Sailing Dubrovnik to Split advice

[mihpreda]

Hello !

We are sailing one way from Dubrovnik to Split, first week of September.

I would appreciate any advice on what to visit, wind conditions, dangers.

We like to spend nights at anchor but also at least 1-2 nights in a fun place.

Thank you in advance
Mihai

[beneteau-500]

If you go through the med European section on here you will find several threads on Croatia on anchoring etc all there answers are there

[kevandros]

Hi
We did that exact journey last year but did it over two weeks. I can give you our full itinerary if that would be of any use, just let me know. The islands around Dubrovnik are quieter the further you get towards Split the busier it gets. There are lots of spots for anchoring and also opportunities to go stern to on town quays with lazy lines. You will only scratch the surface of places to visit in one week, but some highlights are Korcula, Hvar and Mijet. Korcula gets quite busy and the marinas do get booked up. We managed to get a place at Lombarda which is cheaper than the marina in Korcula town and then got a taxi into town, but it is worth booking ahead. Hvar is also a busy spot we spent the night on St Klement, and then had a quick hop across to Hvar first thing the next morning. There is a lovely restaurant on St Klement too! We managed a couple of nights on our own in quiet bays, which were magical. There are lots of great spots on Mijet, The national park is worth a visit.
If you need any more info just let me know.
You will have a great time, I am really jealous!

[mihpreda]

Thank you for the highlights.

I am reading as much as I can and I'll be back with questions.

One thing I would like to ask: did you have to show proof of VHF licence to rent the boat in Croatia ?

Regards

[athene]

Take a look at the World Cruising Wiki (Croatia - a Cruising Guide on the World Cruising and Sailing Wiki). I've just cruised that route and updated most of the harbour entries along the way.

[kevandros]

Yes we did have to show our VHF license. We chartered with Sunsail.

[Rapanui]

We have done this route several times and there are lots of great places on the various routes you can follow depending on your tastes.
The larger islands and the Peljesac peninsular are quite long and lie roughly east-west so the route through the islands you choose will make some places less easy to visit without large detours.
The Elafiti islands are near Dubrovnik but surprisingly fairly quiet, mostly anchorages. Slano on the mainland is a pleasant stop
Mljet is well worth a visit for the national park, at either Polace or Pomena at the NW end you can anchor or berth at a restaurant for the price of a meal. There is a really nice walk through the park along the shore of Veli Jezera a landlocked sea water inlet with an island monastery. Okuklje on near the east end on the north shore has great restaurants with moorings and is a lovely spot.
Lastovo is a great unspoilt island, Skrivena Luka S coast anchor or moor fabulous shelter, good restaurants, Zaklopatica ditto N coast restaurants with moorings and lovely spot.
Korcula walled town is worth a visit but marina is expensive and often full.
If you decide to do the Korcula/Peljesac channel then Loviste on N end of Peljesac is nice with restaurants etc.
Vela Luka is ok but nothing special, few place alongside lots of buoys bouncy in a W wind.
Vis either Vis Town/Kut or Komiza are must do places, they do get busy early in the week.
Hvar town is also must do but horrendously busy. Our favourite Hvar places are: Starigrad at W end which has an interesting town and loads of alongside moorings, plus lots of lovely bays nearby to anchor or use a buoy, and Jelsa on N coast. You can get a short bus ride to Hvar town from here or if you go to the Palmizana marina on the Pakleni then get a water taxi to Hvar town.
Vinogradisce, a lovely bay on the Pakleni islands, anchor, gets very crowded, great swimming and the our favourite high quality Zori restaurant. Exposed to SE winds. You can moor in the Palmizana marina the North side of the island and the bay and restaurant is about a 200m stroll.
Brac; has bays with restaurants on the south side, Milna on the west end with 2 marinas and a number of interesting harbours on the less busy N coast including Pucisca.
Solta; Stomorska is a lively little town good moorings, Neculjam beautiful spot to anchor with a few restaurants, Maslinica is very pleasant town but expensive marina.
Trogir another walled town is worth a visit, there are several marinas plus it is possible to anchor within dinghy reach.
Get a copy of 777 harbours and anchorages, it's the bible for Croatia and its laid out in chart format with notes so you can use it to pick a route and stop offs.

[mihpreda]

Thank you all for response.

[K_V_B]

Originally Posted by kevandros

Hvar is also a busy spot we spent the night on St Klement, and then had a quick hop across to Hvar first thing the next morning. There is a lovely restaurant on St Klement too!

I can second St. Klement. Been there three times now.
Also on Hvar itself, to the east of Hvar town in Bilo Idro there is a small harbor operated by the Zlatan Otok winery, with good food, and the best wine in Croatia :-)

[terra57]

You might try changing to Split to Dubrovnik. The summer wind is from west-northwest. You will be going upwind.


