Seaside Dreams
A 2023 Lagoon 42 catamaran will be home, classroom, and training platform for the week. I’ll be sailing with three other students and our instructor.
Explore the Lagoon 42SeaDick Sail · Croatia 2026
From lake lessons
to the Adriatic.
I’m preparing to step aboard a Lagoon 42 in Croatia for seven days of liveaboard instruction—turning a fast summer of sailing into the skills I need to charter a 40–50-foot boat of my own.
12—19
September
Croatia · 2026
01 The preparation
Learning across every scale
Dinghy instincts.
Big-boat seamanship.
I joined the UW–Madison Hoofer Sailing Club on August 15, 2026. In the weeks since, I’ve completed 24 hours of formal instruction and spent every other chance I can get on the water.
Most of my club time has been aboard the Tartan 10s Ratty and Sisu, learning the teamwork and systems of heavy keelboats. I’ve also trained on centerboard-equipped Badger Sloops and the lighter-keel J/24 Bebop. Away from the club, I keep sharpening the direct, singlehanded instincts that come from sailing Brandy, my Laser, on Lake Jordan.
02 The leap
Seven days living and learning aboard
The next classroom
has two hulls.
101 → 103 → 104 → 114
I plan to arrive having read all the course material, test through ASA 101 as quickly as I can, and devote the rest of the week to coastal cruising, bareboat cruising, and cruising-catamaran skills.
Insta360 X5
The most exciting new piece of gear is an Insta360 X5 with the Dive Case Pro—ready to capture the deck, the horizon, and whatever waits below the Adriatic’s surface.
03 Getting there
Chicago → Split → the sea
The adventure starts
before the dock.
I leave Chicago on September 10 and arrive in Split the following evening. After a night at Hotel Štacija in Kaštel Lukšić, I’ll make my way to Marina Baotić near Trogir to meet the crew at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
One week and a lot of learning later, I’ll fly from Split to Istanbul for a one-day stopover before returning home on September 21—hopefully with four certifications, a much deeper logbook, and the confidence to begin planning my own charter.
- Depart ChicagoAcross the Atlantic toward Croatia
- Arrive in SplitAn evening beside the Adriatic
- Meet the crew3:00 p.m. at Marina Baotić
- Sail, then IstanbulA final stop before home
- Return to ChicagoThe next adventure begins
04 Possible itinerary
Seven nights · a new port each day
Where the wind
might take us.
The exact itinerary is intentionally unwritten. This sample is based on a similar Sailing Virgins Croatia course; weather, instruction needs, and our skipper will decide the route we actually sail.
- Day 01
Marina Baotić → Brač
Meet the crew, provision the boat, complete the yacht and safety briefings, and—if conditions allow—make the first passage toward Brač.
- Day 02
Brač → Korčula
Settle into life aboard while working on sail trim, steering, navigation, crew communication, and the ASA 101 evaluation.
- Day 03
Korčula → Šćedro
Plot the day’s course and practice anchoring, mooring, passage planning, and the daily rhythm of a cruising crew.
- Day 04
Šćedro → Komiža
Continue toward Vis, with the possibility of a swim or underwater exploration before entering the harbor at Komiža.
- Day 05
Explore Vis
Combine time ashore with docking, Mediterranean mooring, close-quarters maneuvering, and coastal-navigation practice.
- Day 06
Vis → Hvar
Bring the crew’s developing skills together during a longer passage: route planning, sail handling, weather awareness, and time at the helm.
- Day 07
Hvar → Trogir
Turn toward the home marina, complete the remaining skills and exams, and finish the week operating as a capable cruising crew.
- Day 08
Return & depart
Share a final breakfast, step ashore, and begin the journey to Istanbul with a week of stories waiting to be told.
Inspired by a similar trip: watch the Croatia seven-day course
The first SeaDick Sail dispatch
Study the course.
Pack the camera.
Go with the flow.
Follow the preparation now. Come back for the footage and the real route after September 19.