Flotilla Sailing in Croatia

Learn to sail a yacht while having a Flotilla Sailing Holiday

The Croatia flotilla is based from Betina Marina on Murter Island. You join the yacht from 1700hrs onwards on the first Saturday afternoon, sleep that night on the yacht and then sail as part of a flotilla from the Sunday morning. The yacht then returns to the home port the following Friday afternoon, after a full six days sailing, you sleep that last Friday night on board and then depart by 0900 hrs on the Saturday morning. Anybody having a two week flotilla holiday can either choose to return with us or to have some free sailing over the middle weekend, before joining the rest of the group the following week.

How the flotilla Works:

The standard flotilla is usually between five to ten yacht yachts, and is led by one or more of our tuition/lead boats. Where there are up to ten boats, there will either be at least two lead yachts, or extra staff on board if there is only one. In the main peak season when we have bigger numbers, we split into two flotillas after the first day. This is just to have more manageable numbers, and to make getting in and out of port easier. As far as possible we keep the obligatory daily distances relatively short (10 to 15 miles) allowing anybody that wants to sail more, total freedom to do so. Because of all the islands in our area, the logic is "that you can always make a short day longer, but you cannot make a long day shorter", so there is no problem with sailing 30 to 40 miles any day that you choose.

Itinerary / Highlights

The flotilla does not follow a strict pre-set route, but it generally remains in a set area, cruising between Rogoznica in the south and Zadar in the North, following a figure of eight shape every two weeks, with the centre point being our base at Betina on Murter. This allows for people to join for either one or two weeks, on any week, with those doing two weeks getting to see different places each week. The lead yachts always return to our base marina for the Friday and Saturday nights, with Saturday being the changeover day. Sunday is the first day of the flotilla and we remain in the immediate area that day, allowing a gentle start for anybody on their first day and then going to one of the nearby ports that night. Anybody taking a flotilla yacht for two weeks does not have to return to the base for the middle weekend but can have this period for some free sailing. Often people choose to come back, as Betina is an excellent base to day sail from, and you get the benefit of free mooring while back at our base. The yachts available then fall into two groups.

The Bareboat/Flotilla fleet

These alternative yachts are yachts that we book on a bareboat basis from local charter companies as an agent, but then arrange to allow to sail as part of our flotilla on a flotilla/bareboat basis. We have been offering this programme for the last few seasons, and it is proving extremely popular. Yachts are taken from a number of different companies that are all based on Murter Island and the result is that we can offer an excellent range of often very new yachts from 31 to 52 ft. These boats are ideal for those wanting a bigger or brand new yacht, or for anybody that likes the idea of bareboating but still having the flotilla backup. They are also particularly suited to two week holidays where people want a few days locally with the flotilla as they settle in, but then want the freedom to go off on your own for a few days and perhaps go outside of our normal flotilla area, before joining up with the group again towards the end of the second week. This package is only suitable for more experienced sailors and there must be a qualified skipper (ICC minimum) ideally with a VHF licence to take one of these yachts.

Other Details

Accommodation Details

Our In House Fleet
These are our own in house yachts and form our core flotilla. The yachts themselves range in size and age going from 31 to 36 ft and, from older but very well maintained cost effective 31 footers, to a 2006, 36 footer. These are the yachts used in all of our sample Learn to Sail or Week aboard and Week ashore holidays. These yachts are not available for Bareboat charter only, but you can of course free-sail as much as you like as part of the flotilla, provided that you remain within the overall flotilla area. They generally provide the most cost effective options and are ideal for families and groups that can book early.