Have you booked and paid for your very first sailing charter, but feel a little stumped as to what to pack? Earlier this year, I embarked on my own first fitcation of the sailing variety, on-board a Sunsail charter yacht in the gorgeous Seychelles archipelago. But I completely overpacked!
What I learned from this experience, is that a sailing trip requires traveller to pack as lightly as possible because storage space is at a premium. I’d also advise taking the climate into account – in the Seychelles, most of your days will be spent in swimsuits and board shorts due to it tropical humidity and consistently warm temperatures. What bliss!
Here is my Ultimate Seychelles Sailing packing list:
Luggage
- Bags for storage and plastic-free shopping
- Dry bag – Have one bag for items that cannot get wet.
- Duffel bag or soft side luggage (for easier cabin storage)
- Waterproof day backpack
- Belt bag or moon bag
Clothes
- 1 long pants
- 2 fast drying shorts/board short
- 2 tank tops or t-shirts
- 2 tee shirts
- A sarong and/or cover-up
- Bathing suits
- Casual dress up outfit for dinners
- Kaftan or Sarong
- Costume jewellery (leave expensive items at home)
- For girls: a sports bra/top for the adventure activities
- 1 x Packable rain coat or long sleeve sweater (it gets very humid and you will hardly need this)
- Sleep wear
- Sports watch or one that can get wet
- underwear
Shoes
- 1 pair of flip flops/sandals
- 1 pair of hiking/running shoes
- Deck shoes/sneakers (with non-slip soles)
Sun protection
- Ocean Friendly Sunscreen
- Eco Friendly after sun lotion
- Sunglasses
- 1 bandana
- 1 cap
- Sun hat
- A rash guard for sun protection
Toiletries
- A washing glove/ cloth /sponge
- All in one Shampoo/Conditioner
- Comb
- Deodorant
- Ear Plugs
- Eco Soap
- Hair Brush
- Hair dryer (if you must)
- Hair ties and clips
- Lip balm
- Make up (I only used tinted sunscreen most of the time)
- Nail clipper and file
- Shower cap
- Skin care products
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
First Aid Kit (most charters have one on board but bring your own as well, in case they don’t have items you need)
- Seasickness pills/wristband
- Personal medicine/glasses/contact lenses
- Allergy Medicine
- Anti-itch spray
- Band-Aid
- Cold Medicine
- Bug repellent
- Tweezers
- Graze/Wound Powder
Sundries
- Garbage bags
- Reusable Zip lock bags
- Eco Wipes
- Clothes pegs
- Eco Small laundry detergent
Food & Drinks
- Reusable Water bottle
- Water filtration solution
- Reusable Straw
- Coffee and coffee filters
- Cereal bars
- Snacks
Paperwork & money
- Cash (Essential, as This will help cover everything from taxi rides; mooring fees and marine park fees.)
- Certified copies of all documents (kept separate)
- Debit and Credit Cards
- Travel Insurance Documents
- Valid Passport
- Visa (No Visa Required for South Africa and USA Passport holders)
- Map/guide book
Sailing Related
- Rental documents
- Crew Insurance
- Driver’s License (you may rent a car)
- Headlamp
- Health Insurance Card
- List of emergency contacts
- Sailing gloves
- Sailing local water Guides and Charts
- Sailing Licence
- Sailing log book
Diving related
- Coral and fish book for identification
- Dive Card/Licence
- Dive Computer
- Dive log book
- Dive Torch
- Go Pro Waterproof housing
- Mesh bag for snorkelling gear
- Snorkel & mask (Snorkel gear is included with your Sunsail charter)
- Underwater camera
- Wet shoes
OTHER
- Your country flag to hoist and personalize your yacht
- A notebook and pen
- A sewing kit
- Portable speaker
- Laundry bags – 1 per person
- Cheap reading glasses – if you need
- Cell phones/chargers
- Computers/chargers
- Games of your own choosing – board games/cards
- Books/magazines
- Kindle/Tablet
- Deck of cards – Keep yourself entertained.
- Plug Adapters
- Power-bank
- Memory Cards
- Headphones
- Binoculars
- Inflatable and water toys. (Stand Up paddle-boards & kayaks are readily available for rent upon arrival.
To round off, don’t be completely blindsided by the new swimsuit and stylish pair of sandals or floral sarong you’ve treated yourself to for your summer break. There are plenty of practical items – including chargers, dry bags and that all-important first-aid kit – that should ideally come along with you to ensure every base is covered, and that you don’t end up spending your precious vacation time searching for something like bug repellant or after-sun lotion in a foreign grocery store.
