More and more foreigners from European, but also other, more distan countries, want to organize their business trips on the Adriatic, participating in the business sailing races. Many of them are meant to be team building exercizes for those able and willing to pay top money for such an event, and some are even championships of their landlocked countries!

And we really do mean top money - organisers of such events tell Slobodna Dalmacija that one such sailing race in May on the 14-meter boats costs around 100,000 euros! So, a small apartment in most towns in Croatia spent on a week of fun for 200-250 people, in pre-season, which is about to start.

During high season such events don't really take place, probably because there's just too many people around for those business guests who are willing to pay to see the best of Croatia through sailing.

Mario Malenica, one of the organizers of such events for foreign clients, explains to Slobodna that the business is growing, and there are around 120 organized per year - and his company alone does around 20 of them. There are rules and regulations involved, and you need to have a lot of supporting equipment and staff to be able to succesfully organize such an event and have satisfied clients. There is always an option for meals to be prepared on the boat, or in various ports, whatever the clients want - that can be arragned.

Most clients for the business sailing races are Russians, Slovakians, Czech people and Austrians (they are the ones we mentioned with the national championships!), as well as Australians.

The usual routes for these races include Maslinica on Šolta, Milna on Brač, Palmižana on Hvar, Vis, but more and more of those clients want to get to Korčula in the South and Kremik in the North. What Croatian companies are offering is expanding to whatever the wealthy clients want on the Adriatic before and after the high tourist season.

Split-Dalmatia County is getting ready to make the most out of nautical tourism.

Nautical tourism boasts a plethora of potential opportunities for Croatia, with more and more tourists from across the planet arriving in the sparkling Croatian Adriatic with their various vessels, eager to explore the country of 1000+ islands in the most authentic way, Croatia has started to step up its game in terms of opening its arms more to nautical tourism and the economic fruits that is likely to bring.

As Morski writes on the 14th of March, 2019, this autumn is set to bring work on Croatia's blossoming nautical tourism sector as central Dalmatia will see the opening of as many as nine construction sites designed for nautical tourism ports, as was announced by Split-Dalmatia County's tourist board.

The planned investments of the County Port Authority in the area of ​​Central Dalmatia, with the support of the appropriate ministry, amount to approximately 300 million kuna this year, which will significantly improve the entire area's maritime infrastructure, according to a report from Dalmatinski portal.

''The construction of a port with a waterfront and accompanying facilities in Omiš is being prepared. Throughout 2019, preparations will be being made for the beginning of the construction of the harbour and breakwater for all types of vessels except for the ferryboat in Bol on the island of Brač.

The Rogač port project on Šolta was realised, Stomorska port in the east of Šolta and Splitska on the island of Brač will be done up. In Sućuraj, on the eastern point of the island of Hvar, this autumn works on the re-doing of the harbour, which will result in completely new look for Sućuraj, are set to take place. The same will take place in Kaštel Stari, where a port project with all of the accompanying amenities is being implemented,'' added the Split-Dalmatia County tourist board.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for more information on what's going on in Central Dalmatia, Split-Dalmatia County, and much further afield.

Click here for the original article by Dalmatinski portal

After several years when events like this weren't organized in Rovinj, this year will see the return of one of the most attractive sailing event in the world, Adris 44Cup, a stop on the RC44 Championship Tour. Organized locally by the Sail La Vie organisation and the Maestral Sailing Club from Rovinj, supported by the Adris Group the event will take place during the week of May 28th until June 2nd. The event will take place right after the opening of the new Grand Park Hotel Rovinj and the new ACI marina in the town, and an attractive entertainment programme will be organized for the duration of the event. 

Tomislav Popović, Maistra CEO, expressed his satisfaction that Rovinj and Croatia will again be seen as the desirable sports and tourist destination. He says that it is again proven that for the development of the premium tourism it's necessary to have high-quality accommodation and recognisable events. This year's Adris 44Cup is not just a sailing race, but it's also a celebration of the new hotel and the marina, which will both be centres of the entire event. He added that in addition to 4 billion kuna already invested, Adris Group will invest further 2 billion kuna in the tourist segment of their business by 2021, and 450 million kuna will go to Vrsar and their objects there - Pineta and Koversada.

