Guests on board – Sailing on our catamaran Blue Joline

We are on our way to the rendezvous point to pick up our next guests.

We'll be getting fellow sailors again this weekend and we want to reach the meeting point two days before to get our bearings and make the final preparations.

In Turkey, we require an amended transit log for crew changes, and we have to involve an agent for this. While this has always worked smoothly so far, it usually takes a day.

After two months of sailing alone, we're looking forward to some support and company. Fellow sailors are a welcome change from everyday life on board.

What about guests staying with us? We only travel according to a rough schedule.

Before we take on any new sailors, we will therefore make an appointment a few weeks in advance – previously, the guests would state the time and duration of their stay and we would then state the destination.

Depending on the region and length of stay, visitors arrive and depart either via an airport and then by bus or taxi to the boat, or by a round-trip flight.

The outbound and return flights are booked in advance, and we adjust our sailing route accordingly. We sail along a stretch of coast – the departure and arrival points are not the same, but each one is located so that the airport is easily accessible.

What's a day on board like? The morning begins with us anchoring in a bay or moored at a dock. Some people like to experience the sunrise over the ocean, others prefer to sleep in and enjoy the waves. Those who like can start the day with a swim in the sea or take the dinghy ashore to buy some bread.

After breakfast on the aft deck, we set our plan for the day. Will we drop anchor a bit longer for swimming, snorkeling, chilling, or going ashore – or will we raise the anchor and continue a few nautical miles to the next destination?

We sail along the coast, which means we always see land and anchor again before sunset. We usually sail or motor (if the wind isn't blowing in the same direction) for around three hours a day.

Afterwards, we'll cook dinner together, fire up the onboard barbecue, or go ashore and eat there and/or see what else the place has to offer: shopping, sightseeing, a visit to the hammam, live music...

Long-distance sailing isn't a sport, but a mode of transportation. While the skipper on tour must constantly monitor the situation—how the wind and waves behave, and the boats they encounter—constant activity isn't required. Once the sails are set, it usually only requires a few adjustments every now and then—until the anchor is dropped.

This means there's plenty of free time on board to chill, read, watch, talk, fish (successes are still pending here), socialize, and relax...

There's also work to be done: cleaning the ship, cooking, washing up, buying provisions... Everyone keeps their own cabin clean...

Our catamaran offers plenty of space for crew members with four cabins. While three double cabins are available for overnight guests, we only take a homogenous group on board and allocate the cabins individually. We want the experience to be personal and relaxed.

The route depends on the sailing area and the fellow sailors: do they prefer secluded bays or small, traditional villages, or larger, more action-packed towns? Do they want to sail long distances or stay at anchor for longer periods?

Traveling with us on board isn't a package tour; rather, we want to give our guests the opportunity to experience life on the water and the associated lifestyle. Those who want to can also get involved themselves, depending on their own abilities and interests, or sail independently. Neither the guests nor we know exactly what to expect. There are tour planners in book form and information online—we like to use noforeignland—and sometimes even more well-known locations—but it always remains a bit of a mixed bag.

On the water, time and space are lost – after a few hours on board, everyday life and home are far away and life takes on a new, unique rhythm in harmony with nature.

The view of the endless horizon broadens the view and the heart, the blue sea and the rocking of the waves makes you humble and peaceful.

We set sail and see what the day brings.

We are simply vagabonds of the seas.