New Marina In Trogir, Croatia

As regular readers will know, Trogir is one of our favourite places and was our first home when we moved to Croatia in 2002. Close to Split airport, it has a life all year round as well as being a popular tourist destination for its UNESCO protected medieval walled town, its cobbled streets, a plethora of shops, cafés, bars hotels and restaurants, and its wide Riva (seafront promenade) lined with luxury yachts on one side and more cafés, bars and restaurants on the other.

Unlike Dubrovnik, Trogir did not lose its soul to the mass purchase of old stone houses by foreigners and that’s part of the reason for Trogir’s still very “local” feel and all year round ambience. A school on the Riva and an active shipyard, across the way on Čiovo island, are two others.

There have been rumours for many years that the school’s prime location makes it a key target for various tourism projects but, so far it has managed to resist. And we are delighted to see that the now privatised shipyard in Trogir is making the most of its assets by building on its history as a shipyard, as well as embracing the opportunities of nautical tourism by turning some of this prime site into a deluxe marina.  We originally shared a landlord with a Finnish neighbour who was working at the shipyard. He told us that Finland has been doing business with the shipyard for many years so it’s no surprise to see that the owners of the newly privatised Brodotrogir are Finnish group Kermas who see the new marina as part of a wider strategy to diversify and modernise the activities of Brodotrogir, thus ensuring a sustainable future.

Marina Trogir should be ready for visitors by the end of June and will have 170 berths for yachts up to 120 metres in length, with a further 30 berths to follow by 2018. Modern, 5-star, purpose built, facilities will include 24/7 security, shops, bars and restaurants, and, of course,  repair and maintenance facilities including lifting services on floating docks for yachts up to 8,000 tonnes.

Trogir already has one marina in town, owned by state run ACI. However location, and the fact that it was built when the average size of yachts was smaller, means it can generally only handle smaller yachts. Superyachts have traditionally berthed alongside on the Riva but there’s only space for a handful and the channel can get quite busy, particularly when the cruise boats are loading and unloading their guests, so they should be particularly happy about the new marina.

Another alternative is the relatively new Yacht Club Seget, roughly opposite Marina Trogir, on the mainland, in the peaceful village of Seget Donji. In fact if you look at the photo on the following posting - Croatia Cruising Companion - 2011 Marina Prices – you can see the pontoons of Marina Seget, just to the left of the solitary tree. The new Marina Trogir lies on the tip of the peninsula across the channel  but bear in mind this photo and posting are a few years old!!

For more information, check out the following links:

Marina Trogir and Brodotrogir

ACI Marina Trogir

Yacht Club Seget

And just for fun, for the historians amongst you, you might be interested to read what we said about the Croatia shipbuilding industry way back in 2006 on sister site Croatia Online!

Croatia Online - Croatia Shipbuilding Industry Part One

Croatia Online - Croatia Shipbuilding Industry Part Two

Quite a lot has changed since then!

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Today’s photo has been kindly sent to us by Marina Trogir. Good luck to them with their opening and we’re sure their presence can only enhance Trogir’s reputation as a luxury yachting hub and all round idyllic Croatian destination. And keep an eye on owners, Kermas, as we’re expecting to hear plenty more exciting news from them before too long!

Cruising Croatia In Style

Readers who want to relax and let someone else do the skippering might be interested in the following report on a luxury Gulet holiday in Croatia. Telegraph Travel - Croatia By Gulet

However, if you want to make sure your skipper takes you to the places that might suit you best, it will pay to do a little research in advance. And what better way to do that than by reading our Croatia Cruising Companion!

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Today’s photo is of Bol on Brač island. In the foreground is the local harbour where you can moor. In the back ground is Bol’s famous beach, probably the most popular and photographed beach in Croatia!

Croatia Island Marinas Open Up To Quicker Transfers?

We’ve met quite a few expats and UK residents who keep their yachts in Croatia and even more who have holiday or permanent homes on the islands. If the new project for affordable seaplane connections to the islands happens, as promised for summer 2014, then perhaps the island marinas will become more an easier option for annual berths and regular visitors will be able to get to their homes a lot quicker?

See Croatia Online for the full story.

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Today’s photo is from a jet airline from London to Split, looking over somewhere not far from Luka Telašćica

Croatia Marina Prices 2014

Our latest update on Croatian marina prices is well overdue so here it is!

