--- title: "Yacht charter in Croatia: how a week works" description: "How a yacht charter week in Croatia works, Saturday to Saturday: the quote, the deposit, the crew list, boarding, check-in and check-out." url: https://olasail.com/charter/ updated: 2026-10-07 --- > The Markdown copy of https://olasail.com/charter/, from OlaSail, a planning reference for sailing in Croatia, not for navigation. Every page: https://olasail.com/llms.txt [Report a change](https://olasail.com/about/corrections/) # How yacht charter in Croatia works You rent the boat for a week, usually Saturday to Saturday: you board in the late afternoon, sail for six days and hand the boat back after a check. The company gives you the boat with its safety gear, a dinghy and its papers. You bring the crew, the food and a skipper with the right licence, or hire one. A deposit covers any damage until the boat is back. 7 nights Saturday to Saturday 6 pm usual boarding at Sunsail (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) Friday evening back at the base (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) Photo: “Aerial view of Marina Split in Croatia” by [dronepicr](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_view_of_Marina_Split_in_Croatia_(48608758207).jpg), [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), resized All 15 facts on this page name their source, the latest checked on 5 Oct 2026: 7 from the operator, 7 from official sources and 1 measured by us. See every source 7 From the operator (operator) 7 Official source (official) 1 Measured by us (measured) Written by [Domagoj Franc](https://olasail.com/about/people/domagoj-franc/), editor. Reviewed by [Ivor Benko](https://olasail.com/about/people/ivor-benko/), skipper. Published 7 Oct 2026. [Report a change](https://olasail.com/about/corrections/) ## Start here: the decisions before you book 1. [Choose bareboat, a skipper or a flotilla](https://olasail.com/charter/bareboat-skipper-or-flotilla/). 2. [Choose a base](https://olasail.com/charter/bases/) and [compare routes](https://olasail.com/routes/) for the pace and places you want. 3. [Estimate the whole week's cost](https://olasail.com/charter/cost/#calc). 4. [Check the quote and copy your questions](https://olasail.com/charter/booking/#quote), then [agree who arranges what](https://olasail.com/charter/booking/#arrangements). [1 Guide Bareboat, skipper or flotilla: what experience you need Who each way of sailing suits, and the experience a bareboat needs. 7 Oct 2026](https://olasail.com/charter/bareboat-skipper-or-flotilla/) [2 Guide Hiring a skipper in Croatia: cost, what they do, where they sleep, tipping What a hired skipper does, where they sleep and how tipping works. 7 Oct 2026](https://olasail.com/charter/skipper/) [3 Guide Catamaran or monohull for a Croatia week Space, comfort, cost and marina fees compared. 8 Oct 2026](https://olasail.com/charter/catamaran-vs-monohull/) [4 Guide Split, Trogir, Šibenik, Zadar or Dubrovnik: which charter base? Which base suits your flights, your crew and your route. 7 Oct 2026](https://olasail.com/charter/bases/) [5 Guide What a week's sailing in Croatia really costs in 2026 The boat, marinas, buoys, fuel, food and the deposit, added up. 8 Oct 2026](https://olasail.com/charter/cost/) [6 Guide Booking a charter in Croatia: broker or direct, the quote, deposits and check-in How to compare quotes, and what to check before you pay. 8 Oct 2026](https://olasail.com/charter/booking/) [Every guide in Charter planning](https://olasail.com/guides/#charter) ## The charter week, Saturday to Saturday Most bases in Croatia run their boats on a Saturday changeover. This is how the eight days fit together. Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Saturday ### Board From 6 pm (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) Check-in, then a night in the marina. Sunday to Friday ### Sail between the islands Six days of sailing, with a new harbour, buoy or bay each night. Our week from Split sails 13 to 28 NM a day, measured along our line (Measured by us, 5 Oct 2026), and Friday’s last leg is the shortest. [Seven days from Split](https://olasail.com/routes/split-seven-days/) Friday ### Back to base Fuel and the check-out, in the afternoon. (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) Saturday ### Leave Off the boat in the morning, so the next crew can board. At the charter base At sea ## What happens, from the quote to check-out What each step involves and what to ask. What the law requires and what charter companies ask for are kept apart. ### Before you book: read the quote The weekly price is for the boat. Most quotes then add fixed extras and optional ones. Ask for a quote that lists every item, with the dates it is for. - Transit log: None of the four companies calls it a transit log. Ultra Sailing charges a compulsory charter pack for the final cleaning, gas, the diver's inspection, bed linen and towels: €140 to €473 a booking for a sailing boat and €495 to €655 for a catamaran. The tourist tax comes on top. (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) - Extras: Often a hired skipper, bed linen and towels, an outboard for the dinghy or a paddleboard. - Tourist tax: Charter guests pay tourist tax for every night aboard, and it is paid before the boat leaves the base. (Official source, 25 Sep 2026) - Insurance: A charter boat must have third-party liability insurance that also covers Croatian waters (Article 4). