Lagoon 42 · DEAR JOHN

The main bases are Split, ACI Trogir, Marina Kaštela, Šibenik (D-Marin Mandalina, Solaris), Zadar / Sukošan and Biograd, Dubrovnik (ACI Komolac, Cavtat), and Pula for Istria and Kvarner. Split is the central-Dalmatia workhorse for Hvar–Vis–Korčula; Zadar and Šibenik suit Kornati-focused weeks; Dubrovnik opens Mljet, the Elaphites and Lastovo; Pula is the quiet northern route.

A 4-cabin Lagoon 42 or Bali 4.2 runs roughly €5,500–€8,500 per week bareboat in the shoulder season and €9,500–€13,500 in peak July–August. Larger 46–50 ft catamarans reach €11,000–€18,000 per week peak. A skipper adds €170–€220/day plus food. Fuel, marina and mooring fees, end-cleaning, the Croatian tourist tax and coastal vignette, and national-park permits (Kornati, Mljet, Telašćica, Brijuni, Krka) are listed transparently on every quote — and our agency commission is paid by the operator, never added to your price.

Yes. Croatian rules require the skipper to hold a recognised boat licence (ICC, RYA Day Skipper or higher, or an accepted national equivalent) and a VHF radio certificate — both are verified at base sign-off and recorded on the contract, with a second competent crew member named alongside. If your licence is in doubt or you have no VHF ticket, book a skippered week and the captain handles all certification and the base handover.

Around 86% of our charters go bareboat. If you are licensed and confident with stern-to mooring, sand anchoring and reading a Bura forecast, the central-Dalmatia island hops are very manageable. If not — or if it is your first Adriatic week — a skipper (€170–€220/day plus food) removes the licensing question and brings the local knowledge that counts here: Bura-proof bays, Maestral timing for the Vis crossing, and park and harbour-master admin done for you. A fully crewed cat with captain and hostess or cook sits at the luxury end.

Croatian bareboat charters run almost universally on a fixed Saturday-to-Saturday week — it is how bases stagger hundreds of handovers on the same weekend. Board Saturday from 17:00 once the boat is cleaned and checked, sleep aboard the final Friday night, and disembark by 09:00 Saturday for the next crew. Mid-week starts exist only on a few boats and late availability; we flag anything that breaks the norm when we quote.

Yes, and all are modest and itemised. Croatia charges a per-person sojourn (tourist) tax for the days aboard plus a coastal safety-of-navigation vignette scaled to boat length and duration — usually settled by the base and shown on the contract. National-park entry is separate and per-day: Kornati, Telašćica, Mljet and Brijuni are entered by boat (buy ahead — on-site is dearer), while Krka is reached on foot via the park shuttle from Skradin. We block the permits your route needs as part of the booking.

They are the ideal Adriatic family platform. The shallow ~1.2 m draft lets a wide-beam cat anchor in sandy bays monohulls cannot reach — Pakleni coves, the Mljet lakes, calm Kornati moorings — with a level deck, walk-in swim platforms and separate cabins fore and aft. The sheltered channels between Brač, Hvar and Korčula keep daily passages short (2–4 hours) and the seas flat. Lifeline netting and child vests are available on request.