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What paperwork do I need to charter in Croatia?
Short answer
Sort the paperwork into two piles. Everything belonging to the yacht is the base's job. Everything belonging to you and your crew travels with you, and that is where check in usually goes wrong.
Croatia is one of the busiest charter grounds in the Mediterranean and a short flight from most British and Irish airports, which is exactly why the paperwork tends to be an afterthought. Start by separating it into two piles. The first belongs to the yacht: her registration, the safety equipment records and the permissions a commercially chartered vessel needs in Croatian waters. All of that is the charter base's responsibility and lives on board. Pick the folder up at handover and satisfy yourself that it is there and current.
The second pile is yours. You will need a certificate of competence that Croatia recognises and a radio operator's certificate for the VHF set fitted to the yacht. Whether an ICC, an RYA certificate or another qualification satisfies the requirement for that particular boat is a question only the base can answer, and the answer should arrive by email before you book rather than by word of mouth on the pontoon. Add identity details for every person on board so the base can lodge the crew list with the harbour master, plus the charter agreement and proof of payment.
In practice this means sending crew details as soon as they are settled instead of on the day you travel, and keeping the base's written reply about your certificate somewhere you can find it. A skipper who discovers at the quay that the qualification is not accepted loses a day of the cruise or the whole thing. One further document appears in no regulation and matters most of all: evidence of skipper liability insurance. Damage you cause to other people with a chartered yacht falls on you personally, and those sums climb quickly.
Worth remembering
Yacht
registration and permissions are the base's job
Crew
certificates, radio ticket and passports travel with you
Settle the certificate question in writing before you book. There is no arguing it at the quay.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Is an ICC enough to charter in Croatia?
It depends on the certificate, the size of the yacht and the area. Only the charter base can confirm what is accepted for the boat you have booked, so ask before paying and keep the written answer.
What information goes on the crew list?
Name, date of birth, nationality and passport number for every person on board, with the skipper identified. The base lodges the list with the harbour master and needs it complete before you sail.
Do I have to arrange any permissions for the yacht myself?
Not on a properly chartered boat, that sits with the base. Still check at handover that the ship's papers are aboard, because an official inspection at sea will ask the skipper for them.
A crew member drops out at short notice. What now?
Tell the base before you leave the berth. The lodged list should match the people actually on board. Correcting it in good time is routine, sailing with a list that is wrong is not.
Related
Not sure whether you qualify?
Whether it is “What paperwork do I need to charter in Croatia?” or another question: send us your residence and the flag your boat flies. You will get a straight answer in one email; including a no, if that is the answer.
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