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) Cover for your own crew and gear is separate. - Two prices: Compare quotes for the same boat and the same week, and check which dates each one is for. [What a sailor told us](https://olasail.com/charter/#report-charter-quoteGap) What each item costs is in [What a week’s sailing in Croatia really costs](https://olasail.com/charter/cost/). How to compare a broker with booking direct, and how to read a quote line by line, is in our [booking guide](https://olasail.com/charter/booking/#quote). ### The deposit and the damage waiver The deposit protects the company if the boat comes back damaged. You choose how much of it you are willing to risk. - Deposit: Without a damage waiver, Sunsail holds €5,865 for a 40 to 49 ft monohull and €7,600 for a 42 to 44 ft catamaran on a Visa or Mastercard; with its daily damage waiver, €800 and €1,037. Ultra Sailing holds €1,600 for a 12.4 m monohull and €2,500 for a 12 m catamaran, in cash or as a card hold. (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) - Damage waiver: A fee you pay the company and don’t get back. It lowers the deposit, or removes most of it. - Deposit insurance: A policy from a separate insurer. If the company keeps part of your deposit, the insurer pays you back. Ask which card the deposit must go on, whether a debit card works, and when the hold is released. The amounts are in our [cost guide](https://olasail.com/charter/cost/), and what to check before you pay one in the [booking guide](https://olasail.com/charter/booking/#deposit). ### The crew list, and who may skipper The company registers everyone aboard with the Ministry before you leave, so it asks you for a crew list first. (Official source, 25 Sep 2026) #### What the law says - The company must register everyone aboard in the Ministry’s eCrew system before you leave. (Official source, 25 Sep 2026) - The skipper needs a licence that Croatia recognises. Which ones count for US, UK and Australian sailors is in [our licences guide](https://olasail.com/croatia/licences/). - How many people a boat may carry: a brodica may carry at most 12 passengers, and a jahta up to 12 besides its crew. (Official source, 25 Sep 2026) - Whether the charter rules also tie the crew to the berths: no. The charter ordinance sets no crew limit of its own, and nothing in it ties the crew to the berths on board. The limit in law is the one above. (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) #### What charter companies ask - A crew list before you arrive. They ask for the crew list by a deadline: 14 days before at The Moorings, one or two weeks at Ultra Sailing (its terms say both), and at least 3 days before check-in at Dream Yacht Charter. (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) - How many people may come. Ask before you book, and name everyone on the crew list. - What they check at check-in: at least what the law asks, in [Boarding and check-in](https://olasail.com/charter/#checkin) below. No licence on board? Hire a skipper or join a flotilla. [Bareboat, skipper or flotilla](https://olasail.com/charter/bareboat-skipper-or-flotilla/) compares the three, and [hiring a skipper](https://olasail.com/charter/skipper/) covers the cost, the cabin and tipping. ### Food, water and fuel Stock up before you leave the base. How easy it is to shop along the way depends on the harbour: [what a sailor told us](https://olasail.com/charter/#report-charter-provisioning-hard). Buy water, drinks and the first two days' food at the base, then shop in the harbour towns as you go. Fill the water tanks whenever you are in a marina or on a town quay with water, because buoys and anchorages have none. Our [week from Split](https://olasail.com/routes/split-seven-days/) shows which nights have water. On that week: fuel stations for boats in Vis town (INA Vis) and in Milna (INA Milna-marina), open 7 am to 7 pm every day. (From the operator, 27 Sep 2026) ### Boarding and check-in Sunsail gives 6 pm as its usual boarding time at Marina Agana, its base near Trogir, and sells a 3 pm start as an extra. (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) If you get the boat late, spend the first night in the marina and leave on Sunday morning. Sailing out at dusk to a harbour you don’t know is a poor start. Which base is closest to your flight: [choosing a base](https://olasail.com/charter/bases/). - The handover: At the handover the company must check the skipper's competence, hand over the boat's papers, show that the equipment works, and brief you on safety, the rescue numbers, what to do after an accident and the weather warnings (Article 25). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) - Papers on board: On board you must always have proof that the boat is seaworthy, proof of the skipper's qualification, the third-party insurance, the crew list and the handover record (Article 26). (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) A member of staff shows you round the boat. Then test every system yourself before you sign: - The engine, its cooling water and the fuel gauge - The anchor windlass and the chain - The toilets and the holding tank - The fridge, the lights and the battery charge - The dinghy, its outboard and fuel - Life jackets, flares and the first aid kit - The chartplotter, paper charts and the VHF radio - The sails, the furlers and the winches Photograph any damage, and make sure it is written on the check-in list before you sign it. More on the handover and what to sign: [our booking guide](https://olasail.com/charter/booking/#checkin). Hiring a skipper for the week? Keep a cabin free for them: [where the skipper sleeps](https://olasail.com/charter/skipper/#cabin). ### Check-out Back in the base marina the evening before you leave: by 5 pm at Sunsail and Dream Yacht Charter, by 6 pm at The Moorings and Ultra Sailing, for fuel and the check-out. You sleep aboard and leave the boat by 8.30 to 9 am on Saturday. (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) Staff go over the boat with you, and a diver checks what is under the water. Dream Yacht Charter's diver checks the hull, keel, rudders and propellers. Angelina starts its check-out on Friday at 6 pm with the dive, and Ultra Sailing's charter pack pays for the diver. (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) Anything new comes out of the deposit, unless your damage waiver covers it. Tell the base about anything that broke during the week, rather than leave it to be found. [See it on a real week Seven days from Split Saturday boarding, then Šolta, Vis, Hvar and Brač, and back on Friday. 123 NM in 7 days 7 a place for each night See the week](https://olasail.com/routes/split-seven-days/) ## Your first week, from six months out Where the charter decisions fit into the rest of your planning. The steps with a light blue dot have their guide in this section. [The full plan, with every guide](https://olasail.com/guides/#start) 1. 1 Around half a year before Pick your month Wind, crowds and prices all change through the season. 2. 2 Five to six months before Choose how you sail, and which boat [Bareboat, skipper or flotilla: what experience you need](https://olasail.com/charter/bareboat-skipper-or-flotilla/) 3. 3 Before you pay a deposit Check your licences What the law asks of the skipper, and what your charter company asks. 4. 4 4 to 5 months before Set a budget and book [What a week's sailing in Croatia really costs in 2026](https://olasail.com/charter/cost/) 5. 5 1 to 2 months before Decide where to sleep A marina, a town quay, a buoy or your own anchor, and the rules for each. 6. 6 2 to 4 weeks before Plan the route Distances, a place for each night, and a Plan B for the wind. 7. 7 The week before Watch the forecast Read the marine forecast every day, and the evening before each crossing. 8. 8 Saturday Board the boat Boarding and check-in Guide in Charter planning The times are our planning advice for a July or August week. For June or September you can often start later. ## Also read before you book The licence rules, a checked week to plan around, and the rest of sailing in Croatia. [Guide in Sailing in Croatia Licences for sailing in Croatia ICC, VHF, and what US, UK and Australian certificates cover](https://olasail.com/croatia/licences/) [Route Seven days from Split Šolta, Vis, Hvar and Brač, with a Plan B for each day](https://olasail.com/routes/split-seven-days/) [Section Sailing in Croatia: where to start The season, weather, anchoring rules and safety](https://olasail.com/croatia/) ## Sources for this page 15 facts from 15 sources, last checked 5 Oct 2026. [INA d.d.: fuel station "Vis"](https://www.ina.hr/en/station/vis/), "Working hours", "Vessels fuel supply" (Fuel on the way) (From the operator, 27 Sep 2026) [INA d.d.: fuel station "Milna-marina" (Brač)](https://www.ina.hr/en/station/milna/) (Fuel on the way) (From the operator, 27 Sep 2026) [Sunsail's Croatia page](https://www.sunsail.com/yacht-charter/mediterranean/croatia) (Split: boarding time) (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) [The Moorings' page for its Agana base (useful information)](https://www.moorings.com/destinations/mediterranean/croatia/agana-yacht-charters/useful-information), each company's return times (The last day of the week, the details on the crew list) (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) [Sunsail's page for its Split-area base (useful information)](https://www.sunsail.com/yacht-charter/mediterranean/croatia/split/useful-information) (The last day of the week) (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) [Ultra Sailing's base pages and