Welcome Aboard
What to Expect:
We reckon you’ll love being aboard and our 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. There We will run you through boat bathroom etiquette when you arrive as well as the usual safety information provide by Captain Seamus. As there is limited storage… less is more!!
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.
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. 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 it is highly unlikely your bag will get wet, but when being picked up in the dinghy they 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.