Sailing in Croatia

[andreas0305]

Hi All,

My name is Andreas and I am a new member to this community. I am working as a professional skipper on the Adriatic Sea for the last 12 years.

I have seen that there are many questions about sailing in Croatia and I must say to everyone that is in a little bit of doubt, that Croatia is one of the best destinations for any kind of holiday, especially sailing holiday. In the last 10 years the demand for charter in Croatia has grown tremendously which resulted in a great growth of charter fleets so all kinds of vessels are now available in Croatia.

To keep it short for now, I will try to pass my experience to this forum in times to come.

I just did one winter delivery of a brand new Bavaria 46 Cruiser and caught 4 spouts near island of Losinj, but dont let this discourage you . You can check the video at: https://www.facebook.com/avilic/vide...3960876609516/

If you have any questions about destinations, charter or anything of your interest when it comes to Croatia, I will be more than happy to assist with any kind of information.

Bye,
Andreas

[Invictus69]

Just received this statement from the Moorings newsletter : "Great news - Croatian officials have just lowered the certification requirements to charter in this beautiful country. Now, anyone with US Sailing Basic Keelboat or ASA 103 Basic Coastal Cruising certification can charter a yacht"

If this is accurate than it is a positive step. I sailed a lot in Croatia and Montenegro along the coast but on a privately owned boat so no experience in chartering, but plan to do it with a larger group soon. So any practical advise as to the paperwork required for US based sailors would be appreciated. These people tend to rely on papers more than actual experience (it is of course part of the over-regulated EU anyway).

Cheers!

[Palarran]

Hello Andreas and welcome here. Your experience will really benefit the forum and I'll look forward to your contributions.

So, here is your first question. Three years ago I cruised Croatia for 4 weeks and really enjoyed it. I'm thinking about going back in a year though not sure of my plans. One consideration that makes me hesitate is the number of "crew" or passengers you can have on your permit. I can't remember what your port authority calculated for Palarran. Do you know how they come up with the number. I know it's 230% of the rated capacity, but my boat documents don't list capacity. Is it a length x width x ?? = capacity?

[athene]

Originally Posted by Palarran

Hello Andreas and welcome here. Your experience will really benefit the forum and I'll look forward to your contributions.

So, here is your first question. Three years ago I cruised Croatia for 4 weeks and really enjoyed it. I'm thinking about going back in a year though not sure of my plans. One consideration that makes me hesitate is the number of "crew" or passengers you can have on your permit. I can't remember what your port authority calculated for Palarran. Do you know how they come up with the number. I know it's 230% of the rated capacity, but my boat documents don't list capacity. Is it a length x width x ?? = capacity?

Unless they've changed the rules recently, both the cruising permit and the so-called sojourn tax are based on the LOA of the vessel and (in the case of the cruising permit) the engine power. See http://www.cruiserswiki.org/wiki/Croatia for the formula.

GORDON KNIGHT

[arsenelupiga]

I had sailing charter in monohull 1 mth holidays there and was really nice. Especially remember place near "Pakleni Otoci" I think, with beautiful castle & city on island.

And not to forget great vine which was on island Korcula.

Here is question for you : Is Croatian Coast viable place to be living on the boat during winter ? Do people do it ? If yes, what are legalities for foreigner ?

I can see people do this in Greece...

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by athene

Unless they've changed the rules recently, both the cruising permit and the so-called sojourn tax are based on the LOA of the vessel and (in the case of the cruising permit) the engine power. See http://www.cruiserswiki.org/wiki/Croatia for the formula.

GORDON KNIGHT

Thanks Gordon for the information. You have a lot of good info on the wiki. What I'm trying to get is how many passengers can I have on my crew list per year.

[athene]

Originally Posted by Palarran

Thanks Gordon for the information. You have a lot of good info on the wiki. What I'm trying to get is how many passengers can I have on my crew list per year.

Andreas may have more up to date info, but my understanding is that the new sojourn tax formula replaced the former complicated calculation based on the crew list. I'm not even sure we were asked for a crew list when we arrived in late 2014, but if we were it was only for immigration purposes and I'm sure it didn't figure in the calculation of sojourn or cruising tax.

I think that as long as you've paid the sojourn tax for the period you're sailing you can have as many crew changes as you like - provided, of course, the authorities don't get the notion that you're illegally chartering.

GORDON

[Palarran]

It would be nice to clear it up, but I think it is still in effect. This is what I'm talking about:

LIST OF PERSONS

The List of Persons may be obtained at the same time the vignette is procured, or subsequently when new persons are being taken on board, at the latest before the said vessel leaves the port. If new persons are being added to the List of Persons successively, each such change must be verified in the Harbour Master's Office or branch office.The total number of persons on the list must not be more than twice the unit capacity of the vessel increased by 30%.

The vessel's capacity is determined pursuant to the vessel's documents issued by the competent authorities of the flag state. If the vessel possesses documents that do not contain capacity data, the same must be calculated pursuant to the Regulations on Boats and Yachts and the Statutory Certification Rules for Boats and Yachts. The list of persons must be certified by the counterfoil of the vignette.

There are no restrictions as to the number of changes of persons from the list.Persons staying aboard the vessel while the vessel is in port or at anchor are notentered into the list.Persons under 12 years of age are not included into the list, nor are they includedinto the maximum number of persons, as well as the professional crew members. It is not necessary to compile a separate List of Persons for tenders belonging to a mother yacht or boat - a copy of the List of Persons of the mother yacht or boat will be deemed sufficient

I know that in 2013 you did need this list done in advance of arrival.
David

[athene]

Sorry, Palarran - I misunderstood your question. The 'bible' as far as I am concerned is this document http://www.marinadalmacija.hr/en/pdf...ers%202013.pdf, which was actually produced by the head of the tourism section at the Croatian Chamber of Economy. Unfortunately it doesn't address the specifics of the crew list requirement.

