Five sections,
one charter week.
Twenty-five working answers from the Croatia Yachting brokers — booking, licensing, prices, routes, onboard logistics and crew. Updated each season.
Booking & licensing.
How a Croatia charter actually starts — what we ask for, what you need to have, and how the paper trail works.
Three paths. Send an inquiry (six short questions on /inquiry — a Croatia Yachting broker writes back within four working hours with up to three matched yachts and a costed offer). Browse the fleet directly on /yachts and send an offer request from any yacht page. Or call the Split office on +385 91 3000 009 (Mon–Fri, 09:00–18:00 CET). The yacht is confirmed when the first instalment lands; full balance is due 30 days before check-in.
For bareboat charter you need a recognised skipper's licence (ICC, RYA Day Skipper, ASA 104 or an equivalent national certificate) plus a VHF radio operator's certificate. Both documents are checked at marina handover — bring originals, not photocopies. For skippered or fully crewed charters no licence is needed; we put a Croatian-licensed professional skipper aboard.
ICC (International Certificate of Competence) is the safest pick. The Croatian harbour-master also accepts RYA Day Skipper, ASA 104 Bareboat, US Sailing Bareboat Cruising, IYT International Bareboat Skipper, and national licences from EU member states plus the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand. If you're unsure, send a scan with your inquiry — we confirm acceptance before you book.
Charter Croatia bareboat-eligible only with paperwork — the marina cannot release the yacht otherwise. Three options: book a skippered charter (broker plans the week, you sail with the professional skipper), do a fast-track licensing course in Split (3–5 days, around €600), or send a friend or family member with a valid licence as the registered skipper of record.
For peak July–August: 4–6 months ahead for popular yacht models, more for catamarans (often booked out by February). For June and September: 2–3 months works. For shoulder April–May or late October: 4–6 weeks is usually enough. We hold soft options for up to 7 days while you confirm the group.
Pricing & inclusions.
What a Croatia week actually costs, what's in the quote, and what the marina invoices for separately.
Guideline for a peak-week (July–August) charter, bareboat where applicable: sailing yacht 40–50 ft €2,400–€4,500 / week; catamaran 40–50 ft €5,400–€11,000; motor yacht 50 ft+ €11,000–€30,000; gulet (crewed all-inclusive) €14,000–€40,000; luxury crewed superyacht 30 m+ from €80,000. Shoulder seasons (May / late September) run 25–35% lower. Every offer breaks down the price line by line.
Included: yacht use, base equipment (sails, dinghy with outboard, snorkelling gear, bedding, towels), full hull insurance and third-party liability. Paid separately at the marina or with the operator: transit log (€30–€40 per person), end cleaning (€150–€350), berthing fees outside the home port, fuel, on-board provisioning, and on a crewed charter the APA (Advance Provisioning Allowance, typically 25–30% of the charter fee).
First instalment (typically 30–50% of the charter fee — operator-dependent) confirms the booking. Balance is due 30 days before check-in. Some operators split into three instalments for early bookings — we'll flag it on the quote. We accept bank transfer and major cards; corporate clients can pay against invoice. Every payment is insured by Wiener osiguranje (Croatian client-protection insurance — applies to every Croatia Yachting booking).
Every Croatia Yachting booking includes a 72-hour free cancellation window from the moment the booking is confirmed — change your mind in the first three days, full deposit refunded, no questions. Beyond the 72-hour grace period, operator-specific schedules apply, typically scaling from 30% (60+ days before check-in) to 100% (under 30 days). We strongly recommend yacht charter cancellation insurance for high-season weeks; we'll quote it on the offer.
A refundable damage deposit held during the charter. Sailing yachts: typically €1,500–€3,000; catamarans €2,500–€5,000; motor yachts €5,000–€10,000. Paid by credit-card pre-authorisation at check-in and released on return if the yacht comes back without damage. Most operators offer an "insured deposit" upgrade (€150–€400, halves or zeroes out your liability) — worth taking on a peak week, we flag it on every quote.
Routes & sailing.
How a Croatia week unfolds on the water — distance, weather, route adjustments and the practical limits of seven days.
June and mid-September. Water is warm enough for swimming (22°C+), the mistral blows reliably 10–15 kt from the west by mid-afternoon, marinas are still bookable inside a month, and prices are 25–35% lower than July–August peak. July and August offer the warmest water and longest days but cost the most and demand the earliest booking. April–May and October are shoulder weeks — cheapest, parks open, water cooler.
Plan for 25–40 NM on sailing days. That leaves time for a swim stop, a long lunch and arriving in port by 5 pm. A 7-day week comfortably covers 150–200 NM total — enough for a Split → Hvar → Vis → Brač loop or a Šibenik → Kornati → Telašćica → Murter circuit. Push past 50 NM/day and the week becomes a transit, not a holiday.
Yes — most Croatian operators allow one-way charters for a repositioning fee (typically €200–€600). Common pairs: Split → Dubrovnik (classic 7-day passage south through Hvar, Korčula, Mljet, Elaphiti); Trogir → Dubrovnik (similar, custom routing); Pula/Pomer → Split (north-south across Kornati). Not every yacht is one-way friendly — flag the direction on the inquiry and we filter the fleet first.