questions](https://ultra-sailing.hr/faq-yachtcharter-croatia/), FAQ "What is included in the charter price" (The last day of the week, the transit log fee) (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) Show all 15 sources Show fewer sources [Dream Yacht Charter: Base Guide Bareboat Trogir (undated PDF)](https://www.dreamyachtcharter.com/wp-content/uploads/nausys/base_documents/101164/BaseGuide_Bareboat_EN-6ab778a1a750c-Trogir.pdf), "Disembarkation time" (The last day of the week, the details on the crew list, the check-out inspection) (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) [Sunsail: security deposits and yacht damage waiver](https://www.sunsail.com/about-us/legals/yacht-damage-waiver), "YDW Daily Fees and Security Deposits" (The deposit) (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) [Ultra Sailing (Ultra d.o.o., Split): general terms and conditions for charter](https://ultra-sailing.hr/booking-terms-and-conditions/) (The deposit, the details on the crew list) (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) [The Moorings: resumes and requirements (licences, experience, crew list)](https://www.moorings.com/yacht-charter/resumes-requirements), the crew list deadline (The details on the crew list) (From the operator, 26 Sep 2026) [The charter ordinance (Pravilnik o uvjetima za obavljanje djelatnosti iznajmljivanja plovila), Narodne novine 42/2017](https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2017_04_42_972.html) (The insurance the law asks for, whether the charter rules tie the crew to the berths, what the handover must cover, papers on board) (Official source, 26 Sep 2026) [Changes to the charter ordinance, Narodne novine 73/2020](https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2020_06_73_1416.html) (Who pays tourist tax, and when) (Official source, 25 Sep 2026) [Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure: Instructions for charter companies (Uputa za obavljanje charter djelatnosti), version 1.3, July 2026](https://mmpi.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/dokumenti/MORE/More%207_26/Nautica%209-7_26/UPUTA%20ZA%20OBAVLJANJE%20CHARTER%20DJELATNOSTI%20U%20REPUBLICI%20HRVATSKOJ%2008.07.26..pdf) (The crew list, how many people a boat may carry) (Official source, 25 Sep 2026) [The boats and yachts ordinance (Pravilnik o brodicama, čamcima i jahtama), Narodne novine 13/2020](https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2020_01_13_223.html), Article 4 (How many people a boat may carry) (Official source, 25 Sep 2026) Our route tool, along our planned line (redrawn 25 Sep 2026; days 3, 6 and 7 through our plan's stops, joined from the solver's legs of 26 Sep 2026, on 5 Oct 2026) (Distances and hours for every day) (Measured by us, 5 Oct 2026) (From the operator) (Official source) (Seen by us) (Seen by a sailor) (Measured by us) (Sources disagree) (Third-party source) [How we check](https://olasail.com/about/how-we-check/#labels) ## Photos on this page - Split. Photo: “Aerial view of Marina Split in Croatia” by [dronepicr](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_view_of_Marina_Split_in_Croatia_(48608758207).jpg), [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), resized - Uvala Šešula, next to Maslinica, island of Šolta. Photo: “Šolta Maslinica Hrvatska Uvala Šešula 2019 08a” by [Joadl](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%C5%A0olta_Maslinica_Hrvatska_Uvala_%C5%A0e%C5%A1ula_2019_08a.jpg), [CC BY-SA 3.0 AT](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/at/deed.en), resized - Stiniva Bay, south coast of Vis. Photo: “Aerial view of the Adriatic Sea at Stiniva Bay on Vis island in Croatia” by [dronepicr](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_view_of_the_Adriatic_Sea_at_Stiniva_Bay_on_Vis_island_in_Croatia_(48608804397).jpg), [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), resized - Ždrilca, Pakleni islands, off Hvar town. Photo: “Zdrilca - panoramio” by [Dejan Sekuloski](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zdrilca_-_panoramio.jpg), [CC BY 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), resized - Telašćica Bay, heading for the Kornati islands. Photo: “Voilier à Kornati” by [julien](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Voilier_%C3%A0_Kornati.jpg), [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), resized - Kut, Vis town, island of Vis. Photo: “J32 421 Vis-Stadt, Lučica” by [Falk2](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:J32_421_Vis-Stadt,_Lu%C4%8Dica.jpg), [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), resized - Pakleni islands, off Hvar town. Photo: “Pakleni otoci - panoramio (4)” by [Dejan Sekuloski](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pakleni_otoci_-_panoramio_(4).jpg), [CC BY 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), resized - Hvar town, island of Hvar. Photo: “Hvar” by [Jeremy Couture](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hvar_(4858219998).jpg), [CC BY 2.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), resized