July 2017

Yacht Week is a hugely popular event in Croatia. Contrary to the name, it’s not a single week during the year, but any week during the sailing season (May to September). To confuse things further, one of the sailing companies is called “The Yacht Week”.

I decided on sailing with Sail Week Croatia, one of the newer companies to offer sailing trips on the Adriatic Sea. They have three different options to choose from: Party Sail, Adventure Sail, and Ultra Sail.

Not wanting to be on a booze cruise for seven days straight, I opted for the Adventure Week sail. The main difference being that you do more on shore activities. As opposed to getting wasted every night on the boat or at clubs. Plus, I figured it would have a little bit of an older crowd than the party boats. 

Arriving at the marina to check in, I was anxious to see who I’d be sailing with. Is it going to be a boat full of other solo travellers? I knew that the composition of the crew was going to either make-it or break-it when it comes to having a good time. 

I hopped on to our boat, the Split Kiss, and was surprised by who greeted me. Five women from Australia and two guys from The UK. The skipper, Andrew, was the only other Canadian on the boat. 

Orianna immediately offered me a sip of her drink: Jägermeister and Coke. It was at this moment that all fears of having a dud crew melted away. This is going to be a great week. 

The next seven days will take us south, departing from Split and arriving at Dubrovnik. All the while stopping off at the many islands off the coast of Croatia. 

The first night we stayed in Split and with the help of some alcohol, got to know the rest of the crew and skipper a little better. We had a great mix of people. Mark was a pig farmer from the UK, while Orianna was a Veterinarian. 

Early the next day we left the marina for the open water. With full sails out we headed southbound in moderately rough seas. Ori was getting sea-sick, so we put her at the helm to keep her mind occupied and to help out with her stomach. This would be the worst day on the water for the entire trip. 

Our first stop was Hvar, one of the largest cities on the Croatian islands. The crew got all done-up for a night on the town where we hit up a beach club called Hula Hula, then moving on to the tiny Kiva Bar for more dancing. By the time I got back to the boat, it was well past midnight and I was exhausted. 

I was sharing a tiny bunk bed with Dani and the nights were hot and stuffy. So I decided to sleep out on the deck to keep cool. Plus, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to sleep under the stars on a sailboat. Our skipper was kind enough to bring along his hammock, which I took full advantage of almost every night. I felt like a baby being rocked to sleep.

The crew continued to bond as we made our way further south, stopping along the way to do some swimming or make lunch. There is something to be said about being able to just stop the boat, jump into the salty ocean to cool off, then hop back on and continue on your way. 

At one point we decided to do a little “water skiing”. Andrew rigged up some rope and threw our stand up paddle board into the water and asked: “Who’s first?!”.

I jumped in and went for a ride.

We were doing the perfect mix of partying and excursions. I was also taking this opportunity to learn a little more about sailing. Andrew was happy to oblige and teach me a few things about skippering a boat. It’s a lot like flying, but much, much slower. I jumped at the opportunity to help out when needed.

The days were quickly winding down, the entire crew was having a great time and we were keeping busy with so many activities. 

At one stop, we all decided to take a dune buggy tour of Korčula. Being able to view this ancient island at dusk was amazing. 

Spending seven days on a boat with complete strangers isn’t as bad as it sounds. All throughout the week you had the opportunity to meet other people when we were anchored in a bay or docked in a marina.

The next week Split hosted a large electronic music festival called Ultra Europe. This would be the busiest week for Sail Week Croatia and they needed extra crew to help them out. I jumped at the opportunity lend an extra hand. This would be a great way for me to see what it’s like “on the other side” to work as crew.

Once we all said our goodbyes, I headed to the airport with my intention of buying a cheap ticket westward. I still hadn’t heard back from the company if I was working for them or not. 

At the last minute, I get the email I was waiting for! I needed to get my ass back up to Split in about three hours to help out with check-in. 

