Navigating a yacht requires a lot of practice. But for a safe and pleasant time on board, it is also very important to know the area you are sailing. Not all destinations are the same, or even similar. Apart from legal rules, regulations, customs or traditions, cultural heritage and tourist offer they differ in geography, weather, sea and wind movements and more. Don’t let these catch you off guard, be prepared.
If you decide to sail Adriatic in summer months, you can count on lots of sunshine and high temperatures. The wind is usually mild this time of year, but strong enough for pleasant sailing. Remember that winds here can build up very quickly and change directions completely and very suddenly. That may cause problems for inexperienced sailors, so pay close attention to the weather forecast.
Winds change even more suddenly in spring and autumn. Still, this time is quite nice for sailing because there is no strong heat and tourist jam, and the winds are a bit stronger, for those who enjoy faster sailing.
A good thing is that there are many coves and bays that provide good shelter from all wind directions, but, still, it is not recommended to anchor here.
Besides being abundant with coves, Croatian coastline is mostly rocky and quite steep, sandy beaches are rare and the sea bed is mostly gravel and sand (very rarely mud); such overall structure allows great clarity of the sea, and visibility.
In general, the Adriatic Sea is clean and see-through, warm and rich with wildlife.
The tides are minimal, although there are some places in northern Adriatic where they can approach one meter.
All in all, Adriatic is a great sailing area – beautiful, clean, safe and unspoiled.
Wherever you decide to sail, it is important to familiarize yourself with the destination, even before you arrive. If it is your first time sailing on particular area, we strongly recommend hiring a professional skipper to show you around, at least for a couple of days.