RC44 Championship tour is the world tour, consisting of 5 separate races, held in Montenegro, Rovinj, Sweden, Portugal and Spain. All teams use the same boats, class RC44, designed by New Zealander Russell Coutts, five-time America's Cup winner and one of the greatest sailors of all time and Andrej Justin, Slovenian star-boat designer. Each team consists of the owner, four amateurs, three professional sailors and a tactician. The boats are sometimes called the sailing Formula 1, made of carbon fibres, 13,35 meters long and weighing just over 3500 kg, which gives them remarkable acceleration and a chance for a crew to show their skill.

The nautical blog Sailing Europe published a heartwarming piece about the often overlooked Croatian island of Krapanj near Šibenik. While the original article is of some age now, it's unusual to see Krapanj mentioned in detail by anyone outside of Croatia, as media coverage about the lowest-lying Croatian island, famous for its long tradition of sponge diving, is unfortunately not all that frequent.

As Morski writes on the 26th of January, 2019, the island of Krapanj is the smallest and lowest-lying inhabited island in the whole of the Adriatic sea. Located just south of the historic Dalmatian city of Šibenik, it rises only 1.5 metres above sea level, making it the "lowest" Croatian island of all.

About 200 inhabitants live permanently on an area of ​​less than 0.5 km². Not so long ago, there were about 1,500 people living on Krapanj, which once made it the most heavily inhabited island in the Adriatic. The island fosters a long tradition of dealing with sponge, a way of life which has been known on Krapanj for centuries now.

The sponge tradition on Krapanj is over 300 years old, and in 1893 it became a real job, because then the first set of heavy diving equipment arrived at the island, and an official diver's cooperative was established. The secrets of sponge diving on the island were originally brought there by a Franciscan, who arrived there from the Greek island of Crete.

He taught local divers from Krapanj how to handle the raw sponges, which is this unassuming Greek could easily be considered a reformer of the local economy on the island. You can find out more about the history of the island in the monastery of Sv. Križ, surrounded by a thick pine forest, in the very centre of the island.

Krapanj is connected to the mainland by a boat which operates daily, while a taxi service is available on request.

The author of the text warns nautical drivers to take care of the varying depths of the sea, especially when they approach Krapanj through the very small group of islands located just in front of it.

Detailing further, the author of the text on Sailing Europe states that even though Krapanj is not the most popular Croatian sailing destination, one should be sure to visit it.

Follow our dedicated travel page for more.

Click here for the original article by Sailing Europe

Croatia's Master Yachting is one of the country's frontrunners when it comes to Croatian nautical tourism, and recent investments, their last one having been in the Lagoon 620 luxury catamaran, have seen their revenue increase.

As Marta Duic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 3rd of January, 2019, Croatia's Master Yachting from Sukošan celebrated twenty years of existence last year, and as its director Darko Obradović says, they are one of the first companies in the nautical tourism sector in Croatia and their biggest advantage is that they're near the two national parks and their bases are close to Zadar.

Today, they have 25 full-time employees, and up to 40 during the tourist season. The company has a fleet of 80 vessels, most of which are the catamarans of the Lagoon brand, as well as a large range of sailboats of at least 35 feet in length, to the latest Oceanis 51.1, and motor boats of various different sizes.

As Croatia's Master Yachting claims, their clients and associates are mostly from European Union countries, and the most sought after vessels are typically catamarans. "They're equipped like luxury apartments which sail, and seven days, which is often for which they're rented, it's possible to sail the routes that include visiting the most attractive places and bays along the Adriatic," says Obradović. The summer season is of course the most popular, and lovers of sailing also appear to enjoy taking to vessels owned by Croatia's Master Yachting in April, May, and in October.