Prices continue to rise steadily though not exorbitantly. Perhaps of more significance to those that prefer to spend their nights in quiet anchorages and bays, rather than marinas, is that it is becoming increasing challenging to find good sheltered bays that are not now under concession and where fees are therefore due.  However these fees are still normally considerably less than marina prices.

Croatia now has over 55 marinas, well spaced along its coastline and around the islands. with the highest density in Dalmatia, its sailing heartland and the area covered by our Croatia Cruising Companion.

In general these marinas are all of good quality and with a similar standard of essential facilities – relatively easy access to electricity and water from most or all berths, lazy line moorings, toilet and shower blocks, etc. Many of the older marinas have regular upgrades and of course the newer marinas have mostly installed the latest technology. Still rare, though increasing, is the availability of modern pump-out facilities. A few marinas have geared themselves towards the superyacht visitor but many can accommodate larger yachts though it is advisable to check depths and availability in advance.

ACI, the state owned chain of  marinas, celebrated its 30th birthday in 2013 and owns 21 marinas providing over 6,000 berths. 17 of these marinas are open all year round. There are a couple of other smaller independent chains of marinas but most of the rest are independently owned.

Comparing marina prices in Croatia is not particularly easy as there are a wide variety of different deals and different methods of charging for eg electricity and water. We’ve supplied a few examples below to give you a general idea but there are a few things to bear in mind when budgeting for overnight stays at marinas.

1. Almost invariably the quoted price per day/month/year changes depending on the season, the length of stay and, of  course, the size of yacht.

2. Some marinas include “normal” consumption of electricity and water in the price quoted and some charge separately. Sometimes you’ll need to buy tokens for electricity and water  and sometimes usage will be metered.

3. There is normally an additional charge of at least 50%  for catamarans and trimarans.

4. Some marinas will give, for example, the third day free if you’ve already stayed for two consecutive days.

5. It is rare for eg toilet and shower facilities to be charged for separately.

6. Lifting in and out and other repair and maintenance facilities will normally be charged separately.

7. Some of the busier marinas may be quite strict on when you can arrive and leave and may, for example, charge extra if you arrive before 2 pm.

8. Yachts that are part of a charter fleet may attract eg a 20% surcharge.

9. Check whether parking fees are applicable if you are planning to leave your car at a marina.

10. Quoted rates normally include VAT at 25% and tourist tax.

11. Advance reservation of a berth may incur an additional fee and is not always easy/possible.

The examples below are  the basic fee per day for transit visits for a 10 metre (33 foot) monohull yacht:

a) ACI  Marina Split – one of ACI’s busiest marinas and at the upper end of its pricing scale:

October to May inclusive - €62; June & September €68; July and August €73. “Normal” consumption of water and electricity included (eg not boat washing or filling tank from empty)

b) ACI Marina Žut in the Kornati islands – open April to October inclusive:

01.04 to 19.06 and 13.09. to 31.10 -  €46; 20.06 to 19.07 and
23.08 to 12.09 - €46 to €49; 20.07to 22.08 €55

c) Marina Kaštela, near Split (privately owned)

€48

d) Marina Frapa, Rogoznica (pictured)

July and August -  €74;  all other months - €57

Hopefully the above will give you an idea of what you might have to budget for and what questions to ask. If you can sail out of the main high season then it’s obviously generally a lot cheaper, a lot easier to find a berth and the waters are not so crowded.

If you’d like to get an idea of how current prices compare with those of three years ago then have a look at our 2011 posting on the same subject Croatia Online - 2011 Marina Prices

Trogir–Marina Trogir Soon To Open

Readers will be pleased to note that a new marina is about to open in the hugely popular destination of Trogir and we'll give you more news of that in due course.

In the meantime thanks to the many readers who have contacted us for help sourcing our Croatia Cruising Companion book and we are pleased to report that it should again be widely available in the UK now. Once we know where it is available elsewhere, particularly in Croatia, we will let you know. However, in the meantime, please check before making a special journey to any of the Croatian sources listed in the link above right.  Thanks also for the many helpful comments and kind words we’ve had from those who already have the book.

We’re pleased to report that the Croatia Cruising Companion  is straight back into Amazon’s top ten for all travel and holiday books on Croatia, currently sitting at number 5. We’re pretty sure its continued popularity with land based visitors to Croatia, as well as nautical visitors, is partly down to its unique detail on, and comprehensive coverage of, the Dalmatian coast and islands.