Joining instructions for Bareboat/Flotilla holidays from Murter Croatia A Bareboat/Flotilla Holiday is one where we have booked a yacht for you from a local supplier acting as their agent, but with which we have arranged for you to sail with our flotilla from Murter on a Bareboat/Flotilla basis. With a holiday of this nature the yacht will be provided by the local supplier and they can be based from a different marina, which can be anything from on the pontoon next to our fleet in Betina marina, to a location up to 20 miles away. This will all have been made clear at the time of booking. With these yachts, irrespective of the location, all check in and out details for the yacht will be made by the local supplier, as with any Bareboat charter, and on arrival you have to go to their base and check in with them. You must follow all guidance that they give and take particular note of any instructions that they provide for contacting them in case of any issues with the yacht, as well as the procedure and time for returning the yacht. In addition to these guidance notes, therefore, you will find a link to a separate page including the full contact details and Base information, and any other specific guidance provided by the supplier of your yacht. Please make sure that you take a copy of these, and let us know if anything is not clear. We will have already supplied the full crew list and given your estimated arrival time and travelling contact details as entered on the booking check list, and this will have been done at least a week before, so it is essential that you have these fully completed as requested by this stage. If we have booked a transfer for you, then this will take you directly to that base, while if you are making your own arrangements, then this is where you must go to. If you have any delays in travelling or any last minute change of plans, you should contact the supplier directly to deal with this and this is particularly important in case it means a large change to your estimated arrival time. Please do not expect the check in staff at the Bareboat Supplier to know anything about the flotilla or to answer any questions about it, as they have no involvement with this side of things, and full contact details for our base on Murter are provided below. Once you have completed your check in, then you can normally sail from 1700hrs on the arrival day if you wish and some people like to use this time to come down to Betina to join the flotilla. There is however no obligation to do this, and if you do come to Betina then you will have to pay for the first nights mooring there, so you can equally just pop out for a short evening sail and return to the Base marina if you prefer. As regards the flotilla you will miss nothing by not being in Murter on the first evening as that is a time when we are still dealing with arrivals and departures, and this goes on until late into the evening. On the Sunday morning there is a full briefing for the flotilla, but again it is not a problem to miss this. A lot of this information relates to our own yachts, and any relevant flotilla information will be given to you when you do join the group. Normally what we suggest is once you have checked in on the yacht then you can give the flotilla base a call on the Sunday morning to clarify where they are going that evening and then you can meet the group during the day. If you do want to come down on the Saturday afternoon, please phone them just to check the weather as you do not want to arrive in Betina if there is a strong Bura blowing or if for any reason the marina is full. Otherwise there is usually no problem arriving in Betina and the marina staff will look after you when you arrive. Flotilla Base information: Address Contact Details: Marina Betina, Nikole Skevina 15, 22244, Betina Croatia Gary Conway, Base Manager GSM: 0038598752508 Mirjana Conway, Office Manager GSM: 0038598615084 These contact details should be used to contact the flotilla on the first day, or if you have a problem with a transfer that we organised. Otherwise prior to the holiday please direct all correspondence to the UK office only.
