need to rent hotel rooms. I would recommend putting the money you would spend on hotels rooms towards getting a nicer boat with nice, proper bathrooms. Have a blast on your trip! X

Hi Vanessa, excellent piece of work! I wanted to ask you few things because i’m planning to go with some friends of mine from Argentina. If you can answer, that will be appreciated. 1. I read that a Hostess is really helpfull. But, the captain that is not included, is 100% neccesary? 2. How much is the bottle service approximately? 3. How much did you spend, between food, drinks, extras and yatch during the entire week? 4. It’s recommended to make a reservation just for me and my friend, and then the company join us with another group for the 50% rate of men?

Hi Juan! Thanks for your questions! 1) You don’t need a hostess but I am sure it would be nice to have one. You absolutely need a captain or a skipper to sail the boat. 2) Bottle service prices vary depending on where you go. We did the Greece route and I think our bottle service was about 150 EURO for 1 bottle but again this varies. 3) In my post you will see the price breakdown. It was approx $925 USD for the week for my trip. 4) Yes, I would book spots for you and your friend and the rest of the boat will be filled with a mix of males and females for a 50% female/male ratio.

Your review was so helpful! We just booked a yacht for Greece!! Cannot wait!

Hi Sharita! I’m glad my post was helpful! Have a blast in Greece!!! X

Hi Vanessa. Thanks for your blog post # 1 was most important for me as I definitely wanted to know how much additional cost I would be spending. I typically budget $100 per day for trips. Great blog post in general. I will be sharing this with my crew.

Thank you Orane! Glad you found the post useful! And thanks so much for sharing it. If you or your friends have any questions about The Yacht Week you are welcome to post them in the comments section here and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. X

Hi! When I think of yacht week, I want those typical parties where the boats link together in the ocean and create a mini village to mingle for the day. I’ve only heard of this on Croatia routes. Does this happen for Greece at all?

Also what’s the age range like?

Hi Arly! This does happen on the Greece route, and I think all of the routes! The age range is typically a majority of people in their early to late twenties, with some people a little younger and some people in their early to mid thirties. Most people you will be in there twenties. I think I was twenty-nine when I went, which is on the older side! Have a blast!

Hi Vanessa! Great article. My best friend and I plan on doing Croatia this summer! The $130/day you estimated, does that include the port fees and electric fees at each port? Thanks!

Hi Lindsey – thanks for reaching out. I don’t remember specific cost for port fees or any electric fees but I know our Kitty Fund that everyone pitched money into at the start of the trip cover all the boat related costs on the trip, so yes, all your boat fees are included in the $130/day! X

Hey Lindsey, are you and your friend booking your own yatch? We’re looking for two girls to join our crew for week 25.

Question: the catamarans seem a lot more stable (and thus probably a better place to gather people for the party) whereas the Beneteau Oceanis 60 is just a sexy beast. We want to make sure we can have people over at our boat to party (and that it is stable enough for it). Which one do you think is the way to go (from your observations)?

Hi Kay – I am not a boat expert but I think any sailboat would be fine to have people on to “party” as long as you don’t go over the max weight limit for the boat. The skipper will let you know how many extra people you can have. X

Have you reviewed or compared the two routes? I can’t decide between Croatia and Greece. I have visited both and loved them both for different reasons. But, I am so torn between the two routes.

Hi Jami! I have been to both Croatia and Greece but I have only done Yacht Week Greece. I can personally say YW Greece was amazing but don’t have any experience with the Croatia route. However I am sure it is amazing too! My friend Kirsten – The Blonde Abroad – has done both and she gives a good review here: http://theblondeabroad.com/2014/11/03/best-route-yacht-week/

Hope this is helpful!

Hello Hello, may I ask what marina did you leave from and did you happen to see any yacht week prop stores near the marina are on your route? Someplace to buy floaties, temporary tattoos, UV body paint, and the like. We’re trying to maximize our carry on space by strategizing what we can buy in Athens.

Hi Lynette! I took this trip a few years ago so sorry I do not remember the name of the marina but I remember stores for everything we wanted to buy were within walking distance of our boat including a place to buy floaties, body paint and costumes etc! So unless there is something specific you want you can just go buy stuff with your boat crew when you arrive! 😉

Where do the floaties go after Yacht week? I leave in about 3 weeks and am purchasing floaties now. But every photo I see everyone is on a floatie. Would it make sense to just buy some off of them instead of lugging them half way accross the planet in a carry-on? Or is somewhere in Split just the location of the worlds largest floatie graveyard

Hi Jason! On the Greece route there was a store right in the harbor where we bought floaties the day before we set sail. I don’t know what people do with their floaties after yacht week. Mine got holes along the way and deflated so I threw them away but I would have given them to someone if they made it to the end! You can probably just wait and buy them when you get there. Maybe buy one floatie before and then get the rest when you arrive that way you know you at least have one!

Vanessa, Great article. I’m planning on doing this with a few friends. I noticed that you kept bringing up bottle service as being expensive. What if we ended up buying a lot of supplies (booze included) before getting on the boat. Would that be an issue? Maybe you pointed this out already and I stupidly missed it. Thanks.

Hi Allen! Thanks for your comment! I just mentioned that if you want to splurge on bottle service it is expensive and can add up quickly. You can also of course buy supplies and just drink on the boat and not spend money when you go out to the parties but you can’t bring alcohol with you the clubs obviously, so if you want to drink while there you will need to factor in the extra cost of drinks. TYW gives you a wrist band that usually gives you at least 2 free drinks at each party but you have to buy your own drinks after that so just be sure to factor in the cost if you plan to drink when going out!

Great read, very helpful! I noticed you mentioned 100$ for tip/gas (how many people were on the boat total?) Just trying to get a rough estimate on how much we should tip our skipper, including myself, we have 7 people.

Hi Jade! We had a crew of 8 girls. I think the amount you tip should depend more on how good your skipper is/ how much he does and how much your sailboat cost to rent. We had a small, cheaper boat but our skipper was really awesome so we wanted to tip him well. He went above and beyond to make sure we were all safe, happy and having fun! Hope this helps. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have more questions! Have fun!

Is there a farewell party Friday night on the Greece route?

Hi Alyssa – Thanks for your comment. I don’t remember there being a farewell party on Friday night! X

Thanks for the help! Does anyone have any recommendations for other cities/countries to visit before/after Croatia yacht week? Trying to book a 2-week trip overall, and there are so many options! Would love help narrowing it down! 🙂

Hey Vanessa, There are 8 of us girls looking into booking this summer, Greece or Montenegro route but we are concerned about the age range. We are between 30-35…what was the age range like? Also, we were debating on if we book in pairs (cabins) and be on separate boats or if we book our own, what are your thoughts?

Hi Kelsy! Thanks for your comment! Most people are in their 20s on yacht week but there are lots of people in their 30s too so you girls won’t feel out of place. I would try to rent your own boat all together. It will be easier if you are all together otherwise you will spend most of the trip just trying to meet up. Yacht week is about relaxing and having fun so you don’t want to work about stuff like that on your trip. You will also have plenty of time to mix and mingle with other people at the parties and when you are docked together or anchored during the day together! Hope you ladies have a blast! If any of you want to write a guest post about what it is like to do yacht week in your 30s I would LOVE to publish your story here! X, Vanessa

how much was it for each bottle for bottle service? would it be liter bottles or standard US 750ml bottles?

Hi! Bottle service in Greece when I went was around 150-200 EURO for US 750ml bottles. Cheers!

Is there a ‘best’ month to do yacht week? My friends and I don’t want to do the Ultra music festival. Curious if July or August is better. Thanks!

Hi Kelly! I don’t think there is really a best month but you might find cheaper flights and the places you go to might be a little less crowded in August. June and July are peak high season so best to try to avoid touristy spots during those months if you can.

Do you remember how much of your budget you were able to pay for with credit card, or how much of it had to be paid for with cash? I want to avoid converting too much of my money into cash euros for the Greece trip.

Hi Kurt! I paid for my spot on our boat with my credit card online prior to the trip. Everything else I paid for in cash. It is much easier if you have cash on hand to pay for meals and drinks etc. If you get bottle service at a bar you will be able to pay with a card but a drink here or there and meals where you are in a group it is much easier to each just throw in some cash. I would suggest taking maybe $300 out before you start the trip then getting more at one of your stops along the way that way just to be safe. I did not have anything stolen from me on the trip but it is always a risk if you have too much cash with you. Have fun! X, Vanessa

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Home > Croatia > Yacht Week Croatia Review – The Straight Facts

Yacht Week Croatia Review – The Straight Facts

The Yacht Week Croatia Review: Know Before Your Go

Perhaps you've heard to rumours, the stories, and the legends about the Yacht Week. It sounds awesome. But so did the Taco Bell Cheese Roll-Up burrito . It is all hype, or is it the real deal? This Yacht Week Croatia review has the answers.

In the interest of educating the masses, I sacrificed myself. From Aug 9-17 ten buddies and I embarked on the Yacht Week Croatia in search of the truth.

We found it.

My Yacht Week Croatia review summary is that it's awesome…  b ut   i t's not for everyone.  And there are definitely some things you should know in advance. Here are some key figures to shed light into the inner workings of the mayhem and help you prepare for your own experience:

And for those of you who don’t know what the Yacht Week is, watch this video:

The Yacht Week Croatia Review by the Numbers:

Number of nationalities represented at Yacht Week.Somewhat surprisingly there was nobody from Russia, the Middle East (not even Israel), or Asia. Nevertheless, the chance to cavort with and befriend people like you from around the world was definitely a highlight of the Yacht Week.

Number of nationalities representing 80% of the yacht weekers: American, Australian, Brazilian, Spanish, and German. In other words, while the Yacht Week Croatia draws a worldwide clientele, it's not THAT diverse.

Nationalities we had on our boat, “The Love Boat”: German, Swedish, Swiss, Canadian, Portuguese, South African, and Namibian. This definitely played to our advantage in drawing the attention of other boats.

Estimated age of the average yacht weeker. The youngest were 22 and oldest closing on forty, but most were in the late 20s to early 30s range.

Average age of the skippers, who are supposed to keep everything in control. No wonder chaos ensued.

This may be crude, but no Yacht Week Croatia review would be complete without sharing how much sex goes on. Fifteen is the number of girls the eight single guys in our crew “got intimate” with during the week. Just under two girls per guy might not seem like a lot, but most of our crew settled on “Yacht Week girlfriends”, meaning they hooked up with the same girl each night. If getting laid is one of your objectives at Yacht Week Croatia, you're in luck. It is very easy.

Percentage of yacht weekers who were female. At least. If anything, there were more girls than guys. Everyone—guys and girls—seemed to agree it was an ideal ratio.

Estimated total number of hours we were actually at sea. And some of that was early in the morning while we were sleeping. The vast majority of our time was spent anchored or at harbor. The Yacht Week is not about boating; it's all about partying.

Hours we actually had the sails up. We only put our sails up twice in the whole trip.

Estimated average sleep quality score, out of 100 during the trip. The cabins get unbearably hot at night. This forces you to sleep on deck, which is not designed for sleeping. And sleeping outside leads to an inevitable early wake up as soon as the sun comes up. I’d recommend following the skippers’ lead: bring a hammock and something to cover your eyes.

Number of full meals we ate per day. With the exception of one egg salad, that meal was always pasta. Other than that, for sustenance we snacked on fruit, cereal, pizza, sausages, bread, and booze.

Boats doing the same route as us, the Yacht Week Croatia Black Route. At the same time, 46 other boats were doing the Red Route, which is the same route but in the other direction. That’s a lot of boats and a lot of partiers.

$850 (4900 kuna)

Total spent on groceries at the Getro by the marina before sailing off for the first time. We ate it all and then some.

$35 (200 kuna)

Amount we were extorted into paying for the 250 meter taxi ride to bring our haul of groceries from the Getro supermarket to the Marina Kastela. Bring some dollies or carts from the marina so you can push the stuff back yourselves and avoid being ripped off.

$10, $1, $0.5

Approximate cost of a bottle of vodka, a can of beer, and a kilogram of bananas respectively at the supermarket by the marina where we started our trip.

$30, $2.50, $3

Cost of the same vodka, beer, and bananas at the harbor by Hvar where we spent two nights. Buy as much as you can at the begging in order to save money.

$260 (1500 kuna)

Amount each of the eleven in our crew contributed to the pot, which was used to pay for joint expenses like groceries, gas, and harbor fees.

$4.50 (25 kuna)

Typical cost of a can of beer at the Yacht Week parties. If you’re a cheap-ass like me, be sure to pre-drink, or make a party mix that you can stash nearby.

$350-$900 (2000 to 5000 kuna)

Cost of getting tables at the parties. Don’t get tables. The parties are free-for-alls and you won’t be spending much time at your table anyways. If you want drinks, buy them individually or take advantage of other people’s tables.

Number of skippers (the guys we paid to captain our boats for us) who said Yacht Week Croatia is their favorite. Without exception, they said they thought the Yacht Weeks in Greece and the US Virgin Islands were better. That’s not to say Croatia is bad at all – it’s awesome – but food for thought for those considering signing up and deciding where to go.

Number of times in my life I will do the Yacht Week. It was an even better time than I expected, but it's the polar opposite of the type of traveling I prefer (blending in) and I’m not sure my body could survive another. Plus, it’s expensive and there are plenty of other experiences and parties to be had in life. I recommend everyone do it once at least. And if you’re crazy, you’ll be back for more.

Disclosure: Whenever possible, we use links that earn us a cut if you pay for stuff we recommend. It costs you nothing, so we'd be crazy not to. Read our affiliate policy .

10 thoughts on “Yacht Week Croatia Review – The Straight Facts”

Just did The Yacht Week Croatia. Wish I read this before going there to be a little bit more prepared. Really liked your article and all the numbers – especially the cost for taxi and food supply. Actually, all the numbers were quite accurate and interesting!

SUPER HELPFUL, thank you!

Glad to hear it, Alexandra! Enjoy the summer

All the guys and girls are so shredded and ripped. Does this mean that the less attractive bodies don’t get a fair chance to get laid ?

Hi Kamlesh. I'd say it's no different from the non Yacht-week world.

Thanks for sharing! Was searching info for the yacht week and found this article helpful.

