Yacht charter in Opatija · Hanse — 505 (2015)

Absolutely brilliant. We had 5 superb days with Andrej as our skipper. The boat is fantastic - we had 9 people so had to use the galley as a cabin but adjusted to this quickly enough. Andrej is a brilliant skipper with great local knowledge, sense of humor and was very flexible. With respect to some previous reviews, Andrej’s English is fine and far better than our Croatian or Russian so with a bit of empathy and effort everything can be navigated. His son Denis was also a good help if needed. All up a fantastic voyage - thanks Andrej and Denis!

It was a honor to sail with Andrey and his son Denis.

Family of 4 (20 & 17 year old sons) traveling from California to explore the shores of Croatia, 3 nights / 4 days in late June. This was part of a 2 week vacation and we anticipated it would be the highlight of the trip. Communication up front via Click&Boat Messaging and WhatsApp was responsive and thorough, we would later learn that we were communicating with Denis (the skipper’s son), not Andrey (the Skipper). We decided to hire a cook because we thought it would be awkward to have to cook for the skipper, turned out to be the best choice we made but for reasons beyond the cooking. We boarded the boat and quickly realized that Andrey’s English is very limited to the point that I am not sure how we would have managed without our cook’s (her name was Alla) ability to translate. Our understanding is the Andrey primarily speaks Russian, so the fact that a cook from Croatia could speak Russian and English was very lucky. We got a brief overview of the boat from Denis and then headed out of the marina. This was our first time on a sailboat so it would have been nice to get a little more instruction on the functions of the boat, little things like how the windows opened and locked in place, any sort of safety information (none was given). This also turned out to be a point of frustration for the skipper when we would attempt to use something and do it incorrectly. On the first day we headed to a small cove on the island of Krk, it was a beautiful spot with crystal clear water, but also crowded with probably 15 other boats. We had a vision of secluded coves which was not realized. On day 2 were were asked where we wanted to go, our bad assumption was that the skipper would have suggestions on where to go, maybe a result of the language barrier he did not other than the marina’s we would be staying in at night. I literally started searching Google Maps along the shoreline for points of interest in the general direction of the marina we would end up at that day and had to give directions to the skipper. On day 2 we also had an issue with the main cabin toilet, we were instructed on how to use the toilet and had concerns that it was not working properly and after initial use it resulted in a clogged, which we were charged €200 to repair, we later learned that the toilet had issues for years, just unfortunate that it was a known issue and we still had to pay for it. Night 2 was in the Cres Marina which was understandable given the weather conditions that night. We did not leave the marina until after 11 AM on day 3 a result of the wind. We headed back to On day 2 we had an issue with the main cabin toilet, we were instructed on how to use the toilet and had concerns that it was not working properly and after initial use it resulted in a clog, which we were charged €200 to repair, we later learned that the toilet had issues for years, just unfortunate that it was a known issue and we still had to pay for it. Night 2 was in the Cres Marina which was understandable given the weather conditions that night. We did not leave the marina until after 11 AM on day 3 a result of the wind. We headed back to the mainland and the Trget Marina for night 3 after a quick stop at another cove and cave. While we were all still in bed we got an early start on Day 4, an example where the skipper was using the cook (that we paid for separately) as a deckhand to help with docking and anchoring, which we were more than willing to help with, but given the inability to communicate it made the process very difficult. The boat itself is very adequate for a a family of 4, the 2 back cabins were great for the boys and the front cabin we more than enough for my wife and I. The cook slept in the small bunk bed cabin and the skipper slept out in the open in the dining area. The listing states 5 cabins, not sure if the dining / kitchen area is considered the 5th cabin, but realistically there are only 3 private cabins fit for adults and you have to take into consideration where the skipper (and cook if applicable) will sleep. The most adult guests I would take is 6. Amenities on the boat were limited, there are 2 stand up paddle boards, but limited masks / snorkels, and definitely no bikes, diving or fishing equipment noted in the listing. We did have few opportunities to sail a few times which was very nice. Overall, the boat is fine and accommodated our needs, the skipper was a bit of a non-factor almost as if he was the behind the scenes mechanic of the process. Very little interaction, minimal insight into the surrounding area and places to visit, he spent the majority of his time on his phone and not interacting with his guests. The savior of the trip was Alla (the cook), very personable and interactive. Not only did she prepare us great meals (accommodating dietary restrictions) she got to know us, played cards with us and jumped in the water joined us for some of our adventures. It would have been an unpleasant trip without her. All in cost with boat, skipper, cook, cleaning, toilet repair, food, marina fees and fuel was approx $5,000 USD

We had a great trip with Andrey. A slight delay when we arrived due to the fact that the full tanks were not full and also the national holiday (Victory day) in Croatia where all supermarkets are close. We should have known that to anticipate. Andrey is a nice person but communication wasn't easy. out of 6 peoples two already know well how to sail but Andrey had a route to follow and moreover he wanted to sleep only in harbours/Marina. harbours are clearly a choice when we have weather issues but it isn't a first choice to discover Croatia and not every night (You can count circa 100€ additional per night). On sailing side, we didn't get much wind. Overall we had great time with my family, Croatia is a beautiful country with fantastic coast and islands.

A very nice boat, with everything you need for good days sailing in Croatia. Andrey in a nice and knowledgeable skipper, but his lack of good English skills made it hard to communicate at times, and that was a shame. It also turned out that we had been writing with his son and not him on the app, and that explained why language was not an issue during the booking process. I would recommend that Andrey is more up front about his English skills, as he otherwise is a nice guy who does his best to give you a good experience.

Andrey and his son organised everything very well. The boat was very clean and we had everything we needed.

We really enjoyed the time in Croatia - Elina (the boat) is amazing and Andrej is a great Skipper who knows the area very well - he is always friendly, calm, caring and on top of the situation, while giving us lots of privacy and freedom in handling the boat. We highly recommend Andrej and Elina and would definitively book again.