Chartering in Croatia

[jay]

Anyone done a charter in Croatia recently? Any information, reccomendations/warnings would be appreciated. How does it compare to the Ionian or Sporades for weather, scenery, people, prices etc?

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[saltyknot]

No chartering experience, I'm afraid, but I can highly recommend Croatian waters as a sailing revier as our boat has been based near Porec for the past 12 years. There are literally hundreds of really lovely anchorages and excellant marinas with friendly staff. Some people will speak English, otherwise try German (if you can), especially in more northerly waters.

The weather is far more unstable than in the Ionians (we were disappointed with the winds down there), but Split radio broadcasts excellent detailed forecasts in English morning and evening. Be careful of the Bora wind from the mountains. If a south wind sets in, it often blows hard, non-stop for 2 or 3 days, so look out for a good anchor ground or marina. Croatian charts are also excellent, by the way.

Hope you have fun.

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[ericw]

Hi Jay !

Just came back from Croatia 2 wks ago .... not that I wanted to at all !

Haven't been to the Ionian for a number of years, but have got the impression that's it's become very crowded over the past few years. Croatia is still relatively unspoilt in comparison and the locals we met were very friendly - one man even invited us into his house for no other reason than that we were exploring the backstreets of Komiza on Vis island - amazingly friendly cf. what we are used to in the UK ! The only trouble we had was with other charterers and an apparent lack of understanding that yachts don't behave like cars and lacking any knowledge about how to employ that large lump of funny shaped metal attached to a chain on the bow, but a few smiles and a helping hand go a long way rather than cursing fellow visitors !

Re prices, you can eat out really well for around £20-£25/couple. Obviously, depends on where you eat, but a decent steak/fish main course works out at about £7-£9. Watch the portions though, I went for a squid starter followed by a steak, expecting a smallish plate of grilled squid, given that it cost £4. When it arrived it was a whole platter - enough for 3 for starter or 1 for a main course - so don't be afraid of asking how big the plates are before u order ! As would be expected, the seafood is excellent in general.

Re weather - we had a huge high pressure system sitting over us for a few days with little wind, but generally winds are good cf. some other parts of the Med., so wouldn't worry about that too much, except for keeping an eye on the barometer/listening to Split radio if u want a professional forecast.

If u are chartering out of Split some highlights I'd recommend are: the Pakleni Islands (just off Hvar), Hvar town itself and Komiza on Vis. I'm sure other people will have lots of other favourite places - they are too numerous to list - everywhere we went was great to be honest and we only covered a small area as we like to take it easy using the yacht as a method of hopping from place to place and then exploring, as opposed to sailing for 8 hours a day ! I think u'll love the scenery and the history of the area - some of the places are fascinating. Get a good guide before u go for the land based exploration e.g. Footprint, Lonely Planet etc and use the pilot for the water based stuff. One thing's for sure - u'll never see all u want to - I could easily have spent 3 months or even 3 years exploring the Dalmatian coast - it's just huge ! If u venture into the Kornati Islands u'll be hard pushed to leave I reckon !

Other recommendations ?? Personally, I prefer lying to an anchor and where possible I'd much rather anchor than go alongside the quay for reasons of noise/privacy. If you are happy/confident anchoring I'd go along that route and use the tender - feels like u are really 'cruising' then ! We even got invited onto a big cruising yacht despite being a 'charter' boat for drinks and then dinner ! If u do decide to go the anchoring route, just make sure it's well dug in and don't be afraid to reset the hook if not happy -u'll provide a bit of entertainment maybe, but u'll be the one laughing in the end !

PM me if u want any further info. and enjoy the hols if u decide on Croatia !

Best regards,

Eric.




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[Twister_Ken]

Beware crowding in popular anchorages/quays/marinas in July & August.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>

 

[Metabarca]

Do a search on Croatia in the forum; this was covered a few months ago and I tried to give a fairly comprehensive reply. August is becoming increasingly crowded now alas, and prices creeping up, but if you avoid the marinas, there are still lots of isolated corners. PM me if you want more details and can be specific as to where you will be starting from. I'll be in Dalmatia as of mid-July for a month or so - perhaps we'll meet up!

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.comoy.com/saillinks.html>http://www.comoy.com/saillinks.html</A>

 

[jay]

Thanks for the info. Looks like we found a fairly civilised (price & timing!) flight into Pula. Are there any specific reccomends of companies who have yachts there - or companies to avoid - PM me to avoid upsetting anyone! We're intending to go mid to late September and will be looking for someithing 2-3 years old max around 38-40ft

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[Metabarca]

Frankly, I dunno if you'll find much to charter in Pula. The main charter ports are Split, Trogir, Zara, Murter, Sibenik. I'll have a look for you; you may wish to check some of the links below, too.
Pula has two marinas, a slightly stinky one in town and a better one round the corner at Veruda with a good restaurant, and good anchorage nearby for swimming. Pula is also a good starting point for exploring Dalmatia further south.

September is a great time to go: much less traffic around and the weather should be good (we seem to be settling into a new pattern of hot, dry springs and wet summers with occasional blasts of bora and scirocco). When the weather is dodgy, always keep an eye over your shoulder for a 'neverin'. This is a squall that comes in from the west and can jump to 40 knots in five minutes. It only lasts an hour or so, though.
Nearer the time, PM me and I'll send you the coordinates for some really nice anchorages from Losinj down.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.comoy.com/saillinks.html>http://www.comoy.com/saillinks.html</A><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Metabarca on 18/06/2003 08:11 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Metabarca]

Re: Chartering in Pula

As promised, here are some prices for you. It's a very good website, with masses of yottie info pertinent to Croatia. Enjoy!
http://www.comoy.com/saillinks.html<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Metabarca on 19/06/2003 14:03 (server time).</FONT></P>