You're welcome. This post is getting old, so hopefully some of the info in it remains reasonably accurate.

Hi, two things:

1.Im planning to travel in July, should I opt for an AC yacht or non AC one? is the heat really unbearable? 2. A bit embarrassing but I am a snob in these How well equipped are the toilets of the yacht like?

THANK YOU FOR THESE GREAT TIPS. The company emailed my friends and I that our boat is no longer available. Im hearing the ac yacht is not worth it. Some nights the boat ran out of fuel and they didnt have ac until later that morning. What is your opinion?

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Time of our lives

Absolutely fantastic experience. Had an amazing time and loved every second of it. We are hoping to go back next year and plan to request our fantastic skipper and amazing host, Matija and Matea. Host was definitely worth it and highly recommend the catamarans for the best experience

Date of experience : May 25, 2024

Bozo and Nela Express

The management and our personal skipper and host made this trip unforgettable. It’s so nice to truly feel like you’re on vacation and turn your brain off. Bozo and Nela were both Fantastic and I can’t recommend them enough. I’ve done this week twice now and it exceeded my expectations both times.

Yacht Week - Croatia

Yacht Week Croatia was easily a 1000/10 and was one of the best experiences of my life! The parties and venues were beautiful and so much fun and the entire trip was so well organized! Our skipper, Marin and host, Kelsey did an incredible job and we couldn’t have asked for a better crew!! I will definitely be back!

Date of experience : June 01, 2024

Fantastic experience

Really well organised, fantastic parties, beautiful locations and the yacht week crew were fantastic. Our skipper Matija and our host Matea were both amazing. Already looking at planning next year.

Date of experience : June 14, 2024

Recently did yacht week x drumcode and…

Recently did yacht week x drumcode and can safely one of the best weeks of my life. Met some incredible people and each day was completely unique, mind blowing stuff. Our skipper was Charis and she was an absolute superstar and made every day smooth sailing! Thank you Yacht Week and Drumcode from the Irish crew! ❤️🇮🇪⛵️

Yacht week was an incredible…

Yacht week was an incredible experience. Had a great mix of seeing the incredible country of Croatia combined with fun!! Our skipper Stu was AMAZING and you must must get a host.

Date of experience : June 08, 2024

BEST WEEK EVER

Yacht week was quite literally the best week of my life. We did the first Croatia route in from May 25-31, 2024 and got the Premium Catamaran. HIGHLY recommend our host Maia who cooked the most amazing food. We also got really lucky with our skipper Ivor. I loved the itinerary even though it was jam packed because it took all the stress off of a bunch of drunk hooligans who would not know where to go or how to get there unless we were literally chaperoned lol. Overall 1000/10 trip. I think the value is really there when you experience what you get to do for an entire week. Paying for 90% of a vacation in advance means it's basically free anyway ;) #girlmath Croatia was really beautiful, and we were on the water a good amount and got to see so many cool destinations. It was truly a unique and "is this real life" type of experience that I am proud to have shared with the other amazing humans we met along the way. My group loved it so much we want to make it an annual thing, but trying out different routes each year. If you're on the fence, just BOOK THE TRIP. You won't regret it.

TYW is the best week of my life!

TYW is the best week of my life!! It feels like a dream. My experience was even better than the photos they advertise, the venues are so beautiful and it’s so much fun having time to explore new towns. Love getting to meet so many people at the private events and getting to see them all week to build friendships. Everyone has such an open mindset and positive vibes all week. TYW is also great at rearranging plans for weather etc if needed. Can’t wait to do it again!

Date of experience : June 15, 2024

Yachtweek x Drumcode

Yachtweek x Drumcode, the best week ever! Surrounded by beautiful people, we had the best experiences that cannot be described in words! You have to experience it yourself. For sure made friends for life.

This was in my bucket list since I was…

This was in my bucket list since I was 18. I’m 30 now and I’m SO glad I checked it! This was a once in a lifetime experience ❤️

Here for the Core Memories

Don't go on Yacht Week unless you're prepared for infinite core memories. I assure you, you'll never forget the parties thrown, people met, sights seen and magic experienced. I write this with two Yacht Weeks under my belt (Croatia '23, Greece '24) with plans for Sardinia next year. We booked Croatia with one boat, Greece with two boats, and I suspect we'll ultimately book three for Sardinia. The primary (and most obvious) draw of Yacht Week is its ease. Those who have planned group trips know what a pain in the a** it is to research, organize, orchestrate, collect money, etc. and hopefully have your friendships unscathed along the way. With Yacht Week, you effectively show up, and your next meal, activity, destination, memory and more is set for you. This allows you to truly live in the moment and take it all in. I equate it to getting married without a wedding planner/day-of-coordinator. If you try to manage your wedding while you're getting married, what are you missing? Same principle here. Another key benefit of Yacht Week is that it allows you to travel to exotic locations that are more conducive to boat travel. The BVIs (another Yacht Week route) is an excellent example. I bare-boated with a friend group about 18 months ago, and we were able to travel from remote island to remote island by casting off our mooring ball and making our way to the next small island. No hotel check-in and check-out or concerns over ferry times - another huge pain plaguing traditional travel. Greece's Hydra is another great example. The island doesn't even allow cars (only donkeys); there's no way we could have experienced this island (the group's favorite!) outside of Yacht Week. Boat travel is the best travel =D The last (and arguably most important) Yacht Week component to mention is its crew. In Croatia, our boat had a wonderful time with our skipper (Kayla) and our host (Mia). In Greece, we were blown away further with our skipper (route manager, Jake) and our host (lead host, BB). To illustrate this, I'll turn to my formal Yacht Week reviews submitted to the company: JAKE, SKIPPER: "There is no one better on this earth than Jake. He is insanely talented and supremely safe, yet wildly fun and hilarious. He 100 percent completed our boat and complemented our group beautifully. We look forward to staying friends with Jake and traveling the world with him. Whatever you're paying him, give this man a raise." BB, HOST: "BB was a godsend. I don't know how she did it, but her menu, timing, vibe, everything was precisely what we wanted and needed at that time. Her cooking was truly unreal. As with our skipper, we look forward to staying friends and hopefully hosting her out here stateside on her next visit. Thank you, BB!" In conclusion, do a Yacht Week. I'd be shocked if it's your last. You'll bond with your friends like you can't imagine, make new friends who share your exact interests and will travel elsewhere with you, and you'll be back here writing this same review when it's all done. Do. It. *My friend Thomas met his longtime girlfriend Vanessa on last year's Croatia Yacht Week, and she joined us on this year's Greece Yacht Week. They're moving in together this summer. It's as adorable as it sounds. (Seriously. Do. It.)

Best week ever!

Shout out to Simon and Juan - the dream skipper and host combo!

Great 1st yacht week

Host Ashley & Skipper Hellen were amazing! They made the trip really come together. Most everything was amazing really. Only thing I’d change is better vetting/informing of venues for new routes - the ordering, serving, and charging at the big group dinners was rocky at best, venues didn’t seem at all prepared, which made for confusion & stress for guests.

Date of experience : September 10, 2023

100/10 recommend The Yacht Week if you…

100/10 recommend The Yacht Week if you want to experience the best time of your life and make memories that will last a lifetime! Each location is unique in its own and will leave you wanting to another one after each week!

Date of experience : April 06, 2024

Really disappointed with TYW

Really disappointed with TYW. First of all, your advertising is not reality. Essentially we are camping on a yacht, your advertisements make it look like a much nicer experience. All of your advertisements include the catamarans, not the monohauls. Some of the parties were really not good, the 70s one was in a tiny bar.. how could everyone possibly fit in there? The communication at the beginning of the trip was not good; your website said to meet at a certain beach club in Athens. But our skipper told us to go somewhere else.. please fix your website to reflect these changes.

Date of experience : June 18, 2022

Reply from Yacht Week

Thank you for your valuable feedback. We work hard to ensure our website is up to date and current to reflect the product. However, we are sorry to hear that it did not live up to expectations, if you’d like to speak further please contact our Customer Service team at [email protected]

The Yacht Week was exactly what I…

The Yacht Week was exactly what I didn’t know I needed. It was the perfect combination of sightseeing and fun! I’ve met lifelong friends and made incredible connections with people from all over the world. Our skip and host were phenomenal and so knowledgeable that our group never had to worry about making plans. 10/10 would recommend

Date of experience : June 03, 2023

Skipper amazing

Our skipper, Louise Landin was amazing and made the experience as good as possible. She was helpful in all areas and catered to everything the group needed. Otherwise the experience was good. However the toilets on the yacht didn’t work well and we were charged from the charter company for toilets not working that was no fault of ours.

Date of experience : August 05, 2023

An opportunity to meet new people and…

An opportunity to meet new people and explore new places in a fun way! The yacht week Croatia was absolutely amazing. Our skipper and host were outstanding. We got to sail the sea, swim in stunning bags, party at luxurious beach bars, and make memories in unforgettably beautiful ways in gorgeous places. One minor thing would be to fully disclose extra costs, we were made to think we needed table reservations each party night when that wasn’t the case. We ended up cancelling our other reservations after the second night. Overall, beautiful trip. Our monohull was perfect for our small crew.

Date of experience : July 15, 2023

Turkey (Kebab Week)

As an irish man the mere thought of leaving the emerald isle behind for a week on the high seas had our lad more jittery than a cup of over-caffeinated espresso. However Yacht Week Turkey was by far worth the venture. Everyday got better and better and was by far the best week ever, but sadly as ​​my girl Nelly Furtado says “ all good things come to an end. That is until Croatia 2024!

Date of experience : September 09, 2023

Drunk Medic, Racist Comments by host.

Where do I start? The medic on the Greece Yacht Week from June 17-25th was drunk the entire trip. If there was a medical emergency we would have been screwed. Secondly, our host was more focused on hooking up with another captain than cooking us meals. The first morning another captain came crawling out of her cabin. The music on Yacht week is awful, the DJ was terrible. Lastly, our host Kiki got drunk one night and told us that we were “different” because we weren’t like other African Americans. When we asked her to elaborate she said that she felt as if other African Americans treated white hosts poorly as a way to get back at them for slavery. Only highlight was our captain. He was a great guy that was professional the entire time.

Date of experience : July 07, 2022

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We take feedback seriously and are very sorry that your experience on The Yacht Week did not live up to expectations. Our staff are professionally trained and in this instance, individual staff members appear to have fallen below the high standards we expect. This is not reflective of the experience that our guests receive and is clearly an isolated incident. The points you have raised are not acceptable and we would like to discuss your experience further, while we investigate this incident, before we take the appropriate action. Please could you contact us on [email protected] to discuss.

The Truth About Going on a Yacht Week in Croatia

It’s rare I take vacations with friends these days, but the stars aligned and four (very busy and hard to plan) girls from across the US met up for Yacht Week Croatia, sailing from Dubrovnik to Split across the dazzling Adriatic Sea. In short, it was one of the best weeks of my life and a perfect ending to an amazing summer of adventure.

Here’s an Unfiltered Look at the Experience:

First, it’s important to understand I did not say I went on THE Yacht Week, which is the company most people are familiar with. Their branding is incredibly well known and reaches all corners of the globe (who wouldn’t want to bask under the sun with those hotties in the promo video ?). The truth is, there are many competitors to Yacht Week Croatia – sailing companies that offer week on a yacht for a set fee so if you’re considering Sail Week vs Yacht Week, make sure you consider all your options and read the reviews. We did our homework and chose to embark with the Sail Week Croatia for a number of reasons – and I’m pleased to report our expectations were far exceeded.

Why We Chose Sail Week  Croatia over the Yacht Week: Itinerary and Price

The Itinerary: A lot of the companies we researched (ahem: The Yacht Week Croatia) looked extraordinarily spring breaky, promising young 20-somethings the perfect girl to guy ratio and Europe’s hottest nightclubs. They offer Party Weeks, Ultra Week (to the huge music fest), and basically a week of binge drinking. That would’ve been great 10 years ago, but when you’re in your 30s, you usually want to remember the experience. Sail Week has that kind of trip too, but what caught our eye was Adventure Week . The route was completely different than the party cruise (so we wouldn’t run into them) and each port offered a different activity like hiking, biking, kayaking, and SUPing. Full disclosure, it was a bit more soft adventure than I would’ve liked, but it was still actively exploring instead of wasting the day sleeping off a hangover.

The Price: We spent a week on a yacht (included was 7 nights accommodation, breakfast and lunches) for less than $800. Yes, you read that right. Essentially the same program as The Yacht Week for a fraction of the price. With the Yacht Week Croatia, you can choose how big of a boat you want (there’s a joke there), but you’re still paying for the brand name. They also try to upsell you on their food and drink packages, which start at about $915. Ouch. On Sail Week Croatia, you simply buy your own snacks and alcohol at each marina. Always do your homework if you’re looking to save money on travel.

The Setup: Each boat held eight guests plus the skipper; so half our boat was my friends. The other two were couples on their honeymoon (great humans, but a little weird due to the lack of privacy…we’ll get to that later). There were three other boats in our bevy so about 35 people total. The number of boats varies each week by demand (they operate every week of summer).

• The thought “life is hard” will run through your head often. You will regularly wonder what you did to deserve this terrible life cruising Baller Bay with the beautiful people.
• There’s plenty of downtime (which I sometimes need forced up on me). Actually getting to catch up on reading for fun was a whole new world and a necessary reset.
• You will feel like you have this whole amazing corner of the world to yourself. There are hours of blue expanses where you won’t see another vessel or another human.
• The water is unlike any shade of blue you’ve ever seen (and you’ll take more pictures of it than you ever dreamed possible).
• The skipper made the trip. The glue that ties the group together, Zoran was a fantastic human (and it didn’t hurt that he looked like a cross between Paul Walker and Ryan Gosling).
• We went in early August and had perfect weather. Or at least perfect weather for tanning. There was not a cloud in the sky, and no wind either so not a whole lot of actual sailing happened, It was more motorboat week (bad joke).
• Our skipper was a world class BSer and liked to mess with us so it was hard to know what was true. Much to our surprise, a few of the stops did in fact have floating markets which would deliver breakfast to your boat, or even better, mojitos from the floating bar.
• Can we talk about how solid the WIFI was in the middle of nowhere? We were rarely without Snapchat or Instagram.

