What is Yacht Week, Anyway?
A giant party, an exotic getaway, a celebration of all the fun you can have on and in the ocean, a facilitator of friendships, a festival for the sake of festivals— but what is it?
For starters, there's more than just one Yacht Week in a year: it runs week-to-week all summer in Croatia (the original), for two months in Greece, and two separate weeks in Sicily— plus as-yet-unannounced weeks a little farther off the beaten path, with past festivals taking place in Thailand, Brazil, and Tahiti.
The original and best-known Yacht Week, Croatia, has been going strong for almost two decades, but its existence flew largely under the radar until the late 2010s, by which time the founders had added Greece to the yearly schedule and begun to choose one-off locations to give their enthusiasts something novel. Some individual weeks now have themes — an EDM week, a reggaeton week, one called "refined" that expressly advertises itself to the "40-ish" crowd, with more laid-back activities like yoga and, one presumes, not too much emphasis on DJs.
It works, essentially, like this: you decide where you're going, when, and whether you'll be by yourself, in a small group, or in a large group, and book accordingly: solo travelers and small groups will get cabins; large groups will get an entire yacht. What kind of yacht? That depends: prices range from about 750 to about 2000 euros per person, with the cheapest being classic monohulls, midrange being "premium" monohulls and "classic" catamarans, and the high end being luxury catamarans. The fleet appears to be on the newer side, with no ships older than 2015, and even the cheaper options include lovely midsize builds from Beneteau, Hanse, and Dufour; the highest prices get you brand-new Fountaine Pajot and Lagoon catamarans.
"But do I have to sail it myself?" you ask, and Yacht Week anticipated that: all bookings appear to come with a skipper aboard the yacht, and some packages also includes a host— i.e., someone who makes sure partygoers don't forget to eat.
They also anticipated that attendees might like to do more than have raft parties, and trip offerings boast activities that include snorkeling and cycling, exploration of caves and coves, hikes of volcanoes and archaeological sites. You have to admit, though, that a raft party doesn't sound like the worst idea in the world.