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[Ehrler]

My wife and I just finished a two week trip from Marina Kremik to Dubrovnik and back. Here's an excerpt from what I posted elsewhere on the forum:

We started from Kremik marina near Primosten. Several charter companies operated there. Ours was Mare Charter but there was also "More" charter and a few others. The owner picked us up from Split and took us to a market in Primosten to provision the boat. Very smooth process and no waiting around like we saw from some of the bigger charter companies. Also, Kremik marina had a great running trail around to Primosten (5-6km). Easy to get a few miles in if running is important to you. This is broken down by sailing day:
1. We sailed to Vis (anchored off the town of Kut - loud disco across the bay but very nice anchorage). This was our only day with foul weather as a squall came through when we were about 10 nm NW of Vis. Lightening was striking the water around the boat so we shut down our electronics, put on foulies,and waited out the rain. It blew over in about an hour and we were back underway.
2. Sailed to Bisevo and saw the blue cave (50 kn entry fee per person charged by a man in a small boat at the cave). There's really no place to anchor at the cave due to very deep water so we took turns circling the boat while half the crew rowed in to see the cave (no outboards allowed in the cave). Then, we sailed across the straight and anchored at Komiza on Vis. Another nice anchorage (deep though) that filled up quickly with the yacht week boats.
3. Sailed to Korkula island and anchored in Tri Luka on the southwestern corner of the island. Beautiful anchorage, secluded and peaceful. One late arrival we watched arrive at sunset and simply drop anchor and pile up some chain, never setting the anchor... They then went below and went to sleep... Luckily the wind stayed light and they didn't drag, but that was the only case in which I was concerned about a boat drifting into us during the trip. For the most part, everyone was very good at every anchorage we visited.
4. Sailed to the eastern side of Korcula and stayed at Lumbarda Marina. We wanted to leave the boat and see Korkula town so we elected to tie up at the marina instead of anchoring. Great little marina but make a reservation early in the day. We watched other boats get turned away while we were able to med moor to the quay... Having the reservation also meant we could sail longer and not worry about finding space later in the day as the sun was setting. There is a bus stop right by the marina entrance and will take you into Korcula town (25kn/pp) or the taxi stand for (100kn each way, had vans for 5-7 people).
5. Sailed to Mljet island and anchored in a bay near Polace on the NW corner of the island. Good anchorage despite strong winds. Most of the crew rowed ashore to see the park on Mljet but two of us stayed with the boat in case the winds shifted drastically. Never any problem though. Winds finally calmed to make a trip ashore.
6. Sailed to Dubrovnik marina... Had to motor much of the way with little wind. Great chance to see the old city from the water and take pictures though. ACI marina Dubrovnik was expensive at 100€ per night for our 10 m boat but worth it for the convenience of seeing the old city. There are restaurants, pool, tennis courts and market available at ACI. Taxi is 130kn each way to the old city. Good running roads too around the marina.
7. Stayed at Dubrovnik marina so we could continue the city tours.
8. Sailed to Sipan and anchored at Sipanska Luka. Excellent holding in 6 m water.
9. Sailed to Luka on the western end of the Peljesec peninsula. Another peaceful and beautiful anchorage, filled up really quickly.
10. Sailed to Hvar town. Somehow we lucked out and were able to pick up a mooring off the bow and took two lines ashore off the stern(usually the moorings are full after 9 am). Lots of people playing "bumper boats" as they squeezed more boats into the moorings. Loud disco all night and lots of ferry wakes but the hills made for great running in the morning. Visit Hvar town once and check the block, we won't be going back.... Just too crowded.
11. Sailed into Split harbor and then to Trogir. Here was our only real problem on the whole trip. We reserved a spot in ACI Marina Trogir but when we arrived some guys in Marina Trogir shirts waved us down and we docked at "Marina Trogir" instead. The two marinas are adjoining but are not the same. I learned in the morning when I tried to check out that I had to pay "Marina Trogir" and the ACI marina would not reimburse me. Caveat Emptor and be sure to check in with the marina office when you land to make sure you're in the right place. Don't just trust what the dock guys say. The facilities really were excellent but the expensive snafu left a bitter taste. Nobody's fault but my own.
12. Sailed back to Kremik marina. We had planned to sail to Sibenik and take a small boat to the Krka national park, but the marina at Sibenik was full. We elected to leave the boat at Kremik and take a car to Krka. The park was worth every kn we spent to get there as it was absolutely gorgeous.
13. Krka park visit and refuel / cleanup the boat.
14. Check out - owner let us stay a bit late so we could get one more run in and then drove us to Split.

We were very happy with the cruising in Croatia and you will be at the end of the season so the crowds should be less than we faced. Have fun!


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[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by mihpreda

Hello !

We are sailing one way from Dubrovnik to Split, first week of September.

I would appreciate any advice on what to visit, wind conditions, dangers.

We like to spend nights at anchor but also at least 1-2 nights in a fun place.

Thank you in advance
Mihai

How long have you the boat for, Its a bit much for a single week in my experience.


dave

[mihpreda]

Thank you all for your suggestions !

I'll update this post with my route and impressions.

Regards

[petarz]

Hello! Just to say, i have never been sailing and i really really want to experience that. I was looking for places and opportunities in Croatia as well, and it's great that I have found this forum with some great tips and advices! If the weather suits us, my wife and I will be hiring a yacht next week for a trip from Split to Korcula and back so if anyone has any advice to share i would be thankful!