Sailing in Croatia from the area of Split

Tips for a great sailing holiday from Split in Croatia

Happy Sailing sailing yacht rental offers a wide range of sailing boats and catamarans in Croatia. We are happy to advise you with which sailboat, but also from which city you can best sail.

Renting a boat in Croatia differs from renting a boat in the Netherlands. To ensure that everything runs smoothly, we help you with all the necessary documents and preparations.

The Happy Sailing team with its skippers has gained a lot of experience in renting sailing yachts in Croatia.

The tips below for an unforgettable sailing holiday in Croatia from Split

The best flights to Croatia can be found from Rotterdam with Transavia. The flight takes only 2 hours.
It is useful to have us arrange a transfer from the airport to the port, but you can also do this yourself www.croatia-transfers.com.

The transfer to the port costs about EUR 75,-
Uber taxis are also easy to find in Croatia.

The sailing boats in Croatia are usually provided with towels and bed linen, but ask to be sure. A dinghy with paddles is almost always available, and an outboard motor is available for an additional fee. This is definitely recommended if you plan to anchor.

From Split, the first beautiful destination is the city of Milna on the island of Brac. This town is well sheltered and has cozy terraces and 3 supermarkets. There are 2 ports to dock; the first harbor is a quay where you can moor by boat, and the harbor behind it is the ACI harbor. ACI ports are more expensive marinas with good facilities. The quays are often very pleasant to moor. From the ACI marina in Milna it is a close walk to the terraces.
There are also some beautiful coves just before Milna to anchor.
For example at 43.19’24″0″N and 16.25’31.5″E. It is best to look carefully on Google Maps with satellite images where you see sandy soil (light blue water) to have a good surface for the anchor.
Milna is about 3 hours by boat from Split.

A 2nd beautiful destination from Milna is the city Stari Grad on the island Hvar.

This city lies in a beautiful bay where you moor with the transom to the side. Stari Grad is well sheltered and you really light for the terraces. The center is very nice with narrow streets and nice shops. Also here is a good Tommy and Konzum supermarket.
From Stari Grad a bus goes to the town of Hvar. Well worth a visit!

An hour’s boat ride from the town Stari Grad to the west is a very beautiful bay with moorings at 43.19’19.7″N and 16.43’44.9″E. In this bay is restaurant Konoba Ringo where you can dine for a normal price. If you eat at this restaurant you do not have to pay a mooring fee.
Of course you can also just drop your anchor next to the moorings.
From this bay it is only a 3 km walk to Hvar which is a nice walk. There is also a bus that takes only 7 minutes from the restaurant.

The town Hvar  is very beautiful with small streets and boutiques.

A walk to the fortress is also recommended.

View from the fortress of Havr

It is possible to moor at the quay of Hvar and there are also some moorings. This is not recommended with southerly winds. The harbor is exposed to the waves/swell.

The island of Vis is then again about 3 hours sailing. Something not to be missed is the Blue Cave on the east side of Vis Island. This is a beautiful cave with incredibly beautiful clear blue water. This is very difficult with easterly winds and that is not recommended. The town of Vis is sheltered and there are various possibilities for mooring or anchoring. There are several restaurants and there is also a supermarket.

It is a longer boat trip (about 5 hours) to Maslinica. Especially with an easterly wind, this is nicely sheltered and there is a modern harbor. There is also a supermarket just outside the harbour.

The cities Trogir and Split  are also worth a visit. As with almost all ports in Croatia, the ports are located in the old town. Split is built around an ancient Roman fortress which was built sometime around the year 600 by a Roman emperor. In this fortress there are countless narrow streets and squares with beautiful buildings and cozy restaurants. So before you fly back, be sure to visit the center of Split!

Currents and wind in Croatia
Croatia has almost no current, this is a maximum of 0.3 knots due to the tidal effect. However, the lake can flow between the islands due to the wind pushing the water up. The wind is very local through the islands. The wind can be 10 knots more or less on one side of an island. This can be due to thermal effect or due to venturi effects between the islands. So take into account changing circumstances during a trip.

Mooring in Croatia ashore. Mooring in Croatia is usually done with the “stern to” method, i.e. with the transom to the side. The bow is held forward by the “ground line” which is a kind of anchor line that is fixed in the bottom. When you arrive, the harbor master will indicate a spot and tension the groundline so that you can grab it with the hook and attach it to the frog on the foredeck. You sail backwards with fenders on the hull to the quay and throw the behind mooring lines to the harbor master (first the mooring line on the windward side). Then sail slightly forward to about 4 meters from the side and tie the groundline to the foredeck. Then it is a matter of giving good throttle back to tension the groundline and then secure the hinterland mains.

Skippered Sailboat in Croatia

Happy Sailing works with both Dutch and local Croatian skippers. The Croatian skippers speak very good English and know how to find the most beautiful bays and the best restaurants for you. They also know a lot about the local wind conditions. Our customers are always very enthusiastic about the local skippers. They are really an added value for the holiday. They know a lot about the country and deviate from the beaten track so that you do not only reach the tourist spots. If you want to rent a boat with skipper in Croatia, please contact us so that we can can offer the right skipper and a boat.