• This isn’t the mega yacht you’re picturing having seen Below Deck . There’s no maid or crew. Just one lone (albeit fantastic) skipper who does everything from steering to cleaning and cooking.
• Quarters are tight, but you will get over the fact that there is no possible way you can sleep in a space that small. As soon as you accept you’ll be on top of each other, you’ll learn to stay out of each other’s way. The good news is, aside from sleeping you’ll rarely spend time in your cabin.
• The bathrooms are another story. You will quickly get used to hearing everything. You’ll get extraordinarily close to your bunkmates joking about who’s turn it is to take the toilet paper bag out (no flushing of paper allowed). Let’s just say life on the boat doesn’t leave much to the imagination.
• Showers on the boat are interesting also. You have to ration the water between port stops and not every marina has facilities (you’ll appreciate the ones that do even more).
• You will come home with random bruises all over your body with no idea how you got them. It’s inevitable.
• At some of the ports, we had to dock via anchor away from land, which made coordinating dingy runs to use the potty interesting.
• Omg the bees. They were everywhere!

What Surprised Me:

I wasn’t sure I’d like this type of vacation because I get bored at the beach in about two seconds. After lying out for an hour I’m usually antsy and wondering what we’re going to do next. I typically only spend 2-3 fast-paced days in each country before moving on, which each day packed to the gills with active adventures. This was basically doing the same thing for a week straight – a deep dive into one country.

Thankfully, my worries were completely unfounded. We quickly eased into the routine of 1-3 hours of sailing in the morning, stopping at unique swimming coves, and exploring each new port at night, which broke the day up and kept us on the move. The cities were remarkably different from each other, bustling historic gems like Dubrovnik (do the Game of Thrones tour even if you’ve never seen the show) and Korcula (Marco Polo’s hometown) to happenin’ Split and Hvar and completely remote spots you’d never think to visit (some without a single bar).

Synopsis: What are you waiting for? Go!

I would recommend Sail Week Croatia to anyone in their 20s or 30s looking for a unique vacation (older folks, charter a private boat). It was ridiculously affordable (especially if you use miles for flights) and CNN just said Croatia rules the Rivieras. The country is poised to blow up in the next few years; get there while it’s still under the radar and a hidden gem. I personally can’t wait to get back. We were extremely happy that we did our homework and did not just go with the Yacht Week because it was the first company we saw: we crossed paths with their ships along the route and it looked like we were having an even better experience for a fraction of the cost (while getting our adventure on).

Other Things to Note:

• Sail Week lets you sign-up as a solo traveler without a single supplement. The Yacht Week has a Facebook page to help connect you to people looking to fill open yacht spots, but doesn’t technically let you sign-up solo.
• There are plenty of other providers that offer similar sailing experiences in Croatia so do your homework. You can even charter a yacht and captain it yourself if you’re confident in your skills.
• Spend a day or two before or after your cruise exploring inland Croatia — Plitvice Lakes and Krka are both incredible national parks with waterfalls for days.

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This is such a great guide! I loved reading about the ‘mehs’. You are so right. I did this trip in 2016 and can confirm that they are all true <3

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When my third grade teacher told me I should be a writer, I laughed because that was so basic. After all, my best friend was aspiring to be a princess. Lo and behold, 20 years later, here I am, biting my tongue.

A Chicago native, a Denverite by choice, and now an accidental Texan, I've made it my mission to see as much of the world as possible because life is short, but sweet for certain. Subscribe to follow the (mis)adventures.

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Yacht Week vs Sail Week: Which Is Better?

Yacht Week and Sail Week Croatia are both well-established travel companies offering various sailing routes around Croatia. This article is a side-by-side comparison of the two.

As a former yacht crew member, I get asked two questions pretty often:

1️⃣ First, is working on a superyacht really like what you see on Below Deck ? 2️⃣ What’s the difference between The Yacht Week and Sail Week Croatia?

The Yacht Week, the original company in this space, essentially invented this type of holiday. And Sail Week offers excellent value for money.

They both provide instagramable opportunities at every turn, and the best option for you will depend on your individual needs.

Let’s get started with what set’s these brands apart!

The Yacht Week is heavily focused on the party and music festival crowd . Their website offers a tasty selection of floating festivals and unique events by partnering with festival organisers and record labels.

If you are looking for remote island shenanigans soundtracked by some of the world’s best underground DJs, then The Yacht Week is a solid choice.

Sail Week is an ABTA member in the UK, and they offer financial protection on all their travel products. They strongly emphasise creating a memorable party atmosphere but with the added twist of offering chic excursions to sweeten the deal .

⚖️ Product Range Comparison

A few sailing routes can be compared directly, and they are in Croatia and Greece. However, for the sake of this article, I have only compared routes that are similar to each other.

The Yacht Week (TYW) Sailing Route Range

The Yacht Week features eight different sail routes for you to choose from . All of The Yacht Week routes are listed below:

• Hot Creations
• Original Route
• Athens Route , Greece
• Ultra Festival Route
• Hideout Festival Route
• Tahiti Route , Polynesia
• BVI Route , Caribbean

All the routes last for 7 days (6 nights), keeping with the mantra ‘yacht week’. The majority of the routes are in Croatia, and they follow the same itinerary except for the Hideout Festival route.

The Hideout Festival route begins and ends near the seaside city of Zadar. In comparison, the other Croatian routes start and finish in the town of Split.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Yacht Week (@theyachtweek)

Sail Week Croatia Sailing Route Range

All these routes last an entire week, and there 6 to choose from depending on if you want to party flat out or find a more balanced vibe. They can be seen below:

• Party Route
• Ultra Route
• Dubrovnik Route
• Montenegro Route

The Party Route and Ultra Route are party-focused routes. And the balanced vibes are on the Dubrovnik, Athens and Montenegro routes.

Route Range Winner – The Yacht Week

📦 Package Comparison

Both brands have similar package options. However, the most significant difference is that Sail Week offers a Bring Your Own Booze (BYOB) option , which considerably impacts the price you pay for a given package.

The Yacht Week Packages

You can select from 4 different package types, namely:

• Build your own

Monohull (43-46ft); Capacity 9 (4 cabins)

• Air-conditioning

Monohull(47 – 60ft); Capacity 10(5 cabins)

Catamaran(40-45ft); Capacity 10(4 cabins)

The difference is the type of yacht your money gets you here. Classic packages offer monohull yachts in the 43-46ft range, and Luxury packages afford you access to catamarans in the 40-45ft range.

The luxury packages also include all the amenities available like air-conditioning, a host and half board meals. You can add a host and air-conditioning to the Build Your Own package.

Sail Week Croatia Packages

The options are below:

• Deluxe Catamaran
• Full Yacht (ideal for larger groups)

Monohull (43-50ft); Capacity 8-10 (4-5 cabins)

• Food package

Monohull (43-50ft); Capacity 8-10 (4-5 cabins); Built 2016+

Catamaran(40-45ft); Capacity 8(4 cabins)

The standard packages get you a cabin on a monohull yacht in the 43-50ft range. Unfortunately, there is no option to add amenities like air-conditioning or a host to these packages.

The Deluxe Catamaran offers air-conditioning, a host, food package, and half-board included. The yacht size is in the 40-45ft range.

If you are a group, you can select between monohull or catamarans when using the Full Yacht Package with the option to add any of the Sail Week amenities.

Package Option Winner – Tie

🏝️ Route Comparison

*To compare apples to apples, this article will focus on similar routes between the two brands. First up is the flagship routes of each brand, namely; Original Route (TYW) vs the Party Route (SWC). Followed by both Athens Routes.

Original Route vs Party Route

Tyw – original route.

The direction of sailing/travel for the week is: Trogir > Bol > Natural Bay > Hvar > Vis > Trogir.

There are 10 weeks that this route runs, beginning on the last weekend of May and ending in mid-September.

Prices for peak summer (July) are considerably more than the end of the season (September), which is to be expected due to the demand.

You can select from 4 different package types: classic, premium, luxury, or BYO.

It’s hard to beat this route if you are looking for a party. The week lineup is simply jam-packed, and nobody does this better than The Yacht Week.

For your money, you’ll get an array of party shenanigans to experience:

• Opening party in Trogir
• Circle rafts floating festival
• Dockside disco at Fort George
• Buzz Boat party (a boat with DJ booth and Void Acoustics)
• Carpe Diem party in Hvar
• Tunnel raft party (like you see in the videos)
• Headline DJs, including the like of Claptone and Gorgon City

Add in seaside yoga sessions, a castle hike in Hvar and even convertible VW Beetle exploring in Vis , and you have more than enough to keep you entertained for an entire week.

Yacht Week prides itself on being able to throw the best parties you’re likely to experience, and it makes them different in this regard from Sail Week Croatia.

SWC – Party Route

The direction of sailing/travel for the week is: Split > Supetar > Makarska > Bol > Vis > Vinogradisce Bay > Hvar > Split .

This route has 13 different weeks for you to choose between. For example, beginning the first week of June and ending the first week of September.

Each week, you can choose different packages depending on your budget or group size. The package options are:

The party atmosphere is also up there with the best, and you can expect everything from cave parties & beach parties to the infamous circle raft floating festival in the busiest weeks.

What makes Sail Week different from Yacht Week is the diversity of extra activities they offer. Everything from Sky Diving to Fly Boarding is an option for you, although not included in your package price.

Flagship Route Winner – The Yacht Week

Athens Route (TYW) vs Athens Route (SWC.)

The direction of sailing/travel for the week is: Athens > Poros > Porto Heli > Ermioni > Natural Bay > Hydra > Athens.

You can choose from 10 available weeks from the end of May until the first week of September. This route begins and ends in Athens, where you will get to visit the Acropolis overlooking the city below.

There is a good dose of partying thrown in with the infamous Yacht Week circle raft (think boutique floating festival), day parties at Cavo Bianco, and beach parties on sandy beaches, complete with cocktail-sipping DJs.

In addition, there are wellness elements to enjoy in the form of sunset hikes and water volleyball to keep the hangover at bay.

The emerald waters of the Greek islands are famed for their marine wildlife, so dolphin spotting is almost certainly something you can bank on.

The direction of sailing/travel for the week is: Athens > Agistri > Hydra > Ermioni > Spetses > Dokos > Poros > Athens.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by SailWeek (@sailweek)

In total, there are 14 allotted weeks available, and they start in June and run through until the middle of September.

The focus of this route is more toward the activity side, with the option to do stand up paddle boarding, wine tasting, quad biking, hiking and even donkey riding if you desire.

There is nightlife and partying on the islands you visit, but these are not organised by Sail Week, unlike Yacht Week on this same route.

If you are looking for hidden gems in the Greek archipelago, then this route will delight you with secluded coves, charming villages and unique coastal pine forests to explore.

Atehns Route Winner – TYW

💸 Price Comparison

Okay, so here we are at the all-important price comparison of the two. For simplicity sake, I’ve compared apples to apples again and taken the first week of August (6th-13th) for the Original Route (TYW) and the Party Route (SWC) and staked them side-by-side.

To keep it as balanced as possible, I’ve further compared each of their package tiers, and prices are per person (p.p)

• Classic – €1000 p.p
• Premium – €1725 p.p
• Luxury – €2360 p.p

For the build your own package, the yacht selected was a 50ft Catamaran for a group of 10 people – a total of €2919 p.p (host and skipper included).

Local payment of 600 Croatian Kuna (~€80) per person applies to all bookings.

• Standard – €826 p.p
• Premium – €1058 p.p
• Deluxe – €1490 p.p

For the build your own package, the yacht selected was a 50ft Catamaran for a group of 10 people – a total of €2413 p.p (host and skipper included).

Winner – Sail Week

🏆 Overall Winner

This Yacht Week vs Sail Week review demonstrates that The Yacht Week is the superior party holiday week due to its strong following and 15-years of experience.

TYW features more unforgettable parties and world-class DJs than any of its competitors. But, those factors also make TYW significantly more expensive.

Both premium brands provide similar experiences, and SWC is an excellent choice for fun-seeking revellers on a stricter budget. Their mix of parties and chic extra activities offers fantastic value when considering their premium options.

You could argue that you get better value for your money with Sail Week from the fact it’s 7 days & nights, as opposed to Yacht Week’s 6 nights.

Both are aimed at those who love travel and music festivals. The Croatian music festival scene is well renowned in Europe. With the option of these floating festivals, it is now truly world-class.

Written by:

Founder and editor at On The Beating Travel. I’m a lover/fanatic of repetitive electronic beats. Now exploring new music hotspots and festivals. Former yacht crew, now running this online space.

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Matador Original Series

Everything you need to know before going to yacht week in croatia.

S o, you saw the videos of people floating through Croatia having the time of their lives; rounded up half a dozen of your best, fairly affluent acquaintances; and booked a charter for The Yacht Week . Congratulations. You’re in for a blur of good times, clubs, and parties on giant inflatable flamingos.

For the unfamiliar, The Yacht Week is a weeklong flotilla of motor-assisted sailboats meandering through the Adriatic with young people living like it’s spring break. But the booze is better, the scenery more spectacular, and the people hail from all over the world — not just all over the SEC.

If you booked this trip with your buds on a whim, chances are a lot of questions still remain: How much money will I spend on Yacht Week? What should I bring to Yacht Week? Will there be waaaay more guys than girls like my friend who went back in 2014 said it would? Don’t worry, we have all the answers from personal experience, from both male and female perspectives (a gender-neutral experience Yacht Week is not). Here’s everything you need to know, from how much to budget to what to bring and how much to tip the staff during The Yacht Week in Croatia.

Photo: Julia Fay Photography

Here’s how much you will spend on Yacht Week.

Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: It’s called Yacht Week. Not affordable-bass-fishing-cruiser-week. Or rowboat week. YACHT week. And that means it’s gonna get expensive. For ease-of-reading purposes, we’ll break it down list style, assuming an eight-person crew with an even male-to-female ratio on the cheapest boat possible. Fewer people or more males and this number goes up.

Yacht, skipper, and parties: $9310 or $1163.75 each. This covers your boat; the person driving it; and admission to all the swanky, we’re-cooler-than-you Yacht Week parties at clubs you only saw on Rich Kids of Instagram.

