First bare-boat charter

[tyke14]

After years of sailing dinghys we have just done our day skipper in scotland so fancy using our newly minted card and getting a bare boat. We were thinking of going to Croatia in April, as its cheaper and less hot (I don't work well in the heat). Having never sailed in the med, is croatia a relativily straight forward place to sail ? Is the weather ok in April ? Is it mad to go from day skipper to bareboat without going on a flotila, as I like the idea of the flotila but equally they are more expensive and I think I will learn more and become a better sailor if I go bareback as I will have to solve my own problems.. or am I mad ?

 

[RupertW]

After years of sailing dinghys we have just done our day skipper in scotland so fancy using our newly minted card and getting a bare boat. We were thinking of going to Croatia in April, as its cheaper and less hot (I don't work well in the heat). Having never sailed in the med, is croatia a relativily straight forward place to sail ? Is the weather ok in April ? Is it mad to go from day skipper to bareboat without going on a flotila, as I like the idea of the flotila but equally they are more expensive and I think I will learn more and become a better sailor if I go bareback as I will have to solve my own problems.. or am I mad ?

You will be fine as a day skipper in Croatia - April is a bit early for me but it can be T shirt weather but evenings and sea temperature still a bit cool. For best advice (even if you don’t end up going with them), I’d contact Gary at Activity Yachting on Murter. We had our boat in the same marina and got to know some of the team and they seem to have a good learning and fun ethos. And still some older smaller boats which might suit you better than the 40-50 foot boats you will find elsewhere.

It’s a delightful place to sail with endless mooring bouys and anchorages and a few well run marinas.

 

[sails_02]

Went to Greece (S. Ionian) first week of June this year, weather was too hot for me, struggle to sleep stuff. Really enjoyable otherwise, and not too busy in the anchorages.

Average ability of the people sailing is very low. You'll far exceed the average if you have had to deal with any kinds of weather, tides and commercial traffic.

Assume to some extent the experience will be similar in Croatia

 

[tyke14]

we did our day skipper out of largs in scotland, so there was tides, shipping and lots of scottish weather which made it fun. I don't think I could cope with the med in summer, as anything hotter than 18 or 19C makes me melt and burn to a crisp as I'm a ginger and not designed for hot weather.

 

[Old Bumbulum]

The people, food and sailing are imo far nicer in Greece or Turkey. Especially the people. I dind't find Croatia the least bit friendly.

 

[Cactus Sailing]

After years of sailing dinghys we have just done our day skipper in scotland so fancy using our newly minted card and getting a bare boat. We were thinking of going to Croatia in April, as its cheaper and less hot (I don't work well in the heat). Having never sailed in the med, is croatia a relativily straight forward place to sail ? Is the weather ok in April ? Is it mad to go from day skipper to bareboat without going on a flotila, as I like the idea of the flotila but equally they are more expensive and I think I will learn more and become a better sailor if I go bareback as I will have to solve my own problems.. or am I mad ?

many moons ago (well a fair few anyway) i did my day skipper and went bareboat the same year a few months later, allbeit in greece, you deffinatly hone your skills when there isnt someone else to ask, plus theres no restriction on location / schedule especially when you want to catch the wind and go sailing, rather than motoring to a fixed schedule.

if you have the confidence and skills why not, but i dont think going bareback makes you a better sailor does it?

 

[AndrewB]

Croatia is generally easy, pleasant sailing, but you do know about the Bora? Rip-snorting NE winds that reach force 10 or more, most common in Feb-March but can occur in April. Make sure that you have access to good weather forecasts and can get well tucked-up if there is any hint.

 

[RichardS]

The problem you will have in Croatia, apart from the fact that the weather can be iffy that early, is that in most of the coastal towns, villages and anchoring bays you will not find a single restaurant open. In some of the larger towns there might be a single restaurant if you are lucky and if you can find it. The reason is that so called seasonal restaurants enjoy special tax breaks but are only allowed to open for a maximum of six months of the year, and those months are virtually always 1st May - 31st October.

Richard

 

[Yngmar]

April may be a bit early in the season. A lot of places ashore will still be closed. It's certainly not going to be hot. Most consider it too chilly to swim (but if you swam in Scotland, it'll be balmy). The weather will probably be "mixed", if you're unlucky it could blow for a week or two and you're stuck in port or unable to get back.

You should best know if your knowledge is sufficient to pull it off. We see a lot of terrible terrible things from charterboats, but it doesn't matter so much if you're not sailing well, it's when you don't anchor well that can get you in trouble (or at the very least annoy others). Docking and undocking, especially med-mooring have their challenges too. Make sure you know the Colregs so you're not a hazard on the water.

 

[RJJ]

If you passed day skipper with a reputable instructor, hopefully the most important things you learned were along the lines of (1) always keep learning (2) take responsibility (3) know your limits.

If you layer those onto some reasonable dinghy experience, plus basic ability to park, set the sails, reef, navigate in easy conditions I can't see why not to go bareboat. Might be best to ensure you have at least one reasonably experienced crew so you can concentrate on your job with a bit of trust that the fenders are tied on and the warps will be coiled. Maybe also go for a 30-35 footer rather than 45 - the margin for error is much greater, as is the possibility that you recover from an error by manhandling.

Do read up and watch some YouTube vids on med mooring. It's not very hard but you do need to understand what you are trying for and to think through how you will deploy your crew. Even better, watch it with them before you go.

Personally I prefer Greece to Croatia. Bit more chilled. The Ionian has decent weather although there's a fair chance of showers in April.

