Croatia is one of Europe’s largest yacht charter destinations. In the context of accident statistics, there is growing discussion about the links between accidents and a lack of experience, heavy traffic and weather conditions in the Adriatic Sea. In early October 2026, Ivan Toman from the Maritime Department at the University of Zadar spoke at a specialist conference in Zagreb about the risks faced by seasonal water sports enthusiasts. He warned of the sometimes life-threatening consequences of “mass amateurism at sea” and called for better warnings and more meteorology training.
What sparked the security debate
On 30 April 2025, the ro-ro passenger ferry ‘Ugljan’ collided with the sailing boat ‘Lena’ in the Zadar Channel. Following the Investigation by the Croatian Accident Investigation Board (AIN) There was insufficient lookout on the sailing boat. The authorities cite the skipper’s lack of experience and his unfamiliarity with the area as contributing factors.
However, according to the investigation, the responsibility did not lie solely with the sailor. On the ferry, the other vessel was spotted too late, and the ARPA (Automatic Radar Plotting Aid, a radar system for automatic detection and collision avoidance) was not used to assess the risk of collision. The published summary does not indicate whether the sailing boat was a charter yacht.
In a safety advisory derived from the investigation report, the AIN advises charter companies to provide crews with specific information on local hazards, heavy traffic, typical navigation errors and how to respond to unexpected situations before handing over the boat. Examples of previous accidents in the area should also form part of the briefing. However, this is currently only a recommendation; there is no legal obligation.
How serious is the security issue?
In his presentation, Toman put the number of charter guests on the Croatian Adriatic at around 580,000 per year. Up to 87,000 boat hire transactions took place in a single season, 43 per cent of which, according to his figures, were bareboat charters. However, the mere fact that there is no paid skipper on board does not necessarily mean that the skippers taking over the boat are inexperienced.
The official statistics for 2025 shows 796 search and rescue operations at sea. However, 629 of these involved medical assistance. The total number of rescue operations therefore does not allow any direct conclusions to be drawn regarding charter accidents and does not prove that inexperienced skippers are generally to blame.
One Study by the University of Rijeka on 2,654 accident reports involving recreational vehicles Although it had previously cited rising accident figures for the period under review up to 2024 and had drawn from this a recommendation for improved training for skippers, this study, too, failed to provide any evidence that bareboat charterers were the main cause of the accidents.
What role does the weather play?
Ivan Toman is Head of the Nautical Studies programme at the University of Zadar and teaches, amongst other things, meteorological risks, maritime safety and weather/navigation systems. In addition to training skippers, Toman is therefore concerned with the question of whether weather warnings reach crews in good time and in a way that is easy to understand. He says the available accident data is too patchy to reliably determine the role of the weather. However, Toman refers to a ‘Paradoks lijepog vremena’, or fair-weather paradox: according to his data, 61 per cent of fatalities at sea occur in calm waters or light winds. He cites alcohol, speed and carelessness as the main factors. In severe storms, by contrast, the proportion of all accidents is less than ten per cent – but when such an accident does occur, the mortality rate per accident increases three- to four-fold.
The Croatian Adriatic, in particular, can be treacherous. The bora, the jugo and summer thunderstorms can cause significant changes in a very short space of time. YACHT explains the main weather phenomena in the Adriatic and their distinctive features.
Warnings that are short-term, localised and clear
Toman also sees room for improvement in the weather warning system. He argues that wide-area warnings are of limited use to charterers who are unfamiliar with the local area. The crucial question, he says, is what a particular weather situation means for the specific sea area. His call is for more local, short-term and precise forecasts, as well as warnings that do not merely list weather data but provide specific recommendations for action. For example: “This sea area will shortly be hit by a thunderstorm cell – seek shelter.” Greater use of the Croatian warning system SRUUK is also under discussion.
Toman proposes automatic coastal warnings in several languages, short-term forecasts for thunderstorms and standardised weather information provided at the time of charter handover. These proposals complement the information already available from the Croatian Meteorological Service for Mariners. Of course, they are no substitute for keeping a lookout or for the skipper’s decision to alter or abort a trip in adverse conditions.
The new safety recommendation from the Croatian Accident Investigation Authority is less an indictment of charter operators than a reminder to the entire industry: the more people there are on the Adriatic, the more important it is to provide proper briefings, local information and a realistic assessment of one’s own abilities.
What has been your experience of picking up a charter boat in Croatia? Were there any helpful tips or warnings about traffic and the weather? Please share your experiences in the comments.
Book recommendations
Coastal Guide to Croatia and Montenegro combines information on the Central and Southern Dalmatia sailing areas with details on weather conditions and regulations. Charts and maps of harbours, marinas and anchorages help with planning legs and approaches. For charter crews, the main benefit lies in providing specific guidance along the Croatian coast; general meteorology is not the focus here.
Weather at sea supplements the sailing guide with basic meteorological information. The book explains how various weather conditions arise, as well as local and regional events, sea states and ocean currents. It also covers where to find reliable weather information and how to incorporate it into trip planning. In this way, it helps crews to better interpret forecasts before setting sail.
Jill Grigoleit
Editor Travel