Chartering a yacht in Croatia

[BlueChip]

Considering this for late August with friends.
Anyone done this and can offer tips/advice
Recommended companies and areas and which to avoid would be useful.

 

[KellysEye]

For a yacht go to www.latesail.com they guarantee not to be beaten on price and have 'name your price'. They also have details of all the cruising areas around the world where there are charter bases.

 

[PeterR]

We have always chartered from Sunsail in various parts of the Med and have been happy with their service. The boats only have basic equipment and useless lifejackets but the same goes for all the companies I have looked at. Last year we used their base at Dubrovnic which is only a short journey from the airport and a quick bus journey into the town. Not sure how they compare on price, we have been going with them for so long we got a 40% discount.

It’s a good sailing area but beware of the cost of the government marinas.

If you want to get a flavour of the area I just put these videos of our trip on YouTube

 

[RupertW]

Regarding times, the whole area changes when the Italians all sail over and dominate the area from about mid-July to mid-August. There are actually fixed dates for this national holday habit. We tend to enjoy last week in August and first week in September for the second last sail of the year.

Our boat is based in mid-Croatia, just north of Split and that is my favorite area by far, from Rogosnica down to Milna. Anchorage after anchorage, some crowded, some with just you and another boat overnight (Pokrovenik on Hvar). Anchorages always free, despite what I have read here sometimes, town quays few and far between but only about €30 Euros and a few very expensive marinas which we don't often use.

Best book by miles is "Adriatic Anchorages" by Braslav Karlic (its in English )which is full of personal opinions and photos which is my kind of pilotage book and has led us to many real gems. Krknasje on Drvenik Veli is my favorite anchorage so far, especially you can get your head around the lack of tides and sleep comfortably 2.5-3m above white sand in a huge turquoise swimming pool.

Haven't ever chartered there so although we have a lot of contact with Sunsail , I haven't actually used them.

Northern islands (apart from the ruined ecosystem of the Kornati) are pleasant as an alternative, perhaps on your second or third visit to Croatia. Nothing wrong with the area between Dubrovnik and Milna, but we tend to stay one night in Dubrovnik and head back north to the islands.

Have fun

 

[tudorsailor]

Have a look at this thread http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?382584-Croatian-Charter&highlight=croatia+trogir+split

TS

 

[FWB]

I went with some friends, a couple of years ago. We were all sailors and not from the dark side but we hired a mobo !
We only went for a week and were glad of the mobo..lots of space, fridge, dishwasher, washing machine, microwave etc plus big generator to run it all. Nearly all of the sailing boats we saw were motoring. Also the mobo had a speed advantage so for the week it was ideal.
It was funny being on the other side of sailors derision at mobos when in harbour and I sail a gaffer !
I think if you go in your own sailing boat for months it would be wonderful, but if hiring for less that two weeks I'd hire a mobo again.

 

[dunedin]

We only went for a week and were glad of the mobo..lots of space, fridge, dishwasher, washing machine, microwave etc plus big generator to run it all. Nearly all of the sailing boats we saw were motoring. Also the mobo had a speed advantage so for the week it was ideal.

Each to their own - the beauty of the Croatian islands in our view is to get away from all that modern domestic stuff. If we wanted dishwasher, washing machine etc would go to a hotel - and the generators hugely spoil the peaceful anchorages.
And yes a lot of people tend to motor a lot - like the videos posted. But that is largely a choice thing also. The distances are generally small and we have always done a lot of sailing and very little motoring when on week or fortnight charters in Croatia. Mind you we generally try to hire a boat with conventional mainsail, not furler, to improve light wind performance.
Back to the OP question, so many great places to choose from - it is the timing which is the decision, peak summer crowds or early / late season. Another vote for LateSail (one year we ended up in a Sunsail boat much cheaper that way).

 

[Whiskey Bravo]

Nautilus always been very good for us, both in Croatia [latest trip Sept 2013 from Split] and elsewhere.

 

[jfm]

There are loads of good companies. I used Ultra 2x and find them excellent

Prevailing wind means its a very smart idea to pick up the boat N and sail it S then lob the company £100 and they'll take it back up north while you fly home. I've done Split down to Dubrovnik a couple of times this way, for example. Day after day of broad reaches, less wind over the deck for your guests, plus you do not have to re-trace your steps. Money well spent.

The whole area is fantastic. Read up on Bora wind though!

In lots of little bays, the deal is that you moor up to the quay (stern to) for the night, for free, but you must eat at the restaurant whose berth you are in. The quay might have say 20 berths, 3 or 4 owned by each restaurant close to the quay. The mooring posts might be colour coded in same livery as the restaurant and usually restaurant meeter/greeters will come out to the quai as you are selecting your berth and usher you into one of theirs. In the absence of any other info I chose the prettiest

 

[BlueChip]

Thanks very much for all the replies and advice