What to Pack for a Yacht Day in Dubrovnik

Guests routinely bring twice what they need. A charter day out of Gruž needs one small soft bag per couple: sun protection, swim kit, towels, a dry layer, documents and a little cash. The boat’s side of the bargain — skipper, insurance, safety equipment, sound system — is already handled.

Below is the list we send with every booking confirmation, expanded with the reasons behind it. It applies to all our trips, from the two-hour Old Town loop to a full eight hours around the islands on a private yacht charter.

What should you pack for the sun?

Sunscreen first — SPF 30 or higher, applied before you step aboard and again after every swim. On the water you catch the sun twice: direct, and reflected off the surface, which is how people burn under a hat in a 12-knot breeze. From June to August the UV index on this coast regularly reads 8–9; the daily forecast is on the Croatian met service at meteo.hr.

The rest of the sun kit:

• A hat with a chin strap or a snug fit — a boat doing 20 knots is a hat graveyard.
• Sunglasses, ideally polarised; the glare off the Adriatic at midday is fierce, and polarised lenses also let you see the seabed at anchor.
• A long-sleeved shirt or rash vest for midday hours — cooler than re-applying cream, and better for children.

What do you need for swimming?

Swimwear worn under your clothes, a towel each, one dry set for afterwards, and swim shoes if anyone in the group dislikes pebbles underfoot. Most mainland and island beaches here are pebble or rock — Šunj on Lopud is the great sandy exception — so cheap water shoes turn a tender-footed shuffle into an easy walk-in.

Prescription glasses wearers: bring a €10 swim mask with your dioptre, or wear a standard mask over contact lenses. And pack everything in a soft bag rather than a hard case — soft bags stow in lockers; wheeled suitcases slide around the cabin all day.

What keeps you comfortable on board?

One light wind layer, even in August. Underway you sit in a 20-knot apparent breeze, and after sunset the temperature drops fast — on the evening cruise a linen shirt or light jumper is the difference between watching golden hour and hiding in the cabin.

Also worth their pocket space:

• Seasickness tablets if you know you are prone. Take one an hour before departure, not when you feel it. Summer mornings are usually near-flat, so most guests never think about it.
• A dry bag or zip-lock for your phone. Phones survive spray; they do not survive the swim step.
• A power bank if you plan to film all day — 4K video and full sun drain batteries quickly.
• Water and anything you want chilled — bring your own bottles and snacks; tell us ahead and we will have them cold when you step aboard.

Which documents and money should you carry?

Photo ID for every adult, your booking confirmation on your phone, and €50–100 in cash per couple. Croatia uses the euro and cards are widely accepted, but a few island konobas and the odd ice-cream kiosk remain cash-only, and reserve tickets — around €27 for Lokrum, about €25 for Mljet National Park — are quicker with cash in hand. Park fees are not included in charter prices, anywhere, by anyone honest.

If your route includes a restaurant lunch, no reservation paperwork is needed — the skipper calls ahead while you swim.

Travelling with children? Add their own hats and rash vests, a favourite snack, and armbands if they are still learning — we carry child-sized life jackets in every size, but flotation toys for the anchorage are yours to bring. The Dead Sea lagoon on Lokrum and the sandy shallows at Šunj are the two most toddler-friendly swim stops on the coast.

What is already on board?

Everything that keeps the day safe and running. Every charter includes as standard:

• Licensed skipper holding a Croatian Maritime Licence
• Full insurance — passenger and third-party liability cover
• Full safety equipment, life jackets in all sizes
• A pre-departure safety briefing before you cast off
• Bluetooth sound system — bring a playlist, not a speaker

Croatia’s charter fleet is regulated by the Ministry of the Sea, and safety kit is inspected annually; the national tourist board’s practical pages at croatia.hr cover the wider rules for visitors afloat.

What should you leave behind?

Dark-soled shoes, above all. Black rubber soles leave scuff marks on a white deck that take an hour to buff out, which is why skippers worldwide ask for bare feet or light soles aboard. Deck shoes, white-soled trainers or flip-flops left in the cockpit all work; stilettos do not, on several counts.

Also better ashore:

• Glass bottles — decant drinks into cans or plastic; glass plus a moving deck ends badly.
• Drones — flying near the Old Town walls needs permits most visitors do not have.
• Valuables you will not use — the boat is safe, but salt air and jewellery are poor friends.
• A rigid cool box — tell us instead what you would like chilled and we will handle it.

Pack that one soft bag tonight, and the rest of the day looks after itself. When you are ready, pick a date and book — the confirmation email repeats this list in short form, so nobody has to remember it at 07:30 on the morning.