General Joining instructions for Bareboat Charter Holidays in Croatia The following notes provide general guidance on all bareboat charters in the Adriatic, and as you are free to leave the flotilla at any time, it is relevant to you. This information is general in nature, so please disregard any elements that clearly do not apply to your holiday. Transfer Information: If you have asked us to arrange your transfers from the airport, or other location, you must have given us your flight arrival and departure, or alternative details and you can verify that this is the case by logging on to your booking using the Confirmation Reference and pin number given to you at the time of booking. On arrival at the Airport, please watch out for somebody holding a sign either with your name or the name of the yacht Supplier that we have arranged your charter with. They will then guide you to your taxi or minibus as relevant. Should you have any problems locating anyone at the airport please contact the number that we will have given you for this purpose, or you can call the flotilla base on Murter. When you have given us a mobile phone number at the time of booking, please make sure that you have this with you and turned on, as we pass this on to the supplier/transfer company, in case they need to call you. Minors under 18 years old travelling to Croatia without their parents Minors under the age of 18 years old travelling to Croatia without their parents are strictly speaking now required to provide a statement to enter the country. We are not aware of this being regularly checked, but mention it in case families are bringing children s friends etc. and that this applies to you. The statement must be signed by the parents of the child involved and contain the relevant child/children s and parent s personal data, the purpose and duration of the trip, the final destination and the express declaration that the parents approve the journey. The official statement is stated below and we would hate anyone to have any problems in this regard, simply because they forgot or did not realise that they needed to get a letter from the child s parents. Minors trying to enter Croatia without this statement may be denied entry to Croatia, sent back to the originating country and will be subject to a 48 hours ban on re-entering Croatia. For EU and Swiss citizens, the declaration does not need to be translated into Croatian. However non EU/Swiss citizens will need to produce an official Croatian translation. Money & Shopping: The Croatian currency is the Kuna, and you will find that you can obtain it easily in advance in Banks or high street exchanges. The exchange rate seems to follow the Euro and official rates (excluding commissions) at 16/04/13 were 1.00 = 8.92 Kuna, 1 = 7.61 Kuna and 1$ = 5.82Kuna. If you do have any difficulty in obtaining Kuna in advance, there are cash dispensing machines and exchange facilities at the airports where you can obtain currency on arrival. If you cannot do this without delaying the transfer excessively, then you can also change any of the major currencies in the marina on your first morning. Please do not get confused between the Euro and the Kuna. The Kuna is the official currency and this is what you will need for all normal day-to-day spending. However the practice in Croatia is to quote prices of many items like transfers etc in Euros, as this is used as a base currency, but Euros are not actually used. To pay any costs quoted in Euros, then you can usually pay in Euros if you already have Euros, but if you do not, then there is no need to get Euros, as you can equally pay all cash payments in Kuna, with the exact price being clarified on the day, based on that day s exchange rate. All marinas always have a number of good shops or supermarkets nearby, so there should be no problems getting provisions either for taking on board yachts or for people moving into apartments. Shops and Supermarkets are open on Sunday mornings until 1300hrs, so again no problem for anybody arriving late on the Saturday evening. Generally you should have no problem finding all the normal food items that you need for breakfasts and lunches, with prices being similar to the UK and Ireland and the only food item that we do advise people to bring out with them are t-bags, as the local selection is very limited. Alcohol is cheaper than in the UK or Ireland.
We are often asked how much eating out costs. An evening meal in many of the restaurants will usually cost between 80kn to 140kn per person including drinks (in moderation), while children s meals will be cheaper. A beer will set you back about 10 to 15kn. You can however get a very good Pizza for about 35 to 50kn, but you can equally spend 250kn a head if you opt to order the most expensive fish and wine on the menu. Croatia is a very accomplished wine producing country and some of the local wines are excellent. A bottle will cost you anything from 25kn, although you may find cheaper and interesting wines in the odd wine cellar where they decant straight from the barrel!! During the flotilla you will find that you can change any of the major currencies in all of the marinas, and most of the bigger towns have cash machines. Please note however that you should not bring any Scottish or Northern Irish notes, as although they may be legal tender in the UK, you will find it impossible to exchange them in Croatia. Marinas can be paid for by credit card and the larger