Good luck!

 

[Homer J]

I wouldn’t be too quick to rule out a flotilla (although I’m sure you’d be fine by yourself)

Most people think that it will be boring and “follow my leader” but this is what we like about them
- if something breaks, someone is there to fix it - no loss of days on holiday or extra cost - they unblock
The khazi for free!
- they HAVE to find you a space in the evening
- there is always someone to take your lines / advise - they are patient and don’t judge!
- harbours are much smoother as they know the staff and take out all of the hassle
- they can recommend good places to go and stop for lunch
- usually like minded good fun people in the flotilla- but you don’t have to get involved if you don’t want to

Often the flotilla includes the fuel so not always more expensive (and you can haggle). Try late sail for a bargain- especially off season.

 

[E39mad]

Have done 2 flotillas in Croatia with the family and 2 bare boats with "the lads".

I was sailing in Croatia this May also on a delivery and the weather was a mix of good to pretty poor ie wet and cold. April is too early as previously stated.

I enjoyed all the trips. For Flotilla look up Activity Yachting based out of Betina on Murter. Bare boat depends on what you want - I would say mid Dalmatia out of say Biograd is less challenging that out of Split.

 

[Donheist]

Plus one for flotilla. I think of it as like valet parking - they always get you a spot. Saves the hassle and it means you can stay out in the afternoon (when the wind is) without worrying about getting a spot. Although in April nowhere is busy anyway. We’ve done flotillas even since we’ve owned our boat. Having other sailors to talk to is also good to learn a bit. We did flotilla with comp crew and bareboated cheerfully with dayskipper.

 

[ghostlymoron]

I've done a couple of flotillas and thoroughly enjoyed them. We went with Sailing Holidays to Greece and I had just completed my Dayskipper when we first went. I was slightly concerned that we might be a bit light on experience but this proved not to be so. One couple never raised a sail the whole cruise. There was no 'follow my leader' and we were let alone during the day and rendezvoused at tea time, some days we chose not to follow the flotilla and had a few days on our own with the advice of the leader as to where to go. This way we were able to visit some smaller harbours which couldn't accommodate all the yachts.
It certainly gave us confidence to get our own boat and to charter. The social side was quite pleasant and the free top ups of fuel.

 

[englishrobs]

We have friends with a cat in Croatia and we regularly go in April, weather has always been good for us though as others have indicated watch out for the Bora (never hit us in April but a worthy caution). Never been rained on in April either, maybe we've just been lucky. It is far less crowded outside of peak season with other boats, some locations may not be fully open for the season, smaller ports for example may not be selling diesel in the 'winter' but I only ever experienced that once, there still plenty of options.

Certainly for a first time I'd be tempted to go outside of the peak season when marina's and some popular anchorages can be very crowded with a few less amenable types not respecting your need to be perhaps a little more cautious first time out.

Also did our first bare boat in Croatia with Ultra out of Trogir. V impressed with them, was put in touch via Latesail who I'd also recommend. It's pretty easy sailing, we're off again next month which will be similarly quiet but also should be decently warm.

 

[dolabriform]

We're off on our first bareboat charter next month. Having never done a stern to med mooring before ( but watched a few videos :encouragement: ) how difficult is to do?

 

[englishrobs]

We're off on our first bareboat charter next month. Having never done a stern to med mooring before ( but watched a few videos :encouragement: ) how difficult is to do?

Not as difficult as it looks and there are often (usually) staff around who will lift the lazy lines (if present) to help you out. At busier times of year they're keen to get people parked as safely and quickly as possible.

 

[E39mad]

We're off on our first bareboat charter next month. Having never done a stern to med mooring before ( but watched a few videos :encouragement: ) how difficult is to do?

Once you've got one stern line on you have the option of putting the engine in ahead which should hold the boat in position allowing the helm to assist in securing either the bow (slime) line or other stern line. Never go in too fast - always ends in disaster. Sometimes easier if down a narrow marina to reverse in down the isle rather than having to stop the boat then reverse in. Try and use the wind to help you - boats tend naturally to go stern to the wind if left alone.

 

[John the kiwi]

A big plus 1 for flotillas! Especially Sailing holidays.( - owned and operated by another Kiwi)
I have sailed for 50 years, have my own boat which i race, but my wife, while happy enough in a boat, is not thrilled with the lee rails underwater, big spinnaker broaches and so on.
She was keen on Greek islands though so i booked a flotilla holiday. My plan was to do 1 flotilla to get some familiarity with the whole Greek scene and then do a bareboat in following years. We both loved the flotilla! As said, they take all the stresses out of the picture, but you still sail the boat and have a lot of independence if you want it. You can take or leave the social side, its entirely your call, but we enjoyed the option of casually socialising with likeminded people in the flotilla. Been married 40 years, we are happy together, but its nice to also have others to talk to at the end of a lovely day!
A suprising number on our last flotilla did in fact own their own boats in the UK, and were doing the same as us.
So 3 flotillas down and a 4th booked, i dont think i will bother with the bareboat in the med.
Looking forward to summer season racing my own boat starting next week in NZ though, and also some cruising when it properly warms up!

 

[KellysEye]

We chartered in Croatia later than that because of the weather. Croatia's best weather comes between April and September, which also is the main tourist period. Temperatures start warming up in April, though it's still too cool for swimming and spring rains are common. In May and June, temperatures nationwide are warmer and days longer, making this an ideal time to visit.