Sunseeker Manhattan 60

Ooh thats cheap diesel. Yup plenty of yards in Split/Sibenik area but too far away from Montenegro for minor repairs. Montenegro would be better place for overwintering as there are all year flights to Dubrovnik, at least for us, whereas flights to Split stop in October. My big concern with Montenegro is getting complex maintenance work done like engine repairs/servicing which is why I was interested if there were any reputable maintenance companies in Porto Montenegro

Another option for overwintering would proabably be 100NM away, on the Italian side since Bari and Brindisi have, if I am not mistaken good connections to London all year round.

I was down there a couple of month ago (not for boating). While driving the coast I saw a few yards/marinas. Danese in Brindisi seems to be well run and is in walking distance from the airport. Locals had positive words about Ranieri yard which is close to Bari airport. Two or three other yards around Monopoli seem to specialize on fishing boats (big travel lifts). Finally, a new marina named "Cala Ponte Marina" is presently opening in Polignano a Mare. I can check whether I kept somewhere the contact details.

Apulia by the way is a very pleasant region. Good food, lot's of interesting towns to visit (Monopoli and Polignano a Mare for example are really pretty towns, I can post some pics). Certainly worth a detour.
 
This Summer diesel was 0.83 now its 0.79
BartW, if your "base" marina is Montenegro, can you buy that diesel there, then cruise up into Croatia with it? Or do you have to pay Croatia tax somehow?

Also can someone comment briefly on the paperwork for crusing Croatia? I hear you have to do paperwork for each trip and each time you have new guests on board. Is this all quite easy?

Reason for asking is that I too have an idea to put the boat in PM for a whole summer - 2014 or 2015 maybe. Very easy travel from London - Dubrovnik
 
BartW, if your "base" marina is Montenegro, can you buy that diesel there, then cruise up into Croatia with it? Or do you have to pay Croatia tax somehow?

Also can someone comment briefly on the paperwork for crusing Croatia? I hear you have to do paperwork for each trip and each time you have new guests on board. Is this all quite easy?

Reason for asking is that I too have an idea to put the boat in PM for a whole summer - 2014 or 2015 maybe. Very easy travel from London - Dubrovnik
As I understand it, there are no checks on fuel coming in from Montenegro. Certainly, when entering from Italy in previous years, nobody has questioned whether or not I have duty free fuel in the tanks (which is possible to buy in Italy). What they have been hot on in the past is checking in with customs on entry into Croatia but that has meant passports and the usual ships papers but not VAT documents in past years. That might change next season now that Croatia is in the EU as supposedly we EU citizens have freedom of movement in the EU of course. However if entering from Montenegro which of course is a non EU country, you will have to clear customs in Cavtat every time you enter/leave Croatia which will be a pain.
On entry into Croatia you also have to buy a cruising vignette (about €250 for a 53 footer for 1yr) at the local harbourmasters office (different place from customs) and insurance if you cannot demonstrate that you have insurance. In previous years they also gave you a crew list which in previous years required you to traipse off to a harbourmasters office every time a new guest/crew came on board with their passport. Now that they are in the EU, this requirement seems to have been waived so I cannot see what the crew list is actually for now, although whenever you enter a marina, the staff have always asked for the crew list. You always have to remember that Croatia was a communistical country only 20yrs ago so paperwork is everything, even if it isn't necessary.
So to recap, if entering Croatia from Montenegro, you will need to clear customs on entry every time you visit and clear out every time you leave (although I forgot to do that once and nobody seemed to notice) but the cruising vignette will be a once a year purchase if you buy a 12 months one. As for how long customs clearance takes, we have only ever entered the country early in the season and left late and the clearance process has been 15mins or so. I have heard though that it can take a lot longer in Cavtat at the height of the season
 
Another option for overwintering would proabably be 100NM away, on the Italian side since Bari and Brindisi have, if I am not mistaken good connections to London all year round.
In previous years we have overwintered in Monfalcone right at the top of the Adriatic which has a small international airport (Trieste in Ryanairspeak, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia airport to everyone else) and also Venice Marco Polo or Venice Treviso airports are only 1 - 1.5hrs drive away
 
Thanks, Mike, your report only bears out the good reports I have heard elsewhere about MTUs
 
As I understand it, there are no checks on fuel coming in from Montenegro. Certainly, when entering from Italy in previous years, nobody has questioned whether or not I have duty free fuel in the tanks (which is possible to buy in Italy). What they have been hot on in the past is checking in with customs on entry into Croatia but that has meant passports and the usual ships papers but not VAT documents in past years. That might change next season now that Croatia is in the EU as supposedly we EU citizens have freedom of movement in the EU of course. However if entering from Montenegro which of course is a non EU country, you will have to clear customs in Cavtat every time you enter/leave Croatia which will be a pain.
On entry into Croatia you also have to buy a cruising vignette (about €250 for a 53 footer for 1yr) at the local harbourmasters office (different place from customs) and insurance if you cannot demonstrate that you have insurance. In previous years they also gave you a crew list which in previous years required you to traipse off to a harbourmasters office every time a new guest/crew came on board with their passport. Now that they are in the EU, this requirement seems to have been waived so I cannot see what the crew list is actually for now, although whenever you enter a marina, the staff have always asked for the crew list. You always have to remember that Croatia was a communistical country only 20yrs ago so paperwork is everything, even if it isn't necessary.
So to recap, if entering Croatia from Montenegro, you will need to clear customs on entry every time you visit and clear out every time you leave (although I forgot to do that once and nobody seemed to notice) but the cruising vignette will be a once a year purchase if you buy a 12 months one. As for how long customs clearance takes, we have only ever entered the country early in the season and left late and the clearance process has been 15mins or so. I have heard though that it can take a lot longer in Cavtat at the height of the season
Deleted User, many thanks for all that info. Much appreciated. Yes, EU membership ought (you'd think) to reduce crew list paperwork because EU citizens are meant to have "freedom of movement" within the EU.
 
Deleted User, many thanks for all that info. Much appreciated. Yes, EU membership ought (you'd think) to reduce crew list paperwork because EU citizens are meant to have "freedom of movement" within the EU.
Greece is (allegedly) in EU for a v.long time and still you have to (sort of) fill in this bleeding form everytime. and get your whatever it's called stamped everytime you leave port (again sorta).

cheers

V.
 
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