restaurants will also accept them, so most people should manage easily on a combination of cash and the use of cash machines and credit cards when available. As always however we do advise that if relying on a combination of credit or debit cards, please ensure that you have more than one you can rely on in case of any problems. General Information for Yachts: Most of the ports of call will either be Marinas with full facilities for washing, watering etc, or town quays with fewer facilities. The Marinas charge between 300kn to 450kn per yacht up to about 40ft, and more for larger vessels and. so this depends on the yacht size and the number on board. Most of the smaller ports and harbour s also charge mooring fees in season, even though they may not have full facilities. As a guide town quays cost between 150kn to 300kn. If you sail out to any of the national parks, there is usually either a per head, or a per yacht fee for entering the park area, which is valid for 24hours. This is generally only collected if you are staying overnight, and a park boat tours around to check all yachts in the park area, and you can pay them directly. For up to date guidance prices on this please check with the local yacht supplier of flotilla, at check in as sometimes (such as in the Kornati) you get a cheaper rate if you buy the ticket in advance rather than paying the park boat in the park. The fresh water on board the yachts is drinkable, but many people prefer to just use it for washing and boiling and use bottled water for drinking. When you use the heads (ship s toilet), we suggest that you only put into it what your digestive system has thrown out! We ask people not flush toilet paper down the heads, as this is the only way that we can ensure that you will not have blockages. Please use a plastic bag (you may prefer to buy perfumed nappy sacks and bring them with you for this purpose) for toilet tissue etc. This latter is especially important if you are on a yacht with a holding tank, and one thing that we have learned in over 20 years of running flotillas is that if you have a holding tank fitted and put paper down the loo, then at some stage a blockage is inevitable. Because of this you may find that some Bareboat yachts do not have holding tanks, or if they are fitted they are disconnected. Unfortunately they are not yet a legally enforced requirement in Croatia, and because people insist on putting paper down them, the charter operators often disconnect or remove them to ensure that you do not have problems. Where fitted, please ensure that the tank is emptied before entering port each night. The capacity of the holding tanks on board is limited, and therefore should be reserved for overnight use. Where possible, shore facilities should be used in the evenings. This is especially relevant for families and large groups. Bring plenty of sun block, wide brimmed hat (something that ties under your chin or a baseball cap that can be secured), and loose light clothing to cover arms and legs. You may be used to the sun, and out to get a suntan, but you will be experiencing the combined effect of sun, sea and wind and if you don t take suitable precautions for the first few days you may burn and ruin the rest of your holiday. Also always bring some warmer clothes and some form of waterproof jacket, (a lightweight jacket is fine) although for early and late season bring more warm clothes and if you have a sailing jacket bring it. Most of the time by day, in the main season, you ll be living in shorts, T- shirts, and swimwear, but even in peak season in the evenings out of the sun the temperature can drop quite a bit. You can also get a broken spell of weather at any time of the year. A pair of gloves (ordinary gardening ones are fine) are useful to have to protect your hands when using ropes or doing any anchor work. Finally everybody should have some form of lightweight footwear (no black marking soles please) that you can wear both on deck but are equally happy to get wet. Cheap canvas plimsolls or some form of sandals that dry quickly are ideal. In the Adriatic when you go in the dinghy you will be stepping ashore onto rocks rather than sand and there are always sea urchins about so you should not do this in bare feet, which is why and it is important to have some form of
cheap footwear that you are happy to get wet. If you do not have anything suitable then you can get cheap suitable footwear in the local shops and markets when you arrive. Most yachts do not have masks, snorkels or flippers, as it is impossible to supply all sizes and maintain them in an acceptable condition. Good quality but inexpensive ones can easily be bought locally, which you can then keep for future holidays. Because of recent international legal trends expect First Aid Kits, where provided, to be very basic. We strongly recommend therefore that you bring your own especially if there are certain medications you may have to take. Insect repellent and anti-sting (such as waspeeze) may also come in useful. Many of our customers have also mentioned that it is useful to take a small pack of wet ones and/or some anti-bacterial hand wash that doesn t require any water. These come in handy when staying in the smaller ports without full facilities. All this should be packed into a collapsible bag, for storage on board. Hard suitcases cannot be taken on the yachts, but if required, Most suppliers can store extra bags that are not required for the sailing