If it's of any relevance, we've never been asked for a crew list except on arrival, but then we're British-flagged and my crew are all EU citizens. It's probably more risky to bend the rules if your crew aren't.

An email to any Croatian yacht agent should get you a definitive reply if Andreas can't help.

GORDON KNIGHT

[Kenomac]

We will be in Croatia for two months this season, 'looking forward to it. The country looks beautiful.

[athene]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

We will be in Croatia for two months this season, 'looking forward to it. The country looks beautiful.

Can I persuade you to sign up as a contributor to the World Cruising Wiki, especially for the http://www.cruiserswiki.org/wiki/Croatia section? It's probably the most up to date section on the Wiki, but I can't be everywhere and I could do with the help!

GORDON KNIGHT

[andreas0305]

Originally Posted by Palarran

Hello Andreas and welcome here. Your experience will really benefit the forum and I'll look forward to your contributions.

So, here is your first question. Three years ago I cruised Croatia for 4 weeks and really enjoyed it. I'm thinking about going back in a year though not sure of my plans. One consideration that makes me hesitate is the number of "crew" or passengers you can have on your permit. I can't remember what your port authority calculated for Palarran. Do you know how they come up with the number. I know it's 230% of the rated capacity, but my boat documents don't list capacity. Is it a length x width x ?? = capacity?

Hi,

thank you I am glad to assist.

if you are referring to a number of passengers which are allowed on the boat, it should be mentioned somewhere on the boats registration papers. All the boats which arrive to Croatia have a plate with a maximum passengers allowed, but it is up to the owner how many people will they submit as the maximum, but this is for the boats which are resident in Croatia.

As you will be arriving with your own boat you will have to stop at the first possible customs office and buy a vignette. The following applies:

The new fee is calculated in Croatian Kuna (HRK) according to the formula (20 x L) + (2 x P) (where L = overall length of vessel in metres and P = engine power in kW). Vessels over 40 metres overall length or with engine power over 3000 kW (around 4000 HP), pay a flat fee of HRK 7,500. Thus fees are around HRK275 for a typical 11 metre yacht; around HRK330 for a 13 metre yacht; around HRK390 for a 15 metre yacht, etc - all, of course, depending on engine power. For yachts remaining in Croatia, the fee is reduced by 10 per cent for each subsequent year up to a maximum of 50 per cent.

If you need any further info, dont hesitate to contact me.

Bye,
Andreas

[andreas0305]

Originally Posted by arsenelupiga

I had sailing charter in monohull 1 mth holidays there and was really nice. Especially remember place near "Pakleni Otoci" I think, with beautiful castle & city on island.

And not to forget great vine which was on island Korcula.

Here is question for you : Is Croatian Coast viable place to be living on the boat during winter ? Do people do it ? If yes, what are legalities for foreigner ?

I can see people do this in Greece...

Hi Arsene,

you are probably thinking of town of Hvar just overlooking Pakleni islands.

There are many locals which are on different kind of boats every day, but not a lot of tourist. If you have time and would like to enjoy my country out of the season it would be the perfect stay. The people are much approachable during winter as the season madness is gone and all is nice and relaxed. Most of the places would be closed, but old traditional low cost restaurants and bars are open everywhere. The climate could be great, some people are taking Christmas charters for years now and never heard them complain, but there could be some rough days which are really not recommendable for sailing, but you can easily follow the forecast and move to a sheltered side any island. The temperatures from December till February vary from 5 - 17 C.

I hope it helps. Feel free to contact me at any time.

Bye,
Andreas

[andreas0305]

Hi,

i just wrote you an e-mail but I am not sure if it went through as the moderator changed my subscription as I entered my e-mail address. So please advise if you got my last message.
Thx,
Andreas

[andreas0305]

Originally Posted by Palarran

It would be nice to clear it up, but I think it is still in effect. This is what I'm talking about:

LIST OF PERSONS

The List of Persons may be obtained at the same time the vignette is procured, or subsequently when new persons are being taken on board, at the latest before the said vessel leaves the port. If new persons are being added to the List of Persons successively, each such change must be verified in the Harbour Master's Office or branch office.The total number of persons on the list must not be more than twice the unit capacity of the vessel increased by 30%.

The vessel's capacity is determined pursuant to the vessel's documents issued by the competent authorities of the flag state. If the vessel possesses documents that do not contain capacity data, the same must be calculated pursuant to the Regulations on Boats and Yachts and the Statutory Certification Rules for Boats and Yachts. The list of persons must be certified by the counterfoil of the vignette.

There are no restrictions as to the number of changes of persons from the list.Persons staying aboard the vessel while the vessel is in port or at anchor are notentered into the list.Persons under 12 years of age are not included into the list, nor are they includedinto the maximum number of persons, as well as the professional crew members. It is not necessary to compile a separate List of Persons for tenders belonging to a mother yacht or boat - a copy of the List of Persons of the mother yacht or boat will be deemed sufficient

I know that in 2013 you did need this list done in advance of arrival.
David

Hm, never had this kind of situation. I can check with the harbour office and any captain, but I am not sure if they will make a calculation for foreign boat.

Please see the contact list of our Ministry and harbour offices, you will find contacts there and maybe you can call them or e-mail them to get the answers you are searching for. If you get stuck on the way, pease tell me and I can speak with them, but I believe you will find all the info here: Ministarstvo pomorstva, prometa i infrastrukture - About us - Contacts