Host: $750 or $93.75 each.

Gas, mooring fees, water taxis, and other boat-related expenses: $225 per person. Your skipper will gather this at the beginning for a cash “kitty” that he or she will use to pay for gas, water taxi transfers from the marinas, mooring fees, and other miscellaneous expenses. They’re required to keep receipts for all of it, too, and will refund anything that’s not used at the end.

Skipper and host tip: $160-$200 (80-$100 each, per person). This, of course, is dependent on how well you think they did. But $80-$100 from each of you, to each one of them, is customary.

Groceries and onboard alcohol: $200 per person. Your host will take you to the nearest grocery store on departure day and pick out everything you’ll need for them to make food. And for you to drink on board. It might be the longest receipt you ever get that isn’t from CVS.

Other meals and drinks during the trip: $450. Your host cooks you breakfast and one other meal a day. You’re on your own for the rest. And admission to those swanky parties might be free, but the drinks most certainly are not.

IF YOU’RE MALE: You’ll be paying for every drink you consume and may want to look into getting table service at those parties so you’re not goofball #67 trying to talk to girls on the dance floor. Your host can make table reservations, and table minimums are around $2000 for your group. Or you can spend the week nursing $6 beers. Whatever your budget allows.

IF YOU’RE FEMALE: You might pay for one drink a night. Tables are not at all necessary as you can find your way to a table without obligation to do much other than pour yourself a drink. If you’re not comfortable with that, well drinks run about $11. Again, budget accordingly.

Airfare: $1100-$1400. Split is not a cheap place to fly, especially during summer. If you see a flight under $1000, book it immediately.

Additional lodging: $200. Plan to fly in the day before, so on the minuscule chance your flight gets delayed, you have some cushion. You’ll also probably need to stay overnight somewhere on the way back as there are no nonstops flights from Split to the US. You’ll likely end up spending your last night in some European hub like Madrid or London.

Floaties: $50. You’ll need one of these.

Additional taxis and Ubers: $120. This would be rides to and from the airport, around the towns you stop in, or back to the boat in the morning from wherever you end up.

Total cash outlay: $3700-$4,000. Not the most expensive vacation of your life, but not the cheapest either. And if you have fewer people, or more guys than girls, or a boat with crazy stuff like AC and private bedrooms, it can cost over $5000. This is just the bare minimum.

The host might be “optional,” but you need one like you need water.

You might think, “I cook for myself all the time! I’m not wasting $750 for someone to make my morning coffee!” Ok, tough guy. Spend an entire afternoon taking rosé to the head on a unicorn floatie then try to cook anything more complicated than toast. It ain’t happening. We had a group of guys docked next to us who didn’t have a host and had been eating nothing but chips for the past two days. If you wanna live like that, by all means, skip the host.

However, if you’d like to have a lovely fruit platter, coffee, French toast waiting for you every morning/afternoon when you wake up, and dinner waiting for you every night, this will be the best $750 you ever spend. Your host also makes food that’s somewhat nutritious with salads, proteins, and carbs mixed pretty well. When you’re beating your immune system to death with Jager shots, proper nutrition makes a big difference.

It is, in fact, possible to shower and do #2 on board.

A lot of blogs and advice posts we saw for Yacht Week said you basically could never shower on board or do #2 in your bathroom. This is highly misleading. Yes, if everyone on board showered during days you’re not at a proper marina, you’d run out of water real fast. But if you space it out and mostly shower when you can easily get water refills, showering onboard is totally possible.

As is — as the ladies on my boat so euphemistically put it — “glittering.” The marine heads onboard might require some effort to flush, but so long as everyone flushes fully and DOES NOT PUT TOILET PAPER DOWN THE TOILET, you won’t have any problem using the bathroom for both liquids and solids.

That said, when you’re at a marina, use those facilities as much as you can. They’re better and keep the boat cleaner.

Bring your nicest clothes. And maybe an iron.

You didn’t fork over all that money for Yacht Week parties to show up dressed in flip-flops and shorts, did you? The parties on Yacht Week are some of the best you’ll ever go to. There’s a private garden party in a hilltop castle. There’s a white party at Carpe Diem , one of the most famous clubs in the world. There’s a party at a massive outdoor nightclub somewhere outside Bol and a closing party at a combination nightclub/swimming stadium in Split. Miraculously, people show up looking like they haven’t been living on half a mattress for five days.

So look the part and bring stuff you’d wear if you were going out in Vegas or South Beach. And an iron. The close quarters will have you looking like a wrinkle bomb went off in your suitcase, and that look will defeat the purpose of packing anything nice.

There will be dudes. A LOT of dudes.

Ever gone out in a military town? That’s more or less the odds you’re looking at during Yacht Week. Sure, the organizers TRY to regulate an even male-to-female ratio by charging exorbitant fees if your group skews male. And their promotional material might say they manage that strictly, but money talks and people pay. So the first comment you’ll get on any picture you post will be something along the lines of, “Wow. That’s a lot of dudes.”

If you’re a single girl, great news! You won’t pay for a thing all week. There’ll be men with sexy accents from all over the world competing for your attention, and you can spend the night in air-conditioned comfort any night you choose if your boat is less-than-stellar.

If you’re a single guy, this doesn’t mean you won’t have the week of your life. It means don’t go expecting to break your six-month dry spell. That’s what Thailand is for. Go expecting to hang out on boats in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, meet interesting people, and drink with reckless abandon, and you’ll have a great time. Any ladies you meet will just be a bonus.

There will also be WiFi, and it’s not bad.

It is truly amazing that in 2018 you can be out in the middle of the Adriatic Sea and still be perfectly connected to all of the interwebs. After all, this is a flotilla full of millennials, so going on vacation isn’t so much about getting away but letting everyone else KNOW you’re getting away. The onboard WiFi is fantastic when it works but will shut off sometimes and can get blocked when you’re tied up to other boats. It works best when you’re sailing in the open sea, so if you’re a remote worker, plan to work then.

Croatia is safe. No Liam Neeson rescue will be necessary.

As we headed into the trip, the ladies in our crew were a bit anxious about safety at night and in the clubs (a la Taken ). However, the majority of the nights, our skipper and host escorted our crew to the water taxis — and handled the payment from the aforementioned kitty — as well as to the parties, which were private, Yacht Week-only events at rented-out clubs. The hosts and staff on site were welcoming and fun (and really good with names), and after the first night or two, you walk into the party and immediately recognize a handful of faces. There were fellow partygoers at nearly every water taxi and plenty of TYW crew there to keep a mindful eye on the inebriated masses. As with any club, keep an eye on your drink, but still feel free to let loose.

You won’t do any actual sailing.

If you were planning on impressing all of Croatia with the tacking skills you learned in sixth grade at summer camp, it’ll have to wait for another time. Though Yacht Week does have a regatta on the final day, and promotional materials say this is a chance to “show off your sailing skills,” there is no actual sailing involved. You’ll use the yacht’s motor for all movement, all week, and usually, it’s on autopilot. So don’t freak out if you go above deck and see your skipper enjoying breakfast while the steering wheels move independently. Your boat, as far as we know, is not haunted.

You’re going to get sick. Period.

In case you didn’t major in human health, alcohol and minimal sleep don’t exactly boost your immune system. Neither does living in close quarters with people, sharing drinks, water bottles, and spit with strangers from other countries. Take all the Emergen-C you like, if you leave Yacht Week without a hacking cough, you should be studied by the CDC. Your flight back from Split will be like a cross between a Sunday flight from Vegas and a fifth-grade classroom in December. Accept the illness as the last price you pay for glory.

Do not shit where you eat. But if you do…

Given the close quarters during Yacht Week, you might think this is a literal statement, but you know what we mean here. If you’ve got a mixed crew, find someone on another boat to swap fluids with.

Easy to say, harder to do. If we’ve learned anything from reality TV, it’s that when you put boys and girls together in a confined space and add alcohol, bad decisions get made. Should you find yourself in this situation, don’t be awkward about it, lay out your expectations for the rest of the trip, and move on. Any drama becomes everyone’s drama, so do whatever you have to do to keep it to a minimum.

Budget 3x the amount of alcohol you think you’ll need.

Remember how you stocked your last fraternity formal? Ok, now imagine you’re doing that for a week.

And 5x the water.

It might seem excessive, but given the sun, booze, and general mayhem of Yacht Week, plan to drink a gallon of water a day. That’s roughly four liters if you’re trying to make quick conversions at the grocery store — 28 liters per person, give or take. We had a grocery cart and a half full of water bottles for our six-person crew and ran out on day six. You can always resupply when you stop in town, but it’s much easier to buy it all upfront. Now is not the time to try and minimize your plastic footprint.

Invest in a car-charger adapter.

On standard boats, oftentimes the only power outlets are the 12-volt, car-cigarette-lighter-style variety, which doesn’t do you a whole lot of good when all you brought was a standard European adapter. Head to BrandsMart or look online for a 12V adapter and have two or three on board. They’re invaluable for stuff like laptops, phone chargers, air pumps for floaties, irons, and other electronic equipment. Just don’t bring hair dryers; they suck up too much electricity for those outlets to handle.

You may not have AC, so bring some fans.

If you’ve opted for the cheaper yacht, get prepared to sweat. Most of the smaller boats don’t come with air conditioning, and though most do have small fans in the room, they’re not exactly “cooling.” If you can, snag a room with a skylight as those let cool air in, especially when the boat is moving. Otherwise, take frequent, refreshing dips in the Adriatic or consider swapping nights sleeping above deck with your roommate. Two people in a tiny cabin and no A/C can get reeeeeeeal cozy. If you’ve got portable, rechargeable fans, bring those along.

If you’ve got any girls in your group, bring mirrors.

As we said, the inside of the boat can get really muggy and downright uncomfortable. Below deck, especially before bed, it can be too steamy to handle — and the bathrooms become a claustrophobic sauna. So getting ready for one of six very dressy nights is a sweaty struggle. Do yourself a solid and bring a portable standing mirror, so you can get ready above deck with a breeze (and preferably also a drink). Our crew split two mirrors among five girls, but we could’ve been ready much faster (and enjoyed the sunset more) if we had brought one per girl.

Buy shampoo, soap, and other toiletries there.

If you’re trying to just take a carry-on bag to Yacht Week, remember you’ll be able to hit the grocery store before your trip and don’t need to pack full-sized shampoo, soap, and other toiletries.

Split is the worst airport on the planet. But still get there early.

OK, maybe not the whole planet. There’s probably one in rural Mongolia that’s worse. But rural Mongolia also doesn’t process 3000 passengers at a time on a summer Saturday, most of whom have splitting hangovers and a nasty wet cough. Lines literally run out the door to check in the day after Yacht Week, and the gates are smaller than you’d find at a tiny regional airport. It can take two hours minimum from the time you walk in to the time you clear immigration and get to your gate, so plan accordingly.

But if you don’t cut it close, you’re in for a long afternoon. Want to kill time at the bar? There’s a single beer tap with some bottles on the far end of the terminal, with exactly one seat and some trash cans you can flip over to sit on. Lounge? There is one just past security, but it’s only open to elite fliers of European airlines, and its amenities don’t extend much past coffee and Croatian newspapers. There’s also a snack stand and coffee shop with sandwiches you may recognize from school lunch.

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EUROPE , GREECE , SAILING · March 23, 2018 Last Updated on March 13, 2024

8 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU GO ON THE YACHT WEEK

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Have you heard of The Yacht Week ? If not then let me introduce you to what could be the best week of your life. Back in 2014 I spent a week sailing around Greece on an all girls Yacht Week boat. We had an incredible time but there were some things I wish I would have known before the trip that could have made it even better. So here are eight things you should know before you go on The Yacht Week!

1) THE YACHT WEEK COULD BE THE BEST WEEK OF YOUR LIFE – JUST GO!

As you can see from the video above The Yacht Week looks like a lot of fun, and it is! This video is of The Yacht Week Greece trip I was on featuring some clips of our boat. I booked with one of my friends and prior to the tip I hadn’t met any of the other girls who were going to be on our sailboat. All the girls turned out to be awesome and we all made fast friends.

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If you can’t get a group of friends together to book your own sailboat don’t let that stop you from going on The Yacht Week. Just find one friend to go with you and book a two-person cabin! You’ll make new friends, and have the time of your life, especially after reading all my tips so you’ll know what to expect.

2) THE YACHT WEEK IS MORE ABOUT PARTYING THAN SAILING

The Yacht Week is basically one big floating festival! If you want to have a serious week of peaceful sailing then The Yacht Week is probably not for you. You will sail from location to location but you’ll spend a lot more time partying than sailing on most of The Yacht Week routes. You need to be in the right frame of mind for this prior to the trip. So if you plan on going on The Yacht Week put your party hat on and be ready to have some fun!

3) CHOOSE YOUR YACHT WEEK ROUTE BASED ON PACE

You’ll likely look at The Yacht Week website and see a destination you want to go to and decide this is the route you want to take. I advise against this. In order to have the best time possible book a route based on the pace you want to go at.

Since I went on The Yacht Week they have added several new routes including an Italy route which they are marketing as slower paced for “sophisticated sailors and the food fanatics.” I have only been on the Greece route so I can’t vouch for this claim but if you want to do less partying, and more sailing and exploring, booking the Italy route seems like the way to go.

The Greece route I went on is labeled at a mid paced route. I love music and parties but I personally would have preferred more sailing and sight-seeing. Based on my experience, I would describe the mid paced Yacht Week routes (Greece, Montenegro and BVIs) as party routes and the fast paced routes (Croatia and Croatia Ultra) as ultra party routes.

4) SKIP SOME OF THE DAY PARTIES & EXPLORE

As I said above The Yacht Week, overall, is more about partying than anything else but you are visiting amazing places on all of their routes so I suggest skipping some of the parties and exploring your surroundings. On the Greece route there was a day party and a night party at each stop. When we docked at Hydra Island , my friend and I skipped the day party and explored the island which turned out to be one of my favorite days on the trip! There are plenty of parties so don’t worry about skipping some of them and opting to take in some sights and local culture instead.

