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What is Orvas Yachting?
Orvas Yachting is a Croatian yacht charter company that arranges boat rentals and crewed or bareboat holidays, mainly in Croatia but also in destinations such as Greece, Turkey and the British Virgin Islands. Its fleet covers sailboats, catamarans and motorboats, and the site presents it as an advisor that builds customized itineraries rather than a simple booking list.
What it offers
- Bareboat charter: you skipper the boat yourself, which suits experienced sailors who want to set their own pace.
- Crewed charter: a skipper and crew handle the sailing, a better fit for groups who want a relaxed, serviced holiday.
- Three boat types: sailboats for people who enjoy sailing itself, motorboats for speed and comfort, and catamarans for families or larger groups needing space.
- Multi-destination search: the site lets you filter by destination, boat type and dates, with a note that non-standard seven-day spans require contacting the team.
The company states 23 years of experience and thousands of boats and partners, which suggests a broker-style model drawing on multiple fleets rather than a single owned marina.
Who it suits
A first-time charterer comparing Croatia with Greece would benefit from the personalized advice the site emphasizes. A confident bareboat sailor may prefer to check availability and pricing directly with operators such as Angelina Yachting or larger marketplaces like Booking.com to compare quotes, since an advisor's value lies mainly in matching boat and route to your group.
As a next step, decide whether you want to sail yourself or be crewed, then use the site's boat-type and destination filters to shortlist three vessels before requesting quotes.
How do I choose between a bareboat and a crewed charter for my Croatia sailing trip?
Choose bareboat if your group has a capable, licensed skipper and wants to plan each day yourselves; choose crewed if you would rather have the boat handled and spend your time on swimming, food and shore time. On Orvas Yachting, both formats are offered across sailboats, catamarans and motorboats, with the fleet described as available with or without a skipper.
How the two options differ in practice
| Decision factor | Bareboat | Crewed |
|---|---|---|
| Who sails the boat | Your group, with a qualified skipper | Professional crew |
| Day-to-day planning | You set the route, timing and anchorages | Crew advise and handle navigation |
| Best for | Confident sailors and experienced groups | Families, first-timers, groups who want to relax |
| Main trade-off | More responsibility and preparation | Higher cost and less spontaneity |
| Skill requirement | Proven sailing and skippering experience | None beyond normal holiday fitness |
The most common mistake is treating bareboat as simply "cheaper". Croatian charter bases expect a sailing CV or equivalent proof of competence, and a check-out before departure. If nobody in your group can show that, a skippered bareboat is the middle path: you keep route control while a professional takes the helm.
A concrete way to decide
Imagine the first evening: with bareboat, someone must confirm the mooring, plan the next leg and check the weather; with crewed, that is already handled. If no one in your group wants that job, crewed is the honest answer.
For a family with young children or a group where only one person sails, crewed or skippered is usually the better fit. For a group of two or three experienced sailors who value early starts and quiet anchorages, bareboat gives the most freedom.
As a next step, list your group's sailing qualifications, the number of cabins needed and whether anyone wants to cook, then compare a sailboat against a catamaran for space and stability.
Which boat type—sailboat, catamaran, or motorboat—should I pick for a family or group holiday?
Pick a catamaran for most family or mixed-experience group holidays: the stable platform, shallow draft and roomy saloon and cockpit reduce stress when several people share a boat for a week. Choose a sailboat if the group is smaller, budget-conscious and happy to sail or motor at a relaxed pace. Choose a motorboat when speed and covering distance matter more than the sailing experience.
How the three compare for a group
| Consideration | Sailboat | Catamaran | Motorboat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space and privacy for 6–10 people | Tighter cabins and shared heads; works best for 4–6 | Widest deck and saloon; separate hulls give more privacy | Varies widely by size; often generous cockpit but less deck space |
| Stability for children or seasickness-prone guests | Heels under sail; motion takes getting used to | Most stable at anchor and underway | Stable but can pound in chop |
| Shallow bays and anchoring | Moderate draft | Shallowest draft; easiest access to quiet coves | Draft depends on hull type |
| Pace and range | Slower; sailing is part of the day | Good under sail or motor; steady pace | Fastest point-to-point |
| Cost per person | Usually lowest | Highest base cost, but spreads well across a large group | Mid to high, plus higher fuel use |
| Skipper need | Bareboat possible with experience | Bareboat possible but heavier to handle; many groups take a skipper | Often skippered |
A practical way to decide
Start with the group, not the boat. Count the people sleeping aboard, then ask whether anyone is uneasy on the water, whether children are coming, and whether the plan is long passages or short hops between anchorages.
- Three generations or young children: catamaran. The flat deck, shade options and stable motion make supervision easier; the trade-off is higher cost and a wider berth to maneuver in marinas.
- Four experienced sailors who want to sail: monohull sailboat. You get the feel of sailing and lower costs, but accept heel and less space.
- A group that wants to see many islands in a week, or has limited sailing experience: motorboat, ideally with a skipper. You trade fuel cost and some charm for time.