"We're adapting to the market and the demand. Today, when everything is available online, it can be difficult to meet all customer requirements, and owing to that, our concentration is on quality and comfort. The company also operates in the YachtInvest segment, which enables it to buy boats through its own channels, and thus provides the ability to place your vessels under your own "charter managemnet". That means that a start-up investment is justified because the vessel makes a profit during the leasing period, which largely covers all the relevant expenses. In the end, the investor chooses how much he will use for himself and how much will be for commercial lease," explains Obradović.

He also praised the fact that Croatia's Master Yachting is growing in terms of the sale of vessels. Their operating income amounted to almost 23 million kuna in 2017, and according to Obradović's estimates, 2018's results will see revenues of about 50 million kuna.

"We're constantly investing in employee training and process optimisation, while investing heavily in the fleet. The last investment was purchasing a luxury Lagoon 620 catamaran which marked our entrance into the luxury charter, which is the future of nautical tourism because more and more customers require ''all inclusive'' packages.

We believe in our own knowledge of the matter, given our long experience, the number of customers returning to us from year to year, and the in importance of the number and quality of our boats. In the YachtCharter sector, the company has been recognised as the leader in the region," added Obradović.

Croatia's Master Yachting arrived to such a status, as they say, owing to a personalised approach to their clients and "tailor-made" offers, which was made possible thanks to their wide range of vessels.

"The plan is the expansion of our base, ie, the opening of new ones in other regions, and the continuation of investment in new products, namely new vessels, where the niche is the luxury charter," Darko Obradović of Croatia's Master Yachting.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated lifestyle and business pages for more. If you're interested solely in sailing in Croatia, give Total Croatia Sailing a follow.

Click here for the original article by Marta Duic for Poslovni Dnevnik

A firm foot forward for Croatian nautical tourism as the country's biggest marina receives a much-deserved award for the incredible Zadar Royal Cup SUPER SERIES, according to eZadar.

As Morski writes on the 23rd of December, 2018, at the awarding of the annual awards of the Zadar County Tourist Board, Marina D-Marin Dalmatia was awarded as a commercial entity for the Croatian nautical spectacle hosted under the title of the SUPER SERIES Zadar Royal Cup, which naturally involved the promotion of the huge nautical potential of the region.

Additionally, the Tourist Board of Šibenik-Knin County awarded the D-Marin Mandalina marina the prestigious "Zlatna boula" award during the Days of Croatian Tourism event, mainly as recognition for its contribution to the development of Croatian nautical tourism.

The prestigious 52 SUPER SERIES Zadar Royal Cup regatta, for which the D-Marin Dalmatia marina was awarded, was held back in June this year when the cream of the crop of the world of sailing took to Zadar. D-Marin organises this, as well as numerous other regattas, working hard to promote sport sailing and other forms of recreational yachting, as well as the destinations in which such activities are held. Such moves are of paramount importance for the stronger positioning of the Republic of Croatia as one of the most beautiful sailing destinations in Europe.

"The acknowledgments that our marinas have received, as well as the fact that their contribution to Croatian tourism is being recognised by the profession, are an incentive for us in our further efforts to provide tourists in Croatia with new and better content, along with the best service. I'd like to thank our tourist boards for their continued support, cooperation, and their efforts to promote the destination,'' said Božidar Duka, regional director of D-Marin Croatia.

D-Marin Dalmatia is otherwise the largest marina in Croatia and one of the largest in the whole of the eastern Mediterranean, and has been the proud bearer of the Blue Flag for almost twenty years now. It has a large capacity of 1200 berths in the sea, and an additional 300 moorings on the land, and can accept yachts of up to 80 metres in length. Located at the very centre of the marina is the Portus Beach Club, which offers its guests numerous facilities and services, enriching its overall offer and placing special emphasis on the massive potential of Croatian nautical tourism.

D-Marin Mandalina is the only marina in the whole of Croatia designed to accommodate mega yachts and has 429 berths in the sea, of which 79 are built for mega yachts of 30 to 140 meters long. Thanks to its position, the depth of the sea and the lack of boat height restrictions, this marina in particular is a more than ideal place for super-yachts.

