Most of the restaurants accept credit cards as payment, but those without electricity (for example island Scedro) maybe will be unable to charge your credit card so cash is again the best solution. Always check the price list in any restaurant before choosing fish. Croatian fish is well known and some types are expensive. Even cheaper fishes are good, especially if they are grilled. Also with ordering mixed meat you will not make a mistake. Grilled vegetables or plain boiled are part of Croatian daily menu (chard for example). For Vegetarians Risotto or Italian pasta with mixed salad can be good choice! Kids of course like pizza, but they should try grilled fish, mixed meat or "čevapčići".
Some islands, which don't have frequent connection to the mainland and are poorly inhabited, have no water pipes, so even a bottle of water can surprise you in price and the food came from "far away", so everything could appear a bit more expensive.
Many restaurants now also offer mooring buoys in front of their restaurants. Some of them do not charge any fees for this, but expect that someone who uses their berth service should eat or drink in the restaurant. Since such berths in high season are often occupied, if you have a certain restaurant in mind, you should reserve both a table and a berth in advance, and clear whether the berth is included in price.
Moorings
Mooring fees vary from place to place. Mostly it depends of the season time (pre-season, high-season), the length of the boat and the service in the individual harbor or marina. In marinas, harbors and ports the prices varies between 4€ and 13€ per meter of length. Please note that in almost all marinas there is a 50% - 100% surcharge for catamarans, because of the width. In the high season it is also common that for a short mooring, you have to pay already half daily price. Therefore, it is good to plan an approximate sailing route in advance, having some alternative moorings to choose from.
For mooring buoys in bays, you have to pay between 1€-7€ per meter of length. The concessions for individual mooring buoys are issued for the sea area, not for the individual buoys, so it can happen that the concessionaire in the bay asks you to pay even though you do not use their buoy but are on your own anchor.
In some bays with restaurants the concessionaire is also the restaurant owner, in such cases there is usually no charge for the buoy but it is understood that you as a guest eat or drink something in the restaurant. Otherwise, anchoring is free everywhere, unless it is marked as prohibited (nature or national park).
Moorings in marinas
All marinas have reception, restaurants, showers etc. When arriving in any marina their staff will help you to find your berth place and take your boat documents to the reception. When leaving please do not forget to pay invoice and take your boat documents again with you. Some of spot marinas in Southern part of Adriatic are: marina Baotic, ACI Trogir, ACI Split, ACI Milna (island Brač), ACI Vrboska (island Hvar), ACI Palmižana (island Hvar), ACI Korčula (island Korčula), ACI Dubrovnik etc. Regarding northern part, there are Marina Kornati, ACI Piskera, Marina Punat, Pula. If there is bad weather forecast predicted, we kindly advice to look for a berth in a marina, since marina have the better facilities and protection. Also it is good after 2-3 days of sailing to spend a day in a marina, to fill up water tanks, wash your laundry, or charge the batteries on shore power. If you have rented a boat in peak season (July and August) and don't have a berth reservation, try to reach the marina before 16:00h because it can be crowded. Price depends of boat length and season. Price can be checked online on the website of each marina. There are also some mobile apps (free of charge) where you have the phone numbers, berths and prices for most of the marinas and bays along the Croatian coast.
Moorings in harbor and port
Some smaller places as Jelsa, Komiza, Vis, Starigrad, Sipan, Lumbarda, Vela Luka, Orebic, Luka Slano will provide you mooring on a pier with water and electricity. Please mind that some islands as Mljet, Vis or Lastovo have own water provider service, but are not connected with shore (avoid cleaning of boat and long showering). Some places as Starigrad, Hvar, Korcula ,Vis, Veli Lago (Lastovo), Mljet will charge you for mooring buoys. Hvar town is expensive and if you do not look for party & wild night life it is better to avoid peak season and mooring stress in Hvar. We suggest to find a berth in a nearby ACI marina Palmizana or Vinogradisce bay, from where you can always have taxi boat to visit Hvar. Prices for bows in listed places are from 40€-90€. Ask the port authority what is included in price of the berth (water, electricity).
Anchorage
Anchoring is possible in lot of bays, but please take care about the signs where is forbidden it is clearly signed. Always take care how local boats are anchored so you can see on which wind the bay is open. If plants and trees grow near the sea it is a sign that the place might be good for anchorage. If you are looking for quiet places for day swimming and maybe night anchoring where no one will charge you there are lots of places on your way. Most of the island offer several anchorage bay which are free of charge, but try to avoid them if it is not good weather forecast and better look for a berth in a marina or harbor. The best place to have swimming in clean first of last day of your charter is south side of Brač (bay Osibova, bay Maslinova or Lučice) or south side of Šolta (bay Livka, bayTatinja). Anchoring in National park Mljet will be charged but it includes entrance tickets to National park and 2 day stay.
