Skippers'
Briefing
1–8 August · Split Archipelago, Croatia · 7 boats
Tap the right side, or use → to begin
Welcome
I'm so excited for this 🎉
- This is the next step — you earned it, now you take a boat out on your own
- Excited to see how it works, to help you take that first step chartering yourselves
- Not teaching & drills all day — this is real cruising: islands, exploring, travelling, fun
- A strong team of sailors & instructors will pass by and teach us extra bits through the week
- Super sexy family-style dinners planned… and maybe a little party or two 🍕
The two things that matter most
Before anything else…
- 1. The schedule is yours
- 2. You're in charge of your boat
Everything else hangs off these two.
1.The schedule is yours
- You know your crew better than I do — you know yourself
- Nothing is mandatory. Don't want to join the group or an activity? Don't
- Skip a stop, do your own thing, peel off — your call
- We plan a great week — but it's a menu, not a rulebook
2.You're in charge of the boat
- Me and my team engage with you and run activities
- We are not micromanaging your crew — that's your job as skipper
- You run your boat, your watch system, your crew, your call
The important bit
Legally — this one's on you
You're a certified skipper and the sole master of your boat. I'm here as the
organiser and to help you — not the operator, not your employer. I can't be
responsible for your vessel or your crew. Any damage or injury, god forbid, on your
boat is on you. Nothing I give you — weather, the RIB, coordination — is a
courtesy, not a guarantee. The final call to sail is always yours.
That's why we sign the forms → next slide
Action before we sail
Sign the forms 🖊️
- You sign the Skipper Release Agreement
- Every crew member signs the Crew Release & Safety Briefing form
- You deliver the safety briefing to your crew — they sign right after
- No signature = they don't sail on your boat. Simple
- This protects all of us and keeps the responsibility where it belongs
Admin I need from you
Crew info & the Port Authority list
- Get your crew to fill the crew info form (name, age, shirt, dietary, medical)
- For the official Croatian crew list at check-in I need, per person: full name · date of birth · nationality · passport/ID no.
- Without these, the charter can't clear us to leave — please chase your crew early
Sticking to the schedule
- Again — not mandatory. But coordinating 7 boats in peak-season Croatia is real
- To grab berths & raft spots, sometimes we have to hit certain timings
- Morning departure windows — I'll call them the night before
- Nobody leaves a port until all boats are ready
- Keep in VHF range, don't lose sight of the fleet on passage
The plan
The route
The "rush" legs: Vis (Mon) and the long haul home (Fri). RIB grabs raft spots ahead.
Plans can change
- A planned raft might turn into individual anchoring — weather, space, mood
- We're there to help with all the logistics
- We've got a good RIB to run around, scout, and sort things out
- Stay flexible — that's cruising
Weather · part 1
Heat & sun ☀️
- Warm and sunny pretty much every day — sometimes a proper heat wave
- Drink water — min 3 litres per person, per day. You go through it fast
- Swim stops & daytime cockpit showers are your friends
- Hats, long sleeves, reef-safe sunscreen — protect your crew
Weather · part 2
Wind 🌬️
- Champagne sailing: 10–20 kt NW maestral (the usual, the good stuff)
- Or… no wind at all — motor day
- Short-notice bura (NE, hits hard and fast)
- The one to fear — summer squalls (sudden, violent, brief)
- Stay alert: my updates + DHMZ + your own eyes — big clouds building = pay attention
Know your boat
Salona 46 & Beneteau 45
- Gybing — biggest danger, big mainsails. Control it, brief your crew
- No bimini on some — sun exposure, plan shade & cover
- Very small holding tanks — manage heads use, know the rules
- Watch the docking videos before you come
- Know how to raise the main and how to reef — practice early
Very important
Navigation & traffic 🚢
- Ferries and commercial vessels — they are big, fast, and won't move for you
- Know the ferry routes; never assume you've been seen
- COLREGS apply — keep a proper lookout at all times
- Plan your passage, know your marks, watch for lobster pots & day boats
Rotating roles onboard
- Great to let crew take the helm and learn — encourage it
- BUT the main captain is always the captain. Stay switched on
- You don't hand off responsibility when you hand off the wheel
- Pay attention — the boat is yours even when someone else is steering
Comms & emergencies
Staying connected
- Bring a handheld VHF to talk to me and the fleet
- Fleet WhatsApp group for daily briefs & coordination
- Agree a working VHF channel — Ch 16 always monitored
- Know your man-overboard procedure cold
- Emergency: Coast Guard 9155 · Europe-wide 112
Charter & money
Check-in & deposits
- Bring your ICC / license + ID for check-in
- Photograph any existing damage at handover — protect your deposit
- Skipper insurance is separate from — and doesn't cover — deposit loss
- Consider deposit / damage waiver insurance
- Provisioning kitty for breakfasts/lunches; group dinners split on the night
Personal
Don't forget 🎒
- Hats · long sleeves · lots of water · reef-safe sunscreen · seasickness meds
- Tell me any medical conditions & allergies in your crew
- Wasp / bee allergy? — carry an EpiPen, tell me who & where it is
- Swim shoes (sea urchins!), soft bags only — no hard trolleys on a boat
Onboard at night ⚓
- AC & generator at night — on a raft it gets noisy and annoying for neighbours
- We'll see how it feels rafted up — be considerate
- Water conservation — tanks are finite, refill at ports
- Holding tanks small — nothing dumped near anchorages/swimmers
Final lesson
How to raft up 🪢
- The line raft — how we tie the fleet together
- Fenders, lines, who ties to whom, the order of approach
- Springs & the outside boats' anchors — we'll walk through it
- Get this right and evenings become magic
Questions?
Ask me anything — boats, route, crew, weather, money, the party 🎉
See you on the water. 💙⛵💩