Sounds Of The Sea

A birthday at sea was what Sunshine Lichauco de Leon wanted; she got not just her wish, but so much more than what she expected

A few weeks before my 45th birthday, I woke up with one thought: I wanted to wake up by the sea! Making this happen, however, was a challenge. It was late August, the busiest month in the Mediterranean. My travelling companion and I had only four nights to spare, knew nothing about boats, and were pretty sure we could not afford our own yacht!

And then, I accidentally clicked a link for intersailclub.com and the fog of my search began to clear. Via online chat, company founder Captain Luca Lienza answered in a charmingly thick Italian accent: “What you are asking is…very difficult.” I took a deep breath: “Difficult, but not impossible, right?” His answer was our guiding light: “On a boat, nothing is impossible.”

As it turned out, this travel booking platform was everything we needed. With 380 boats (10-48 metres long), it offers 400 itineraries worldwide. It has a unique yacht-sharing option: to be able to book a trip by cabin and share the cost with other travellers, making the luxury of a sailing holiday more affordable.