5) SPLURGE ON A PREMIUM SAILBOAT

This is a gross topic but I have to bring it up because I would never want anyone to be in the same situation the girls on my boat were on. Our Yacht Week boat was a cheaper, economy sailboat and it was not equipped for us to be able to do anything besides pee in the toilets. That’s right, we did not have proper use of toilets on our boat for an entire week! Because of this my friend and I ended up renting several hotel rooms during Yacht Week (read Nikki Beach Porto Heli and Hotel Miranda Hydra Island ) just so we could have use of a toilet and shower.

So what is the moral of this story? Don’t go for the cheapest boat you can find. There are now four types of yachts you can book with The Yacht Week – Economy, Standard, Premium and Premium Plus. Spend the extra money to book a premium sailboat, and check that you’ll have unrestricted use of the toilet onboard before you book.

6) THE YACHT WEEK IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN YOU THINK

I budgeted around $75 a day for food, drinks and extras for our seven-day trip and quickly realized this was not going to be enough. Upon arrival we were told we needed to go shopping for costumes for the sailing competition and parties. Next, we had to put money in for the “Kitty Fund,” which is food and drinks for the boat for the week. We also had to pitch in money to tip our skipper and pay for gas for the boat.

At The Yacht Week parties you usually get one or two free drinks with your wristband, but after, that you have to pay for your drinks. Drinking every day can get expensive, especially if you want to splurge on bottle service. If you plan to drink and eat out and don’t want to worry about running out of money, you should plan to spend around $130 USD/day.

$150 Kitty $50 Costumes $525 ($75/Day Restaurants + Cocktails x 7 Days) $100 Gas/Tip for Skipper $100 Bottle Service _______ $925 TOTAL

7) YOUR SAILBOAT WILL GET DIRTY REALLY QUICKLY

We had an all-girls crew and our sailboat still got very dirty every day. In order to keep your boat from becoming filthy get everyone on your boat to agree from the start to all help clean. If everyone pitches in, it takes less than 20 minutes a day to keep your boat clean. Do your dishes right after you are done eating, and keep all your personal stuff in your own cabin. No one wants to spend a week in a tiny cramped, dirty space. This is the real Yacht Week v. your Instagram Yacht Week…

8) CHOOSE WHO YOU BOOK WITH WISELY

The last thing you want to do is go on what could be the week of your life with someone who can’t go with the flow, relax and enjoy an adventure. If you’re booking a two-person cabin with a friend make sure you are on the same page about what type of trip you both want to have.

If you can’t wait to get to The Yacht Week and party all week and your friend is looking for a peaceful, relaxing week of sailing and sightseeing it is not going to work. If your friend wants to do a luxury sailing trip but you want to book an economy sailboat to save money it is not going to work. This seems pretty obvious but I saw both of these scenarios happen and it is a buzz kill for everyone. Make sure you are on the same page with whoever you book The Yacht Week with, wether you are booking a two-person cabin or an entire sailboat.

Have you been on The Yacht Week? If you have any additional tips for our readers or questions for me please leave these in the comments below.

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May 4, 2018 at 2:53 am

Hi, where did you get your bikinis? I love them! Thanks!

James Methew says

August 28, 2018 at 6:02 am

Great Blog! Yacht Charting is considered the best way of spending your holidays and is an interesting activity to include in your traveling.

May 5, 2019 at 5:30 pm

Im about to book the Greece trip with a friend but now I am really concerned about the bathroom situation… can you maybe tell me a little bit more about that?

June 18, 2019 at 7:11 am

The boats have marine toilets; you can use them for #1 and #2, you just can’t flush anything else down them. So that means you have a baggie for toilet paper you throw out once or twice a day. It’s not ideal, but it’s not as bad as you might think, and you get used to it pretty quick. Plus, you’re on land a lot and can use regular toilets pretty much any time you’re not sailing.

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It's Not Hou It's Me

Houston & travel blog, a houstonian’s guide: the yacht week in croatia.

It all started with an Instagram post — well, for me at least. I remember specifically being in Riva’s (celebrating something?) and someone at the table mentioned Yacht Week. I felt dumb. Was this a reality show? Or….what? I am not used to being out of the loop on pop culture.

The first picture was of crystal blue water and stark white boats in a circle. In the middle were all these fun-looking floats. The next picture was a bunch of beautiful people wearing white being super tan. Soon I was months deep on this account and we were talking logistics: When were we going?

So, it’s not a reality show. It’s a travel company. Think of it as a deconstructed cruise but for young people (I described it to my mom like this). You hop from destination to destination and are in a marina at a different location each night — but instead of having your own cabin, you have your own boat.

Our expectations were this: We’d be a group of 7 or 8 and get our own boat with our own skipper and hostess to sail and feed us and we’d relax to the gorgeous backdrop of the Adriatic Sea and the Croatian coast. Sounded perfect.

And it absolutely was.

But add in amazing people (33 other boats, to be exact) and an experience I could never have even imagined being so perfect. I know it sounds like I’m romanticising a simple vacation. But The Yacht Week is no simple vacation . It’s actually nothing like any vacation I’ve ever had — and probably ever will. That is, unless I do it again at one of the ten other destinations. Which I plan to do. See you soon, British Virgin Islands.

The concept is a little insane, and while you can watch all the videos and read all the other blogs out there, here’s what I think you should know about this trip that’s nothing like the real world. Absolutely nothing.

How It Works

I think TYW’s goal is honestly to make things super easy for you (note: making it cheap for you is not a main goal of theirs). Everything is pretty much planned for you on the vacation, and booking is just as easy.

The first thing we did was head to TYW website . We actually had to wait a little for the summer listings to go live. But when we did, we hopped online and browsed. Step one was deciding on a week, which was relatively easy for us since we were working so far in advance. There’s at least 12 weeks of Croatia, and we signed up for the first week (Week 23) . The only downside to the beginning of the summer we didn’t realize until later is that it’s still a little “chilly” with highs of 85 and lows of 65. As Houstonians, we were scared. It ended up being PERFECT. Most boats don’t have A/C, so a chilly night is welcomed. Yes, the water was cold, but we got used to it and I ended up LOVING it. I did pack (and use regularly) a sweater. I also brought a cuter jean jacket for nighttime activities, but never used it.

Next: You pick your crew. How many girls, how many guys, would you need a skipper or hostess? (Unless you can sail a boat, you need a skipper.) Hostesses are a little more optional, but such a life changer. 10/10 would recommend one — you’re on vacay, after all!!! Hostesses clean common areas and cook breakfasts, lunches and some dinners.) We picked 8 girls, skipper, and hostess for a boat total of 10. Note: You do have to have your gender ratio approved — the safest thing to do is book half and half. We booked all girls, and it was fine.

Then it was boat picking time. We had four categories: Economy, standard, premium, and premium plus. It basically just has to do with yacht age and equipment. We chose standard and started browsing the available boats. We found one with four bathrooms and unlimited wifi, which swayed us despite no A/C.

Once booked, we had three payment due dates . Not sure how exactly the payments were divided up — it wasn’t even thirds. But we all paid one third of our total individually owed by each deadline, and we were all paid off more than a month before our trip, which really helped us saving wise.

It was honestly pretty affordable. We got the hostess, skipper, boat, alcohol and food packages for about 850 euros per person. When you realize that’s your lodging, most meals, and where you’ll spend a lot of time, it seems pretty reasonable.

When you get to TYW, you do have to shell out some more cash. We each put in 1500 kuna ($1 = 6 kuna) into the “kitty”. Our skipper used this money to pay for gas, port fees, water taxis, etc. Basically anything that had to do with your aquatic transportation. Plus, whatever was left you get back at the end of the week. (We actually added to it and gave it as a tip to our skipper and hostess).

Perks of having a hostess exhibit A and B.

The other big expense was a 2,000 euro deposit for the boat. Which we were told had to be cash. After a not-so-brief panic session, we figured out that, in at least our case, it was ok to put the deposit on a card. Whew. Considering ATMs have a cash maximum and we had already withdrawn so much kuna for the week, we were pretty tapped out on cash.

Before we boarded, a couple of us went to grocery shop with our hostess. Which was a whooooole thing. A. Bc grocery shopping in a foreign country when you don’t know the language is hard. B. We just wanted to be on the boat and it took sooooo long. Groceries ended up being another $63 per person we weren’t expecting — but would have been way more had we not had the food and alcohol packages . But again, not a huge expense when you think about it for a whole week of foods. And it turned out our food package didn’t include a lot of things: produce, meat, cheese. It was basically just dry goods.

A note on the alcohol package we got: We didn’t know what it was, but it ended up being a set list of liquor, water and mixers. We got fanta, cokes, sprite, juice, plus: 2 bottles of jager (ew, why?!), 1 rum, 4 vodkas, 1 whiskey, 12ish champagnes/proseccos, 48 beers and a smattering of other things I can’t even remember. Oh and a shitton of waters. It kinda sucked not having a say over what we had and we way overpaid, but it was nice to have that taken care of. As it was, we had two FULL grocery carts of food. (TYW shuttle took us and our full carts to the marina, lol).

We’d get to land between 3-4 pm each day, and we’d hang out on the boat, get ready for dinner and head for shore — which sometimes meant climbing over boats to get to land, sometimes hopping into water taxis, occasionally walking a short, unstable board to dock, and one time it meant pulling the dingy by a rope and climbing rocks up to land. Not kidding.

When you’re on land, you’re responsible for feeding your hostess and skipper . It’s not a huge expense since you’re splitting it among all your crew, but you do have to do some math at the end of dinner — which caused bickering on more than just our own boat. Math is hard, y’all. And you never have exact change.

After dinner, we usually had some time to kill before the parties, which started at 11 or so each night, but there were two day parties that started at 5, then dinner followed. Then, after killing some time, there was yet another party. #CantStopWontStop on #TheYachtWeek.

I’m done talking generally. Let’s talk about land!

The Towns/Islands

Every week on TYW is different . We didn’t have our set schedule until two weeks before our trip — they don’t set it until last minute so they can see the weather forecast. Also, there’s an app called “The Week” that you download and get a password to log into your specific week (“Week 23 Croatia 2017”). On the app, you can see the itinerary, other boats and crews, and everything you need to know.

Here’s where we went on our week.

Not a bad view heading toward Trogir at sunset.

We flew into Split, Croatia, then actually stayed in a hostel the night before we headed to our marina — there are multiple starting marinas. Ours was called Marina Kastela, and was apparently the best because it had a grocery store really close and was only 20 minutes outside of Split. We Ubered to the marina and, after checking in/grocery shopping/our safety talk from our skipper, we sailed into the sunset headed for Trogir.

Since we were the opening week, we had special programming: a free dinner with all you can drink wine. Dangerous start to the week. Dinner was in a castle. Casual. We could see Il Castello del Camerlengo on our way in as the sun disappeared behind it.

Opening party in a castle. Casual.

We docked, dressed and headed to land, by way of climbing over boats. Dinner was three courses and average. The wine was amazing and we plowed through so many bottles — hey, there were 9 of us!

Eventually people left the tables and headed for the dance floor, where we spent the next few hours.

Trogir to Komiza was long, but we stopped to float. Then I steered us there. (No, not really.)

We left Trogir at around 9 a.m. or so. Our hostess, Robyn, was up and preparing the most gorgeous spread of food and we, various degrees of hungover, came out, made plates and headed up to eat on deck (it was pretty hot down in the galley anytime the sun was up.

Trogir to Komiza was a long trip and we stopped somewhere in between to swim with some of the other boats. It was glorious. Floats were floating. Mimosas were mimosaing.

Dinner and walking around Komiza.

When we finally got to Komiza, the sun was setting but we all took deck showers: Bathing suit stays on and you use the hose at the end of the boat to rinse off. Once dressed, we went on land via water taxi to grab dinner at a so obviously overpriced restaurant (we had a special menu I am willing to bet was 10-20 kunas higher in price than the regular menu). It was yum, math was hard and then we started wandering around Komiza. The water taxis stopped at 10 pm and didn’t start again until 1 am at the party — which was a 15 minute walk away from where we came in.

So, even though not everyone was down for a party, we all had to go to catch our ride at the very least. This party in Komiza is really chill and right on the beach . There’s a DJ and a dance floor, but there’s also quieter tables and couches literally on the beach, which you’re a monster if you can’t enjoy. There’s no real theme for the party, but they recommended a sort of glow theme — face paint, glow sticks, etc. We later realized that this was apropo for any TYW party.

Enjoy we did and we abandoned the party sometime after one to go hang out on our boat.

At some point during the first two days, we told our skipper, Ante, that we really wanted to see the Green and Blue Caves and Stivina Bay , a spot he really wanted us to see. We all decided: We gotta do those three things.

Watch your head entering the Blue Cave — but once you’re in, it’s gorgeous.

Since Komiza and Vis were really close, our day heading to Vis was to be the day we explore the caves. So, at 8 am on day 3, we were headed to the Blue Cave. And…. at 8:30 a.m., we were awoken to be alerted that we were there. I remember being SO tired and just… hot. I jumped into the water immediately, with no regret, then we got in a small boat and a tour guide took us into the cave. It was breathtakingly blue (duh) and apparently you aren’t allowed to take pictures (oops, broke that rule) or swim (ugh, wanted to break that rule). The tour was super short and we were at the bay by, like, 10 am.

Just some of the MANY shots from the perfectly picturesque Stiniva Bay.

Stiniva Bay was bay far the best part of the day (pun intended). It’s got a narrow opening so only small boats can fit through. We had to swim or take the dingy in. Once there, the beach is rocky but incredibly picturesque. We had a lil photoshoot.

After exploring the bay, we headed back to the boat because we assumed it was time to go to the Green Cave. Instead we found a sleeping skipper and floated near the boat instead.

The Green Cave was similar to the bay — we had to hop into the water to swim or take the dingy in. It was a little anticlimactic — both the Blue Cave and the bay were way prettier. Plus, by this time, we had all decided we wanted to explore Vis a little more than the last places we’ve been at.

Some shots from our “Out of Vis World” tour.

Ante arranged a military tour of Vis that ended with wine and cheese. We got to Vis at 4, pulled our dingy to land by a rope (seriously), the hopped in a van with a man named Marco from Out of Vis World — a tour company that has my love for its name alone. We learned all about Vis and how it was Croatia’s military island due to its tricky port — it’s very rocky and steep so the enemy navy men are unable to easily get on land. (We learn of Vis’ unfriendly shore the next day).

