Step 1: Decide What Type of Charter You Want
Before you look at any boats, clarify three things:
- What type of vessel? Sailing yacht (monohull), catamaran, or gulet. See our catamaran vs gulet guide if undecided.
- Bareboat or crewed? Bareboat requires a valid sailing licence. If your group has no licensed sailors, you need a skippered charter or gulet.
- How many guests? This determines cabin count and drives the price band. A group of 8 shares comfortably on a 4-cabin catamaran or 5-cabin sailing yacht.
Step 2: Choose Your Base and Route
- Split or Trogir: The classic central Dalmatia circuit — Hvar, Vis, Brač, Korčula, Mljet.
- Dubrovnik: Southern islands — Elaphiti, Mljet, Korčula, Lastovo.
- Šibenik: Kornati National Park and northern Dalmatia.
- Zadar: Zadar archipelago and northern Kornati approach.
Step 3: Find the Right Boat
Aggregator Platforms
Sailogy, Click&Boat, and GetMySailboat list thousands of boats from multiple fleets across all Croatian bases. Filter by base, boat type, cabin count, and price. Good for comparison and last-minute availability.
Direct with Charter Fleets
Large operators including Cosmos Yachting, Sunsail, The Moorings, and Croatian-based companies take direct bookings. Some offer 10–15% early booking discounts for peak season weeks booked before December.
Through a Broker
A charter broker searches multiple fleets on your behalf. Takes commission from the charter company, not from you. Particularly useful for gulet bookings where vessel quality varies significantly.
Step 4: Check the Documents You Need
- Sailing licence: ICC, RYA Day Skipper Practical or higher, ASA 104 or equivalent
- VHF Radio certificate: Short Range Certificate (SRC) minimum
- Logbook: most companies ask for this, particularly for larger vessels
- Passports for all crew
Send copies of your documents to the charter company at the time of booking and confirm they are accepted in Croatia before you commit to dates.
Step 5: Understand the Charter Contract
Key terms to check:
- Charter start and end dates — most Croatian charters run Saturday to Saturday, handover 0900–1300, return by 0900
- Security deposit amount and method (credit card hold, not cash)
- Cancellation policy — what you lose at different notice periods
- What is included vs excluded (fuel, transit log, skipper, port fees)
- Technical complaint procedure — 24-hour assistance line
Step 6: Arrange Insurance
The charter fee includes third-party liability insurance. Your security deposit covers the deductible on accidental damage you cause. Optional deposit insurance is available from Pantaenius, Markel, and similar marine insurers at 1–2% of the deposit amount per week.
Step 7: Plan Your Provisioning
Buy most food and drink before you depart the base. Supermarkets in Split and Trogir have good selection at reasonable prices. Island shops are more expensive and may not be open on Sundays.
- Breakfast: eggs, bread, yoghurt, cereals, coffee — 3 days' supply to start
- Lunch: cold cuts, cheese, tomatoes, crackers, canned fish
- Dinner: fish, chicken, pasta, rice — plan 3–4 meals on board, eat ashore the rest
- Drinks: water (40+ litres), beer, wine, soft drinks
- Condiments, oil, salt, coffee filters, washing-up liquid
Step 8: Handover Day
Arrive at the marina on Saturday morning. The charter company walks you through the boat. This is the most important hour of the charter. At handover:
- Present all crew documents (sailing licence, VHF cert, passports)
- Authorise the security deposit on your credit card
- Complete a condition report — photograph all pre-existing damage
- Receive walkthrough of all systems: engine, sails, electronics, safety gear, gas, water, plumbing
- Sign the charter agreement
Ask every question you have at handover. Do not leave with anything unclear. The charter company would rather spend 20 extra minutes explaining the anchor windlass than take a distress call at sea.
Step 9: On the Water
- Check the weather every morning before passage — Windguru, PrediktWind, or Windy
- Call ahead to marinas on VHF 17 to book a berth in July–August
- Keep all boat documents aboard: charter contract, transit log, vessel registration, insurance
- Monitor fuel level; refuel at town quays, not base marinas
- Photograph anchor chain and chain counter before dropping anchor
Step 10: The Return
Return the boat on Saturday morning by 0900. Have it clean and tidy, fuel topped up, fenders and lines properly stowed. Any damage noted on the return that was not on the handover condition report will be charged against the security deposit.
If there was any technical failure during the charter, document it in writing before returning the boat.