Arrive at Marina Kaštela, 15min by car from Split airport or 25min from Split old town, by 3pm to meet your fellow students and instructor. First you will provision the yacht with food and drinks. For dinner you will either cook aboard (two nights in the week) or go ashore to enjoy a local restaurant. Join in with check-in of the yacht, real life experience getting to know your new home for the next week. Once settled in your instructor will conduct a safety briefing and talk through the course plan including a route plan such as the one described below. Shortly afterwards you will be on your way! Night one will see you anchoring in a beautiful natural bay a short 2 hour sail across to the island of Brać, taking the dinghy in to shore to enjoy a small local restaurant.

Make the most of living on a yacht and dive off the back for a morning swim! After breakfast you will practice picking up a mooring ball, a great activity early in the week giving you confidence behind the wheel seeing how the boat reacts to your input. Some navigation theory over another (one is never enough) coffee and you will set sail for the beautiful island of Korčula. A quick stop in a quiet bay for lunch and a swim if you like will have you energised for more learning! You will find your sea legs as your instructor continues to teach you going through the course syllabus. Every day brings a different bay: the formal course activities usually finish at around 5pm.

Morning swim anyone? Maybe some yoga on the beach? You can enjoy the tranquil bay you’ve spent the night in before diving into some more theory. Your route will be heavily influenced by the weather so it’s good to get an understanding early in the week. After weather theory it will be time to go sailing! Work up a passage plan and head across to the island of Šćedro where you will find a quiet anchorage far away from modern cities giving you a flashback to the traditional Dalmatian way of life.  

An early start will get you across to the gorgeous island of Vis and a secret beach for lunch, did we mention swimming through caves on the way? Experience anchoring stern-to a cliff before you get the opportunity to climb up and jump off it (not for the inexperienced! It’s always your decision and your risk taken for these sorts of things, but we’ll rarely hold anyone back). After lunch you will head around to the West of the island to discover the charming little village of Komiža practicing reefing the sails along the way.

This morning if you like you will get an opportunity to explore the island of Vis. Think scooters or drop top ’60s VW Beetles. Wine tours are great here or simply ride to the top of the hill for an amazing view of the Adriatic. After lunch set sail for the other side of the island practicing Man Overboard drills under sail. Enjoy a traditional ‘peka’ dinner that you will love!

It doesn’t get much better than a morning spent sat at a cafe on the riva just steps from the back of your yacht enjoying fresh pastries and espresso. Vis is lovely. Now time to practice some Med mooring, teamwork is key here. This is a great opportunity to practice what most people find most daunting when finally chartering their own yacht. After mooring practice lets head to undoubtably the most beautiful stop of the week, Hvar. Once you’re tied to shore stretch your legs for a hike to the fort or enjoy a mojito at the infamous Hula Hula bar with one of the best sunsets you’re likely to see, ever.

Today you will spend the day brushing up on anything that your instructor thinks may need work. Sailing efficiently you can really take some time to nail your sail trim to get the most out of the yacht. Re-fueling the yacht and docking back in the base marina you will check out the yacht with your instructor and marina staff, again great practice for when you charter a yacht for yourself. Make the most of the marina facilities with a warm shower and laundry facilities if you’re continuing your travels. This evening you can knock out your theory tests before dinner at another great local restaurant or have a night of dinner, wine and cards onboard.

A final debrief over breakfast and then you will be anointed as an ex-Virgin! Ex-Virgins receive a huge amount of benefits such as discounts on Sailing Virgins branded Zhik sailing gear and on charter rates worldwide. You will leave the yacht by 9am to head to the airport or into Split to continue your adventures. Game of Thrones fan? Head down the coast to the beautiful old town of Dubrovnik to discover Kings Landing. Croatia has so much to offer why not stay a few extra days?