Plan it: Croatia Sailing Weather by Month, April to October
The Kornati National Park covers 89 islands, islets and reefs between Murter and Dugi Otok. In August you share it with hundreds of boats. In October you may have a whole bay to yourselves.
The islands are bare limestone, grazed for centuries and walled with dry stone. There are no towns, no ferries and almost no fresh water. What you get instead is space, silence and a sea that is still warm from the summer. It is usually around 20°C in early October, though that is approximate and it cools as the month goes on.
Where to start and where to stop
Most crews reach the park from Murter or Biograd. Both are a short sail from its northern and eastern edges. Marina Hramina in Murter, ACI Jezera and Marina Kornati in Biograd all work well as bases, and on a calm morning you can be inside the park by lunch.
Inside the park you may only anchor or moor in designated places. Many restaurants also lay their own buoys. These anchorages are good starting points:
- Vrulje, on Kornat. This is a small summer fishing settlement in a long, sheltered inlet. It is the closest thing the park has to a village.
- Lojena, on Levrnaka. It has a sandy beach, which is rare here, and clear water. It is best on settled days.
- Lavsa. A deep, enclosed bay that suits a quiet night.
- Opat, at the south-east end of Kornat. Walk up the hill behind the bay at sunset.
- Ravni Žakan. This sits on the southern edge of the park and looks out towards the open sea.
You need a park ticket for each day you spend inside the boundary. It is cheaper bought online before you arrive than on the water. The park's own website shows the current rates.
The konobas that stay open
Most Kornati restaurants are family-run and seasonal. They close when the guests stop coming, and in October that date moves from year to year. Places that often keep going into the month include:
- Opat, in the bay of the same name
- Piccolo, on Smokvica
- Žakan, on Ravni Žakan
- Levrnaka, behind the beach at Lojena
Call ahead or try them on VHF before you commit to a mooring. If you can't raise anyone, assume the kitchen is shut. Carry enough food and water for the whole stay, because there are no shops in the park. Buy what you need in Murter or Biograd before you leave.
Why the wind makes October
In high summer the maestral fills in each afternoon from the north-west, and everyone sails the same routes at the same times. By October the maestral is weaker and less regular. The weather comes instead in short spells.
A front may bring jugo from the south-east, with cloud, swell and sometimes rain. Behind it the bura often arrives from the north-east. It is cold, gusty and dry, and it can be strong in the channels. Then it drops, and you get what makes the month worth it: still, very clear days. On those days you can see from Kornat to the Velebit mountains, and you will have most of the anchorages to yourself.
That pattern asks for some care:
- Check the forecast every morning. Use the Croatian met service (DHMZ) or the coastal radio forecasts on VHF.
- On bura days, choose an anchorage with land to the north-east, and plan a short hop rather than a long passage.
- On jugo days, avoid bays that open to the south and south-east.
- Plan to be on a mooring by mid-afternoon. Days are short, and once the clocks go back at the end of the month it is dark before five.
One or two days in a week may be spent sheltering. The rest tend to be the best sailing of the year.
Planning your week
You can find boats lying in Murter, Biograd and the other marinas nearby through the boat search on our site. Each boat page shows the price for your dates and the deposit. If you would rather not skipper the bura days yourself, you can add our own skipper to a bareboat for the whole week. Send us a quote request with your dates. We will email you the boats that are free, checked live, along with some route ideas for the islands.