Welcome Aboard
Planning to Cooinda
Cooinda is our home now and one of the great virtues of being retired aboard a boat is that we have no fixed ageda or requirements during the year and especially during the sailing season. Fixed rosters, schedules and timetables are a thing of the past sand are things we shun. The ability to move where we want when we want is one of the great attractions of this life and something we now jealously guard. Weather and especially the bad sort will move us somwewhere perhaps less agreeable from time to time as will essential maintenance or repairs and of course so will victualling. With that in mind we won’t tell where we will be 3 months or even perhaps a week ahead of time as we genuinely wont know. We will probably know the country we will be in 3 months out and the region 2 weeks out but the town or bay no way until a day or two in advance, which might even change on the day. I suppose what we are saying is please dont ask as we dont know. We can suggest you fly to a hub like Rome, Athens, London etc and thereafter maybe think in terms of secondary cities, but we wont commit to one of those until much closer to your arrival date, say 3 weeks. From there it will be shanks pony, bus, taxi, Uber, ferry or all the above which we can confirm hopefully the day before. We know that is hard for some people but that’s the only way we will do it. We can commit to a day of arrival or a general area but not both.
A humble Request
Living in Europe as we do at the moment is fantastic and we can get most things we need. From time to time however there are parts or items difficult for us to obtain, either unavailable here or because we have no fixed address. So a couple of weeks before you leave home to come to us we would appreciate it if you could let us know if you wouldn’t mind bringing something with you. We would pay for the item/s and have it/them delivered to you before you leave home. They wouldn’t be large, too heavy or a customs burden but this could often help us out a lot. Sometimes it might be just some duty free booze we would fix you up for on arrival aboard. Remember to only purchase liquids inbound to Europe / last stop so you dont get it confiscated by security where regs prevent bringing liquids from outside the security screened area.
Aboard Cooinda
Experience has taught us that whilst roomy and with plenty of spaces to hang out, we prefer to have just one family or couple aboard at a time now. We want to enjoy your company and spend time with you, as in most cases it will have been a long time since we have seen you. There are always rare exceptions we will consider of course.
What to Expect:
We reckon you’ll love being aboard and enjoy your experiences with Cooinda. She is a spacious and comfortable boat and has all the safety equipment you would need for where we sail plus some. You will have your own queen bed cabin and bathroom with bath and beach towels provided. We will run you through boat bathroom etiquette when you arrive as well as the usual safety information provide by Captain Seamus.
We are keen for our guests to enjoy the experiences of our new life so we would like you to participate in the boating activities as much as you feel comfortable and as suitable for the conditions. Sometimes when things get busy please understand that we may not be able to chat or be present, so just find a comfortable place and relax until we can join you. We will show you the ropes for food, drinks and amenities so please make yourselves at home and don’t expect us to wait on you. And quiet time is good too so bring your Kindle.
We generally avoid a fixed itinerary and write our plans in sand at low tide. So far we have seen many plans thwarted or modified considerably due any number of factors. One fairly common and increasing change agent is the weather. So a pick up, a drop off or a spectacular cave or the like might be missed due to dangerous or risky weather affecting a passage or anchorage. These are things we can’t do anything about. In the first couple of years we had goals and sights to tick off, but realised there were very few that were so necesssary to stick to a plan apart from maybe a Dawn Service at ANZAC Cove or a 60th in Istanbul. Even then we would let those go if there was any danger in achieving them. We are too old for that unnecessary stress shyte.
What to Bring:
Hopefully the weather will be agreeable but always best to bring a light jacket for poor weather. At the ends of the season it is wise to bring a wind proof fleece and maybe jeans for the cooler evenings. Very casual is the mood, and swimmers, sunscreen, sunnies, hats and coverups are a must. We generally have simple meals aboard and buy groceries locally when ashore. Visiting local bars and restaurants will be an expected activity as well as walking to various sites of tourist interest so decent walking shoes are suggested.
Obvious things like prescribed drugs are important. Most things are available here, however a prescription may not be so easy on the islands. Bring your prescription with you to avoid issues in customs and with police. Interestingly for instance I understand, possession of coedine is illegal in Greece!
Luggage:
More and more of us are travelling just with carry on bags, which is perfect for joining us aboard Cooinda. As capacious as a catamaran is, large and in particular hard cases are problematic with regards storing them whilst aboard. They make an otherwise good size queen sized berth, hard to get around and diminish your experience aboard. Soft style bags work well especially as sometimes we will be picking you up from a quay or most from a beach in the dinghy so smaller is much easier to handle. Most bags are reasonably water proof and whilst it is highly unlikely your bag will get wet, when being picked up in the dinghy, bags might get a bit of spray accidentally. As mentioned above you don’t need to bring much. There is hanging and cupboard space for the clothes etc you have, thus the bag can be put away. That said we understand you are likely travelling a long way to see us and we are not the only gig you will have whilst you are travelling, so if you need to bring a big bag, so be it. If you can leave the “big” bag at a hotel or in an airport locker, so much the better. Travelling light in Europe is so much easier, especially with low cost airlines, public transport and the ferries you most probably use. You will be surprised how little you really need.
Money:
We use Wise which is a fantastic credit/ debit card for travelling. Whilst it doesn’t give you points or toasters, it’s rates for conversion are far better by a long way than anything we have used in our flying days and is the card of choice for liveaboard cruisers. It has fee free withdrawals up to a certain amount per month as well. If you are interested in looking at it we can send you a referral link. Wise weblink
Cash is king. With VAT up to 24% on certain items throughout Europe, people like taxi drivers are dead keen for cash and will at times claim card machines not to be working but when pushed they come good. Cards are widely taken throughout Europe, but maybe less so in northern Macedonia or Albania but cash always works. So bring Euros in cash. Tipping is not common here but with the economy as it is, people are surprised and appreciative.
Whilst here we split all costs evenly from groceries, booze and marinas, and rather than use a kitty, we use the Splitwise App. It works really well and Sandy will set you up with an invitation on arrival. One person pays, logs the cost on Splitwise, and everyone sees that cost and at the end we all settle up. Splitwise link
Duty Free:
Regulations differ whether travelling within the EU from travelling into the EU. This link gives the official EU limits. Some countries like Greece have their fair share of officious customs personnel, so best not chance your arm we reckon.
https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/carry/alcohol-tobacco-cash/index_en.htm
If you enter the EU from a non-EU country, you can bring goods free of VAT and excise duties with you if they are not for resale and you respect the limits set out below. The same rules apply if you come from the Canary Islands or other territories where EU rules on VAT and excise do not apply.
Alcohol allowance
You can bring in a):
4 litres of still wine and
16 litres of beer
In addition, you can bring b):
1 litre of spirits over 22 % vol. (such as vodka or gin) or
1 litre of undenatured alcohol (ethyl alcohol) of 80% vol. (or over) or
2 litres of fortified (for example sherry or port) or sparkling wine
Each of the amounts mentioned under b) represent your total allowance in this category of alcoholic drinks which can be split according to your preference. For example, you can bring; 4 litres of still wine, 16 litres of beer, a half of litre of spirits and 1 litre of fortified wine or 4 litres of still wine, 16 litres of beer and 2 litres of sparkling wine.
Tobacco allowance
Depending on the EU country you are visiting, a higher or lower limit may apply. Best check locally.
Questions??
We are sure you will have some, so apart from asking where we’ll be please feel free to message us on Whatsapp ( our clear preference! We dont check Messenger much and even less our voicemails or SMS’s) or on email svcooindaATgmail.com .