D-Marin Mandalina also contributed to the positioning of the historic Dalmatian city of Šibenik as a tourist destination through the organisation of numerous sporting events. In June next year, thanks once again to the D-Marin group, Šibenik will host the ORC World Championship which will be the biggest sporting event ever organised in Šibenik's long history.

Make sure to follow our travel and lifestyle pages for more. If it's just sailing in Croatia and Croatian nautical tourism you're interested in, stay up to date with absolutely everything you need to know with Total Croatia Sailing.

Click here for the original article by eZadar

As Morski writes on the 24th of November, 2018, a meeting of the technical working group in the framework of the ECO-NautiNET web project was held in Dubrovnik on November the 20th and 21st, in which the needs of the website's users were discussed. Through the ECO-NautiNET project, activities are being carried out to improve the competitiveness and innovation of small and medium-sized companies in the nautical sector, as well as acting as a means to support their internationalisation and networking abilities.

The meeting saw the presentation of the results of the research conducted so far between the four target groups - the small and medium-sized companies from within nautical sector, broker project partners, and supporting institutions and scientific institutions. Based on the results and conversations with platform developers, the technical working group has managed to define the simplest in which way to include future users, and which tools are needed for the most efficient presentation of the project's products and services, technical and technological achievements, and innovations.

The goal of the ECO-NautiNET web platform is to motivate and involve as many business entities, support institutions, and other innovations in order to take advantage of the opportunity to place themselves on new markets, and to develop the competitiveness and innovation of the nautical sector of the Adriatic-Ionian region as a whole, through easy access to all news and high quality information in just one place.

This goal is highlighted as the desire to become the most important development driver of contact with more than 500 businessmen from the nautical sector from across Croatia, Albania, Italy, Greece and Slovenia, and most entrepreneurs in this field continue to face the same or very similar problems irrespective of the country they come from.

As a result, most of these companies have up to ten employees, and as far as typical issues and problems are concerned, poor cooperation within the nautical sector, a lack of clear nautical sector development policy, and the fact that cooperation with research and science centres is either non-existent or very small stand out as the most common and indeed the most pressing.

Over 80 percent of the respondents are primarily interested in improving competitiveness and innovation by linking small and medium-sized entrepreneurs in the Adriatic-Ionian region's nautical sector with supporting institutions and research and scientific centres through the ECO-NautiNET web platform.

ECO-NautiNET is otherwise project number 398 which is part of the INTERREG ADRION transnational cooperation program co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and IPA funds (IPA II).

Make sure to stay up to date with all things sailing by following Total Croatia Sailing and our dedicated lifestyle page.

Click here for the original article by Jasna Jaklin Majetic on Morski

The Šibenik company, Capax, currently employs twenty people and, as they themselves have pointed out, are constantly looking for new, quality members of staff.

As Darko Bicak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of November, 2018, after a successful September when they presented themselves as the only Croatian exhibitor at the prestigious Monaco Yacht Show, as well as managing to win the Golden Kuna (Zlatna Kuna) award for the best small company in Šibenik-Knin County, Capax opened its new headquarters in the historic Dalmatian city of Šibenik at the end of October this year.

Covering an area of 900 square metres and in addition to the brand new office, located at the new facility is a spacious service workshop and the only laboratory designed for engine oil analysis in the wider area. Capax already offers videocopy services, ultrasonic measurements, vibration analysis and thermography, but only now with the engine oil analysis specialist lab services has the Šibenik company managed to raise itself to yet another higher level. All these services will also open up new markets such as those which involve dealing with work boats, construction machinery, locomotives, windmills, and more.

While this is a Šibenik company, renovation works are carried out in nearby Trogir, within the Trogir Service Centre (SCT), with which Adria Docks has recently been established. Adria Docks manages renovations, optimises work processes, and ultimately controls the quality of the outsourced works. Within the framework of a long-term joint venture with the Trogir shipyard, in an area of about 250 square metres in the SCT area, lies the second part of Capax's investment, a test station for ship and industrial engines of up to 3.4 megawatts.

