Sail Dubrovnik region.

The water in the Ombla inlet is flat and green at 7am, and the only sound at the Komolac pontoons is halyards and a coffee machine. Twenty minutes later you are under the Franjo Tuđman bridge with the open Adriatic ahead and the first island already in sight.

That is the case for starting here. The Elafiti sit within 2 hours of the dock, Mljet is a comfortable day, and Korčula and Lastovo fit inside a week without long deliveries. Depths are generous, tides are negligible, and most of the pilotage is line-of-sight.

The honest half: the old town is heaving from June to early September, and cruise-ship days make it worse. Berths and restaurants cost more here than further north. We think the sailing grounds justify it, but go in knowing what August looks like.

The Elafiti — Koločep, Lopud and Šipan lie 8-14nm out. Car-free, pine and cypress, a couple of quays and plenty of anchorages. Šunj on Lopud is sand, which is rare on this coast.

Mljet — around 30nm west. The national park at the north-west end holds two saltwater lakes and a Benedictine monastery on an islet in the larger one. Buoys at Polače and Pomena; the park ticket is bought aboard.

Pelješac and Ston — the mainland side. Trstenik and Žuljana for a quiet night, Ston behind its 5km of walls, oyster beds in the shallows off Mali Ston.

Korčula — about 45nm, a walled town on a spur, with real current running in the Pelješac channel alongside it. Book the town quay ahead in summer or take the bay to the west.

Lastovo — 50nm, the furthest out and the quietest of them. Skrivena Luka and Zaklopatica.

South — Cavtat is 8nm and makes an easy first or last night. Montenegro is reachable, but it means clearing out and back in.

Most charters here begin at ACI Marina Dubrovnik at Komolac, 2nm up the Rijeka Dubrovačka from Gruž: lazy lines, fuel dock, water and power, and shelter from everything including bura. It sits 6km from the old town, so budget a taxi each way.

Some boats hand over at Gruž town port, and a few at Srebreno in Župa Dubrovačka on the airport side of the city.

Out on the islands, expect three kinds of night. A town quay with a harbourmaster collecting fees — Korčula, Šipanska Luka, Polače. A national park buoy at Mljet. Or a konoba mooring, where the buoy costs nothing if you eat ashore: Okuklje, Prožura, Pomena and Šipan all work this way, and the buoys go early in August. Anchoring is straightforward on sand and weed in 5-12m, though swinging room is tight in most of the good bays.

The main charter season runs April to the end of October, and boats sail from Dubrovnik through the winter too — those weeks are simply a different proposition.

Maestral is the summer engine: a north-westerly sea breeze that fills in around midday and blows 10-18 knots until early evening. Mornings are often glassy, so plan to motor the first hour and sail the afternoon.

Bura comes off the mountains from the north-east — dry, cold, gusty, with a short steep sea. Here it belongs to spring, autumn and winter rather than midsummer, but it can double its forecast strength through the gaps in the hills.

Jugo is the south-easterly: humid, wet, slow to build and slow to leave, pushing swell up the coast over a day or two. More common outside high summer, and the reason exposed quays turn uncomfortable.

Water is around 19°C in May and 25-26°C in August. July and August are hot, busy and light on wind. May, June and September give you the better sailing.

Bareboat — you take the boat and you are the skipper. Monohulls from roughly 35ft to 50ft, plus catamarans. Choice is widest May to September, and boats move between bases through the year, so what matters is what is free on your dates rather than any brochure list.

Skippered — your own charter with our skipper aboard. Worth it if the crew is new, the forecast says jugo, or nobody fancies going stern-to in a crosswind in front of an audience.

Crewed — skipper and hostess, or full crew: cooking, berthing and the route handled around you. Boats and rates vary week to week, so we quote against live availability rather than a list.

Cabin charter is the exception out of Dubrovnik rather than the rule. Ask, and we will tell you honestly whether it exists for your dates.

Ranges, not quotes. The number moves with the week, the age of the boat and how far ahead you book.

Bareboat monohull, 40-45ft: roughly €1,800-3,500 a week in the shoulder months, €3,000-6,500 in peak weeks.

Bareboat catamaran, 42-47ft: roughly €4,000-11,000 a week across the same spread.

Crewed yachts: price on request. Too much depends on the boat and the crew for a range to mean anything.

Then the extras people forget. Skipper from about €200 a day plus their food and a berth. Marina fees of €60-160 a night for a 45ft boat in season. Fuel of €150-300 a week depending on how much you motor. End cleaning, tourist tax, transit log, Mljet park tickets, and either a security deposit held on a card or a waiver premium in place of it.

Send your dates on WhatsApp and we will come back with real numbers against real boats.

Saturday — hand-over in the late afternoon. Provision at the Gruž market or the supermarket near the marina, sleep aboard, leave early.

Sunday — Šipanska Luka, 12nm. Long, deep harbour, easy quay, and a swim off the boat before lunch.

Monday — Polače on Mljet, 18nm. Take a buoy, then walk or cycle to the lakes and the islet monastery.

Tuesday — round to Pomena, or push east to Okuklje, a pocket bay with a handful of konobas and no road worth the name.

Wednesday — Korčula, 25nm across the channel. Mind the current between the island and Pelješac. Town quay if you booked it, the bay to the west if not.

Thursday — Lumbarda, or back to the mainland for Trstenik and oysters at Mali Ston if the forecast is kind.

Friday — Lopud or Koločep, 20-30nm east. Last night within easy reach of base.

Saturday — 90 minutes up the inlet, fuel on the way in, boat back by 09:00.

About 130nm over the week, nothing over 30nm in a day. Right for first-time charterers and families; less right for crews who want long passages.

Dubrovnik airport (DBV) sits 20km south-east of the city at Čilipi. It is 30-40 minutes by road to Komolac, longer if you land mid-afternoon in high summer. Direct flights from most of northern Europe run through the season and thin out over winter, when Zagreb connections carry the traffic.

Split is the fallback, but it is a 3.5-hour drive, so it only makes sense on price. Tivat looks closer on the map and is slower in practice because of the border.

Arrive the day before if you can. A late flight and an evening hand-over make a poor first night, and the provisioning shops shut earlier than you expect.

Bring passports for everyone aboard, and the skipper's certificate and radio ticket as originals. Tell us in advance if you plan to cross into Montenegro.