A Sailor’s Memory: Pula to Venice 

You arrive in Pula, meet the crew, stash a few drinks and snacks into the lockers, and within hours the city is behind you, sails are set, and a steady breeze is pushing you north. We don’t go far at first — we stop on the Brijuni islands. Someone opens the first beers, someone else is already halfway up the swim ladder complaining about how cold it is (it’s not). You float for a bit, dry in the sun, and the crew quietly clicks into that interesting overclocked befriending mode.

Then we keep heading north, seeing cities like Rovinj, the kind of town that looks like a postcard from the water. We pass more harbours, anchorages, cafés, eat calmari and drink rakija. And when the weather’s right, we gather energy to make the passage toward Italy. That’s when you feel like a real sailor: steering the boat, watching the starry sky, listening to the wind. At some point you hand over the helm, crawl into your bunk, where waves rock you to sleep, only to wake up and step outside to a horizon that looks unreal — Venice. A whole city floating in the morning light, you feel tired in the best way, salty, smiling, and already knowing you’ll talk about this one for years.

What is it?

Blueward26 is our sailing community’s first step from inland waters into the real bluewater. We’ve had successful trips on lakes and rivers, and now we’re taking the same community format offshore for the first time: structured, social, and focused on seamanship and good atmosphere. You can join without prior sea experience, but we will not run a boat made up entirely of beginners. Crews are assembled so that each yacht has a strong “skeleton crew” of experienced people, with space for newcomers to learn and contribute without pressure. This is not a luxury cruise and not a party boat. It’s an honest sailing week focused on seamanship, good company, and memorable places.

When should I book my time-off ?

We’re sailing in May 2026 for seven days, Saturday to Saturday. The yacht is typically available in the afternoon on the first day, which means everyone needs to arrive in Pula on their own before check-in. That said, people often coordinate travel together, share rides, or link up on the way, and we’ll help connect crew members who want to synchronize logistics for getting to and from Pula. Not so rare are events when crewmembers take some extra time-off before or after the crusie to explore more by land.

Where will we sail? 

The route will be decided by weather and crew condition, as it should be at sea. We’re planning two main variants: a northern one, potentially toward Italy with Venice as a possible highlight if conditions allow, and a southern one that stays closer to the Istrian and island coast with more sheltered navigation options. Final decisions belong to the skipper and are made with safety first, not to follow a fixed plan.

Life on board

Life on board is collaborative and practical. Everyone participates in sailing, watches, cooking, and keeping the boat running smoothly. We operate a clear watch system (typically four-hour watches) so that offshore legs and night sailing are handled safely and everyone gets rest. This is a community trip rather than a commercial training course, but if you’re curious and engaged you will come back with real skills and real confidence at sea.

Cool, so.... how much?

Costs are shared transparently within each crew. The main expenses are the yacht charter itself, fuel, port fees, and groceries for the boat. Travel to and from Pula (flights, buses, etc.) is not included. Because the final cost depends on weather and routing (how much motoring we do, how many paid ports we use versus anchorages), we can’t give an exact number today, but on a similar week-long cruise last time the all-in onboard cost per person (without travel) was around €650. We’ll have one designated person handling the common budget for the boat so payments are simple and everything is tracked fairly.