Sail Trogir.

Trogir sits on its own small island, bridged to the mainland at one end and to Čiovo at the other. Stone lanes wide enough for two people, a Romanesque cathedral, a waterfront riva you can walk end to end in ten minutes. The charter argument is simpler than the UNESCO listing: you land at Split airport and you are aboard within half an hour, without crossing Split's traffic.

Trogir has no charter base of its own. Boats that sail this water come from the bases around Split — Kaštela, Seget, Split city — all a short transfer, and all pointed at the same islands. What Trogir gives you is the arrival: a quiet quay, an early dinner in the old town, sleep, and lines off mid-morning.

Everything worth reaching sits inside a 40nm arc. Drvenik Veli and the shallow water at Krknjaši are 7nm out — enough for a first afternoon. Šolta is 12nm: Šešula for a quiet night on a buoy, Maslinica for the harbour on the west end. Milna on Brač is 15nm, Hvar town and the Pakleni islands 26nm, Vis 35nm.

South-west of Vis, Biševo holds the Blue Cave — go at 09:00 or accept a queue. Komiža on the far side of Vis is the better harbour of the two and the shorter walk to dinner. North, Rogoznica is 18nm, Šibenik and the mouth of the Krka 25nm, the Kornati archipelago a stretch beyond that — a fortnight's ground, not a week's.

The channels between Šolta, Brač and Hvar funnel the afternoon wind, which is why this is a sailing area rather than a motoring one. Tidal range is around 0.3m and can be ignored when you plan.

The season runs April to October, Saturday to Saturday almost everywhere.

The summer pattern is the maestral: a north-westerly sea breeze that fills in around 11:00, holds at 10–18kn through the afternoon and dies at sunset. It makes for flat-water reaching between the islands and predictable planning — sail after lunch, be berthed by 16:00.

The bura is the north-easterly off the mainland mountains. Dry, gusty, and it clears the air. It matters most in the shoulder months, and local gusts can double the mean, so reef early and expect the hardest air close under the coast.

The jugo is the south-easterly: humid, slow to build, brings rain and real swell after a day of blowing. More common in spring and autumn, and well forecast — you normally get 12 to 24 hours' notice.

Sea temperature is about 18°C in May and 24–26°C in August, still swimmable in early October. July and August are hot, busy and hard on berths; marinas fill by late afternoon. June and September are the better weeks — same water, half the boats.

Most of what sails here is bareboat monohulls between 38ft and 50ft, alongside catamarans in the 40–50ft range for groups who want deck space and shallow draught. Skippered and fully crewed weeks run on the same boats.

The fleet in central Dalmatia moves. Boats are repositioned between bases and between seasons, so what is free for a week in May is not the same list as September. Availability is confirmed for your dates at the time of booking, never assumed from a page.

Take a skipper if nobody aboard holds the paperwork, if it is your first Adriatic week, or if you would rather not put a 45ft boat stern-to in a crosswind in front of an audience. A skipper needs a berth — usually the forepeak — so count that into the cabin maths. A hostess for cooking and provisioning is a separate hire.

One-way charters south towards Dubrovnik or north towards Zadar are possible on some boats for a repositioning fee. Ask early; they are limited.

A bareboat 40–45ft monohull runs roughly €2,500–€6,000 for a peak week depending on age and dates. A 45ft catamaran runs €5,000–€12,000. Weeks in May and late September commonly sit 30–50% below August. Newer or larger boats: price on request.

On top of the boat: skipper €180–€250 per day plus food, hostess similar. End cleaning and transit log €150–€350. Security deposit €1,500–€4,000, refundable, or a damage waiver at a fraction of that. Fuel is on use, and an island week burns less than people expect.

Ashore, a marina berth for a 45ft boat is about €60–€150 a night in high season, more at Hvar and Palmižana, less on town quays and municipal harbours. Buoys in the bays are cheaper again. Dinner in a konoba is €25–€40 a head. Tourist tax is charged per person per day.

Budget the boat, then add roughly €150–€250 a day for a crew of six living well.

Saturday — Board late afternoon, provision, then a short hop to Krknjaši off Drvenik Veli or Šešula on Šolta. 7–12nm, first night at anchor.

Sunday — Maslinica, then across to Milna on Brač or straight down to Palmižana in the Pakleni islands. 15–20nm.

Monday — West to Vis. Komiža is the better harbour, Vis town the better walk. 20–25nm.

Tuesday — Early run to Biševo for the Blue Cave before the tripper boats, lunch at anchor in Stončica, back into Vis. Short day.

Wednesday — Hvar town and the Pakleni anchorages. Busy, and worth one night.

Thursday — Stari Grad or Vrboska on the north side of Hvar, or Bobovišća on Brač. 15–20nm.

Friday — North to Šolta, Stomorska or Nečujam, for the last night close to home. 10–15nm.

Saturday — Alongside for 08:00.

Roughly 120nm over the week: enough sailing to matter, short enough that a headwind day costs you an anchorage rather than the itinerary.

Split airport is at Resnik on the Kaštela side, about 10 minutes from the town by road — the shortest airport-to-boat run in Dalmatia. Direct summer flights from most of Europe. Taxis and pre-booked transfers wait outside arrivals, and the local bus runs to the Trogir bus station by the bridge.

From Split city it is 30 minutes by road, 45 by bus, with ferries and fast catamarans to the islands if you arrive a day early. Zadar airport is about 1 hour 30 minutes away, Dubrovnik around 3 hours 30 minutes.

Arrive the night before. Check-in is usually 17:00 and check-out 08:00–09:00, and a handover done in daylight with a clear head is worth the extra night ashore. Leave the car at the base rather than in town — Trogir island is pedestrian.

Right for first-time charterers, families and mixed-ability crews: short hops, sheltered channels, a harbour or a buoy within an hour of wherever you are, and dinner ashore every night if you want it. Right for anyone who would rather start a week in a stone town than an industrial marina.

Less right for crews chasing distance or empty water in August. If you want the Kornati properly, or long open passages, we would send you north from Zadar or Šibenik and give you ten days rather than seven.

Message us on WhatsApp with your week and crew size and we will come back with what is actually free, what it costs, and whether a skipper is the right call.