Croatia Rising - for the Cruising Sailor

by Christopher LONGMORE, Global Yachts/Sail-World on 9 Nov 2007 One of the destinations only recently on the lips of all cruising sailors with an eye for an exotic holiday is Croatia, Croatia, Croatia. Returning holiday-makers and long range cruising sailors are forever full of praise for this most recent of popular Mediterranean bareboat charter destinations.

In the 1980s, Croatia - then part of Yugoslavia - built up a sizeable yacht charter industry. It was never then on the scale to rival long time favourite Greece, but it was large enough to get itself noticed as an attractive coming destination. Then came the various Balkan wars - one of them involving Croatia itself - and the disintegration of old Yugoslavia. Croatia is now the ex-Yugoslav republic with almost all the coast line!

Since the wars ended the growth of the Croatian yacht charter industry has been little short of astonishing. In an industry notoriously short of credible statistics, we suspect that Croatia must now be a serious rival to Greece. There are a number of explanations for this remarkable success:

The country is naturally blessed with sailing waters as good and varied as anywhere in the world.
After the war, the Croatian government went out of its way to encourage and indeed subsidise the re-building and building of the necessary infrastructure - most obviously the marinas.

Northern Croatia is a 4 hour drive from most of Austria, and southern parts of Germany. Even Dalmatia, where perhaps the best sailing is to be found - is only 6 hours away. This was always a big advantage, but in the wake of 9/11, when Germans in particular were reluctant to climb on an airplane, it catapulted the industry forward.

Sailing holidays in Croatia now include almost everything that customers could conceivably want. There are thousands of bareboat yachts to charter in bases from Pula and Cres in Istria, to the massive yachting centres of Zadar, Sukosan, Sibenik, Murter Island, Split, & Dubrovnik. Each one of those can be chartered with a skipper for those without the necessary experience. There are sailing flotillas from Split, and an RYA Authorised Sailing School on Murter Island. The opportunities to spend one week afloat and another ashore are endless.

One of the problems for the British used to be that getting there was expensive and there were not enough seats on such planes flew there. Things started to improve in 2004, with regular charter flights to Split at least. For 2005, there are flights to Opatija in the north, Zadar to get to central Dalmatia, Split, and also Dubrovnik. Getting to Istria is easy. Just fly EasyJet to Venice, or Ryanair to Trieste. The first has hydrofoil links to the excellent sailing of Pula; the second is a transfer bus away from Portoroz (actually in Slovenia), and Pula. Croatia is now the sailing destination for the British - the destination that has it all!

The Practicalities Today:

Croatia Traveller is an excellent website dealing with many aspects of Croatia. Here is what they say:
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 privately owned. Generally, facilities are excellent. They include reception, exchange office, restaurant, toilets and showers, grocery store, parking lot, repair shop, crane, etc. However, you don't have to head for a marina – you can safely moor in countless secluded natural bays or islets. 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 distinct advantage for the modern sailor is that the ACI marinas are equipped with Wi-Fi access.
There are about 20,000 berths in Croatia but in peak season, it is strongly recommended that you reserve 24 hours in advance or arrive at the marina in early afternoon as berth places fill up quickly. Most marinas are open all year.

Best Seasons for Sailing in Croatia

The best sailing season is April through June and 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 social season is in full swing.

Wind and Sea Conditions

The bora and the jugo are the dominant winds. The bora is a dry cold, north-easterly wind that gusts most strongly in the Velebit Channel and the Kvarner Bay. It cleans and freshens the summer air. The jugo (sirocco) is a southerly, humid wind that flows from the sea and freshens the southern coast. The maestral is a landward-blowing wind which gives pleasant sailing along the Istrian coast, especially in the summer, but gathers force as it sweeps down to Dalmatia. The burin is a north, northeast wind that is strongest before dawn and soon dies down. Watch out for the nevera, a strong summer westerly wind that brings bad weather. It whips up the sea very suddenly, usually accompanied by thunder and then quickly dies down. It is most common in the Northern Adriatic.

Even though the Adriatic is not known for dangerous and unpredictable seas and sailing can take place all year, the most favorable conditions are from mid-June to mid-October. Then, even those with little experience can enjoy the sailing experience.

For more infomation about the possibilities and practicalities of sailing in Croatia, visit the 'Croatia Traveller' site, which has a wealth of both descriptive and useful information by clicking Here