.jpg){kind=link}
Before you go in
- Give everyone one job and agree the hand signals, before the harbour, not in it. Jobs and signals
- Fenders out on both sides, two stern lines ready at the stern, and the boat hook to hand.
- Call ahead. For a daily berth, ACI asks you to tell the marina you are coming at least 30 minutes before you enter (Article 2.7). (From the operator, )
- Follow the marinero. In a marina the staff choose your berth. (From the operator, )
For a night in Croatia, you can moor stern-to on a lazy line, take a buoy or anchor with a line ashore. The charge depends on the place: see marina prices and the cost of a charter week.
Before you go in: jobs and hand signals
Most first-week stress comes from the harbour, not the sailing. It gets much easier when each person has one job and nobody has to shout. Talk it through while you are still outside the harbour, and do a dry run of the signals.
| Job | What they do |
|---|---|
| Helm | The skipper. Engine and wheel, looks aft, and gives the orders. |
| Stern lines | One or two crew. Pass the stern lines to the marinero, or step ashore and tie them. |
| Bow | Takes the lazy line or the buoy with the boat hook, and calls out distances. |
| Loose fender | Anyone free. Holds a spare fender ready for wherever the boat is about to touch. |
Hand signals the helm can see
The helm often can't hear the bow over the engine and the wind. Use signals, and say each one back once it is done.
| Signal | What it means |
|---|---|
| Point to the bow | Go ahead a little. |
| Point to the stern | Go astern a little. |
| Flat hand, side to side | Neutral. |
| Fist held up | Stop. Something is wrong: a line, a fender or another boat. |
| Fingers held up | Metres to go, to the quay or the buoy. |
| Point left or right | Steer the bow that way. |
The jobs, signals and steps on this page are our advice, checked by a skipper reviewer.
Stern-to with a lazy line, step by step
A lazy line is a rope that runs from the quay down to a heavy block on the seabed in front of your berth. You back in, tie two stern lines to the quay, then pull the lazy line up and tie it at the bow. It holds the bow off instead of your own anchor, so nobody's chains get crossed.
- 1
Get ready outside the harbour
Hang fenders on both sides, at the height of your neighbours' hulls. Tie a stern line to each stern cleat and coil it, ready to pass. Put the boat hook where the bow crew can reach it. Call the marina by phone or on its VHF channel, and ask for a berth. For a daily berth, ACI asks you to tell the marina you are coming at least 30 minutes before you enter (Article 2.7). (From the operator, )
- 2
Find the berth, then back in slowly
Follow the marinero's arm. Stop about two boat lengths off, bow out to sea, in line with the gap. Go astern in short bursts: just enough speed to steer. The bow crew watches the lazy lines of the boats beside you, which run out in front of every berth.
Your boat is the dark one. Not to scale. Not for navigation. - 3
Stern lines on, windward first
Stop a metre or two off the quay. Pass the line on the windward side first, the side the wind comes from, to the marinero, or step ashore with it and tie it to a ring or bollard. Then the other line. Keep the engine gently in reverse to hold the boat off while you do it.
Line 1 goes on first, on the side the wind comes from. Not to scale. - 4
Take the lazy line to the bow
The marinero hands you the lazy line, or its end is tied to a ring on the quay. Walk it forward along the side, outside everything, and pull it tight on a bow cleat. Keep it well clear of the propeller while the engine is in gear.
Seen from the side. The lazy line holds the bow, so you don't drop your own anchor. Not to scale. - 5
Adjust, then switch off
Take in the stern lines until the stern sits clear of the quay: close enough to step off on the gangway, far enough not to touch in a gust. Check your fenders sit against your neighbours' hulls. Then stop the engine. (From the operator, )
- 6
Leaving: the lazy line goes first
Start the engine. Drop the lazy line at the bow and let it sink, and give it a slow count of ten before you go ahead. Then let go the stern lines, the one away from the wind first, and motor straight out slowly.
A dropped lazy line sinks towards the seabed. Wait before you go ahead, or it can catch the propeller.
Bow-to, and when to use it
Most berths expect you stern-to. Go bow-to when the quay has a shelf or rocks close under the edge, when a gangway at the stern won't reach, or when you want a little more privacy from the quay. The steps are the same, the other way round: bow lines ashore first, then the lazy line to a stern cleat. You step off over the bow.