The tour takes us to the top of the island and we get to see out to the most breathtaking view! That alone was worth the 250/300 kuna we paid. However, the wine and cheese at Roki’s was pretty dang good too.

Post wine, we headed back to our boat where Robyn made dinner. We ate. We drank. Then we headed to the night’s party: Tropical retro themed and in a fortress — of course. We learned during our tour that Vis has narrow roads and steep ledges — not for the faint of heart. TYW recommends renting scooters or cars to DIY your tour. Here to strongly recommend that you don’t do either. Book a tour, sleep in the van and have someone tell you what you’re looking at.

Anyways, we taxi-ed to land then started the trek up the hills in a huge charter bus with other TYW people, which was a little scary, but we lived.

The Fort George party is known for it’s huge bottles of liquor you order at your bottle-service-only table. We, instead, hung out at a cocktail table and took tequila shots chased with corona like any decent Texan would. I think this was my favorite party. The night started with a live band — not a DJ! But even when the DJ was on, he played better music than the previous nights’ parties. I danced in a champagne shower. Side note: You will never ever be completely clean on TYW.

Hvar/Palmizana

We were among the last to leave Vis, and we were going to sail to Hvar since the wind was strong. Our sailing lesson took place a little bit away from the few boats still remaining at port. A short while in, those remaining boats called out for our help. A couple boats were “crashing” (not really sure what was happening, I think their anchors were caught). Ante needed to pull one boat off the other, but after we missed catching the rope three times from one skipper, the strong wind had almost blown us into the island. (There’s Vis’ unfriendly shore/bitter wind for you). Ante tried to turn the engine on to get us out of there, but the throttle didn’t work.

With no engine to get us out nor our anchor down holding us at sea, we were drifting closer and closer to land. We had a skipper in a dingy using the dingy engine to try to push us away or at least hold us where we were. Another skipper boarded our boat to try to help. Meanwhile, us girls were holding fenders to prevent crashing into another yacht. 

The throttle kicked on in what was possibly the last second before we ran aground. Which would have been basically the end of our vacation (and 2,000 euros). Later, Ante dived down to access any yacht damage, and we had none. Relieving, since I could literally see the rocks beneath our boat at one point.

Sailing was fun, but sitting in rain to do it was not . A few hours later, we had made it to Palmizana — across from Hvar — where we would be docking. We were among the last boats to arrive, but somehow we scored a parking spot super close to land. This was the first on-land shower/restrooms we had access to, so we all pretty much immediately headed for those.

We hung out on our boats a little, but we had our first darty (day party) at Hula Hula beach bar at 5 pm. We water taxied to Hvar and walked the shore of what is quite possibly the cutest little beach town in all of Eastern Europe.

The thing to do at Hula Hula is order carafes of drinks and split it amongst your friends. We got punches and mojitos and, despite wanting them so badly, no french fries.

Kiva Kiva Bar, I love you, your alley-turned-bar and your helmet shots — no matter how painful it was.

After watching the sun set, we got pizza then headed to a TYW favorite: Kiva Bar. Beloved for its mosh pit of a dancefloor and its tequila boom shots (OJ and tequila mixed by banging it on your helmeted head), Kiva is a must-visit at least one of your two nights in Hvar. You’ll be hot and sweaty, but you’ll have fun.

Laganini Seafood Restaurant

After Hvar, we took yet another water taxi to Carpe Diem: A club on its own island. (Castle? Check. Fort? Check. Club on its own private island? Check.) I kind of hated it — just being honest. It just wasn’t anything special, overpriced and kind of empty that first night.

Day 2 of Hvar/Palmizana was nice. There was yoga in a little forest facing the beach, but we skipped it. Oops. We walked to the beach (a sand beach for once!) and hung out before treating ourselves to a fancy lunch at Laganini Seafood Restaurant . Kinda regretted it because we didn’t need to spend money, but the view was amazing. And the seafood was fresh and the pasta was, well, also fresh.

After lunch we started getting ready for The White Party — a TYW staple where everyone dresses in all white (this year had a French Riviera theme). The second darty, again at 5. We took an earlier taxi and shopped a little before: Lavender and turquoise are must-gets . The White Party was so fun and I got free face glitter that upped my already skyrocketing basic level to 1000. I stuck to white wine, since I didn’t want to spill and stain, but still got spilled on somehow — thank god it was only redbull.

White Party/Riviera Party at Carpe Diem Hvar.

Post party 1, we went to dinner at a restaurant that was not very yum — I barely touched my gnocchi (maybe I’m a gnocchi snob). Then, instead of Kiva Bar, we went to another Hvar favorite: Seven, where TYW peeps got free drinks . Too bad they were not very tasty and BRIGHT blue. Who thought, “Oh, white party night. What drinks should we serve? I know! Blue Curacao and Sprite!” (IDK if this was what it actually was, but it tasted like it.) We all skipped the second night at Carpe Diem and opted for gelato then drinks on the boat. Note: I did hear that Carpe Diem was less disappointing the second night , so maybe skip the first night instead.

We went instead to another bay where we would stay for the night. We rafted differently this time: Two straight lines. Everyone brought out the floats and jumped in between the two lines. A boat had a DJ, and the day’s party was a float party.

Robyn made us dinner and we played card games and hung out with new friends. I loved this day — so simple and chill.

Regatta day and Split

TYW’s regatta day means group costumes. We went fruity, by way of DIY.

The last day of TYW is a race back to your original marina. Each boat has a costume theme (we were fruit — other boat costumes included: ’80s, risky business, baywatch, Canadian I think?), so in addition to your sailing skills, you’re showing those off. We weren’t really about the competition. Instead, we took our time savoring our last day on the boat. All too soon we were back in Marina Kastela and ordering pizza for dinner on the boat so that we could drink more of our remaining alcohol (we had a LOT left). After dinner, we headed to the last party at one of the fancier venues: Vanilla club. 

Vanilla ended up being my favorite party. Maybe it was because it was the last night and I was super sad. Maybe it was because all my crew was there — rare since there was always 1-2 people not up for a party. Maybe it was because the music was a little more mainstream and more our taste. Whatever it was, I had a freaking blast. Didn’t want it to end.

But end it did and we had to be packed up and off the boat by 9 am the next day, which we managed to do somehow. Bye perfect paradise. A few hugs with Ante and Robyn, we left the marina and found our hostel before spending the rest of the day in Old Town Split.

What I Wish I’d Known

If you didn’t watch the sun rise at least once, did you even go to TYW?

• TYW has photographers that float around during the week taking pictures of everyone doing fabulous things. You gotta be fab to get in these photos. I’m in quite a few, but only one is really good of me. They post (probably what is only a fraction of the shots) on Facebook a week after your week.
• That you don’t have to go to every single party, but you will regret not going. At least I did. What’s more important to remember, is that you don’t have to drink at every single party . If you have FOMO like me and want to make all the events, then just pace yourself. I did do this, but I could have done it better some nights.

• You contribute to helping sail the boat — but you really got to step up. Tasks include: Pulling up or putting down the anchor, fastening the fenders on the sides of the boats, holding the helm straight, tossing or catching ropes, etc. When sailing, you have to: Find the right ropes and wench to raise or lower the sails, give slack to help the person wenching, bumper and unbumper the ropes. Does this sound like sailing/boat things? I’m still not sure. I was queen of anchoring, fendering and wenching.

• Trogir: Tro-Gear (roll the “r”, hard “g”)
• Komiza: Co-mi-sha (the “z” sound is v weird in Croatia)
• Hvar: Far (with not a lot of emphasis on “f”)
• Palmizana: Pal-me-shana (like parmesan + a)
• Strategically pick a day to stay up until sunrise. We didn’t do this, but we got lucky. The first night in Hvar was perfect since we didn’t have to wake up to sail the next day.
• Hvala: Kwalla (not a lot of emphasis on the “k”). Means thank you (I remembered this as being like koala.
• Živjeli: Juvilee (like jubilee!). It means cheers, and you circle your drink around your head after clinking.
• Oprostite: Oh-pro-sti-te. Pardon me, like when moving through a crowd.
• On plaća: Ohn plasha. He is paying. Pick a random dude, gesture to him and tell the bartender, “On plaća”
• You do need to plan to get to Split a little earlier than need be (we had a hostel the night before) because flights get delayed or canceled and you don’t want to miss a second.

• You don’t, however, really need to stay another night after TYW is over . We booked another hostel for another night after we were off the boat. Yes, it was nice to shower and sleep on land, but it ended up being super depressing to be staying five minutes away from where you just disembarked from the best vacation ever. I wasn’t ready to go home really, but it was just torture being there where another TYW had just begun and I’m over here sad in a hostel about to fly back home to the real world.

What to Pack

Mission: One week on a yacht in Croatia, all packed in one carry on. (Mission accomplished)

Flags, flat shoes, themed clothes, GoPros, floats and more. Read our complete packing guide here.

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Inside Yacht Week

How it works

You've heard us say it's the best week of your life, and you've chosen your dream destination. But how does it all come together? How do you select the perfect yacht? And what's the deal with a host? Here's the lowdown on exactly how you book your week at sea.

Your step-by-step guide

Choose from our yacht categories or pick your own!

Choose your crew; sail with a group or join a shared yacht

Pay & sail; secure your spot for just a 10% deposit

Choose a category or pick your own

Our categories.

Choose from two yacht categories, Classic and Premium, in both Monohull and Catamaran types. Select the one that fits with your crew's spirit and budget, and we'll match you with a yacht that fits the bill. Or, if you're crystal clear about your desires, go ahead and pick your own.

Add your extras

Once you've chosen your yacht, it's time to make it uniquely yours. This is where you can add those exciting extras to turn your week into the dream you've always envisioned. How about adding a host to handle your meals while you soak in the adventure?

Choose your crew

Spend an unforgettable week on a yacht with your very own skipper and up to 12 friends. Can't fill a whole yacht? Use our handy Crew Finder to connect with other travellers.

Go to Crew finder

Set sail with like-minded adventurers in a cabin on a shared yacht.

Masters of the ocean, they’ll navigate and sail your crew, show you the hidden gems en route and ensure your safety is the priority. Skippers are also included with every booking.

• + RYA Skipper License (or equivalent)
• + Trained at YW Skipper Academy
• + Will quite literally show you the ropes if you’d like to learn to sail

Elevate your week to a whole new level with a host. They'll whip up fresh meals for you on deck daily and keep your yacht in pristine condition. Add hosts to any yacht, as long as there's a cabin for them.

• + Culinary genius
• + Local know-it-all
• + Trained at YW Host Academy

Pay and sail

Payment plan.

Pay off your booking in 3 instalments.

Instalment 1 · Confirm booking 10 %

Instalment 2 · 30 days after 30 %

Instalment 3 · 60 days before you sail 60 %

You will only need to pay 10% at the time of booking to secure your space.

• 10% deposit
• 30% of the balance, due 30 days after your booked
• 60% of the remaining balance, due 60 days before your trip

As the lead booker, once you have added your crew to your booking they will create their own profiles and can view the booking and pay their share. That way you won’t have to send money back and forth between everyone in the crew.

Ready to go? Choose your route now

Explore destination.

Dates May - Aug

Price from €613 pp

Croatia Original

Dates May - Sep

Price from €756 pp

Greece Athens

Price from €1,041 pp

Croatia Ultra

Dates 01 - 07 JUNE

Croatia Drumcode

Sardinia refined route, sardinia emerald coast.

Dates NEW YEARS

Price from €1,726 pp

Caribbean BVI

Polynesia tahiti.

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THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME

The ultimate group adventure to the world's first floating festival. Live on a yacht, explore Croatia and tick a new thing off your bucket list every day.

Trips start from $610 per person

“You’ve never traveled like this”

This is a proper summer. You, your mates & the open water. Oh and about 400 other people, a bunch more yachts & raves on remote islands. If there’s one thing you should do before you die, it’s hug your mother. If there are two things you do before you die, go on Yacht Week.

and it all starts in

We first set sail for Croatia 15 years ago. This is where it all began and we’ve been back every year since. With its sparkling oceans, iconic sites & ancient walled cities, Croatia is the iconic, original destination of Yacht Week. An absolute essential stop for any Eurotrip.

set sail on the adriatic sea.

The regatta.

come together in secret bays.

The tunnel raft

“THE PARTY OF A LIFETIME”

Explore historic islands.

Hvar starigrad bol vis

BE A PART OF THE LEGENDARY CIRCLE RAFT

"That was the best f***ing week of my life"

-Kevin, Buffalo, NY...

(to anyone who will listen)

party in an ancient fort.

Fort George

And everything in between.

to choose from

may 25 - sep 6

FOR THE UNINITIATED

This is not fyre festival.

We’ve been running this for 15 years. We’ve hosted over 100 000 people on the water... And we don’t even have a Netflix documentary.

You don't need to own a yacht.

Choose from our trusty fleet & a Yacht is yours for the week.  It’s basically like AirBnb – if an AirBnb could float.  And travel between islands. And take you to hidden bays. Ok it’s literally nothing like an AirBnb.

YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW HOW TO SAIL.

Every Yacht has its own Skipper.  They’ll be with you all week, fully trained captains of the high seas. Carefully steering you through the best week of your life.

Full week pass + yacht

From $610 per person

‘Reckless’ soldier who caused £35,000 worth of damage while racing his friend is spared prison

A British Army soldier destroyed a £35,000 shower block when he ploughed into it in his car following a race around the military base with a colleague, a court martial heard.

Lance Corporal Jack Whitt and Lance Corporal Kieran Rough both crashed their cars in heavy rain, ran away and then lied to police when questioned.

L/Cpl Rough swerved into a concrete barrier in his black BMW and L/Cpl Whitt, who was just behind him in his white Mercedes, ploughed into the shower unit at Tidworth Camp, Wilts.

The soldiers, both 25 and from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, then repeatedly lied to police while giving statements and interviews, insisting they were not driving.

Now, they have been given 10-week prison sentences suspended for 12 months at Bulford Military Court, Wilts.

The Army had to replace the shower block at Tidworth following the “very silly” incident on January 14 last year, costing more than £35,000.

