When a friend puts you down as his “plus-one” for a two week sailing trip around Croatia, there is nothing you can say except “thank you”.

Other than “you could have asked me first” – as he never got around to doing that. But what could I do? My name was on the list.

I had never thought anything like this was possible; it seemed too far, too unpredictable, too much money. Yet it is surprisingly easy to organise. Well, it was for me, as somebody else did all the work, but these are the basics.

Websites

Of course, there is a website for it. We used Boataround, a worldwide boat booking portal, but our contact for our many questions was in Sydney. He was able to negotiate a refund when the owners of our selected boat put the price up more than $2000, even though we had already paid a deposit.

Boataround referred us to the Croatian Sailing Academy, where we found our skipper, Mateo Roskam.

Choose the boat

Older boat or new, pay more for a bit more room or pack ’em in. For a 60-plus country backpacker such as myself, the initial price of $A18,000 for two weeks, including skipper, was breathtaking but when you split that eight ways, you start to breathe a bit.

There are quite a few decisions to get to that point though. Our catamaran was built in 2018 and therefore “old”, which reduced the price to about $6000 a week.

Having done this before, John, our organiser, opted for a craft that was a metre longer than in the past (45 feet rather than 42 in the imperial world of boating), and the returning passengers said it made a big difference.

There was plenty of seating area inside and out, a one-bedroom apartment-sized kitchen, four cabins, each with bathroom, plus two berths in the hull.

You could also sit at the front of the boat, on the roof, or – my favourite – next to skipper Mateo. He told me stories of how he travelled the world as a professional soccer player but then married the girl next door in his village in Croatia and now his kids are growing up alongside those of his lifetime best buddies.

Your boat goes where you – and your skipper – want it to. Photo: Deirdre Smith

Season

Late May and early June was perfect, with sunny skies, warm-enough water and a lot of boats to choose from, some with discounts.

July and August should be avoided as it is European holidays and prices are sky high. Even so, when we boarded at Split, so many craft were leaving the marina that you have to wonder if there is a word for a traffic jam of boats.

Late September and October are cheaper as well and the water may have even warmed up!

Skipper

Our group prioritised relaxation and sight-seeing, so we stuck to an itinerary. But if the wind in your sails is your thing, you have to go where it takes you. In this case, you will definitely need a skipper, to decide what anchoring or harbour options are available.

We had two experienced sailors aboard but Mateo was worth his weight in prsut (prosciutto), some of which he presented to us, hand-made by his uncle in his village.

Apart from knowing the best bays to head to, it helped that he spoke the local language and, even though the craft seemed able to turn on a dime, in a marina where oligarch-sized yachts are parked closer than a Fiat in Rome, you want somebody who knows how to do a three-point turn, boat-style.

Extra costs

In addition to the initial hiring charge, you must acquaint yourself with insurance, tourist taxes, marina fees and charges for cleaning or linen.

At Dubrovnik, the berth was $360 a night and that wasn’t even at the city marina but a 50-minute walk out of town. Another was only $50 but provided by a quayside restaurant whose “we feed you the beautiful seafood” offer was $130 a head.

There were nights when we tied up on a buoy for much less and Mate ferried us to shore with the outboard dingy, or at anchor in a quiet bay for free and we randomly jumped off the boat and then ate on board.

Near the surprisingly delightful village of Ston. Photo: Deirdre Smith

Itinerary

Croatia has no shortage of islands, turquoise blue bays or little stone villages with names that have no vowels. No matter where the wind takes you, you will be happy.

One surprise was Ston, which gets very few boats as the water is quite marshy. But it does have a magnificent seven-kilometre long “Great Wall of Ston” and, luckily, it is almost perpendicular, so you can see almost all of it all without climbing. Although you can, if you must.

Crew-mates

You are going to be very close to people for almost 24 hours for days on end. Easygoing, open-minded and collaborative are the key requirements. And prepared to obey, which is where the Commodore comes in.

Extra costs (and calories) in the form of croissants, delivered on the water. Photo: Deirdre Smith

Commodore

Apart from organising the boat, John was the on-board chef and accountant. Brown paper bags of fresh bread and cherry strudel, seemingly the national dish of Croatia, appeared each morning and, at one bay, were even delivered by boat. Every stop was a chance to stock up on cheese, prosciutto, tortellini and all sorts of delicious things for lunch and on-board dinners.

Did I mention that his parents are Italian? And no, he’s not interested in a side-hustle. Just make sure you have somebody like that in your crew.

Collective decision-making is not a thing, as there are many to be made. Stop for lunch or continue on, anchor in a bay or pay marina fees? You need somebody to have the final say.

John kept a log of expenses, and if anybody bought something for the group, such as a kilogram of cherries, they noted it in a column under their name, to be reconciled at the end of the journey. For the two weeks, my share of the extra costs; food, fuel and marina fees came to $665.

Extra weight

No, not your luggage, I mean you. Do not weigh yourself when you return home. Despite lots of swimming and walking and mostly refraining from gelato, the cherry strudel did its wicked way. But it could just have easily been its close cousin, the apple variety. Or the cheese pies or the sausage pastries.

At least the mussels John bought to make a garlic-based soup were of the low-kilojoule variety.

All prices in Australian dollars