Picking up a mooring buoy
A mooring buoy is a float fixed by a line to a weight on the seabed. A pick-up line, where fitted, helps you reach the buoy's attachment point. In Croatia, a buoy field is run by a concession holder or, inside a public port, by the port authority. (Official source, )
At Vinogradišće on Hvar, GIP, a catering business based at Palmižana, runs the buoy field in Vinogradišće bay. (From the operator, ) Its published tariff says €7 a metre a night from 1 Jun to 20 Sep, so €84 for a 12 m boat, and €5 a metre in April, May and from 21 Sep to 20 Oct. VAT is included. Booking a buoy costs €30 in high season and €15 in low season. (From the operator, ) The list on the website prints no year and still gives prices in kuna too, so it may be the list of 2023. On Budikovac, The concession holder's staff tell you which buoy to take, and you follow their instructions. You get an invoice for the fee, and you may ask to see the price list. (From the operator, )
- 1
Check the rules of the field
Each field sets its own limits on boat length, speed and what you may do inside it. On the buoys at Rukavac, Budikovac and Ravnik: no music from the boat, no swimming or diving inside the field, no anchoring between the buoys, and 5 knots at most. In bad weather someone must stay on board. (From the operator, )
- 2
Come in slowly, into the wind
Head into the wind, or into the current if it is stronger, and aim to stop with the buoy just off the bow. The bow crew points at the buoy all the way in, because the helm loses sight of it under the bow.
Stop with the buoy at the bow. Your own line, through the ring and back to the same cleat. - 3
Catch it and tie on with your own line
Catch the pick-up line or the ring with the boat hook. Run your own line from a bow cleat, through the ring, and back to the same cleat, so you can let go from on board without anyone reaching the buoy. On a catamaran, use a line from each bow, like a bridle.
- 4
If the field has a stern line too
Some fields pack boats closer with a second line on the seabed that you fish up and tie at the stern. Take it slowly with the engine in neutral while the line is up, and keep it clear of the propeller. What a sailor told us
- 5
Stay on it, and follow the field's rules
Don't drop your own anchor among the buoys, and stay aboard if the weather turns. If a storm threatens, boats must double their lines, and leave or move into the lee if the staff tell them to. (From the operator, )
A buoy field's own page, with its fee and shelter by wind: Stončica bay, Vis. Which buoy fields take bookings, and when they fill: Booking a berth, and when to arrive.
Lines ashore in a bay, and how far out you may lie
In many Croatian bays the seabed drops fast, so boats lie on their own anchor with a line from the stern to a rock or a ring ashore. That stops the boat swinging into its neighbours. In the ordinance, tied ashore means a boat tied to the shore and held off by one or two anchors (Article 45). (Official source, )
Tied ashore, no part of the boat or its gear may be 70 m or more from the shore. The anchor chain counts from the tip of the bow or stern to the point where it enters the water (Article 53). (Official source, ) For a 12 m boat, a line ashore of up to about 55 m keeps you inside the 70 m limit, with a metre or two of chain from the bow to the water. (Measured by us, ) What changed for lines ashore
- 1
Pick the spot and the rock first
Choose a rock or a ring ashore before you drop anything, and check it is not a beach. You may not tie ashore inside a beach's waters, organised or natural, or where an underwater cable or pipe comes ashore (Article 53). (Official source, )
- 2
Drop the anchor well out, and back in
Line up stern to the shore, drop the anchor three or four boat lengths out, and reverse slowly towards the shore as the chain runs out. How a sailor does it
- 3
Get the line ashore
A swimmer or the dinghy takes the line to the rock and back, so you can let it go from the boat. Protect trees: pass the line round a rock instead, or use a sleeve. You may not moor in a way that damages plants on the shore (Article 53). (Official source, )
- 4
Take up the chain, and mark the line
Take in chain until the boat sits off the rocks with the line firm. A line across the water can catch a tender, so make it easy to see. Mooring lines and anchor chains must be marked so others can see them, and must not get in the way of other boats (Article 53). (Official source, )
When the wind is across the berth
A breeze from the side is the hardest part of Med mooring. The wind pushes the boat sideways as soon as it slows down, so a slow, careful approach can end on your neighbour. The fix is a plan, a little more speed, and aiming upwind.
- 1
Look at the wind before you commit
If a strong wind blows straight across the berths, ask the marinero for a berth with the wind on the bow or the stern, or wait until the afternoon breeze drops. Which wind comes when
- 2
Set up for the windward side
Put the loose fender and your best line handler on the side the wind comes from. That stern line goes on first, then the lazy line on that side.
- 3
Keep some speed, aim upwind
Come in a little faster than feels comfortable, so the rudder bites, and aim at the upwind side of the gap. If the boat has a bow thruster, use it in short bursts to hold the bow up to the wind.
