ABOUT MARINAS IN CROATIA
Croatia has 48 marinas with about 12.500 berths on
the sea and about 7.200 on land. The larger marinas have technical
services, derricks, petrol stations and various commercial and catering
services Marinas continuously work to improve and enrich their services,
and to adjust to the new needs and wishes of their guests. About half of
the marinas belong to the ACI Club (Adriatic Croatia International Club)
and the others are independent. Of the twenty-one ACI marinas seventeen
are open throughout the year and four during the summer season only.
Many ports of nautical tourism made some additions to their service:
traditional cuisine, water and electricity, doctor's services, services
of charter companies, accommodation in apartments, and electronic
surveillance and security of guests belongings.
Adriatic Croatia International Club, among the navigators better known
as the ACI club presents a unique chain of 21 marinas, which extend from
Dubrovnik in the south to Umag in the northern part of the Croatian
Adriatic. The head office of the ACI Club is in Opatija. In the 17 years
of conducting business the ACI marinas have through their efforts of
developing popularisation of sailing and by means of recognizable
architectural characteristics realized recognizable quality of services.
Visitors to the modern equipped ACI marina can along with the regular
reception use other technical services, have access to restaurants,
snack bars, stores, laundromats and other contents which enrich their
stay and make it pleasurable. The professional navigators know the ACI
club as a regatta organizer in dual sailing, among which, the ACI cup
and World Cup in dual sailing held in Dubrovnik in 1996 and in Split in
2000 stand out.
The association, among other things stands out in the promotion of
nautical tourism in Croatia and is a participant in all major nautical
fairs in Europe. The association of nautical tourism, that is Croatian
Marina Association, has achieved successful cooperation with the yacht
club Austria, the Board for marinas at the Slovenian Chamber of
commerce, and the German association of motor yachts.
During the year 1997 contracts were signed on five-year cooperation with
the German association. With the yacht club Austria and the Slovenian
Chamber of commerce contract was signed for one year, with the clause of
automatic extension of contract after the expiry date.
In turn Croatian marinas get complete support in Austrian media
services. They receive free support in all media accessible to the
German association of motor yachts (Sander magazine, daily and summer
press, professional magazines, TV and radio promotion).
Because nautical tourism represents one of the most attractive tourist
offers of our country, the Association of nautical tourism is where
useful and vital information for navigators can be obtained, and where
they can discuss professional problems, and with the help of the
association solve them.
Therefore advancing tourism to the joy and contentment of the navigators
and guests who have chosen our coast, islands and sea as their holiday
destination.
For any information about legal regulations: access, navigation and
stay, authorization issue, navigation security compensation, paying
demurrage, currency regulation, yahtmaster's certificate, wintering of
yachts in Croatia zones in which navigation is prohibited, boat
equipment, radio telephones, participation in sporting events, transport
of boats, boat rental & charter companies, change of crew you can
contact nearest port of authority. Harbourmaster's offices and marinas
can usually be contacted on VHF- channel 17, at least during the day.
Most Harbourmaster's offices have their own patrol boats, with which
they can help boats in distress even in bad weather. In keeping with
international custom and practice, harbourmasters have the right to
engage the help of every suitable ship, including foreign yachts.
GENERAL INFORMATION'S ABOUT MARINAS
Berth Fees in Marinas
Fees are charged in Croatian marinas for yacht berths and other
services. They are usually fixed and published in the autumn for the
following year.
Mooring Fees in Public Harbours
On public piers in harbours under municipal authority, the local
authorities have the right to charge mooring fees. The amount of the fee
depends on the size of the yacht and the length of pier it occupies,
which means that yachts mooring alongside the pier will pay more than
those mooring stern of bows to. When berthing "in a pack" (several
yachts mooring alongside each other), the mooring fee is charged for
every yacht. The amount of the fee is determined by the local authority
can vary from one harbour to another.
