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General
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Boat Licence
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Some years ago I completed an exam to obtain my
Croatian Boat Leader's Licence. It allows me to runs most non-commercial vessels and
to use VHF radio. But an ICC will also do.
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Currents, waves and tidal information
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The currents are relatively weak in the coastal
waters of the Adriatic. The Croatian side is even weaker than the Italian one, because
of the large number of islands. Influence of currents on your course can
usually be neglected. Exceptions are various small channels between islands and/or the
mainland (e.g. Korčula / Pelješac), where the current can be up to 4 knots.
Tidal differences are relatively small, varying from
15 to 50 centimetres.
Southern winds (Jugo)
cause higher waves than the Bura, which comes from the mainland. However, beware of
the Bura and its waves: they might be smaller, but they are much more irregular and
much more powerful.
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Electricity
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The
voltage is 220V, frequency 50HZ. Plugs are two round prongs, the usual
western-European standard.
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Flags
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The
civil, state and war flag is the well known red-white-blue flag with the Croatian coat
of arms in the middle. The coat of arms of the Republic of Croatia is the historic
Croatian Coat of Arms that is basically 25 interchangeably red and white (silver)
fields. According to the Law on the Coat of Arms, a crown is added to the Coat of Arms
basics, that features the oldest known Croatian Coat of Arms and Coat of Arms of the
Republic of Dubrovnik (Ragusa), Dalmatia, Istria and Slavonia.
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Naval Ensign |
Naval Jack |
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Geodetic Datum
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The Croatian Hydrographical Institute uses Hermanskogel datum (Bessel's
Ellipsoid). It can be altered to WGS - 84 via the SATELLITE DERIVED POSITIONS which
are clearly marked on its maps. Unfortunately, I cannot give more detailed
information here because the method of calculation differs per map.
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Marinas |
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During the days of former Yugoslavia, all marinas were state-owned.
After the independence, the Croatian marinas were bundled in
ACI Marina, which is ‘due to be
privatised’ for a number of years already. Next to that, there is a small but growing
number of private marinas. However, marina capacity did not manage to catch up with
the growth of cruising just yet.
Most coastal towns have a small harbour for local fishermen. Moorings
are usually available, but between late May and September you better be prepared for
anchoring, especially at busy spots like Hvar and Korčula.
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Money
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The Kuna is the
national currency for Croatia. 1 kuna is divided in 100 lipa. There are banknotes of 1000,
500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 kuna. You will find coins of 5, 2 and
1 kuna, as well as 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 lipa.
Taking Euro's is a practical thing
to do, they are widely accepted and easily exchanged. In almost every town you will
find an ATM that accepts international bank-cards, e.g. Maestro.
Creditcards
are widely accepted (American Express, Diners Club, Visa and Mastercard/Eurocard),
also in supermarkets.
Import and export of the local currency is limited to 2,000 kuna
(in banknotes of maximum K500). Import and export of foreign currency is not limited
for foreigners.
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National Holidays |
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All national holidays are listed here. All public services
will be closed. Shops usually have limited opening hours (like Sundays). |
1 January
6 January
Various
1 May
Various
22 June
25 June
5 August
15 August
8 October
1 November
25 & 26 December
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New Year
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Epiphany
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Easter
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Labour Day
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Corpus Christi
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Day of Antifascist Resistance
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Statehood Day
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National Thanksgiving Day
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Assumption Day
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Independence Day
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All Saints' Day
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Christmas
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Opening Hours |
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On
working days, most shops are open from 08:00 to 20:00. Bakeries usually open at 06:00.
On Saturdays, most shops open until 14:00. On Sundays, a
lot of bakeries and small supermarkets are open until 12:00; during the summer season (July/August)
often also during the afternoon.
Office hours of most public services are
Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:00. But don't be surprised
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| Regulations |
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Croatia
introduced strict regulations in 2005, because they had a large number of 'illegal'
foreign yachts chartering along the coast, hurting local companies.
Upon arrival in Croatia you need to obtain a cruising permit. One of the requirements
for obtaining it is the submission of a full crew list of everybody who will be
staying aboard the ship during the validity of the permit and its stay in Croatian
waters. The maximum number of persons on that list is limited to double the maximum
capacity of the boat +30%.
Detailed regulations (in English) can be found at the website of the
Ministry of the Sea,
Tourism, Transport and Development.
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Time Zone
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Croatian
Time is GMT+1. Summer time, GMT+2, is synchronised with the European Union: end March
to end October.
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Water
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Tap water
is drinkable throughout Croatia. However, take some care on the more remote islands.
Water there usually comes from their own reservoirs, or has been transported in from the
mainland. During dry summers, water availability can be a problem here.
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