Since the satisfaction of our guests is the most important goal for us to achieve, with the skippered charter we pay the greatest attention to the selection of the skipper. Perfect sailing and navigational skills are "condicio sine qua non", but in addition, to this we also seek to engage only the highly motivated and easy going individuals with a friendly personality and a good knowledge of the history and geography of the sailing area, in short the real ambassadors of their country, its natural and historical heritage, its culture and people. Our skippers are:
true lovers of the sea and sailing
local freelance professionals registered with the authorities
very experienced sailors; some of them started sailing as kids in sailing clubs
speaking English and some of them even other languages (Italian, Russian or French)
most of them have a university degree in some field not connected with the sea and sailing but the "call of the sea" was too strong to resist
The cost of skippered yacht charter corresponds to the bareboat yacht charter cost plus the skipper's fee and the food for the skipper. Skipper's fee is separated from the yacht charter fee and paid directly on site during check-in.
the skipper's daily rate is 180€ or 1.260€ for a week
you are expected to provide him with three meals per day plus enough to drink
Apart from these, other costs, the costs of - boat, mooring fees and the fuel- are the same as when bareboating - see Bareboat yacht charter in Croatia.
to take care of your safety and at the same time ensuring that you have an enjoyable holiday
to safely skipper the yacht and bring it back in undamaged condition
to advise on suitable destinations based on local knowledge and the prior experience, but eventually, comply with your wishes, unless the weather forecast is in contradiction with those. The skipper cannot be responsible if in the long run predicted weather conditions do not materialize
the skipper needs three meals a day and enough to drink: when planning your provisions onboard you need to include the skipper in all meal plans for the week. When going out in the restaurant, you can either take the skipper with you or he can go by himself and you can cover the bill afterwards or when he doesn't have dinner with you you can give him stipend for dinner upfront, the usual amount is 30€.
a place to sleep - when choosing a boat you need to ensure that your party plus the skipper fits in the max number of berths onboard (and max number of the persons allowed onboard). Please bear in mind that you cannot expect the skipper to share a cabin with someone from your party. It is highly recommended that you charter a larger boat and provide the skipper with his own cabin, but in case your budget doesn't allow it you can have the skipper sleeping in the saloon provided that it can be transformed into the sleeping area. In this case consider the saloon his private area and ensure that he has enough time to sleep and to rest
treat him with respect
don't ask him to prepare food for you, wash the dishes and clean after the whole crew; he will give his share in doing these jobs if your party arranges this in the way that everyone needs to contribute but you cannot assume that it is his duty to do it after the whole crew. If you will need such services, hiring a hostess together with the skipper is an option for you
assist the skipper with lines and fenders when he is mooring the boat, especially if the weather conditions are bad
Security deposit is the deposit that you leave to us (by credit card slip) during your check-in on the boat to cover the insurance policy deductible in case of damage (the insurance house refunds the damage amount only above the deposit amount). You are obliged to leave this deposit even if you hire a professional skipper; you will not be liable for the potential damage occurred due to the navigation but for the damages caused by you or your party. Since in Croatia the naval authority verified crew lists (list of all the people onboard) are mandatory for all charter boats (each exchange of the crew should be reported), it should never be a question who is responsible for the certain damage. The person marked as a skipper on the crew list bears all the responsibility for the damage caused due to the navigation. You and your party will be responsible only for the damages caused by you: e.g. broken window, burns in the kitchen, blocked toilet, lost or damaged dinghy or motor (if you used it yourself) and similar. Since all the skippers we work with have the skipper's insurance policy which covers their liability up to the deposit amount (the damage amount above the deposit will be covered from the boat's-Casco insurance policy), you shouldn't worry about the possible charge for the damage caused by the skipper since none has any interest in doing so.
If this is your first time chartering a boat please consider the following tips which might make your living onboard easier:
on the first day of the charter sit down with your skipper and discuss your itinerary, as well as the other aspects of the living aboard: - what do you want from your holiday - destinations you plan to visit - sailing vs. motoring hours
don't aim for over ambitious distances between the islands, since the sailboat is a rather slow means of transport, don't end up motoring the whole day with little or no stops for lunch in a bay, relaxation onboard, swimming ... you can not see everything there is to be seen anyway
please understand that sometimes due to the weather conditions the skipper will not be able to provide the entire route that you agreed on, but this is only for your and the boat's safety
whenever, during your trip, you feel that you are not getting what you want from your holidays, discuss it with the skipper or let us know and we will look into the solution
the boat is a confined space, if there will be a lot of people onboard, consider taking a larger boat as well as going for the overnight mooring in the area with the marinas and ports, since they have got not only good toilet and shower facilities but also more entertaining options
