Bareboat, a skippered or a crewed charter?

Bareboat Charter Yacht Charter

Bareboat sailing (or independent yacht charter) is an arrangement in which you hire and sail a chartered vessel (yacht, catamaran or motor yacht) yourself. This is a great opportunity for all experienced sailors to get off the usual routes and experience the Croatian coast privately. Whether you are looking to book a boat (yacht, catamaran, motor yacht) with your significant other, friends or family, you can be sure we will give you the best advice on which boat is suitable for you and your group and of course the best places to visit.

One of the best ways how to start planning your route is first by asking your fellow sailors what they fancy. Island hopping? The Croatian coast is perfect because of its favorable strong winds and a lot of islands. The 5835 kilometers of the Croatian coastline is sheltered by more than 1185 islands in which you will find over a thousand of safe anchorages, harbors, isolated moorings but also modern and well-equipped marinas.

Croatia has a lot of hidden bays, beautiful beaches, cliffs, coves etc. which are fantastic places for diving. Your sailing holidays with Lighthouse Yacht Charter Croatia can start from e.g. Pula (which is located on the Istrian coast) to Zadar or Split (cities in the Middle Dalmatia) or even Dubrovnik (a well-known historical city in the South Croatia).

What’s the weather like in Croatia?

Croatia has a typical Mediterranean climate, which means that the summers are dry and warm while winters are mild. Because of the fact that Croatia has 2600 hours of sunlight annually, it is considered as one of the sunniest coastlines in the whole of Europe. Summer temperatures are around 30°C during the high season (June/July/August), while in May, September, and October you can expect lower temperatures of approx. 23°C.

The prevailing wind in Croatia comes from the northwest (NW) with an average speed of 7/8 knots that can grow into 10-20 knots in some afternoons. This will give you an opportunity for some really exhilarating sailing.

It is important to check your forecasts regularly because of the northeast wind which Croatians call “Bura” since it can surprise you easily.

What to be aware of when sailing in Croatia

In Croatian marinas and ports, you will be required to pay the fees. This varies depending on the size of your boat (yacht, catamaran or motor yacht) and of course, location. On average, this can vary from 20-100 EUR/night. This comes along with extremely friendly port (or marina) authorities that will be happy to help you moore up, where you will be able to use shore toilets and showers, as well as power.

In order to charter a bareboat, you need to have a minimum of a Day Skipper Practical Certificate or an ICC (International Certificate of Competency) and also VHF license. For all additional license requirements please check the following LINK.

If you do not have any experience in sailing, book a Skippered Yacht Charter holiday with Lighthouse Yacht Charter Croatia. This will be the perfect opportunity for you to learn the ropes and get a taste of sailing without having any risk.

Skippered Yacht Charter

You already know how to sail but you are just lacking a bit of confidence? Worry not because you can easily go out sailing with an experienced skipper. Even if you are new to sailing and require someone to just provide proper guidance, a skipper is the one for you. It doesn't matter whether you know how to sail or not and you are just after having a good time with your friends or want to go sailing overnight then get yourself a skipper most definitely.

If you decide to charter a yacht (sailing yacht, catamaran or motorboat) with a skipper you can just lay back and enjoy your holidays. In this way, you can truly enjoy the beautiful sight while sailing along the Croatian coast, without being stressed.

Apart from giving yourself a stress-free, relaxing holiday, you will gain one more advantage from chartering a skippered yacht and that is having an experienced skipper on board. The safety deposit is the same whether you have a skipper on a boat or not, but with him, you are not liable for potential damages that may occur during your sailing trip. The deposit you leave covers the basic damage that you can cause (like broken plates, glasses etc.). Also, if you are chartering a yacht (yacht, catamaran, motor boat or gulet) in the high season, you will be able to rely on your skipper when to be in a marina (or an alternative port in case the marina is full).

Sailing along the Croatian coast with an experienced skipper will ensure that your yacht (yacht, catamaran, motor boat or gulet) is properly anchored during the night which is very important for your safety.

While having a skipper on the boat, he (or she) can advise you which possible sailing route you can take, which places to visit or even which restaurants to visit during the trip.

With a skipper on board you need to keep in mind that he (or she) needs three meals a day plus enough to drink. He (or she) also needs a place to sleep or to rest. In case the berth is not available for the skipper, he (or she) can sleep in the salon in case this area can be transformed into a sleeping area (usually just by lowering the table). If this is the case then you need to consider that saloon is skipper’s private area and you need to allow him (her) to have enough time to rest.

While dining out, you can always either ask the skipper to join you, you can ensure that there is a proper meal on board or he/she can go out and eat by themselves and you can cover the bill afterward.

Paying the marina fees can be done right after the docking or the next morning before your departure and you need to make sure skipper has enough money to cover the costs.

Crewed Charter

A crewed yacht charter is like a sailing hotel. With an all-inclusive vacation on a sailing or power catamaran, you will get a complete package of a chef and a captain to guide and help you and your friends enjoy yourselves.

A Crewed Yacht Charter is the pinnacle of luxury. Just imagine yourself floating in a five-star hotel exclusively sailing for you. This kind of yacht charter is giving you total relaxation, without even having a need to worry about things like cooking, getting the groceries.

A professional captain will be in charge of navigation while your professional chef will be responsible for preparing your meals. The hostess is there to make sure your yacht is clean and tidy at all times and in case you are traveling with children, she will make sure they are safe and taken care off.

Even though you have a professional captain at your disposal, you are free to choose your own routes. While the crew is there to make suggestions where to go, you can plan everything in advance. But listen to the advice your crew is giving you. Do not forget that they are local people that are not only highly professional in their field, but they know other locals and they can suggest which places are interesting for you to visit.