- 4
If it goes wrong, go round again
Signal stop, go ahead gently, clear the other boats and start again. Nobody minds a second try. They mind a scratched hull. (Official source, )
Where to moor before a bura or jugo
Before a forecast bura, avoid the buoys at Stončica. Open to the bura. The bay is well sheltered from every other wind, the operator says. (From the operator, ) For another berth, consider Vrboska harbour. Vrboska is named as a safe shelter in a bura. Our cautious answer: expect gusts on the outer piers in any bura, and take an inner berth if you can. Our skipper reviewer hasn't checked this yet. (Third-party source, )
For a forecast jugo, consider ACI Marina Split: a solid rock breakwater protects the marina from southerly winds and seas, ACI says. Our advice: in a strong jugo, ask for a berth on an inner pontoon and rig extra lines (From the operator, )
What the marinero does, and tipping
The marinero is the person who works the berths: in a marina, on a town quay or in a buoy field. They show you where to go, take your stern lines and hand you the lazy line. What a sailor found The rules and terms we read give each kind of place its own staff and its own way to pay.
- In a marina
- In an ACI marina the marina staff choose your berth, and you must follow their instructions (Article 3). (From the operator, )ACI's terms make you responsible for mooring your boat properly and safely, and for its mooring lines (Article 3.1). (From the operator, )ACI Marina Split: prices, booking and shelter
- On a town quay
- You pay the port authority's attendant in the port, in cash or by card, and get an invoice. (Official source, )In those ports the port authority, or the people it appoints, serve boats with the port's equipment, and that service is part of the port fee (Article 17). (Official source, )Nautički centar Hvar charges €40 a day on the quay for a boat of 10 to 14.99 m, with help mooring, water, power and two 90-litre bags of rubbish. A catamaran is charged as if it were 1.5 times its length. (From the operator, ) Hvar town harbour: fees and booking
- In a buoy field
- The concession holder's staff tell you which buoy to take, and you follow their instructions. You get an invoice for the fee, and you may ask to see the price list. (From the operator, )
- Never tie to
- Never tie up to a navigation mark, or to anything else that is not meant for mooring (Article 49). (Official source, )
Do you have to tip?
No. None of the rules, terms or price lists we read asks for a tip, and on a town quay the help is part of the port fee. A tip is your choice. If a marinero got you into a tight berth in a crosswind, a few euros in cash is a kind thanks.
Common questions
- What is a lazy line?
- A rope tied to a heavy block on the seabed in front of the berth, with its other end at the quay. You walk it to the bow and pull it tight, so it holds the bow instead of your own anchor.
- Can I drop my own anchor where there are lazy lines?
- Don't. Your anchor would catch the lazy lines and chains on the seabed. In a buoy field it is often against the rules too. (From the operator, )
- How far may I lie from the shore on a line ashore?
- Tied ashore, no part of the boat or its gear may be 70 m or more from the shore. The anchor chain counts from the tip of the bow or stern to the point where it enters the water (Article 53). The limit was 50 m until 24 Apr 2026. The change came into force on 25 Apr 2026. (Official source, ) Lines ashore in the anchoring rules · What changed for sailors since 2025
- What if the lazy line gets round the propeller?
- Put the engine in neutral and stop it at once, so the line doesn't wind tighter. Hold the boat with the stern lines and call the marina or the harbour office for help: some can send a diver. If anyone is hurt or the boat is in danger: who to call in an emergency at sea. In Hvar town harbour, a diver to untangle a mooring line costs €60 for a boat up to 10 m and €120 for a boat up to 20 m. (From the operator, )
- Do I have to tip the marinero?
- No. On a town quay the help is part of the port fee. A few euros for help in a hard berth is up to you. (Official source, )
What sailors told us
What sailors say about mooring in Croatia, in their own words. We haven't checked these reports, they don't count in our checks above, and they are never the rule.
I found docking easy -- marineros are super helpful and as long as you've watched enough YouTube videos and arrive with prepared lines and fenders, it's a breeze, even in a bit of wind and without experienced crew.
Marineros helping out pretty much everywhere, even if not asked to. Didn't even have to pick up a mooring ball myself.
In Maracol, on Unije, they have four lines connected to each buoy, I went there only once since they changed it to that system and I kid you not, in one afternoon three boats got ropes in their propeller when mooring.
I turn the boat to be stern to the shore, 2-3 boat lengths from where I want to end up. I reverse whilst releasing the anchor.
Still right? Were you there this season? Tap the small mark after any fact on this page, then "Yes, I saw it".
Help keep this page right
Found something different on the water this season? Tell us what you found. We check it with the source before anything changes.
Other ways to helpSources
25 facts from 13 sources, last checked .
Show all 13 sourcesShow fewer sources
Photos on this page
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}