Probably a book can be written about all the
things that should be taken care of while preparing the charter holiday. In
this web section we have tried to gather all the useful information based on
our working and sailing experience in order to attract attention to some issued
that sometimes can be overlooked.
Charter economics
If chartering the first time, before
booking of the boat the first thing on your mind will probably be: how much
will it cost? The charter price (when divided on the number of the people on
board) usually does not exceede the price of the accommodation in the sea view
room in 4 star hotel. In adition we are advising how to decrease your charter
price even more.
Charter prices vary depending on different factors: the type of the boat, built
year of the boat, location, charter period. Younger boats are always more expencive
– the difference in price between completely new boat and the boat 3 years
older can be significant though the older boat (if properly maintained) can
give you almost the same quality of accommodation and navigation performances.
On Adriatic the peak season is in July and August and if you are not limited
with school summer vacation or working schedule the recommended time for chartering
the boat is September or June as more convenient prices are offered in these
months. Besides lower prices, better choice of the boats, good weather and
are just some of the advantages that give you the better value for money.
Once that 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 cost depends 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 more that 3
hours of navigation what decreases fuel costs. In case you are not sure about
your fuel costs we can always help you with 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 the 43ft boat but the prices can always be checked on the web page of marina
in which you plan to anchor depending on your sailing route. However, some
of the harbours and most of the anchorages are at your disposal without any
extra charge. Read more tips for mooring on the following link.
The crew assembling
The sea life is much more different than our everyday
life. The person who is assembling the crew should keep this in mind all the
time especially in a situation when a crew is gathered on a cutting down cost
bases (the more people are on board - the lower price per person will be).
Rather narrow space, lack of intimacy and the new enviroment are just some
of the charter „side effects“ that some people cannot deal with. Therefore,
it is highly important to compose a compact crew with nearly the same interests
and ideas what charter vacation shold look like. If a group of people should
coexist in previously mentioned conditions one must be really careful in order
to make sure that fun week does not turn into a week from hell.
Tip for the skipper: in advance make sure that the crew is aware who is
in charge especially in cases of emergencies and dangerous situations. The
person who takes such responsibility deserves recpect from other crew members.
Choosing the boat type
The boat model for your charter
holiday in most cases depends on solely one fact: the idea of your summer holiday
on the waves. The first dilemma that you are going to meet is sailing or motor
boat. If you are keen on speed, fast changing of destinations and comfort this
could be the good choice but disadvantage is that these type of vessels are
fuel eaters. Monohulls are better choice if you would like to have a relaxed
floating vacation and if you are on limited budget you can always choose from
wide range of different built year boats. Catamarans are perfect for families
with small children as they are more spacious and more stabile that the rest
of the vessels. Tailored made programs, gulets, luxury sailing or motor boats
are just some highlights of our offer. You can browse through our boat list
or if you have any specific inquiries just contact us and we will be at your
disposal for preparing the dream holiday.
Tip: all quality boats requested for July or
August are usually booked till the end of spring. The more you wait for reservation
the bigger is the chance that you will not find the vessel that matches your
prefferences. Our suggestion is that reservation for these months sjould be
done till April the latest.
Planning the route
This part of the trip should be
easy if you have the compact crew that has the same preferences regarding the
„things to see“. Croatian coast and islands really offer a wide varieties of
places to visit, hidden bays, old towns. The advantage is that short sailing
distances make possible to be on every island each day without navigating for
hours. When setting the itinerary please make sure that you predict the anchorages,
marinas, fuel stations and places to hide in case of storms. In a skippered
charter route is always agreed with your skipper – the skipper will set the
route according to your prefferences but regarding navigation possibilities
and the weather conditions. In crewed charter the route is usually set in advance
but it can always be tailored to your wishes with capitain`s blessing, of course.
Please note thet the person who makes the final decision about the route is
the skipper and if safety or weather conditions affect change of the route
the skippers opinion and decision should be obayed. If you have any additional
questions or need help with planning the route please do not hesitate to contact
us - we would be glad to recommend or help in creating the most suitable route
for your sailing party.
Please find our sailing routes suggestions.
Packing the suitcases
All of the yacht that we have
in our offer are equipped with all necessary safety, domestic and navigational
equippment. Bedlinens, sometimes even towels are included in cahrter price.
If you are travelling during the summer months light clothes is only 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 passports, booking documents (voucher), credit cards, suncreams, sunglasses,
hats and medications. Non-waterproof watches, valuable jewlery or any others
valuable items should be left at home. When chartering remember that less is
more as the yachts have limited storage places. Large traditional suitcases
is not something that you will carry with you as they will only be in your
way and represent the unnecessary disturbance.
Embarkation
If not differently agreed embarkation
is done Saturdays afternoon. The official embarkation time is 17-18.00hr but
in practice the embarkation is usually done earlier or 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 clean the boat from the inside and outside properly and
sometimes even to take care of some small repairs. Delays can sometimes happen
because of the charteres negligence and therefore in order to make sure that
everything runs smoothly and faster please take care of the following:
- provide the crew list and the skipper`s licenses in advance,
- announce your arrival time to marina,
- make sure that you prepare enough money for cash payments in the base,
- check credit card limits for deposit payments and make sure that you have
the right credit cards with you as all charter companies do not accept all
credit cards,
- announce in advance if you are going to take any additional equippment
(gennaker, spinnaker, outboard engine) or if you will make additional insurance
of the deposit (the damage waiver).
Once you arrive to marina the first thing to do is do the paperwork in charter
companies office – this means confirming the crew list, doing the deposit payment
and payments for obligatory and extra services and equippment. At this point
residence tax should be paid as well. After the paperwork is done take over
of the boat is the following. When taking over the boat you will check the
boat with one of the base staff – you are suposed to pay attention to the equippment
and overall state of the boat (interior and exterior appearance, naviation
instruments, engine etc.) and verify its condition in written. Please note
that you are supposed to return the boat in the same conditions in which you
have taken it. This means that everything that you expected from the service
provider at check-in, service provider will expect fom you at the check-out.
On board
While sailing you are suposed to act in
responsible way regarding the navigation regulations about the security at
the sea in order to provide safe journey to your crew members but to another
sailors at the sea as well. Please note that it is forbinned to bath in the
harbours and marinas, to sail in a distance less then 50 m from the coast in
inhabitated areas, to discard the garbage in the sea etc, to empty the waste
storages in a places that are not designated for such actions etc.
In case you
have problems with the boat always contact the base manager or another emergencycontact
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 sea week at ease.
Disembarkation
Disembarkations are usually done Saturday
mornings till 08-09.00hr but please note that the official hour given is not
the hour till when you have to be back in marina – this means that you are
supposed to leave the boat till then and that before leaving the check-out
needs to be done as well. If embarkation is till 09.00 hr, you need to be in
marina till 08.00hr in order to do everything in time.
For check-out here are different procedures – some charter companies insist
on coming back to marina and checking the boat at Friday afternoon and then
you can oversleep on board till Saturday morning. For others coming back to
marina at Saturday morning is acceptable. However, this is the information
that should be checked at check-in. If being late, please note that according
to general charter conditions of the most companies, the charterer can be charged
for the amount of one day charter. Our suggestion is to try to avoid these
situations as much as possible.
Another thing to highlight for the check-out is 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 fuel tanking of the boat or the weather conditions are
not acceptable excuses for being late at disembarkation – please take care
of the weather forecast and the busy boat fuel stations at 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 settle if the boat is in the same condition as it
was when it was handed 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 your security deposit amount.