Dear readers,

I was sceptical. Really sceptical.

Pre-booking berths via an app - isn't that the beginning of the end of that feeling of freedom that sailing is all about? Read the weather, decide spontaneously, follow your gut feeling. "We'll see where we end up." And then you click on a spot like a cinema ticket. Sounds wrong at first.

Until you try it out.

I did this in Croatia with MySea. After one or two attempts, it was clear that it doesn't just work. It changes the whole day on the water. And not because it's luxurious. Not because it's particularly comfortable. But because it creates something much more important: peace and quiet.

You often only notice this mental relief when it suddenly appears.

Anyone travelling in busy areas knows the pattern. From midday, the maths start in your head. Where will we sleep today? How full will it be? When do we have to leave to make sure there is still room? If you stay at anchor too long, you risk losing your berth. If you arrive too late, you end up in the packet or have to anchor after all, even though you might just want to moor up that very day.

Sure, that can also have its appeal. For many, it's part of boating. For me, however, it sometimes means stress. And exactly when the day should actually be easy.

Booking removes this pressure. You know: at the end of the day, there's a safe berth. Full stop.

This brings back something that you don't associate with planning at first glance: Freedom.

Suddenly you can enjoy the midday hours at anchor without already being halfway to the marina. You can take a longer trip and arrive later without that rushed "we have to leave by 3 pm at the latest". You can use the day as a day again - as a whole day.

This has worked for me in very different places. In Kotor as well as at a small restaurant with just three buoys. One of them was reserved for me. That sounds banal. In practice, it was a huge relief. Drive there, moor up, done. No speculation, no tactics, no "maybe there's still time, no what do we do if...".

And then there was a second effect that I hadn't expected: this feeling of really being expected. It wasn't just the buoy that was clear, but also the table in the restaurant, matching the number of crew, with a reservation sign, ideally located at the front of the slope with a far-reaching view over the bay. I wasn't just some boat that happened to be passing by. I was welcomed, expected and made to feel welcome.

Of course there are objections. That places will be blocked. That spontaneous people are left out in the cold. That another piece of freedom will be commercialised.

I am more convinced by the counter-argument.

In my opinion, a reservation is not an attack on freedom, neither mine nor that of others. It is a tool. Nobody has to use it. Anyone who loves uncertainty, sees the packet as a social highlight or declares spontaneous anchoring to be the core of the trip can continue to do so. None of this will disappear. After all, I'm not taking a berth away from anyone. If in doubt, I would just be in the marina or at the buoy early to be on the safe side. Anyone who arrives later will be left out in the cold. With a reservation, they may look enviously at the seemingly free space that is only occupied later, but rationally nothing has changed for them.

Yes, it costs more than the traditional mooring fee. But I'm not just paying for a place on the jetty or at the buoy. I'm paying for time. For less hustle and bustle on board. For fewer discussions. For better decisions. For a day that doesn't just revolve around looking for a place from the early afternoon onwards - hopefully it goes without saying that the reserved place should actually be used.

Above all, I pay for the fact that a nice trip doesn't turn into an unnecessarily hectic one.

In the end, it's pretty simple: the app doesn't take the stress out of boating, that would be bad for me, I like doing it. It just takes some of the stress away from me. And that makes a difference.

After all, the real freedom on the water is not in having to leave everything open. It's about being able to choose. And sometimes this choice simply means making a reservation.

Lars Bolle

YACHT editor

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