week, but you do need to confirm this with us in advance. All bedding and linen will be provided, as part of the charter but personal towels are normally an extra, and not all suppliers offer these. Where they do they are usually 5Euros per person per set and must be requested in advance and are paid for in case directly on site. In April, early May, late September and October the weather can be very changeable, so it is advisable to bring extra warm clothing, and heavier duty waterproofs during these periods. For these periods some people may want to bring a sleeping bag as well, more usually in the early season than at the later end of the year. Many people contact us to ask about charging camera batteries, mobile phones etc while on the yachts. There are two systems for this. Virtually all yachts have a 12v car cigarette lighter type socket fitted so you can use any standard 12v car type chargers at any time that the engine is running. The boats are also fitted with 220 volt conventional mains electricity supplies, but these only have power when you are in a marina or port where shore power is provided. This will normally be the first and last nights while in the base marina and then another two or three nights of the week when you are out an about. For these systems you do need to bring a European style two pin earthed adaptor if you have UK or Irish style three pin plugs fitted to your appliances. The combination of the above is usually enough for everybody s needs, and if you do have mains chargers and get caught out, if you are eating in a local restaurant in the evening, you can always try asking them to put your item on charge while you are having your meal. For anybody wanting to use an Ipod and play it through the yachts cd player, again there are usually two systems. Some yachts have an input jack that you can plug the Ipod straight into. Those that do not usually have an FM radio with the cd player that can be tuned into receive the output from the Ipod if you have the appropriate transmitter for your Ipod. Not all yachts however have cockpit speakers, as this does vary from model to model. For internet access, data only sims, and dongles can be bought locally starting from about 150Kuna in Croatia, and this can often work out much cheaper than international roaming charges, if you have unlocked phones or computers that can use these. We suggest that you do not participate in any activity holidays whilst wearing expensive watches, jewellery, etc. Getting the local police to fill out loss reports for your insurance company is time consuming and generally impossible to organise if you claim to have lost items overboard. Without a report however you are unlikely to get any compensation from your insurance company, so please bear this in mind before bringing jewellery or similar items with you. Regarding Insurance, please make sure that you bring your travel insurance policy with you and keep it somewhere easily accessible. Either you, or someone having to act on your behalf in the event of an emergency, should be able to find the 24-hour medical hotline telephone number. Only the insurance company can authorise any emergency medical treatment abroad or repatriation. Activity Yachting Holidays accepts no liability or responsibility for anyone joining any of our holidays without adequate travel insurance. Bareboat Charter: All skippers should bring any proof of competence to skipper a yacht with them as you will almost certainly have your qualifications verified at check in. Also, if available, bring any certificates of competence (with photocopies) for any members of the crew. On the subject of a VHF licence, strictly speaking this is a requirement for yacht charter,
but rarely enforced outside of Croatia. Any skipper that does not have one should however be familiar with the correct procedures for using a VHF, particularly in relation to emergency use. For chartering in Croatia, you can view the Croatia government s list of recognized skippers certificates valid for chartering yachts in Croatia at http://www.mmpi.hr/userdocsimages/5.5.tablica ENGLISH.pdf (Please copy and paste into a browser if the link does not work) Please ensure that all instructions are followed regarding any cash amount that must be paid locally. When the holiday was booked, you will have been informed about certain onsite cash payments, and you can also re check this by logging into your booking before you depart. These amounts will vary from booking to booking and are to cover certain on site costs associated with your particular holiday. They should be paid in cash, and can be paid in Euros, or the local currency on the first morning. Credit cards or cheques cannot normally be used to pay these onsite, so please ensure that you have the correct amount with you. All bareboat charters will have either a Refundable Security deposit, or a non refundable insurance option. The refundable deposit can usually be paid by credit card, but all other payments should be paid in cash. Where there is an insurance option instead of the refundable deposit, you may have to ask for this if you want this option instead. Refundable deposits and insurances are always dealt with directly on site with the yacht supplier, and we will have normally told you if an insurance option is available, as not all companies offer this facility. If you do want insurance, and this is not offered for your particular yacht, then you can also arrange this