Since I had never even been on a day sailing trip before, I certainly didn’t know how to pack for The Yacht Week and seven days on a boat (read more about the trip through the Thai islands here).

I asked for suggestions on my Facebook Page and was impressed by all the responses I got – people go sailing more than I thought – what have I been doing?? The best help came from Liz Gillooly of Moxie & Epoxy, which makes sense as she’s a sailboat captain (how cool is that?). Here’s what she had to say:

Bathing suit and a hat. You’re good to go.

Seriously though, if I was doing it this would be my bag:

• 2-3 bathing suits
• 2 shorts (board shorts are great)
• tons of underwear (nothing better than getting out of wet bathing suit bottoms)
• 3 tank tops
• sarong
• hat
• sunscreen
• sunglasses
• backup sunglasses
• camera 
• beach dress
• rain jacket 
• face wipes to wipe the salt off after a swim 
• Kindle loaded with good books
• towel
• good snorkeling gear 
• GoPro

You’ll probably spend your days in a bathing suit so you don’t need to worry about too much else.

Then she said, “Didn’t realize it was for The Yacht Week, the packing list is slightly different for an event like that!”

There’s a loose dress code when it comes to The Yacht Week. We were told to follow the “Three C’s of TYW Fashion: Cool, Casual, Classy” as well as bring a nicer evening outfit for a special Christmas dinner and white outfit for one evening’s white beach party. Along with those guidelines, it was pretty much bathing suits (Liz was totally right), cover ups and sandals all day, everyday.

If I were to do it again, this is what I would take.

How to Pack for the Yacht Week

Clothing (or lack thereof)

• More bathing suits than you think you need
• Swimsuit cover ups (2)
• Long sleeved shirt, chambray button up or light jacket (if I were sailing somewhere else I would definitely take a couple more warmer things for breezy evenings, but in Thailand in December it is pretty much hot 24/7.)
• Hat (make sure that it stays on your head well, several girls on my boat brought hats but never wore them since they were just flying off)
• Two pairs of sandals or flip flops (don’t worry about tennis shoes or other shoes, you’ll either be wearing sandals or going barefoot, and take two pairs of sandals just in case one goes overboard…)
• Shorts (2)
• Loose pants (1)
• Sundress (1-2)
• Clothes to sleep in
• Plenty of underwear and a couple comfy bras (I tend to travel only with sports bras or lace bralettes, especially when in hot destinations)

Toiletries

• All the usual stuff: toothpaste, toothbrush, shampoo, soap, conditioner, etc. (bring small containers – you don’t have much space in the cabins and want to keep your stuff as small and condensed as possible)
• Any medications you need + Dramamine (just in case…I rarely get motion sickness but took some pills along with me just in case – you don’t want to get stuck in the water and starting to feel sick – and took one before working on my computer just as a precaution)
• Face wipes
• Baby powder (my travel go-to – helps your skin stay less sticky in the humidity and works as a dry shampoo)

Electronics

• Camera and/or GoPro (You’re going to want to take lots of photos! Make sure you have waterproof cases!)
• Battery chargers
• External battery chargers (the power on our boat was hit or miss and having an external battery pack for my phone, etc. definitely came in handy)
• (Don’t take a computer unless you absolutely have to)

Miscellaneous

• A couple pairs of sunglasses
• Waterproof bag and/or waterproof cases for your electronics
• A beach towel (there were towels in the cabins to use, but good to bring an extra one for sunbathing or going to the beach)
• Costumes (whatever floats your boat – there were plenty of Santa Clause getups the week I went just for the fun of it)
• Face paint (cause when else can you paint your face as an adult…)
• Floaties (serious flotation devices I saw: a watermelon, a swan, slices of pizza, and a pretzel…these are all necessary)
• Cards or board games
• Books, magazines or Kindles (you have a lot of time to simply chill on the boat between destinations and activities)

Don’t take anything you particularly love with you if you can help it. Between things easily going overboard, being misplaced or ruined it’s best to just stick with the basics.

Have you been sailing before – what else would you add to the list??

Heading on a trip with The Yacht Week (or just need more watermelon floaties in your life)? Pin this for a future reading and packing list!

Note: I was a grateful guest of The Yacht Week but all opinions are my own.