Lieutenant Colonel Lindsey Jones, prosecuting, told the court that after returning from a night out in nearby Amesbury around midnight, the Lance Corporals “got in their respective cars and drove around camp”.

“It was dark and they were driving at speed,” Lt Col Jones said.

She said L/Cpl Rough “misjudged” a bend in the road and had to brake suddenly, causing him to swerve off and collide with a concrete kerb at 12.45am.

L/Cpl Whitt, who was behind his colleague, then ploughed straight into the portable shower block and sent it flying 15 metres.

Lt Col Jones said the pair “fled the scene” but an SOS device in one of the cars alerted police that there had been a crash and Wiltshire Police officers rushed to the site.

Around 1.30am, L/Cpl Rough and L/Cpl Whitt returned to the scene – but lied to officers.

L/Cpl Rough told them “he was not driving” and that the car had been “taken from camp without his consent”.

They were eventually caught after DNA evidence was found on their airbags.

Lt Col Jones said: “The driving was too fast for the road and prevailing conditions. It was dark and raining heavily and L/Cpl Rough did not know the layout.

“The court may consider that was a reckless contravention.

“Driving without due care and attention not only puts the driver at risk, but other drivers and pedestrians at risk.

“They had several opportunities to report this accident but they decided not to.

“Honesty is such an essential and integral component of the chain of command.”

The soldiers, part of 6 Armoured Close Support Battalion, admitted breaching a standing order by driving without due care and attention, failure to report the accident, and conduct prejudicial to good order in relation to lying to police.

Alex Rynn, solicitor for L/Cpl Rough, said they were “quite frankly, very silly actions”.

Mr Rynn said: “Perhaps L/Cpl Rough said it best himself, he said ‘this was the stupidest thing in the world’. He is very sorry.”

Laura Deuxberry, solicitor for LC/pl Whitt, said: “Clearly this was an act one might expect from a teenager. It’s clear that time in the Army might have matured him, and it has, but a split second decision led to what we’re dealing with today.”

Assistant Judge Advocate General John Atwill said the soldiers narrowly escaped prison.

Judge Atwill said: “We express no view as to why you were [driving]; you said you were showing each other around. It was a bad day at the races, whatever.

“The crashes that you had – had the cars not saved you – could have killed you. Driving badly is no good. Leaving the scene is no good. Lying to the police is really no good. It’s an offence for which civilians can expect to go to prison.”

Judge Atwill said it was a “chain of events that got out of hand” and that the pair were loyal to each other rather than doing the right thing and reporting it.

“You wasted police time and it reflected very badly on you as soldiers and as non-commissioned officers.”

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NEWS ALERT: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will plead guilty in deal with US and return to Australia

Here’s what’s at stake for Biden and Trump in this week’s presidential debate

The Associated Press

June 24, 2024, 9:52 AM

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NEW YORK (AP) — Rarely, if ever, has one candidate in a presidential debate had so much material to use against the other.

Republican Donald Trump has been convicted of 34 felony counts with serious charges in three other indictments still pending. As president, Trump nominated three of the justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and erode abortion access in America, creating a backlash even in conservative-led states. And his sweeping second-term plans include promises of retribution against political enemies in both major political parties.

Yet the big question for President Joe Biden , fairly or not, is whether he can press the case against Trump. Perhaps nothing matters more than the level of energy and strength the Democratic incumbent projects on stage.

Both men have glaring flaws that present their opponent with tremendous opportunity and risk. They will face a huge national audience that will include many people tuning into their 2020 rematch for the first time and who won’t see another debate until September, magnifying each success or mistake.

Biden and Trump will face off Thursday at 9 p.m. ET for 90 minutes inside a CNN studio in Atlanta.

Here are some key questions we’ll be watching:

Can Biden perform?

Biden’s seeming low bar for success has been created, at least in part, by Trump and his Republican allies, who have relentlessly mocked the Democratic president for apparent stumbles connected to his age for years. Trump’s allies have questioned whether the 81-year-old Biden can even stay awake and stand up for the entire 90 minutes — even as Trump, 78, has had his own flubs in his speeches at rallies. Trump defended himself Saturday about a moment during the Republican primary when he apparently confused former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley for former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He told a crowd Saturday that liberals had misconstrued what he called a moment of “pure genius.”

Democrats are hopeful that Biden can bring the same energy he did in his State of the Union address earlier in the year. But a face-off on live television against an opponent who delights in verbal combat is very different from a scripted speech before Congress.

Biden’s team is aware that he cannot afford to have a bad night with the nation watching.

Can Trump tone himself down?

Having already locked up his base, Trump has an opportunity with persuadable swing voters and moderates who fueled Biden’s victory four years ago and now express concerns about both candidates.

But to win over the so-called “double haters,” Trump cannot simply lean into the red-meat talking points, personal insults and conspiracy theories that typically dominate his public appearances. Instead of more talk of retribution or lies about the U.S. election system, he’ll need to offer an optimistic vision for the future and a clear contrast with Biden on traditional kitchen-table issues like health care and education.

He was widely panned for his outbursts in the first 2020 debate with Biden, badgering the then-Democratic nominee and repeatedly interrupting him. Their second debate took a milder tone and focused on their sharply different governing visions.

Can he stay disciplined Thursday night? Some allies are hopeful. History may suggest otherwise.

Navigating the criminal records

Trump’s extraordinary legal baggage creates opportunity and risk for both candidates on stage.

Biden’s campaign has signaled an increasing willingness to lean into Trump’s criminal record in recent days. But aside from a few jabs, Biden himself has largely distanced himself from Trump’s prosecutions to avoid the appearance of political interference.

Trump, who has been alleging for years without evidence that Biden is responsible for prosecuting him, won’t make it easy for the president to toe that line.

Recent polling shows that about half of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s New York conviction. And if voters don’t think the specific convictions are troublesome, Trump’s attempt to conceal an alleged affair with a porn actress is hardly bumper sticker material.

Meanwhile, Biden is aware that Trump may go after his son, Hunter, as the then-president did on the debate stage four years ago. Hunter Biden was recently convicted on three felony charges related to the purchase of a gun while allegedly being addicted to drugs. Trump has also raised questions about Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings when his father was vice president.

Muted mics and moderators

As is often the case, the moderators and the ground rules will likely shape the debate’s outcome. And the ground rules for this debate, the first of two scheduled meetings, are unusual.

It’s worth noting that the candidates are bypassing the traditional structure determined by the Commission on Presidential Debates and instead relying on a set of mutually agreed rules and conditions.

Biden and Trump will debate at a CNN studio in Atlanta with no audience. There will be no opening statements. Each candidate’s microphone will be muted, except when it’s his turn to speak. No props or pre-written notes will be allowed on stage. The candidates will be given only a pen, a pad of paper and a bottle of water.

A coin flip determined that Trump would deliver the final closing statement.

The event will be moderated by CNN’s Dana Bash and Jake Tapper, two well-respected anchors who have not been shy about calling out Trump’s lies and conspiracy theories.

While Bash and Tapper have led critical coverage of Biden at times as well, Biden’s camp is no doubt hoping that they’ll play an active role in rejecting Trump’s potential falsehoods in real time. While Biden’s microphone will be muted when Trump is speaking, for example, the moderators’ mics will not.

Abortion versus immigration

While style sometimes matters more than substance on the debate stage, both candidates have serious policy challenges to navigate.

For Trump, no issue looms larger than abortion. His Supreme Court appointments while president enabled the court to overturn Roe vs. Wade, which triggered an avalanche of abortion restrictions across the nation. Trump has repeatedly said he was proud of his role in overturning Roe. And Biden will be eager to highlight Trump’s role.

Trump, of course, has said he would not support a national abortion ban if reelected. But given his track record on Roe, he may have more work to do if he hopes to convince women he can be trusted on a key health care issue.

Biden’s greatest political liability, meanwhile, may be immigration. The Democrat’s administration has struggled to limit the number of immigrants entering the country at the U.S.-Mexico border. His allies privately acknowledge the issue is a major political liability heading into the fall.

Trump loves nothing more than highlighting illegal immigration, so expect him to pound Biden on the issue.

At the same time, Biden will face tough questions about his leadership in the war between Israel and Hamas. The president has alienated some would-be supporters on both sides given his staunch support — and occasional criticism — of Israel.

He’ll have a major opportunity to defend his record on the complicated issue Thursday night. It won’t be easy.

Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

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Feds: Ex-Detroit riverfront CFO tried to unload Mexican condo, Georgia home and 36-foot yacht

A federal judge barred former Detroit Riverfront Conservancy CFO William Smith and others from selling or transferring assets after prosecutors Monday alleged he tried to unload a condo in Mexico, a home in Georgia and a 36-foot yacht, the "SS Duo," since being arrested by the FBI and accused of stealing $40 million.

The allegations emerged in unsealed federal court filings that provided new details about how Smith is accused of spending money that prosecutors believe was stolen from the riverfront group. Details in the unsealed filings confirmed reports in the last two weeks in The Detroit News that Smith had transferred homes to a company headed by his wife and a friend as investigators uncovered one of the largest alleged fraud schemes in Detroit history.

U.S. District Judge Linda Parker issued a temporary restraining order preventing the property from being sold and required Smith to answer why the order should not be extended for the duration of the case and while he negotiates a possible guilty plea with federal prosecutors.

Meanwhile, the judge's restraining order covers assets up to $39.3 million — approximately the amount Smith is accused of stealing since late 2012. Smith became CFO of the conservancy in 2011 and had some level of control over its finances since 2006, according to prosecutors.

An "FBI investigation reveals that Smith is engaging in an ongoing effort to transfer assets that would otherwise be available to repay his victims," Assistant U.S. Attorneys K. Craig Welkener and Jessica Nathan wrote in requesting the restraining order.

"Smith used the embezzled funds for his own personal gain and enrichment, spending the funds on airline tickets, hotels, limousines, household goods, lawn care, clothing, and jewelry," they added.

There was no immediate comment from Smith's lawyer, Gerald Evelyn.

More: Detroit Riverfront ex-CFO William Smith talking plea deal as feds slap lien on $1.2M home

More: Detroit Riverfront fires CFO William Smith's pal amid $40M scandal. He explains his side

Monday's court filing provides the most complete look at the real-estate empire Smith amassed while being paid less than $250,000 annually during his Riverfront Conservancy tenure. Prosecutors say he used millions of dollars stolen from the nonprofit, along with some of his own money, to buy properties in two countries, including a nearly $1.3 million home in Novi, the Southfield nightclub Duo Restaurant & Lounge, a party store in Michigan's "Black Eden" and other property in Texas, Georgia and Mexico.

“We are thankful for the swift action taken by the government and law enforcement to retrieve the money stolen from the conservancy,” conservancy Chairman Matt Cullen said Monday in a statement. “This is a crucial step in ensuring that no one will get away with stealing from the conservancy and the people of Detroit."

The effort by federal prosecutors to freeze Smith's assets across two countries and three states came on the same day the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation announced a new $10 million gift to help finish the west riverfront park the conservancy is constructing amid a cash crunch from the alleged embezzlement scandal. The Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan also has created a $35 million fund to help the cash-strapped conservancy finish the new Ralph C. Wilson Centennial Park and final portions of the Uniroyal Promenade and Robert Valade Park on the east riverfront.

New real estate revealed

The new real estate revealed late Monday includes a home in southwest Atlanta that is listed for $799,900. Smith bought the three-bed, five-bath home for $665,000 four years ago and transferred the property to his YBE Investments LLC, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the Atlanta home has been for sale since May 28, three days before the conservancy fired Smith and eight days before the FBI arrested him.

Federal prosecutors also believe Smith controls a $385,000, two-bed, two-bath condo in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Details were unavailable, but it appears the condo was built in 2021 or later, prosecutors said.

Investigators learned about that property after raiding his conservancy office and finding paperwork about the condo and a company named "Alter Ego Properties LLC," prosecutors revealed.

State records also show Smith has recently tried to sell the "SS Duo," a 36-foot Cruisers 35 Express yacht he purchased in May 2021.

"The yacht is believed to be dry docked at a Detroit area marina," prosecutors wrote.

The yacht appears to be named after his shuttered Southfield nightclub, Duo Restaurant & Lounge. A sign on the door last week indicated the lounge was closed "indefinitely."

The nightclub is in a plaza along Northwestern Highway, near Inkster Road, tucked between a comedy club and Woof Woof, a doggie boutique.

Yet state records show Duo Restaurant & Lounge, despite its small footprint, sold more liquor ($868,051) than almost every other bar, restaurant or concert venue in Michigan last year, except Little Caesars Arena ($1,186,551) and the Detroit sports bar Brass Rail ($880,894), according to Michigan Liquor Control Commission sales data. Duo's sales surpassed much larger venues, such as Ford Field, Comerica Park and the Topgolf driving range along Interstate 75 in Auburn Hills.

State liquor sales data show Duo Restaurant & Lounge rocketed from 221st in total purchases of booze ($117,519) from the liquor control commission in 2016 — when state records show Smith became the owner — to the state's No. 5 in total annual purchases in 2019 ($498,525).

"Given that Smith obtained $39.3 million in fraud proceeds over 12 years, while making less than $3 million total in that time frame from his conservancy salary, and his pattern of transferring criminal proceeds to LLCs in his control or spending them on his own pursuits, the United States alleges that Smith obtained or improved the great majority of his numerous assets with fraud proceeds," prosecutors wrote.

Smith also identified a home near Houston, Texas, that Smith either has an interest in or has tried to transfer, an investigator wrote in the unsealed civil case.

The three-bed, 2.5-bath, 2,288-square foot home in Cypress was built in 2021 and is worth an estimated $493,988, according to real estate records.

More: Feds target ex-Detroit Riverfront CFO's real estate empire to recoup missing millions

Smith risks being charged with another crime if he is able to sell the properties or yacht, prosecutors said.

Flurry of asset transfers

As first reported in The News , Smith last month transferred one of his family's homes, a $224,000 ranch-style home in Redford Township, to a new LLC organized by his wife for $10. The transfer occurred on May 21, five days after state police investigators searched Smith's office at the conservancy and seized unspecified documents, according to Wayne County property records.