directly yourself, but you need to do so before travelling, and you can find details of companies that offers this at http://www.schomacker.de/en/charter-insurance.html or https://www.pantaenius.com/en/germany/insurance/solution-for/skipper/form-skipper-liability.html On taking over the yacht the charter company will expect you to satisfy yourself regarding the condition of the yacht and its equipment before signing the check in sheet and leaving the security deposit. All of the charter companies that we work with are very professional and fair and will not be trying to catch you out in any way. As with any charter operation, over the season yachts can collect some knocks and bumps as you go along, which will not affect the operation of the yacht in any way, and which the charter company may not be able to repair between charters. In this event if you notice anything of this nature, all you will have to do is make a note of it with the charter company staff on check in. In most cases they will actually draw your attention to anything of this nature but it is always possible that it will be something that only occurred on the previous charter and the staff may not even be aware of it themselves. Once signed for you are completely responsible for any loss or damage to all items on the inventory, excepting fair wear and tear. Your security deposit will be returned to you after you check the yacht back in on your return. If you have had some minor losses, eg a fender or winch handle, you can usually settle for this locally in cash. The yacht must be returned with full fuel tanks so please ensure that you satisfy yourself as to the whereabouts of the nearest fuelling quay before you depart, if there is not one in the marina. If a yacht is not returned with a full tank of fuel, not only will you be charged for the fuel, but also an extra charge for the charter company s staff time to take the yacht to be filled, and this will be deducted from your deposit. On returning the yacht it is standard practice for the charter company to send a diver down to inspect the underwater parts to ensure that no groundings have taken place or that no other underwater damage (fouled propellers, bent shafts etc) have taken place. Should anything of this nature occur, it is therefore very important that you inform the charter company as soon as the incident occurs. Please note that all companies realise that you cannot inspect the underwater parts yourself on arrival and are very honest in this regard and certainly will not try to bill you on your return for any minor damage that was already there from a previous incident. You can always take the opportunity to have a look under the yacht yourself the first time that you go for a swim if you are happy to use a snorkeling mask. The charter company will give you a detailed handover of the yacht and you will be on your own after that. If you are unsure about anything, please do not hesitate ask before departing as you will find that they will be more than willing to help. They would far rather spend a bit of extra time ensuring that you are fully conversant with all aspects of the boat, than have to deal with problems when you return. Please follow carefully any advice or instructions that they give, especially in relation to the procedures should you have a breakdown or any problems with the boat.
All yachts will have a full set of charts and pilot books for the local cruising area. Charts will however normally be the local Croatian ones which are very good and easy to follow. Please be sure to have a look at them at check in however to make sure that you are clear about everything and you can ask should there be anything that you are not sure about. For the Pilot book please pay particular attention to check that you get one that is in English. There are an awful lot of German Speaking charterers in this area so you do need to ensure that you do not have a Pilot Book that is only in German and if you do, then ask in the office where they should be able to change this for an English one. You will be allowed on the yacht by between 1600 and 1700 hrs on the day of commencement of your charter, and you can sail on the first afternoon as soon as you have completed your check in if you wish. All yachts must normally be back at the base by 1800 hrs on the day before disembarking, and any variation on this must be agreed on site with the yacht supplier at check in. The yacht must be vacated by 0830 to 0900hrs hrs on the last day of your charter. If you are going to have a late arrival then we will have advised you of your yacht name in advance and your yacht location. The yacht will be left open for you and you can just move on board for the night and then the check in done the following morning. Local Health Services: The Croatian and British Governments have a reciprocal agreement covering emergency health care. Holders of British passports are entitled to free emergency health care, but may have to incur prescription or medicine charges where necessary. If you hold a passport from any other country, it is advisable to check with your relevant health service provider to clarify your particular situation regarding health care. Weather forecast The weather fore cast is transmitted at 0700hrs, 1300hrs and 1900hrs in English, Italian, Croatian and German on the following channels VHF Channel 69 => North Adriatic Sea VHF Channel 67 => MIddle Adriatic Sea VHF Channel 73 => South Adriatic