Mooring buoys and a beach restaurant, Vis
Stončica bay
Stončica is a buoy bay at the northeast tip of Vis, about 4 NM east of Vis town, sheltered from every wind but the bura, its operator says. (Measured by us, ) Don't stay the night if a bura, the cold northeast wind, is forecast.
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All 24 facts on this page name their source, the latest checked on : 9 from the operator, 4 from official sources, 4 measured by us and 7 from third-party sources, such as pilot books and magazines, so treat those 7 as a guide.
Written by Domagoj Franc, editor. Reviewed by Ivor Benko, skipper.
Tonight in Stončica bay
Can we stay here tonight? Yes, on a buoy, in season. Its dates are unknown. Tell us about the season at Stončica
Shelter by wind in Stončica bay
Shelter by wind, as the operator, Gradina Vis d.o.o., describes it. (From the operator, ) The winds below are the bura from the northeast, the tramontana from the north, the maestral, the summer afternoon wind from the northwest, and the jugo from the southeast.
- Burafrom the northeast
- Open to the bura. The bay is well sheltered from every other wind, the operator says. (From the operator, ) Our advice: don't stay the night here if a bura is forecast. It can arrive at night.
- Tramontana, maestralfrom the north and northwest
- Sheltered from their waves. Rt Stracine, the cape to the west, shelters the bay from the waves of the tramontana and the afternoon maestral. (From the operator, ) Cape Stracine shelters the bay from the strong waves of the afternoon maestral, the operator says. (From the operator, )
- Jugofrom the southeast
- Sheltered. The bay is well sheltered from the jugo, the operator says. (From the operator, )
What our sources say, not a forecast.
Wind and sea, next 3 days
For Stončica bay. Don't stay the night here if a bura is forecast.
Model forecast from Open-Meteo.Not an official forecast. Not for navigation.
Official forecast: DHMZ marine forecast (Official source, )
How to read this forecast
Each part of the day shows its strongest hourly wind and gust, and its highest wave, in Croatian time. The words follow the Beaufort scale, and the model can't tell a real bura from any other northeast wind. How to read a model forecast
Weather data by Open-Meteo.com, CC BY 4.0. Grouped into parts of the day by OlaSail.
If Stončica is full or the wind turns
Anchoring instead? No anchoring within 150 m of a natural beach, under the 2025 ordinance. (Official source, ) The buoy field runs the length of the bay along its west side. Dig the anchor well into the sand: wind eddies off the high shores can swing a boat. The 2024 plan and the operator call the bay exposed to the bura, which can raise a rough to very rough sea, though the 2019 study found its south part fairly well protected; a jugo sends a surge in. (Official source, ) Anchoring near beaches
Vis harbour is open to the bura and the jugo, and every wind blows hard here, the bura and the jugo most of all. (Third-party source, ) Our cautious answer: in a bura or a jugo expect a rough night on the town quay, and strong gusts in any other wind. Our skipper reviewer hasn't checked this yet. The Kut side is open to northerly and north-westerly winds. (Third-party source, ) Our cautious answer: in a strong maestral expect Kut to be the more exposed side. Our skipper reviewer hasn't checked this yet. The island's main harbour.
Rukavac is sheltered from every wind except south to south-easterlies. Our cautious answer: leave Rukavac if a jugo is forecast, and mind the shallows in the west part. Our skipper reviewer hasn't checked this yet. (Third-party source, ) Buoy fields on the south coast, next to Budikovac and the Green Cave.
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Komiža bay is open to the west and south-west, and these winds raise high waves in it (Third-party source, ). Berths inside the breakwater are sheltered (Third-party source, ). Its buoys lie close together, are open to westerlies, and take swell in any wind with south in it. A bura blows across them in shifting gusts but raises no waves. (Third-party source, ) Our cautious answer: if a westerly, south-westerly or thunderstorm is forecast, lie inside the breakwater or go round to Vis town. Our skipper reviewer hasn't checked this yet. A town quay on the west coast.
What sailors told us
From sailors after a night here. They tell us what to check next, and don't count in the checks above.
Stončica bay, Vis
In late May 2025 a two-woman crew had Stončica bay almost to themselves, tied to a buoy belonging to the bay's one restaurant, and took the dinghy in to eat there in the evening.
Help keep this page right
Sailed here this season? Tell us what you found. We check it with the source before anything changes.
Or confirm one fact: tap the small mark after it, then "Yes, I saw it".
Other ways to helpKeep planning
A Saturday to Saturday sailing week from Split to Šolta, Vis, Hvar and Brač: the distance each day, where to sleep, and a Plan B for the wind.
Where you may anchor, and who may charge you for it
How far ahead to book, which places take bookings, and when the rest fill up
How to moor stern-to on a town quay or in a marina, pick up a buoy and tie ashore
How the main winds behave, and which forecast to read each morning
The boat, marinas, buoys, fuel, food and the deposit, added up
Sources for Stončica bay
24 facts from 17 sources, last checked .
Show all 17 sourcesShow fewer sources
- Written by
- Domagoj Franc, editor
- Reviewed by
- Ivor Benko, skipper. Croatian skipper's licence, category C.
- Next check
- Before the 2027 season
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