Yacht charter in Croatia

Before planning a sailing trip to Croatia there are few- The inventory has been checked and found
things everyone should know in order to have nice andsatisfactory.
stress less vacation. Otherwise you can encounterThe Company reserves the right to decline a booking
some serious problems that could affect your holidays.or to refuse to hand-over a boat to any person who,
There are two main charter types - bareboat charterin their opinion, is not suitable to take charge on the
and crewed charter. For bareboat charter at least onegrounds of ill-health, age, disability, inexperience or any
person on the board must have a boat leader's license.other reason which, in their opinion, would lead to a
The license must me issued by a state institution. If aserious risk of accident or damage. In such cases,
license is certified by a foreign state institution theCharter company will provide a competent skipper at
Croatian law accepts it in most cases. The licenseCharterer's expense. If the Charterer does not accept
must be related to the sea and open waters and nota skipper, the Charter Fee will be refunded in full and
to the rivers and channels. Law in Croatia does notthe Contract terminated without further liability on either
accept any Sailing Club Certifications. Also at least oneparty.
person on the board must have a VHF license. Usually4. DISEMBARKATION
boat leader's license exam covers the VHF part asThe boat must be returned to the originating Base of
well. In case none of the guest has such aEmbarkation at the time and date agreed, with full fuel
qualifications then a skipper must be hired. For crewedand water tanks.
charter no license is required. Depending on the yachtThe hirer should plan a great enough margin for the
size, the crew usually consists of captain, hand man,return time to be respected.
cook, hostess...Therefore, it is recommended to return the boat in the
In every way the usual charter week in Croatia startsmarina at 17.00 hours the day before the charter ends.
on Saturday afternoon ( 3 pm to 5 pm ) and ends onIt is the responsibility of the Charterer to make
Saturday morning ( 8 am to 10 am ). Some of theallowance for bad weather.
charter companies require to have the boat back fromFailure to return the boat on the due date will incur a
the charter to base marina on Friday afternoon. In thischarge of double daily rate plus any other charges
case guests are able to stay on board until Saturdayofincidental losses incurred by the Company.
morning. On Saturday can be very crowded in marinasThe fuel tank and the water tanks have to be filled up
since all charter companies have takeover of all theirbefore the check-out.
yachts on that day. Guests should be prepared and5. INSURANCE
very patient keeping in mind that marina staff is doingThe following insurance will be in full force during the
their best. When taking the yacht ,it is not advised toterm of the charter:a) Hull Insurance is provided for
get in marina much in advanced. There is just a slighttotal loss or damage to the cruiser and its equipment.
chance that your boat will be ready and cleanedBareboat charterersshall be responsible for the
among the first boats that were in charter previousamount of protection provided from the security
week. In case you are already early , it would be muchdeposit. The Charterer, however, is responsible for any
better that you leave your luggage in marina and takeloss or damage or any other liabilities arising out of
a swim on a nearest beach.deliberate acts or negligent conduct by charterer, his or
Every yacht for charter in Croatia has Cascoher family, guests and agents, in which event the sole
insurance. The charter companies ask for deposit toresponsibility for the entire amount of the loss or
be left in base marina in amount of insurance franchise.damage would fall on the charterer.
Depending on the size of the yacht and insuranceDamages on the sails are not covered by insurance.b)
contract deposit goes from 500 EUR to 2500 EURThird Party Liability Insurancec) Personal Accident
and can be paid in cash or by credit card. Credit cardInsurance - this insurance does not cover loss, damage
will be just slipped and not charged yet. In case theor theft of personal luggage or belongings, including any
yacht is damaged the charter company will cover themotor vehicles parked at the marina.
damage from the deposit left by guest and the restThe charterer is advised to take out personal travel
from the insurance company.insurance before departing.
All charter companies in Croatia ask 30%-50% of6. SECURITY DEPOSIT
rental payment at the moment of the booking and theA refundable security deposit, which amount depends
rest at least 4 weeks prior to embarkation. In case ofon the class of the boat, has to be paid before
booking cancellation , in most cases the completeembarkation (cash, credit cards - Visa, Diners, MC,
amount will be returned if the booking was canceledAC). The deposit has to be paid even when a skipper
more than a month before charter. This is a part ofhas been employed to captain the boat.
general charter terms and conditions used by allThis deposit can be applied to the repair of damages
charter companies in very similar form. Although, thereor loss of equipment caused by charterer or by any of
are some differences between one charter companyhis party. It will be refunded provided that no reason
and another. So, it would be good to read theexists for its retention.
conditions at the moment of booking very carefully.Charterers returning or leaving a boat at a Marina
There are over 100 yacht charter companies and overdifferent from the one from which they started -
3000 yachts in Croatia and each one of them has itsexcept by prior arrangement made with the Company
own price and terms. To find an ideal yacht for- will lose their deposit.
yourself one should contact every charter company7. ACCIDENTS, BREAKDOWNS AND REPAIRS
asking for availability and prices. Huge list of companiesIn the event of any accident or mishap the Charterer
can be found in Croatian tourism official web site .must immediately provide the Base Manager with full
Much easier way is to contact the agency to do itdetails together with the names and addresses of
instead of you. There are some agencies having awitnesses and the name of owners or charterers if
complete database of all the yachts in Croatia andanother vessel is involved. The Base Manager will
they can make you very quick offer. The price will beindicate the next steps to be taken. The Charterer is
the same as you contact the charter company directlyrequired to complete the accident report form and to
because the agency gets the rabat from the charterhave it completed and countersigned by the third party.
company. In some cases the agency price can evenIn particular, lost dinghies and outboard engines must be
beat the charter company price because of the biggerreported immediately. Failure to notify the Base
rabat.Manager of any loss, mishap or accident may
Here follows a very common example of Generalinvalidate the insurance.