What to see?
National Parks along the coast: NP Mljet (island with beautiful salty lakes), NP KRKA (waterfalls-easy to reach from marina Skradin), NP Kornati, NP Brijuni.
National monuments:Mali Ston (oysters are delicates of that area), Blue cave (island Biševo) near Vis, Bear cave (near Vis), Bay Stiniva (island Vis), island Brusnik and Jabuka (please mind, because of lots of ore "magnetite" on this island compass does not work it is not recommended by own boat), Zlatni rat (island Brač), Significant landscapes, Pakleni otoci, Šćedro, Pustinja Blaca (closed because of reconstruction), Island Ravnik (Green cave). Here you can find some
sailing itinerary suggestion for mentioned National parks and islands along Croatian coast.
Fishing & diving licence in Adriatic sea - Croatia
You may only fish if you have a permit, which you can obtain online. Recreational fishing is allowed all along the Adriatic, except in the national parks (Brijuni, Kornati, Mljet and Lastovo) and nature parks. Diving areas must be clearly marked by setting a red or orange buoy in the center of the area, or by displaying a diving flag from a high point on the boat being used to dive from. The maximum depth permitted for recreational diving is 40 meters.
Fishing licence
Licence for recreate (not professional) fishing can be bought
online here or some harbor offices (Trogir, Split, Hvar, Brac). Please mind that many protected animals live in Adriatic sea: Dolphin, the Mediterranean monk seal, turtle, seahorse, shell Prstac, starfish (Asterina, Ophidiaster ophidianus), red coral etc. Half of the year protected are also: Lobster. Penalties are from 3.000,00€ to 15.000,00€.
Diving licence
Possible only with diving licence (CMAS,PADi,SSI,NAUI,NASDS,YMCA etc.). We kindly recommend to have diving course in one of many licensed diving schools. Diving is prohibited in most of the areas(near marinas, in national parks, in protected Cultural areas etc.). Penalties are up to 3.000,00€.
Kids on board
If you have kids on board it is the best to bring their own life belts as maybe one that charter fleet have will not be suitable for your child. Contact us before your arrival so we can arrange some life belts which are suitable for small children. Do not forget: hat, sun-cream, mosquito repellent cream, sailing shoes, sunglasses...
Cover your child with light white T-shirt between 11:00-15:00 hour ( sun protection ). The boat can be very slippery, so let the children have rubber shoes most of the time (can be bought in supermarkets).
Children on board do not need much. The boat itself is fun to them. They especially like to play with the dinghy and jump into sea from the stern. When renting a boat pay attention to the cockpit, stern and always take a boat with Bimini.Teach your child to take part in the ship's duties and enjoy the time together. Even withouth TV or Smartphone you can have a very pleasant time with card games, chess or fishing etc. Avoid to eat sweet while sitting in the cockpit because of the bees. Choose a shorter daily routes and bays where they can buy ice cream and have a "good run". Penciles, paper, books and favourite teddy bear should not be forgotten.
Watch out!
- Always check is the gangway stable.
- Do not drink water from boat - water tank.
- Tap water in Croatia is completely safe
- Electricity on boat works on battery so spare electricity if you are not connected to shore power with 220V.
- Be sure that at least one crew member know how to start the engine.
- Always take flesh light with you when leaving a boat late afternoon.
- Do not jump into the sea if you were staying too long on sun (it can be shock).
- To wave when passing by other sailing boats is custom and shows good crew behaviour if you help someone with mooring, tomorrow someone will help you.
- do not throw rubbish into the sea while sailing in Croatia
- do not discharge waste water from a boat near the shore and in protected areas
- does not violate the law on fishing
- protect aquatic plants and animals
- apply to the competent bodies of environmental pollution
- fire on open is forbidden
- save the water, Croatian is reach with water but islands are not, so please save the water whenever you can (do not clean boats or take long showers).
- Croatian tap water is safe for drinking so you can always refill your botlles (but not the water tanks on your sailing boats).
- save energy: sail as much as you can, try wiindsurfing (Korčula area), kayak (island Mljet national Park), avoid skutters and motor boats.