The Navigare Yachting flags were slowly swaying in front of the office at the base in Seget, Croatia, as the morning sun greeted 30 enthusiastic sailors. After two years of interruption, we were finally able to welcome our yacht investors down to the base for the incredibly popular Maneuvering Course! This is the perfect opportunity to get to know fellow investors and become acquainted with the base and our different boat models. We truly value the opportunity to meet our yacht owners, show them our operation firsthand, and help them become confident docking a big catamaran or monohull in a charter marina. At Navigare Yachting, we advocate transparency to our investors, and this is a great way to get together in a relaxed atmosphere, on the boats, and experience the Navigare lifestyle together.
We had prepared four boats for the investors to choose from; Lagoon 40, Lagoon 46, Fountaine Pajot 45, and Jeanneau Sun Loft 47. The investors were divided into small groups to ensure everyone had ample time to practice docking and maneuvering the boats. Skipper4you were on site, with one skipper on each boat teaching their best tips and tricks. We practiced good seamanship, emphasizing how to treat the boats and not wear out the motors or equipment unnecessarily. The mantra of these two days was “Slow is pro”!
The weather we had ordered for the occasions couldn’t have been better! The Mediterranean May sun was treating us well. The wind was pretty much non-existent in the morning, which made the conditions comfortable to train when going in and out of the docking slips in the marina, not having to worry about side winds and waves. But as the mistral winds came in the afternoon, the wind strength picked up - typical for the Croatian weather conditions. This allowed us a perfect opportunity to hoist the sails and learn everything we could about tracking, doing controlled jibes, and reefing the sails. For many of the participants, it was their first time sailing a catamaran or trying out self-tacking sails and electrical winches. It was a pleasure to hear the skippers from Skipper4you explain and teach their best secrets as professional sailors - especially when they talked so passionately about the importance of not wearing down the ropes or clam cleats.
These two days flew by way too fast, I would have loved to spend much more time with our amazing investors. I’m already looking forward to the next time we will see each other again, maybe on the next boat show or at one of our bases or perhaps even in a bay on a Navigare yacht! But now it was time to prepare the boats again for our upcoming Sea Trial, where potential yacht buyers came down to see the base for the first time and learn more about what our present investors already know, the wonders of sailing with Navigare Yachting!
We stocked the boats again with snacks and drinks. Our base staff did what they do best, and quickly turned the boats around for our incoming guests. We prepared sandwiches for our 18 potential customers, since this time we were not going to focus as much on training and docking in the marina. These two days were instead dedicated to the experience of sailing, showing the potential yacht buyers what it’s like being a part of the Navigare family! The Sea Trial group had informed us that they were mainly interested in the catamarans, so we took the Lagoon 46 (Genie) and the Fountaine Pajot (Coco) out on a day cruise. We sailed about 7 Nautical miles from Baotic Marina, Seget, to the island of Drvenik Veli, and anchored in Krknjaši bay, which has been known as “Blue Lagoon”. It took us approximately 2 hours to sail there, as the average wind was 3 knots and we took the opportunity to play around a little bit on our way there.
We dropped anchor and tied the boats together. Some tried out the water, others were enjoying a drink on the boats, relaxing in the net on Lagoon 46, and hanging out on the sunbeds on the Fountaine Pajot 45. Everything tastes better at sea, making the sandwiches we had packed for lunch the perfect picnic as we soaked in the surroundings. As we enjoyed the incredibly clear turquoise water, the owner of Lagoon 50 (Waterloo) approached the Lagoon, joining our little row of boats. We tied up all three boats alongside each other. We were jumping back and forth over the railing, hanging out and getting to know each other on the different boats, and bonding over our growing passion - Sailing!
In the afternoon we sailed back, with a little bit more wind filling up the sails. As we came back to the marina everyone's eyes were filled with excitement, and some of us had a little bit more sunkissed (red) skin than we had in the morning. Most of the participants in the Sea Trial were staying on our boats in the marina, so we decided to hang out on the flybridges of the boats, taking advantage of every little sun ray we could get. Then it was time to hit the showers and get ready for dinner. We had a joint dinner at Frankies, which is a genuine Croatian seafood restaurant just a short walk from the marina along the water. It was the perfect ending for a great first day of the sea trial!
The next day one group wanted to try out maneuvering the boat and test the sails, and another group wanted to get the feeling of what it would be like being on vacation on a Navigare yacht. The first group concentrated on sailing for as long as possible, so they spent the whole day onboard Fountaine Pajot 45. The second group sailed with Lagoon 46 to the harbor of Drvenik Veli, on the northwest side of the same island we went to the day before. As the season in Croatia has yet barely started, we were very lucky to be able to convince the restaurant owner in the bay to open for us! Swimming in the secluded bay and breathing in the fresh sea air was a treat for the soul. It was an amazing trip, that gave justice to what it’s like being an investor in the Navigare family and even reminded the Navigare staff all over again why we love what we do so much. Our potential yacht investors were able to get a full picture of our concept, asking us questions about our investment programs and even discussing programs with current yacht owners. To be able to share the Navigare lifestyle and allow clients to discover it themselves firsthand is the best way to even start to grasp what it’s all about! Now we are looking forward to our next Sea Trial in October, which will take place in both the Bahamas and Greece! Will we see you there?
