He Sailed His Yacht to His Wedding in Croatia. He Nearly Missed It.

Petr got married in Trogir, Croatia. For him, a wedding abroad was absolutely the right choice. And as a keen sailor, he decided to arrive at his own wedding on his yacht.

Sailing to your wedding sounds like an adventure in itself. But in Petr's case, things didn't quite go to plan.

Petr, what was your wedding day like from your point of view?

We were anchored in a romantic bay near Trogir. That morning, I took my bride-to-be ashore in the dinghy, then went back to the yacht, where I stayed on my own until the ceremony.

I'd love to tell you I went for a swim and relaxed in the sunshine. But the truth is, despite the weather forecast, we were hit by a downpour, strong winds and hail.

We were in a well-sheltered bay, but even there the anchor had its work cut out holding us through the gusts. Fortunately, bad weather at sea can pass as quickly as it arrives. The weather soon calmed down, but the rain carried on. I actually quite like that Baltic sort of weather — wind and rain — when I'm on a boat. It's just not exactly ideal for your wedding day.

Well, weather or no weather, when the time came I had to weigh anchor and sail to the altar. The trip took just under an hour, as planned, and it was still raining unpleasantly, so I put on my foul-weather gear — basically a bright yellow waterproof sailing suit. And there I was, at the helm and handling the sail lines, thinking back over how our relationship had developed and trying to come up with my wedding vows.

So now we're all picturing a groom fighting for his life against the waves, hurtling across a stormy sea in pouring rain towards the love of his life. How did you manage in the end?

Fine 🙂

By the time I reached Trogir, the rain had stopped completely, the sun had come out and it finally looked as if things were turning around. Except Trogir is a pretty busy place, and the big excursion boats that were supposed to leave that morning were still tied up along the waterfront, three rows deep.

The weather had delayed everything along the quay, and there was nowhere for me to moor my yacht. I had a berth reserved, but under the circumstances it was completely useless.

I was desperate. I just kept circling in my boat, like someone looking for a parking space in a packed car park when you already know there isn't one. As if the hail hadn't been enough — now this! It was awful. Fate was really putting us to the test.

So what on earth did you do?

Time was running out, and the wedding guests were already waving at me from the shore, telling me to hurry to the hairdresser's or I'd miss my own wedding.

There was nothing else for it. I came alongside the excursion boat Romantika and explained my situation to her captain over the radio: I was about to get married on shore, and I desperately needed to get off my yacht.

The captain and his whole crew came straight over to help — they couldn't have been more understanding. We tied my yacht up alongside their boat, and I sprinted off to the hairdresser's, still in my yellow waterproofs and with the VHF radio in my hand. The salon was only a few metres from the wedding venue.

The captain and I agreed he'd wait for me. As soon as I was finished at the hairdresser's, we'd get back in touch over the radio, I'd run back to my boat and we'd “repark” it, because they needed to set off.

I bet that caused quite a stir at the hairdresser's!

I burst in like a whirlwind, still in my yellow waterproofs, and caused quite a commotion. I don't think they'd ever managed to get a groom ready that quickly before.

I jumped straight out of the hairdresser's chair and dashed back to the yacht. By then all the other boats had gone, and once I'd moved mine, I had the whole waterfront to myself.

And then? Did you actually make it to your wedding?

Yes. I quickly changed out of my yellow waterproofs and into my wedding clothes, closed up the boat and hurried back towards the ceremony.

As I made my way through the people, I caught a glimpse of my bride out of the corner of my eye. It was only a moment, a split second. People in the little square were making way and spontaneously calling out congratulations. All I actually saw of her was a bit of veil, but it might have been the most beautiful sight I've ever seen.

And then came the wedding ceremony itself. We said our vows, greeted our guests and took our first few wedding photos. Through it all, a Croatian guitarist was playing and singing traditional Dalmatian songs. I had no idea it'd be that good.

Looking back, would you have changed anything about that day? The weather, perhaps?

Not a chance. Our entire wedding day was one big, thrilling adventure.

Getting married by the sea in Croatia was absolutely the best choice, and looking back I wouldn't change a thing about that decision.

It was such a powerful, positive experience. I felt completely myself, and I genuinely love looking back on it. Besides, I was marrying the woman who's the best thing that's ever happened to me.

Our thanks to Petr for sharing his adventures with us. We wish him and his wife every happiness, and hope their marriage grows lovelier with each passing day.

Photos: YachtWedding.com archive