Berth Fees in Bays
In some areas, the local authorities charge mooring fees for yachts
moored in bays under their authority. In return, garbage is collected
and, in some places, groceries delivered. Law will in future regulate
the extent to which fees can be charged without any service being
provided. Persons collecting mooring fees must identify themselves by
producing a printed receipt.
Buying Food
Shopping for food presents no problems along the Croatian coast or on
the islands. All marinas and harbour have well-supplied supermarkets.
However, during prolonged spells of bad weather there can be a shortage
of fresh vegetables and bread on small islands, which do not have a
regular ferry service. Food prices are comparable to those in Europe.
Restaurants can be more expensive on small islands.
Fuel
Fuel is easily available both on roads and in harbours. All types of
petrol, including unleaded petrol, and diesel are available; however,
unleaded petrol pumps and less common on piers. Petrol stations are
temporarily closed for safety reasons when they are being supplied with
petrol from tankers. During off-season periods, opening hours of petrol
stations can be limited to a few, usually morning, hours. During the
main season, and especially in the morning hours, the large number of
customers may cause queuing and considerable waiting times at petrol
stations.
Water and Electricity in Marinas
All Croatian marinas and some harbours have water and electricity
hook-ups on the pontoon-piers.
Water: water connections are usually 1 inch in diameter, 3 inch diameter
connections are much less common. Because of possible water shortages in
the summer months, most Croatian marinas require yachts to use hoses
with taps.
Electricity: In Croatia the current is 220 V AC. In marinas and
public harbours (as well as camping grounds), three-pin "Euro-plugs" are
used. In some marinas (Punat, Kremik) a number of pillars have
'conventional' safety sockets.
The power pillars in some marinas are so wide apart (e.g. in Zut,
Piskera, Palmizana) that extension leads with insulated connectors
(storm, rain) are needed.
The number of power points is sometimes insufficient for all yachts that
may need electricity at the same time. Well-insulated extension leads
with connection elements
ADRIATIC SEA
 The
Adriatic Sea got its name from an ancient port of the same name. The
Adriatic spans from the Balkan to the Apennine peninsula. The part
belonging to the Republic of Croatia is the east coast, which extends
all the way from Prevlaka in the south to cape Savudrija in the west,
including all islands, islets and cliffs along the coast, and the
archipelago of Palagruza (the number of islands, islets and cliffs is
more than 1700). This is a unique area in Europe for cruising with
motorboats, speedboats, or sailboats, but also for enjoying the
underwater world.
Croatia is truly a land of islands because it has more than a thousand
of them and each one is different. Many of them are inhabited but each
and every one is exceptional, with its own story and destiny. To have a
weak spot is human and the connoisseurs of Croatian islands have
thousands of them. To be more precise 1185 of them. That's how many
islands, islets and cliffs are located in front of 1777 kilometres of
the Adriatic coast. The first trip to the Adriatic coast and its islands
is a journey into the unknown. Every other trip will be a journey to the
already familiar beauty of this country, always different but equally
breathtaking.
Depths
The shallowest part of our sea is in Istria, where the depth does not
exceed 50 metres. From Pula, the seabed mildly drops, making a long,
narrow valley, which extends from Zirje towards Italy, which is called
Jabucka kotlina. The biggest depth there is about 240 metres. From
Jabucka kotlina, the bottom rises to Palagruza reef where the biggest
depth is 130 metres. Towards the south, the bottom drops steeply towards
the Juznojadranska dolina, where the biggest measured depth is about
1,300 metres.
The Adriatic eco-destination
The quality of the water in the Adriatic is very well preserved. The
results reached through the constant measuring of the quality of water
on more than 800 beaches are in accordance with the strictest criteria.
Except for the cleanliness of the sea, another important quality of the
coastal area is its biological and geographical particular quality,
which can be seen in the number of species of plants and animals, and in
the high number of endemic species (for example human fish). In order to
protect and preserve such natural wealth, a list of rare and endangered
species, the so-called Red Book, has been made.
