Hi Reader,

Matt here.

Later this week, the Yacht Warriors team is heading to Split, Croatia for the CRO.Y.A. Charter Yacht Show — four days walking the docks, getting aboard yachts, meeting captains/crews, and getting a fresh feel for the Croatia crewed charter fleet heading into 2027 season.

This is one of the parts of the job I really enjoy.

A yacht can look fantastic in photos. The layout can check every box. The specs can be nearly identical to three other yachts sitting a few slips away.

Then you step aboard.

You see how the boat has actually been maintained. You meet the captain. You talk to the chef. You get a feel for the crew dynamic and the little things that are almost impossible to pick up from a listing.

And with a crewed charter, those things matter a lot. So over the next week, we’ll be doing a lot of exactly that.

Why Croatia is worth considering

If you’ve been thinking about your a Mediterranean charter, Croatia should be pretty high on the list.

For our clients, Croatia and Greece are usually the two places I point to first before you start getting into places like the Amalfi Coast or the Balearics.

Croatia in particular is just an easy charter to make work.

The islands along the Dalmatian Coast sit close together, so you’re not spending half the day underway. You can wake up in a quiet anchorage, swim before breakfast, sail a couple of hours, have lunch somewhere completely different, and be walking through a centuries-old town that evening.

That rhythm is probably Croatia’s biggest selling point.

Brač, Hvar, Vis, Korčula, Mljet — there’s a lot packed into a relatively small cruising area. And you get a really good combination of clear water and beautiful anchorages plus the history, food, old stone harbors and restaurants ashore that make a Mediterranean charter feel so different from the Caribbean.

If you’ve chartered the Caribbean and BVI before and are wondering where to go next, Croatia is a natural progression.

There are really two ways I’d do it

For a one-week charter, I’d usually start with one of two routes.

Option 1: Round-trip from Split​

This is probably where I’d point most first-time Croatia guests.

You stay in Central Dalmatia and build the week around places like Brač, Hvar, Vis and the Pakleni Islands. The islands are packed together, the passages are manageable, and you have plenty of flexibility to linger somewhere you love rather than feeling like you need to keep pushing south.

It’s also logistically simple: fly into Split, charter, come back to Split.

Our sample route includes everything from swimming at Stiniva and exploring Vis to an evening in Hvar Town and the Blue Cave at Biševo.

Option 2: Split to Dubrovnik​

If you want to cover more ground — or you’re combining the charter with a longer Croatia trip — I really like the one-way route.

You still get some of the Central Dalmatian islands, but then continue south through places like Korčula, Mljet and the Elaphiti Islands before finishing in Dubrovnik.

There’s something pretty spectacular about ending the week there.

The tradeoff is that it’s a little more complicated logistically and generally involves a one-way fee, plus flying into Split and home from Dubrovnik. But you see more of the coast and never have to retrace your steps. It's a great option too for motor yachts, which can cover more ground quickly.

Going to the show now lets us see firsthand the yachts we'll be recommending for 2027 — and confirm which ones actually live up to what the photos promise.

Croatia or Greece?

This is probably the question we get most often when someone starts looking at the Mediterranean.

I love both, but they’re different.

Croatia tends to be the more straightforward first Med charter: relatively short hops, a very established yacht fleet, good charter infrastructure, and an itinerary that naturally mixes time on the water with towns, restaurants and nights ashore.

Greece gives you more variety because there are several completely different cruising grounds — the Ionian, Saronic, Cyclades, Dodecanese, and others — and the sailing conditions can vary significantly depending on where and when you go.

I wrote a much deeper comparison here if those are the two you’re considering - check it out here.

One reason I’m telling you all of this now

If Croatia is on your radar for 2027, this is a very good time to start looking.

You absolutely can book later. But the best yachts and crews only have so many prime summer weeks available, and waiting means you’re choosing from whatever is left rather than starting with the yacht that actually fits your group.

And our timing in Croatia gives you a little bit of an advantage.

If you’re seriously considering a Croatia charter next year, reply to this email and tell me what you’re looking for — your rough dates, group size, budget, or even just the type of yacht and experience you have in mind.

We’ll keep it in the back of our minds while we’re walking the show.

And if there’s a specific yacht you’ve already seen online, send it over. We can step aboard, meet the crew if they’re there, and tell you what we think.

Follow along from Split

We’ll send a proper recap once we’re home, including the yachts and crews that really stood out.

And if you'd like to follow along in real time, be sure to check out our Instagram handles below.

Talk soon!