Sailing tips

Charter economics

If you are chartering a boat for the first time, the first thing on your mind, before booking the boat, will probably be: how much will it cost? The charter price (when divided by the number of the people on board) usually does not exceed the accommodation price of a room with a sea view in a 4-star hotel. Furthermore, we are giving you advices on how to decrease your charter price even more.
Charter prices vary, depending on different factors: type of the boat, the year in which the boat was built, location, charter period. Newer boats are always more expensive – the difference in price between a completely new boat and a 3-year old boat can be significant, even though the older boat (if properly maintained) can give you almost the same quality of accommodation and navigation performance. On the Adriatic, the peak season is in July and August and if you are not limited by school holidays or your working schedule, the recommended time for chartering the boat is September or June, as more attractive prices are offered in these months. Besides lower prices, a wider selection of boats, less people and good weather conditions are just some of the advantages that give you a better value for money.
Once you have found the boat that meets your demands, please note that the price paid covers only the boat accommodation. Additional costs that will occur need to be calculated as you will not be able to avoid them: mooring fees, fuel costs, tips… Fuel costs depend on the sailing route that you are taking. The advantage of the Croatian coast is that sailing distances are short and most of the charterers choose the routes which do not take up more than 3 hours of navigation per day, resulting in lower fuel costs. In case you are not sure about your fuel costs, we can always help you with the calculation if you send us the planned route. Mooring fees vary from marina to marina. They depend on the size of the boat as well. The average price of the mooring fee is 50-60 EUR for a 43ft boat, but the prices can always be checked on the web site of the marina in which you plan to dock, depending on your sailing route. However, some of the harbours and most of the anchorages are at your disposal without any extra charge.

The crew assembling

Life on sea is much different than our everyday life. The person who is assembling the crew should keep this in mind at all times, especially in a situation when additional crew members are added to cut down the expenses (the more people on board - the lower the price per person). Rather cramped space, lack of intimacy and the new environment are just some of the charter “specifics” that some people are not used to deal with. Therefore, it is highly important to compose a compact crew with roughly the same interests and ideas about what a charter vacation should look like. If a group of people is to coexist in previously mentioned conditions, one must be careful in order to make sure that a week of fun does not turn into a disappointment.

Tip for the skipper: make sure in advance that the crew is aware who is in charge, especially in case of an emergency and dangerous situations. The person who takes such responsibility deserves respect from other crew members.

Choosing the boat type

The boat model for your charter holiday in most cases depends solely on one fact: the idea of your summer holiday on waves. The first dilemma that you are going to meet is whether to choose a sailing or a motor boat. If you are keen on speed, fast changing of destinations and comfort, a motor boat might be a good choice for you. A disadvantage of motor boats is rather high fuel consumption. Monohull sailboats are a better choice if you are planning a relaxed vacation, if you like sailing and if you are on limited budget. You can always choose from wide range of sailboats with different built years. Catamarans are perfect for families with small children as they are more spacious and more stable than other types of vessels. Tailored made programs, gulets, luxury sailing or motor yachts also form an important part of our offer. You can browse through our boat list or, if you have specific inquiries, just contact us and we will be at your disposal in preparing your dream holiday.

Tip: all quality boats requested for July or August are usually booked by the end of spring. The more you wait to make a reservation, the bigger the chance is that you will not find the vessel that matches your preferences. Our suggestion is, if you plan to book your boat for July or August, to make the reservation till April at the latest.

Planning the route

This part of the trip should be easy if you have a harmonious crew that has the same preferences regarding the “things to see”. Croatian coast and islands truly offer a wide variety of places to visit, hidden bays and old towns. The advantage is that short sailing distances make possible to visit a different island each day, without having to navigate for hours. When setting the itinerary, make sure you predict the anchorages, marinas, fuel stations and places to hide in case of storms. In a skippered charter, the route is always arranged with your skipper – the skipper will set the route according to your preferences, but at the same time with regard to navigation possibilities and weather conditions. In crewed charter, the route is usually set in advance, but it can always be tailored to your wishes, with the captain’s blessing, of course. Please note that the person who makes the final decision about the route is the skipper and if safety or weather conditions cause the change of the route, the skipper’s opinion and decision should be obeyed. If you have any additional questions or need help with planning the route, please do not hesitate to contact us - we will gladly recommend or provide help in creating the most suitable route for your sailing holiday.
Please check our sailing routes suggestions.