The total value of the investment is more than 15 million kuna, of which 5.5 million kuna are non-refundable funds from the European Structural Funds indended for the building of production capacities and the investment in equipment.

"Access to the client, respect for their demands and a true effort to achieve goals through project and refit management have inspired us as the leaders of the domestic yachting industry. We have well equipped and educated service teams for the most common types of marine engines, clutches and generators we find on larger yachts and on mega yachts. Our service engineers are ready to solve every problem, whether it's mechanical, or electrical, or something else,'' they state from Capax.

They add that for subcontractors, whenever possible, they use the services of other Croatian companies and hope that their success will stimulate other companies from the Croatian nautical sector to invest and develop themselves more. Capax was initially founded by three like-minded people, Mario Baljkas, Teo Petričević and Željko Tesi. As previously mentioned, they currently employ twenty people and are constantly on the look out for new, high quality staff. The company continues to record steady and stable revenue growth, and last year, those figures amounted to about 30 million kuna.

The clients of this Šibenik company are typically the owners of yachts, or the management bodies of yachts, as well as insurance companies and shipyards and marinas. They specialise in technical engineering, consulting and supervision in shipbuilding, diagnostics, servicing, and the repair of marine engines, their maintenance and inspection in terms of value assurance for insurance purposes, as well as for sellers and/or new owners.

They are the authorised servicing body of some of the most prominent marine engines in this segment of the market, including Caterpillar, MTU, John Deere, and ZF, in addition to Šibenik, they also have offices in neighbouring Montenegro and in Albania.

Otherwise, this year, Capax was the first Croatian company to appear at the Monaco Yacht Show after four years in early autumn. they were one of the 580 exhibitors from 38 countries around the world.

"We're very pleased with the effect of participating in the fair and we believe that it will bring us more ships to service and overhaul to Croatia, and we wish to encourage other domestic companies to join us in the coming years,'' Petričević said.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated business and Made in Croatia pages for more.

Click here for the original article by Darko Bicak for Poslovni Dnevnik

The weather in Croatia is typically viewed as sunny, dry and calm, and even impossibly hot by most who visit in the summer months.

But just what happens when bura, jugo, and all other types of Adriatic winds decide to strike the coast? Conditions get suddenly worse, and a once calm, deep blue Adriatic sea becomes like something from the mid-Atlantic Ocean, sometimes even causing damage to the shoreline and to buildings. The sometimes dramatic turn of the weather in Croatia can therefore be a rather strange thing to witness for those who simply assume that because of the country's geographical position, that the warm summer climate is a constant one.

There are many types of winds in Croatia, all have their own sources, come from different directions, and typically occur at different times of year, and of course, we have articles dedicated to three of the main ones, click here, here, and here if you'd like to read more about them.

Palagruža is a location most people visiting the country have never heard of, it is Croatia's most remote lighthouse island, and when the wind blows and the sea becomes stormy, viewing Mother Nature's power from here is quite the experience indeed.

As Morski writes on the 30th of October, 2018, according to data taken from the State Meteorological Institute, at 20:00 last night, conditions on the sea worsened drastically and massive waves with a height of seven metres were recorded, meaning that the waves last night were the highest since back in 2004 according to that measuring station's records.

Palagruža's lighthouse keeper Vojislav Šain told Dalmacija Danas that Palagruža is completely cut off from the world, but that he doesn't particularly care about that because he has naturally become accustomed to living in such isolation on this extremely remote Croatian island.

He continued by saying that the waves were very high, but that it didn't actually rain much, and that storms from the Italian coast were moving ever closer.

Want to find out more about potentially dangerous conditions on the Adriatic and just what to watch out for when sailing in Croatia? Click here and follow Total Croatia Sailing.

Click here for the original article by Dalmacija Danas

The Biograd Boat Show does it again!