Charter Terms and Conditions in Croatia:The Base Manager must be notified immediately if any
All bookings made with Charter Company are subjectrepairs or service are required and they may not be
to the following Charter Terms and Conditions . Noplaced in the hands of other repair shops without the
Agent or Employee of the Company is entitled to varyBase Manager's specific approval.
or amend it.If you have a breakdown of the equipment which is
1. PAYMENT CONDITIONSconsidered essential to the operation of the yacht and
A boat has been booked only when the Booking Formwhich occurs inside the 30 mile radius of the Company
and the agreed deposit have reached Charterbase, we will complete repairs within 24 hour of
company or one of its affiliates and when an Invoicereceiving your call. If we fail to correct the problem
stating the terms of the balance payment has beenwithin 24 hours, you will be refunded on a rate pro-rata
dispatched.to the lost charter time or you will receive a sailing
Payment of balance of the charter amount willcredit toward your next charter.
become due 30 days before the charter start date,All other breakdowns will be serviced, but
withoutreminder on the part of the charter operator.compensation will not be provided if repairs take more
For all bookings made less than 30 days before thethan 24 hours.
start date the charter fee must be paid in full on8. CHARTERER'S LIABILITY AND OBLIGATION
booking.The Charterer shall pay any additional running
All bank charges will be payable by the Charterer.expenses not included in the charter price: fuel
Bookings made through Travel Agents are subject toexpenses, tourist taxes and a mooring place outside
agreed travel agency procedures regarding bookingsthe marina.
and cancellations and to all the following CharterThe Charterer shall use the boat for pleasure only.
Conditions.Charterer shall not assign this agreement or
2. CANCELLATIONsubcharterwithout prior written consent of The
A. Cancellation by the ChartererCompany. The boat shall not transport merchandise or
Should the hirer be unable to take-over the boat hecarry passengers.
must notify the Company immediately, when everyPassengers, other than those notified on the crew list,
effort will be made to re-let the boat. If successful, themust not be carried on the boat.
Company will refund the deposit less a re-bookingThe Charterer is explicitly liable for the boat in case
charge of 100 € .any official authority confiscates it, due to inappropriate
If the company is unable to re-let, the followingand illegal actions undertaken during the usage of the
cancellation policy applies:boat.
- Cancellation more than 60 days before the start ofAll passengers with the exception of any skipper or
charter: 30% of the charter fee is retained by thecook provided by the Company are considered guests
companyfrom the Charterer. Charterer is responsible for the
- Cancellation between 31 and 59 days before thesafety and well-being of chartrer and all guests.
start of charter: 50% of the rental charge is retainedCharterer shall avoid sailing area designated hazardous
by the companyand should refrain from night sailing.
- Cancellation within 30 days of the start of charter:Charterer shall comply with all laws and regulations of
the full amount has to be paid.the Croatia or of any other government within
B. Cancellation by the Companythejurisdiction in which the boat may be at the time.
Every precaution will be taken to ensure that theBy signing the agreement, the Charterer certifies that
booked boat is available in a fully seaworthy condition.he/she is competent to handle the boat and that the
If owing to conditions and circumstances beyond theCharterer has sufficient practical knowledge of
reasonable control of the Company this is not possible,seamanship, unless a Company approved skipper has
then every effort will be made to supply a similar orbeenemployed to captain the boat for the entire
suitable boat. Should this not be possible the Chartercharter period.
Fee paid by the Hirer will be returned in full but theIn accordance with the laws of the Republic of Croatia,
Charterer will have no claim on any account againstthe Charterer has to possess a valid license
the Company.necessary for the navigation (Boat Leaders
3. EMBARKATIONCertificate) and a radiophone certificate.
The time of taking possession will normally be9. DISPUTES
Saturday between 17.00 hrs and 21.00 hrs.The Charaterer is required to notify the Base Manager
The Charterer will take charge of the boat afterof any alleged shortcomings or problems with the boat
completion of certain formalities (security deposit,immediately as they occur. No claim can be considered
inventorycheck), receipt of administrative documentsin respect of such alleged shortcomings if not notified
and instructions in operation of the boat.as aforesaid.
The Charterer will be required to sign the Check List.Furthermore the Company will not investigate nor deal
Signing implies that:with complaints received later than one week after the
- The boat was handed over in a clean and tidy statetermination of the Charter.
- The instruction was adequateIn the event of dispute, The Tribunal of Commerce of
- The boat is in a satisfactory mechanical state withthe port of embarkation is the only competent
full fuel and water tanksauthority.