Packing the suitcases

All the yachts that we have in our offer are equipped with all necessary safety, kitchen and navigational equipment. Bed linens and sometimes even towels are included in the charter price. If you are travelling during the summer months, light clothes are the only clothes that you need to take with you. During the cooler months, warmer clothing, waterproof jackets and sleeping bags are our recommendation. Before leaving home do not forget your passports, booking documents (voucher), credit cards, sun creams, sunglasses, hats and medications. Non-waterproof watches, valuable jewellery or any other valuable items should be left at home. When chartering, remember that less is more, as the yachts have limited storage space. Large traditional suitcases is not something that you will carry with you as they will only be in your way and take up space, a duffle bag is much more suitable.

Embarkation

If not otherwise agreed, the embarkation is done on Saturdays afternoon. The official embarkation time is 5 to 6 PM, but in practice the embarkation is usually done earlier, as soon as the boat is ready. If the boat is in charter the week before yours, the service provider needs a few hours to properly clean the boat from the inside and outside and sometimes even to take care of some small repairs. Delays can sometimes happen because of the charterer’s negligence and therefore, in order to make sure that everything runs smoothly and faster, please take care of the following:

1. provide the crew list and the skipper’s license in advance,
2. announce your arrival time to marina,
3. make sure that you prepare enough money for cash payments at the base,
4. check credit card limits for deposit payments and make sure you have the right credit cards with you as all charter companies do not accept all credit cards,
5. announce in advance if you are going to take any additional equipment (gennaker, spinnaker, outboard engine) or if you will make additional insurance of the deposit (the damage waiver).

Once you arrive to the starting marina, the first thing to do is the paperwork in the charter company’s office – this means confirming the crew list, making the deposit payment and payments for obligatory and extra services and equipment. At this point residence tax should be paid as well. After the paperwork is done, the take-over of the boat follows. When taking over the boat you will check the boat with one of the base staff – you are supposed to pay attention to the equipment and overall state of the boat (interior and exterior appearance, navigation instruments, engine etc.) and verify its condition in writing. Please note that you are supposed to return the boat in the same condition in which you have taken it.

On board

While sailing, you are supposed to act responsibly regarding the navigation regulations for safety at sea. By doing this, you will provide a safe journey to your crew members and also to other sailors at sea.  Please note that it is not allowed to swim in harbours and marinas, to sail at a distance less than 50 m from the coast in inhabited areas, to discard the garbage in the sea, to empty the black water tanks in areas that are not designated for such actions etc.

In case you should have any problems with the boat, always contact the base manager or another emergency contact that the charter company provided. This will spare you the misunderstandings that you can have at check-out regarding the boat damages. On the other hand, the service provider will usually act immediately in order to remove the problems and you will be able to enjoy your maritime holiday at ease.

Disembarkation

Disembarkations are usually done Saturday mornings till 8-9 AM. Please note that the stated time is not the time by which you have to return the boat to the marina. The stated time is the disembarkation time, meaning that you have to leave the boat by that time. Before you leave the boat, the check-out procedure, that lasts approximately one hour, needs to be done. Therefore, if disembarkation is till 9 AM, you need to be in the marina till 8 AM in order to do everything on time.
The procedures for check-out might vary - some charter companies insist on coming back to the marina and doing the check-out procedure on Friday afternoon. In this case, the charter guests do not have to disembark until Saturday morning and can use the yacht for their stay until then.  For other charter companies, coming back to the marina on Saturday morning is acceptable. However, this information should be confirmed at check-in. If you happen to be late, please note that according to the general charter conditions of the most charter companies, the charterer can be charged for an additional day of charter. Our suggestion is to try to avoid these situations as much as possible.
Another thing to highlight for the check-out is the fuel – you have taken the boat with the full fuel tank and that is the way the boat should be returned. Always plan that you have to visit the nearest fuel station before coming back to marina. However, the refuelling of the boat or bad weather conditions are not acceptable excuses for being late for disembarkation – please be aware of the weather forecast and the busy boat fuel stations on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.
At the check-out the boat is going to be checked the same way as at the beginning of the charter in order to confirm that the boat is in the same condition as it was when it was handed over to you. In case there are no damages your deposit will be returned to you, otherwise you will have to cover the damage. Remember that you are liable for the damages up to the amount of your security deposit.