I head to the car rental desk, grab a car and hit the road northboud. I was excited and confident that I would do an amazing job of whatever they asked of me. What I wasn’t prepared for, was the level of insanity that the Ultra Sail week would bring…

You’ll need to read Parts One, Two, and Three before continuing.

I get up from the grass and head over to the meeting spot. I don’t want to break my #1 rule of raving: Leave before the sun comes up.

Lauren and Adam are waiting for me and we head to the car. The drive back is bitter sweet, the three of us are realizing that the fun is over and reality awaits for us in a few hours.

I have to catch my flight to Berlin in 12 hours and Lauren is off to Los Angeles to visit a friend. I drop the kids off at the Bellagio and head back to the AirBnB solo to clean up and pack up my stuff. Check out time is 11am. I plop down on the bed and set my alarm for 10am, two hours from now. 

It takes me a while to get moving, but I’m able to pack everything up and head out in time. Lauren will be sleeping in with Adam at the Bellagio until at least 2pm, so I have some time to kill. This is the first time this weekend I’ve had to my self.

After some lunch and the obligatory photo at the Las Vegas sign, I head to the Bellagio to try my luck at the roulette tables. “Max $200” I say to myself.

I know roulette is a losers game. Even if you play the outside (which pays 2:1) your odds of winning are less than 50%. I’m here to have some fun and kill time, not win it big. So I sit down at busy table and start playing my numbers. One of which is my birthday: 24.

On the second roll, 24 hits! Sweet. Payout is $175. I needed to share my excitement with someone so I sent a message to my buddy Brian (who loves roulette):

I play a few more times, and the table starts getting cold, so I cash out $150 ahead. Not bad!

Walking down the roulette aisle I see this cute girl playing at another table. She has a fat stack of chips and an EDC wristband on her arm. Sweet! I pull up beside her, introduce myself, and start playing.

This time around though, I’m playing with $1 chips instead of $5 chips. I want to maximize my time at this table since I’m still waiting for Lauren. 

After chatting with Anastasia for a bit, I quickly find out that she’s up over $700 at this table alone.

Ok enough flirting, it’s time to ride her luck. So I start playing all the numbers she’s playing, plus my lucky number 24 of course. 

The croupier spins the wheel…

“No more bets!” as she waves her hand over the table.

The ball bounces, and bounces, and finally settles on a number.

“24. Black!” the croupier announces.

I jump up screaming… “Yes!”

I had to explain to Anastasia that I always play 24 and that it hit earlier today. So she starts playing it too.

We order some drinks and keep playing, all the while chatting about the festival and getting to know each other. 

The croupier spins the wheel again, the ball bounces around so hard that it flies out of the wheel and on to the table. 

All the players at the table are shocked. Nobody has ever seen that happen before, so we all joke: “Everyone wins!”. This is not your typical roulette session.

We both continue winning, my number (24) hitting a total of four times that day. Anastasia decides to cash out and I follow suit asking her:

“Want to grab a drink? My friend still isn’t here yet”. 

She agrees and we head to the bar to celebrate our winnings. By this time it’s almost four o’clock and I have a flight to catch in two hours. 

Lauren joins us and we have some food and one more drink before parting ways. Anastasia and I exchange contact info and hug it out.

Fun is over! I hop in the car and head to the airport, all the while coming down from this weekend and my roulette winnings. Fuck I’m tired. 

I get on the airplane and realize something amazing… For the next 12 hours I have an entire middle row (4 seats) to my self. Score! I lay down, put my seat belt on and immediately fall asleep before take off.

Eleven and a half hours later I wake up feeling great. This was the first time ever that I was able to get a decent sleep on an airplane. Turns out we’re a little bit late arriving into Cologne, where I need to catch my connecting flight to Berlin.

With 20 mins to catch my next flight, I head over to the gate and get on the airplane for the one hour flight to Berlin. I got on my connecting flight, but my bags didn’t. Great.