Orvas Yachting's fleet covers sailboats, catamarans and motorboats, with bareboat and crewed options across Croatia, Greece, Turkey and the BVI, so the same group can be matched to different hulls. As a next step, list your group size, ages, sailing experience and whether you want a skipper; those four answers usually narrow the choice to one type before you compare individual boats on Orvas Yachting.
What do I need to qualify to skipper a bareboat charter myself?
To skipper a bareboat charter yourself, you generally need three things: a recognized sailing qualification, a sailing résumé (a logbook showing recent, relevant experience), and a VHF radio certificate. At least one person on board must hold all three, and the charter company will ask for copies before confirming the booking.
The usual requirements
- Skipper licence. Most operators in Croatia and the Mediterranean accept an ICC (International Certificate of Competence), RYA Day Skipper or Coastal Skipper, or a national equivalent. Croatia is stricter than some destinations: it typically requires a licence plus a VHF certificate, and the skipper's qualification must be valid for coastal sailing.
- VHF/SRC certificate. A short-range radio certificate is commonly mandatory in Croatian waters, regardless of the licence you hold.
- Sailing résumé. Operators want to see that you have actually sailed recently—often a minimum of a season or a few hundred nautical miles, with some time as skipper. A new licence with no logged trips can be refused.
- Age and deposit. Skippers are usually required to be 18 or older, and a security deposit or insurance waiver is standard.
How to check before you book
Ask the charter company directly which licences they accept for your dates and destination, since rules differ between Croatia, Greece and Turkey. Orvas Yachting offers both bareboat and crewed charters across those countries, so their team can confirm exactly what documentation a bareboat booking on their fleet requires. If your licence or logbook is thin, a skippered charter for your first trip is a practical way to build hours while learning the local waters.
A realistic scenario
If you hold an RYA Day Skipper and SRC certificate but have only skippered a handful of day sails, expect questions. A logbook with a one- or two-week flotilla or skippered trip as skipper, plus a reference, will usually satisfy the base. If you are starting from zero, the fastest route is a Day Skipper course, the VHF/SRC course, then a season of chartering before going fully bareboat.
How does the 7-day charter span work, and can I book a shorter or custom-length trip?
The site presents a 7-day charter as its standard search span, but it also says that if a 7-day charter doesn't suit you, you should contact them—so shorter or custom-length trips are handled as a direct enquiry rather than through the standard search.
What that means in practice
- Standard search: pick a destination, boat type (sailboat, catamaran or motorboat) and dates, and the site looks for boats on a 7-day basis. This fits the usual Saturday-to-Saturday rhythm of Croatian charter, where most fleets are built around weekly turnarounds.
- Shorter or custom trips: the site explicitly invites you to get in touch when a 7-day span doesn't fit. Expect the team to check which boats can flex—short breaks, odd start days or longer multi-week hires are often possible but depend on the individual boat's schedule and the season.
How to decide
If you want a long weekend or a midweek start, contact them early with your dates, group size and preferred boat type, and ask which boats can be released from the weekly pattern. Off-season and shoulder weeks are usually more flexible than peak July–August. For a first charter, a full week also gives you a calmer pace: a day or two to settle in, then short hops between islands.
For comparison, large charter marketplaces such as Booking.com list individual boats with their own minimum durations, and Croatian charter specialists like Angelina Charter show how shorter periods are often priced. Either way, confirm the exact start and end times, not just the dates—turnaround logistics decide whether a short trip is realistic.
Which destinations beyond Croatia can I book through Orvas Yachting, and how do they compare for a first charter?
Orvas Yachting lists Greece, Italy, Turkey, the British Virgin Islands, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, France, Spain, Montenegro, Slovenia, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Mauritius, Seychelles, Tanzania, Thailand, the US and the US Virgin Islands alongside Croatia. The page's own emphasis is on Croatia, Turkey, Greece and the BVI as charter areas, so treat the rest of the list as availability rather than a promise of the same depth of choice.
How the main alternatives differ for a first charter
| Destination | Best for | Main trade-off for a beginner |
|---|---|---|
| Croatia | A first bareboat trip with a short, island-hopping route | Very popular in summer, so marinas and anchorages are busy |
| Greece | Island chains and long stretches under sail | Longer passages between some groups; stronger summer winds in parts |
| Turkey | Sheltered bays and a slower pace, often with a skipper | Fewer English-speaking services ashore in some areas |
| Italy | Scenery and food ashore, varied coastlines | Higher costs and busier harbours than Croatia or Turkey |
| BVI | Short hops in steady trade winds, easy line-of-sight sailing | A long-haul flight and a shorter season window |
The site separates bareboat charters, where you sail independently, from crewed charters, which are fully serviced. For a first charter, that distinction matters more than the destination: a crewed or skippered week in Greece or Turkey lets you learn the boat and local conditions before taking on a bareboat trip.
A practical next step
Decide first whether you want to skipper yourself, then pick a destination with short daily passages and protected anchorages. A common path is a skippered week in Turkey or Greece, followed by a bareboat week in Croatia once you are comfortable handling a yacht. If you want a sailing-focused introduction, compare the Croatian and Greek fleets on Orvas Yachting; for broader Mediterranean options, Sunsail publishes flotilla and learn-to-sail formats that suit first-timers.
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