The Internet on a yacht – what’s it like with it?

Using a mobile phone abroad and especially the internet on your phone can be very expensive. However, when cruising, the internet on a yacht is something that it is difficult to imagine functioning without today. From checking the weather, route details to simple entertainment (e.g. a movie during bad weather). That’s why, just like in homes, the internet has also arrived on yachts 😉

Internet on yachts offered by operators.

For convenience, charter operators have started to offer Wi-Fi internet on their yachts. The cost of such a service is around a few tens of Euros, but the data transfer limit varies greatly – from a few GB per week to… sometimes even unlimited. It all depends on the charter companies’ agreements with mobile network operators. The convenience here is that you receive a password after ordering this service and can use the yacht’s internet without any major problems.

Bring your Internet on board.

For a few years now, within the European Union, you can also use the internet on your phone without any problems to the same or similar extent as you can in your own country. This only applies to EU users and chartering in a member state. The best thing to do before you leave is to contact your service provider and ask what this is like with your subscription. You will then find out, for example, that you have half as many GBs abroad as you do in your own country, or that you can buy a larger package in the place you are going for a small additional fee. In addition, modern smartphones have a built-in router so that you can share the Internet for other devices (e.g. for Laptops, tablets, etc.). Bear in mind, however, that in such a function, the phone consumes much more power than in normal mode, so it is a good idea to have a charger with a cigarette lighter input with you and not worry about the phone running out of power.

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Buy Internet on the spot

Another way is to buy a so-called prepaid card with a short validity period. You can do this at the airport, for example, or at any local shop offering mobile phone services. You must then be equipped with your own mobile router, an unused phone with a router function or, for example, be able to insert a second card into your phone. The advantage of this is the low price and usually, a very high limit (or no limit at all) on the data transferred. The disadvantage is that you have to purchase the card yourself and configure the device to make it work on the yacht. For a skilled user, this should not be much of a problem. For someone who doesn’t have much to do with it, it can be quite difficult.

What to keep in mind when using the Internet on a yacht?

  1. Regardless if you use the internet from your operator or your own it works on the principle of mobile telephony. There may be places where the coverage is very weak or is not there at all (I like such places) 😉
  2. If you use navigation on your device, download maps of the area you are going to sail in before you leave, when you have good coverage, preferably at home before you leave for your cruise.
  3. Use the internet on board as little as possible and only when necessary. Don’t lose yourself in phone, tablet or computer screens. Raise your eyes and find that you have views in front of you in a quality that the best cinema set cannot give you. Enjoy the cruise, the scenery and the company of friends and family. There is still time for virtual reality 😉

With sailing greetings
Grzegorz from Yachtic.com

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