Best Seasons for Sailing in Croatia
The best sailing season is late spring ( April through June) and early fall ( September through October). The sea is calm, the weather mild and there are fewer crowds. July and August are ideal months for swimming plus the summer social season is in full swing. Reserve in advance though!
Practical yacht charter advices
Croatia has a long tradition of welcoming sailors. There are 50 or so marinas in Croatia scattered on the coast; 21 of them are managed by ACI (Adriatic Club International) and the rest are privately owned. Generally, Croatia's marina facilities are excellent. They include reception, exchange office, restaurant, toilets and showers, grocery store, parking lot, repair shop, crane, etc. You don't have to head for a marina – you can safely moor in countless secluded natural bays or islets but there are advantages to marinas.
Many Croatian marinas are close to historical towns replete with museums, galleries, palaces and monasteries plus excellent restaurants. Self-catering is easy as most marinas are close to supermarkets. Another nice touch is that the ACI marinas are equipped with Wi-Fi access.
How to make a booking of a sailing yacht?
There are two or three ways to book a sailing yacht. If you are not sure what you want or this is the first time you rent a sailing boat, it might be best to send us an e-mail with all the necessary information. This information involves number of people aboard, departure point, rental period and all the possible requests. We will contact you with the offer of an appropriate sailing yacht for you.
After you have confirmed your booking, you will be obliged to settle 50 % of the rental price while the remaining sum shall be covered 4 weeks before the sailing begins.
Besides basic services of sailing boat booking, we can offer you transfer organization, possible additional equipment, a skipper or a hostess or similar. A skipper is required if you are not qualified for steering a sailing boat, i.e. you do not possess a valid VHF license.
In case you know what kind of sailing boat you want to rent, you can search our boat base and send us an exact enquiry with respect to a particular boat or a period. After that, you shall follow the above procedure.
Arriving at Charter Base - Check In
You have decided to spend your holidays sailing, you have gathered a trustworthy crew made of your friends and family, you have picked your boat, and the day you finally board the boat is here.
Upon arrival at your chosen destination, you have to locate the yacht charter base where your boat is waiting for you to board it. That means that you have to figure out a way of getting there.
Arriving at the charter base on agreed time is very important since you probably will not be the only clients taking their sailboat over that day. If you happen to arrive earlier than agreed, you can spend that extra time sightseeing or having lunch. You can also go grocery shopping. However, if you happen to be late for your agreed time, be sure to let the charter base staff know when can they expect you.
Do not forget the documents. You should have your passport or ID. It would be smart to have them photocopied in case your charter company should require copies of your documents. You will also need to leave a deposit for the boat at the base. You can use your card or leave a cash deposit. Also, do not forget to submit your crew list to your agent.
Yacht Charter Check-out Procedure - What to Expect
After a week of sailing excitements and enjoyments, it is time to get back to the harsh reality. The first thing you have to do is to get through the yacht charter check-out procedure.
Although your charter period is from Saturday to Saturday, you are expected to come back to the charter base on Friday evening. You are, naturally, allowed to spend the night on board. However, if you are unable to return to the charter base on Friday, you must inform the charter base about it. Needless to say, you must have a valid reason for it. If this should happen, be sure to arrive to the charter base before 8 a.m. so that the check-out could be done and the yacht could be ready for the following charter.
During the check-out, the boat documents are handed to the charter base staff. The yacht is then checked by the skipper and a member of the charter base staff. If they find no damages and all the yacht's inventory intact, the security deposit (paid at the yacht charter check-in) is returned to you. If, however, there are any damages to the yacht, or any of its inventory is missing, you are left without your security deposit. Note that you may have to pay extra if the damages to the yacht cannot be entirely covered by the security deposit.
After the entire check-out procedure is done, you may leave the charter base and head home.