Smith also transferred two homes on Biltmore Street in northwest Detroit, including a rental home to a friend who talked to The News about the deal last week .

Investigators have identified other property in which Smith has an interest or has tried to transfer recently. That includes two 2021 Can-Am motorcycles. The News reported about the motorcycles last week , including that he and friend Darrell Greer, purchased matching $21,000 motorcycles and registered them with the state on the same day. Greer also bought one of Smith's homes on Biltmore Street on Detroit's west side in late April for $35,000 while forensic auditors were uncovering fraud at the conservancy, records show.

That price was far below the home's true value of $79,939, according to the court filing.

More: 'He can easily hide or dispose of property': Inside riverfront exec William Smith's business empire

The criminal case alleges Smith used the nonprofit’s American Express platinum credit card to make $14.9 million in illegitimate purchases, including airline tickets, clothing, jewelry, furniture and $17,453 at Louis Vuitton.

Smith also is accused of wiring $24.4 million from a conservancy account to one of his companies, the Joseph Group & Associates.

Smith is charged with bank and wire fraud, charges that could send him to federal prison for 30 years.

The News, however, has obtained liens filed by prosecutors on at least 14 properties linked to Smith, which shows FBI agents are also investigating theft or bribery involving federal funds and money laundering.

In a related affidavit Monday, the lead FBI special agent on the case said there was a “high likelihood of multiple money laundering violations.”

“Each of these transactions commingled the proceeds of his offenses with other property that he purchased before and during the criminal activity, transforming victim funds into individual assets, and concealing the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of his fraud proceeds,” the agent wrote.

Shoring up the riverfront projects

The flurry of legal action against Smith comes as Metro Detroit's philanthropic foundations are scrambling to keep construction continuing on schedule on the West Riverfront, where the 22-acre Ralph C. Wilson Centennial Park remains under construction.

The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation is contributing a $10 million grant to the $35 million fund, officials said.

The Wilson Foundation has authorized the Community Foundation to use assets of endowed funds at the Community Foundation to create a $25 million line of credit for future construction contractor payments. A line of credit will be reduced depending on fundraising and recoveries from the alleged embezzlement are received, officials said.

Officials said if the endowed funds need to be used, the Wilson Foundation will provide additional grants to ensure the Community Foundation can continue making community grants from those funds while fundraising efforts continue. Other funders have expressed support for the effort, officials said. Discussions with those groups will resume now that the fund has been created, officials said.

Construction of Wilson Park is expected to be completed by fall 2025.

"We are grateful to our philanthropic partners who continue to support our vision, and will continue to collaborate with law enforcement to ensure justice, recover the money stolen from the conservancy, and finish our mission of completing and sustaining the No. 1 riverfront in the U.S.," Cullen said Monday in a statement.

Other philanthropic organizations that have played a role in the development of the RiverWalk and adjoining walkways through the city praised the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan and Ralph C. Wilson Foundation for forming the new fund.

"The Hudson-Webber Foundation is very pleased that there has been a solution provided to ensure that work will continue on the Riverfront project. We have future funding commitments in place that have already been approved by the board," said Donald Rencher, president and CEO of the Hudson-Webber Foundation.

The Hudson-Webber Foundation's board is chaired by Jennifer Hudson Parke, who is the board secretary of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. Federal prosecutors  allege Smith forged Hudson Parke's signature  to secure a $5 million line of credit last fall — unbeknownst to anyone else at the conservancy — as part of his embezzlement scheme.

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@robertsnellnews

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Dallas-Fort Worth under heat advisory; triple digits expected every day this week

After reaching 100 degrees for the first time this year over the weekend, Dallas-Fort Worth is in for a sweltering week.

At 3:42 p.m. Sunday, the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office recorded 100 degrees. This is the first time this year that the Metroplex has reached triple digits.

With the triple-digit seal finally broken, North Texans can expect hot temperatures every day this week as heat index values could reach 110 degrees.

“We’re in the Texas heat now,” NWS meteorologist Juan Hernandez told the Star-Telegram.

A heat advisory has been issued for Dallas-Fort Worth from noon Monday until 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The heat advisory will likely be extended as heat index values will be between 100 and 110 degrees this week, Hernandez said. A heat advisory is issued when the heat index value is expected to reach between 105 to 109 degrees, according to the NWS.

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Daily temperatures Monday through Friday will hover around 99 and 100 degrees.

Dallas-Fort Worth has an increase in humidity this week, which is why heat index values will be high, Hernandez said. Heat index is the “feels like” temperature and is found by calculating the air temperature and humidity together.

The only rain chances in the region this week are for northeast Texas, far away from the Metroplex.

“We don’t have any rain chances for the Metroplex during the next seven days,” Hernandez said.

The 7-day forecast for Dallas-Fort Worth

Monday: 99 degrees

Tuesday: 100 degrees

Wednesday: 100 degrees

Thursday: 100 degrees

Friday: 100 degrees

Saturday: 100 degrees

Sunday: 100 degrees

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'Harry Potter' author JK Rowling's yacht visits US Southern states

Rowling's mega yacht, the samsara, recently docked in florida, georgia and south carolina.

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The mega yacht reportedly owned by "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling recently made a few stops at U.S. ports, causing local buzz along the way.

The writer's yacht, a vessel called the Samsara, was first spotted earlier this month off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida , according to Fits News. It then docked in Savannah, Georgia, until June 8, before making its way up the coast to Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.  

Mega yacht Samsara is moored in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, June 14, 2024. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital / Fox News)

It is unclear whether Rowling was onboard the super yacht during its travels to the Southern states. FOX Business has reached out to the author's publicist for further details.

According to Superyachtfan.com, the Samara is 290 feet long and was built in 2015 by Oceanco. The vessel has seven cabins for holding up to 14 guests, along with another 13 cabins for housing up to 27 crew members.

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The luxury boat is worth an estimated $150 million and costs between $10 million and $15 million to operate annually, according to the site. 

The 290-foot Samsara is reportedly owned by author J.K. Rowling, and has an estimated value of $150 million, with an annual running cost of $10 million to $15 million. (The Image Direct for Fox News Digital / Fox News)

For those wishing to take it for a spin, the Samara is available for charter at YachtCharterFleet.com for around $1,179,000 per week. The site states that the yacht has a movie theater, swimming pool, elevator, beach club, gym and helicopter hangar.

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Samsara also has an array of toys for guests to choose from, including Jet Skis, a Flyboard, a Kite Surfer, a seabob, wakeboards, kayaks and WindSurfers.

J.K. Rowling arrives for the U.K. premiere of the film "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" in London on Nov. 13, 2018. (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Rowling is the world's wealthiest author , with an estimated net worth of around $1 billion, according to a recent report by The Sun. However, she was famously booted from the Forbes billionaire list in 2012 after her charitable giving led to her net worth falling below that mark.

Copies of J.K. Rowling's latest book, "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," on display at a bookstore in New York on Aug. 3, 2016. (Volkan Furuncu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

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Rowling began writing the "Harry Potter" book series in the 1990s as a struggling single mother. Since then, she has sold more than 600 million copies globally, and the eight films based on the series have raked in more than $7.7 billion, according to IMBD.

How the Lottery Works, and Is It Worth Playing?

Here are the odds of winning the lottery and how to play responsibly.

How the Lottery Works

Jay L. Clendenin | Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

There are a couple things to consider when you play the lottery if you want to improve your odds of winning.

Key Takeaways

• Lotteries are forms of gambling, offering scratch-off cards with instant winnings and draw tickets, for which the numbers are called.
• The odds of winning are very low, with scratchers having the best odds.
• If you want to play, make sure you have enough expendable cash, stick to your budget and stop if you can’t control your actions. 

Playing the lottery can be fun, especially when the potential payout is enormous. For as little as a dollar or two, you have the potential to become a billionaire. And the lottery is also big business.

According to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, which represents 53 lottery organizations across North America, U.S. lottery sales totaled more than $113 billion in 2023. A portion of the revenue goes to the prize money while the rest is routed to the state or city to fund a variety of essential services, so even if you lose, your community can win.

Does it make sense to spend your money on lottery tickets, though? That depends on your financial circumstances and if you get more out of the game than it costs.

How Lotteries Work

The lottery is a type of gambling. It is currently permitted in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. States that don't have lotteries are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.

Having a lottery in place can be a financial boost for the jurisdiction, since the money it earns goes toward services like public schools, park maintenance, veterans programs and pensions for city workers – or it gets deposited into the general fund.

As a player, you can buy a lottery ticket for as little as a buck or two, though you can also buy tickets in higher increments for a bigger pay out. There are two basic varieties of lottery tickets:

• Scratchers . These are brightly colored cards that allow you to scratch off a series of hidden numbers or images. You will win a prize if some or all match up.
• Draw lottery . You may choose a series of six numbers or have them chosen for you at purchase. The lottery manager randomly picks a set of numbers, and if a certain number are the same as those on your ticket, you win.

Although both of these options are available in physical form, 19 states allow you to play the lottery online as well, where you can purchase digital versions of the game.

Odds of Winning the Lottery

In general, scratchers offer players higher odds of winning than draw lotteries because the prize value can be very low, like $5 (though it can also go up to thousands of dollars).

According to statistics published by the Iowa Lottery, the overall odds of winning at least something with a scratcher ticket are about 1 in 3.41.

On the other hand, the odds of winning with a draw lottery ticket are considerably lower. Powerball reports the odds of players winning even a $4 prize by matching a single number is 1 in 38.32, but is falls to 1 in 292.2 million if you were to match all six numbers.

The grand prize can be the stuff of daydreams, though. The largest Powerball jackpot was for the California lottery in November 2022, with a cash award of more than $2 billion.

Reasons People Play the Lottery 

A 2023 Empower Money Talks study found that 71% of Americans have purchased a lottery ticket. But with such low odds of a major payout, why would you spend your hard-earned money on a lottery ticket?

“From a rational standpoint it may seem like a poor purchase,” says Robert Johnson, chartered financial analyst and professor of finance at Heider College of Business, Creighton University.

"But the entertainment value of buying a lottery ticket may actually make the purchase one that makes sense in terms of economic theory,” he adds.

Buying a lottery ticket can be worth the expense simply because it provides an element of fun. The odds of winning may be infinitesimal, but it gives the ticket holder an opportunity to fantasize about what they would do with the winnings and how their life would change if they got lucky.

Dr. Fern Kazlow, a New York City-based clinical psychotherapist, says a few other factors go into why people play the lottery, despite such slim chances.

“People who tend to play the lottery a lot tend to have an interesting paradox,” Kazlow says. “They are optimists, believing they can win, but may not have that same optimism about other aspects of their financial life. It's different from someone who is an entrepreneur. When they want to make more money, they double down with business. This is more about hope.”

Regular lottery players may diminish the losses and concentrate on the times they did win. That attitude, Kazlow says, keeps them coming back to try again.

“It’s a social thing too,” she says. “They may play at the same local store they always buy from, with other people who are also playing. This happens more with scratch-off tickets. There is something rewarding in the uncertainty. It’s exciting. People are looking over other people's shoulders, and there’s immediate gratification when you win, even if it’s a small amount of money.”

Marketing Behind the Lottery 

You can’t win if you don’t play, right? Besides, it’s around the same price as a cup of coffee, if not less. Someone has to win, so it may as well be you. And with so many other people taking their chances, you don’t want to be the only one not even trying.

That’s exactly the feeling lottery organizers count on, says Adam Ortman, consumer psychologist and president and founder of Kinetic319, an advertising agency based in Denver.

“Lottery marketing campaigns expertly capitalize on fear of missing out – FOMO,” Ortman says.

"The narratives of prior winners and dreamers of wealth are crafted to show how ordinary lives can be dramatically improved through a single ticket, tapping into the aspirational desires of the audience,” he adds.

“The portrayal of winners enjoying newfound wealth and happiness creates a compelling emotional appeal, making the possibility of winning seem both attainable and life-changing,” Ortman says.

When the grand prize rises, more people play and the prize continues to escalate. It’s on the news, radio, billboards and online, plus people are talking abut it, asking others if they’ve purchased their tickets yet. As more zeros are added to the figure, the frequency of the messaging increases.

Additionally, lotteries often emphasize the simplicity of participating.

“By presenting the purchase of a ticket as a minimal investment with a potentially massive return, these campaigns reduce the perceived risk while magnifying the reward,” Ortman says.

"This dynamic is central to triggering FOMO, as individuals are motivated by the fear of missing out on a rare opportunity to drastically improve their circumstances," he adds.

And it works.

“Oh I’ve definitely bought a couple tickets,” Kazlow says. “I’ve seen the big numbers, then I want to get in on the possibility of winning, too.”

How to Play the Lottery Responsibly 

Considering jumping into the lottery game? Review your finances first, then plan for the indulgence.

“Budget, budget, budget,” Johnson says. “ Set a dollar value on a weekly or monthly basis and stick to it . People get into trouble when they consider playing the lottery for anything other than entertainment.”

Keep track of how you're feeling, too. If it’s becoming more of a compulsion than a joy, stop. Be aware of danger signs.

“Never gamble with money you don’t have and can’t afford to lose,” advises Kazlow. “If you can’t stop buying tickets from specific stores, don’t go in. Put up red flags for yourself.”

The lottery may seem innocuous, but it’s still gambling and it can definitely become an addiction.

Making matters worse for people who have trouble playing the game in moderation is the ability to purchase tickets from a computer or mobile device.

According to Statista research, revenue in the online lottery market is projected to reach $5.74 billion in 2024, with the expected number of users to grow to 14.7 million by 2029.

“Online lottery platforms have several responsible gambling controls in place,” says Alexander Korsager, chief gaming officer at Casino.org. “You can set deposit limits, take breaks or even entirely self-exclude. Unfortunately, this isn't possible if you're buying tickets in a store. So, you'll need to set budgets to keep your lottery spending in control.”

Korsager emphasizes that betting on the lottery should only be for fun . If you find yourself playing out of necessity, or it's no longer recreational, walk away.

If you can’t, and are concerned about gambling addiction, seek help. The National Problem Gambling Helpline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-GAMBLER.

Overspending and How to Stop

Jessica Walrack Oct. 26, 2023

Tags: money , personal finance , personal budgets , lottery

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