General informations
Geographical situation:
From the Oriental side of the Alps in the North-West and from de Panonnian plains in the East through the Dinarides mountain in the centre to the Adriatic Sea in the South.
Surface: 56,691 km². The surface of the territorial sea represents: 31,067 km². 5,835 km of coasts, of which 4,067 km of island coasts. 1,185 islands (of which 66 are inhabited). The biggest islands are Krk and Cres.
Population: 4,800,000 inhabitants
Capital: Zagreb (nearly 1 million of inhabitants - economical, transport, cultural and academic centre of the country).
Practical informations
Climate: Northern Croatia has a continental climate, the centre is half-mountainous and montainous. Mediterranean climate on the Adriatic coast.
Official language: Croatian
Currency: Kuna, (1 kuna = 100 lipas). The coins used are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 lipas and 1, 2 and 5 kunas, and the banknotes are 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1.000 kunas.
Formalities: passport
Time difference: GMT + 1 (in Summer +2)
Telephone: code 385.
Urgency: 94
Welcome and language
The welcome is excellent everywhere. But to have a good welcome, one must communicate in a language known by the inhabitants.
In Croatia, one speaks Croatian (it seems natural). But Croatian speak and understand also German and English, useful to understand the indications of the harbours employees who come to help berth the boat and take the ropes, and to ask informations to the managers of marinas and harbour offices.
See also: General Informations
Boating
Formalities and licence
See Formalities and licences
Wind system (Summer):
There is on one side the sea, on the other archipelagos and areas sometimes elevated areas on the continent. It gives evanescent breezes then sustained thermal winds that follow the channels, or come down from the hills either directly either through corridors. There are also storms as in the whole Mediterranean Sea and rain if a depression passes by.
It is nice to see that wind turn all the day long, sometimes less light to tack at the crossing of some channels.
There are four winds:
the bora (Slovenian word), the burin or tramontane according to the regions, cold and dry, comes from Central Europe through the NE and blows without advice from some days in Summer to two weeks in Winter. Local wind quite strong in Summer.
There is the bora chiara: clear sky, strong fall of temperature; and the bora scura: easier to forecast, it is announced by a layer of stratiform clouds behind the mountains and seems to want to drop in the sea.
the jugo, a South (jugo) wind, comes from the SW; it is a wind with a moderate speed that blows from the sea to the continent, along the shore, in the E-SE, SE and S-SE directions.
the sirocco, hot, humid and rainy, comes from E to SE and needs about one and a half day to start. Local wind in Summer.
the maestral, blue sky and white clouds, comes from the NE in Trieste and from the NW in the centre and South of the region. This sea breeze develops from the mid-morning to the beginning of the afternoon, and falls at dawn. It is typically the Summer wind that blows from the NE and is one of the winds that appears when weather is nice and stable. After the morning silence in Summer, its very nice blow begins in principle at about 12AM and lasts reinforcing up to the sunset. It may reach a speed of 5 to 6 knots and regions where it appears the more often are Zadar and the Korcula channel.
the Pulenat and the Libeccio, associated to some big depressions, come from the W or SW.
The Adriatic Sea being a hot sea, there are quite quick convective movements with formation of cumulonimbus in presence of fresh air. Those are storms generally coming from the sea, bringing much wind and rain, but not lasting very long.
See also Winds on the Adriatic coast
Streams system:
General stream from S to N along the shore. But one shall take in account local variations due to wind, river mouth, channels, and capes.
Weather Services:
The ACI marinas display weather reports and distribute (or sale it depending of the marinas) copies of those three days reports (in Croatian, German, Italian and English). It corresponds nearly to Navtex informations.
Italian weather report: VHF 68 for general situation.
local weather report:
Ucka: VHF channel 24: 5h35, 14h35, 19h35
Split: VHF channel 7, 21, 28: 5h45, 12h45, 19h45
Dubrovnik: VHF channel 4, 7: 6h25, 13h20, 21h20.
General charts and locales forecasts to consult each day at the harbour offices.
General nautical charts:
the Hvratski Hidrografski Institut sales a plastic bag containing about thirty marines charts in a 50x35cm format covering Croatia (the same as those on CD in BSB format).
Some rent sail boats are equipped with a very complete set of detailed charts. On the other hand, there is not always plotting charts, what is bothering to sail down from North to South in a long navigation by day and night. So, think to bring with you your plotting charts.
Documents:
SHOM plotting charts: 3552-3412-3744-3975-7244-7326-7331
The Adriatic Pilot, 3rd edition updated in 2000, by T and D Thomson, Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson. In English. Available in any big nautical shops. Indispensable. This nautical guide of more than 400 pages covers all the country. With hundreds of harbours and marinas entries, and shelter and anchorages. Photos, sketches, very detailed and exhaustive comments, it is a the reference.
Distances:
About 700 km from N to S.
Rescue services:
VHF channel 10 and 16.
The organisation of rescue is to be compared to what exists in Spain or Italy. The coordination is in Rijeka, with annexes in Pula, Zadar, Sibenik, Split, Ploce, and Dubrovnik.
Buoyage, lights:
The access to the main harbours and channels are well marked. Night navigation between islands is anyway absolutely not recommended. Watch carefully charts to avoid some reefs hardly visible at high tide or near the coast. Often easy visual location between charts/landscape may become complex at some places.
Some rental sail boats are equipped with a square with imprecise graduations and a trail compass too much instable to be used at sea. So it is recommended to bring its own compass and its navigation rule.
Rules for safety are different from ours. One must be used to sail to the open sea without dinghy.
In this region, GPS, even of excellent quality and having an external antenna can be cut during long hours. It is a worldly phenomenon that may have its origin in the presence of high relief, or radioelectrical antennas and very powerful radars, disturbing the reception of signals emitted by satellites.
Observations:
A very indented coast with hundred of islands, channels, bays, creeks, fjords, and small harbours.
Many marinas, and everywhere pontoons, on desert islands, at the heart of picturesque villages, or nearby towns.
Any shelter is at less than half a journey of navigation.
In the harbours opening directly on the open sea, or not very well protected by the relief or trees, one must take some precautions in case of an arrival by strong breeze.
Croatia is wonderful to visit in rental sail boat. Hundreds of islands and archipelagos all along the coast. A blue sea. The country of the 4 winds shifting all day long, of evanescent breeze and very sustained thermal winds.
The lunar landscape of the natural park of Kornati Islands. Hundreds of anchorages with a bit of a beach for oneself only. Picturesque villages totally covering small islands. Monuments recalling Romans, Greeks, Venitians... A fjord long of tenth kilometres than one can sail upstream, surrounded by high cliffs or woody hills, up to a tiny harbour situated near giant cascades.
Small and quiet harbours on uninhabited islands, with all comfort, in creeks surrounded by green and where one is welcome evening when landing or morning at wakeup by the song of crickets.
Renting a boat is less expensive from here than from abroad. But in the next few years, it will probably be necessary to arrive in harbours in the middle of the day to find free berthing.
The islands barrier prevent the swell to penetrate in channels, and even by strong breeze the lap is always negotiable. Sometimes, a warm morning wind, of 2 to 3 Bf, make the boat sail quietly, lightly listed and all sails out.
Those that are not impressed by the rising of the bottom up to 20 to 50 cm under the keel may cross between two islands watching carefully the shore and the draught. But don’t forget you sail above rocks and not mud.