Plan it: How to Book a Yacht Charter in Croatia – Step-by-Step Guide
Most charter weeks in Croatia start the same way. You arrive at the marina on Saturday afternoon, find the base office, and a technician from the charter company walks you through the boat. ACI Marina Split, Marina Kaštela and Marina Frapa in Rogoznica all look the same at this hour: dozens of boats changing hands at once, and everyone keen to get to the shop and the first cold drink.
Slow down here. The handover usually takes about forty minutes. Whatever you note in that time is what the boat is measured against when you return it. Anything missing from the check-in list can end up as a deduction from the deposit shown on the boat page.
The charter company checks the skipper's licence and VHF certificate at check-in. Have both ready, along with passports for the crew list. Then turn to the boat itself.
The six things our skippers test before signing
Our skippers join bareboats for whole weeks, and they run the same short list every Saturday. None of it needs special tools.
- The engine. Start it. Look over the stern for cooling water coming out with the exhaust. Ask to see the oil level and the belt. Note the engine hours.
- The windlass and anchor. Let out a few metres of chain and bring it back up. Use the remote and the helm switch if there is one, and check the chain markings. A windlass that dies in a bay off Šolta with the maestral building is a long afternoon.
- The sails. Unfurl the genoa and the main, at least partly, if the wind at the berth allows. Look for tears, worn stitching and lines that jam on the furler.
- The dinghy and outboard. Make sure the dinghy holds air and the pump and oars are aboard. Ask to see the outboard start. Some bases will run it in a test tank for you.
- Electrics. Check the battery monitor. Switch on the fridge, the navigation lights and the anchor light. Confirm shore power reaches the sockets, and ask how the battery switches work.
- Water and heads. Run a tap so the pressure pump kicks in. Pump each toilet. Try the bilge pump switch, and ask where the seacocks are.
Then the safety kit. Count the lifejackets against your crew. Check the dates on the flares, the fire extinguishers and the liferaft service label. Find the first-aid box. This takes five minutes.
The photo everybody forgets
People photograph the saloon, the view, the crew with drinks. Very few turn the dinghy over.
Dinghy bottoms take a beating on pebble beaches and rocky landings along the coast. A scuffed or patched underside is one of the most common arguments at check-out. Flip it on the pontoon, or ask the technician to lift it. Take two or three clear photos of the underside and the transom where the outboard sits.
While the phone is out, add a few more:
- the engine-hour meter and the fuel gauge
- any scratches on the gelcoat near the bow and stern
- the anchor and the first metres of chain
Make sure the photos carry a time stamp. They cost nothing, and they settle most questions in a minute.
Signing, and the end of the week
If something does not work, say so before you sign. Most bases fix small faults on the spot or note them on the form. Write down anything left open, and keep your copy.
On the last day, most bases ask you to be back in the marina by early evening on Friday, usually after a stop at the fuel dock. At many bases a diver checks the hull, keel and propeller. Your photos and your signed check-in list are what you have to compare against. That is why the forty minutes on Saturday matter so much.
If you are planning next season, the boat search on our site shows the deposit and what is included on each boat page. You can also add one of our skippers to a bareboat for the week. They will run this same checklist with the base technician while you settle in.