Sometimes, with prior approval. Croatia ↔ Montenegro: most operators allow it with a border fee (€100–€200) and crew-list amendment — common from Dubrovnik. Croatia ↔ Italy: most Croatian-flagged sail and catamaran charters allow it (border-clearance fee + crew-list amendment) — common from Pula, Rovinj or Mali Lošinj. Schengen rules apply across Croatia–Italy–Slovenia for all crew passports.
Yes — every route on this site is a starting point, not a contract. The skipper re-plots day-by-day based on bora or jugo forecasts, the group's stamina, festival dates you want to hit, and whether you'd rather chase a quieter anchorage or a buzzing town. Pre-departure briefing covers the planned week; on board, the skipper updates each morning with the latest weather.
On board logistics.
How embarkation, handover, equipment and the daily rhythm work once you step on the dock.
Embarkation is 5 pm Saturday (after the cleaning and handover team finishes); disembarkation is 9 am the following Saturday. Some bases run Wednesday-to-Wednesday turnarounds in shoulder season. Check-in: passport and licence check, yacht inventory walk-through with the marina technician (45–60 min), security deposit pre-auth, signed delivery protocol. Check-out: refuel to the same level you got, return to the home marina by 5 pm Friday for a clean check-out next morning.
Standard inventory: sails (mainsail + furling genoa on sailing yachts), dinghy with 4–15 hp outboard, snorkelling gear, beach towels and linens, full galley (cooker, oven, fridge, kettle, full crockery and cutlery), GPS chartplotter, VHF radio, AIS transponder, EPIRB or PLB, life raft, full safety kit. Catamarans and motor yachts add A/C and a generator. Asks like SUPs, water-skis, jet skis or sat-Wi-Fi we add on request — we list them on the quote.
Linen, towels, kitchenware, cutlery, snorkelling gear and the dinghy are always included in the charter fee. Provisioning is not — you either shop yourself at the supermarket near the marina (Split, Trogir and Šibenik have hypermarkets walking distance from the boat) or pre-order a provisioning service for delivery to the yacht (typical spend €40–€60 per person per day for breakfast + on-board lunch + light dinner).
Mostly a mix. A typical Croatia week has 2–3 marina nights (showers, restaurants, water and electricity) and 2–4 anchorage nights (free, quiet, swim from the deck). Marinas charge €50–€200 per night by yacht length and season; anchorages are free except in national parks (Kornati, Mljet) which charge a daily pass. The skipper books marinas in peak season — we don't take chances on July evenings.
Yes. Croatian charter operators welcome children of any age; some require a parent-signed waiver for children under 6. We recommend catamarans for families with kids under 10 — the flat platform, twin hulls and shallow draft make swim stops and beach approaches easier. Life jackets in child sizes are standard on every yacht. Many marinas have playgrounds and shallow swim areas right by the pontoon.
Crew & skipper.
Who runs the yacht, what they cost, and the practical difference between bareboat, skippered and crewed.
Bareboat: you skipper yourself, licence required, lowest price. Skippered: we add a professional Croatian-licensed skipper (around €180–€220 per day); you still cook and crew. Crewed: skipper plus hostess and/or cook on board, all meals, provisioning and laundry handled (gulet and superyacht weeks are always fully crewed). Most first-time charterers in Croatia choose skippered for week one, bareboat from week two onwards.
As soon as the booking is confirmed. The skipper introduces themselves by email a week before check-in to confirm the route plan, ask about dietary preferences and crew experience, and answer any last questions. Our skippers are RYA Yachtmaster Offshore or equivalent, all English-speaking, with 10+ years of Adriatic experience. Many speak German, Italian or French as a second working language — flag it on the inquiry.
The skipper uses a dedicated crew cabin (typically the bow cabin on a catamaran, the fore-peak on a sailing yacht). They are part of the working crew, not your guest — meals can be shared but the skipper plans their own rest and watches. Skipper food on a bareboat-plus-skipper charter is a guest courtesy (around €15–€20 per day, shared from the boat's provisioning).
On a crewed charter (gulet, superyacht, mega yacht): yes, skipper and crew are fully included. On a bareboat-plus-skipper charter: the skipper fee is itemised separately — typically €180–€220 per day, paid at marina check-in or invoiced ahead. The skipper fee does not include the skipper's food (a daily allowance) or any tips at the end of the week (10–15% of the skipper fee is customary if the service was good).
Yes — but flag it on the inquiry so the crew list is correct. The harbour-master and marinas check the crew list at every port; mismatched passports mean a fine. Mid-charter changes are common on family weeks (grandparents flying in for the second half, for example) — we file an amended list with the harbour-master before the change. Always keep both the old and the new list on board.
Question not here? Send it our way.
Six short questions on the inquiry form, then a real reply from a Croatia Yachting broker within four working hours — not an auto-responder.