Various projects are carried out in Croatia by government institutions
or associations of citizens with the goal of preserving natural and
cultural heritage, and its evaluation. One of these projects is The Blue
Flag Project, and from the year 2001, the project Green Key also starts
with the goal of improving the quality of surroundings in hotels,
motels, camps and other facilities. Another project is Eco habitat Green
Laguna in Porec, where the environment is especially taken care of.
Green Laguna has its olive groves, orchards, and horse stables etc.
where tourists can take active part in preserving the environment.
Through the year several days are especially marked in Croatia such as
International day for water preservation, World meteorological day, Day
of the planet earth, Day of the dolphins, World day of preserving the
environment, Day of the Sun. Except for the natural, great significance
lies on the preservation of cultural heritage, as well. National
costumes and customs are preserved. During the summer, in most coastal
towns special celebrations are organized in order to show tourists our
local traditions, for example, traditional donkey race which is held
each year in Tribunje, Moreska - knights dance on Korcula
Croatia is also, except for its ecological cleanliness of air and water,
an exceptionally safe place where everybody feels pleasant and welcome.
Tides
In the Adriatic, the high and low tides have relatively small
amplitudes. In the southern part, the difference is rarely above some
forty centimetres, while in the northern part it is somewhat bigger, so
that it comes to 1 metre in Istria and the Gulf of Trieste. In some
narrow channels and bays, the high tide can grow considerably during a
strong sirocco. That phenomenon is characteristic for big and deep bays
of the southern Adriatic. The tides are of a mixed type, which means
that their rhythm is semidiurnal during the new and full moon, and of a
daily type during the first and the last quarter. Their amplitudes are
very irregular.
Sea Currents
Sea currents occur under the influence of winds, the difference in
pressure, temperature, and the differences in salinity. With respect to
the direction, they can be horizontal or vertical. There are also bottom
currents, which appear as the consequence of moving of water from warmer
areas to colder ones, during which the surface layer gets cold and
descends towards the seabed. Currents are weakly observable in the
Adriatic. The speed of currents changes in particular areas, but it also
depends on time periods. The average speed of currents is about 0.5
knots, but they can also reach the speed of 4 knots.
Salinity of Sea
The total quantity of salt dissolved in one kilogram of seawater is
called salinity, which is usually expressed in grams and as the
permillage. The salinity of the Adriatic Sea is 38.30 permill averagely,
i.e. there is 38.30 g of salt dissolved in 1 kg of water. In the
northern part, the salinity is somewhat lower than in the middle and
southern part because of the influence of the Po River.
Sea Temperature
The Adriatic Sea has a very marked annual change of the surface
temperature. The average annual temperature is 11°C. During the winter,
the sea is the coldest and the surface temperature is about 7°C; very
seldom, it can drop below that too. In the spring, the sea becomes
warmer, and the surface temperature rises to 18°C. In the summer the
surface of the sea reaches a very high temperature, of up to 22 to 25°C,
and in the southern Adriatic and Istria up to 27°C. In the Adriatic,
thermo clines, i.e. parts of the water column of the same temperature,
are very well distinguished. The thermo cline is most evident during the
summer, and, in the winter, the isothermal process arises, i.e.
equalling of the temperature throughout the water column. In the summer,
we can notice the first thermo cline at the depth of 3 to 5 metres; the
next one is at about 12 metres, and yet another one at 18 metres, while
below 30 metres the temperature is mostly constant throughout the year.
Waves in the Adriatic
Waves occur primarily as the consequence of the blowing of winds. The
bigger the reach, i.e. the surface across which the wind blows, the
higher the waves will be. Their strength depends on the configuration
and the exposure of the coast. In that way, mixing of the surface layer
with water from the deep is enabled, and the interaction between the
atmosphere and the sea. We distinguish the crest and the trough of a
wave. The length of the wave is the distance between two troughs. Most
often, heights of waves in the Adriatic are between 0.5 and 1.5 metres,
and they very rarely exceed 5 metres.
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