Mooring in Rogoznica

"Back on the road after the long Easter weekend, and still enthusiastic about my maiden voyage to Croatia. Today, blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather, I visited Rogoznica, a small fishing town located on a deep bay, a position that shelters the harbor from the winds of the open sea. About 40 Km northwest of Split, Rogoznica is considered one of the Adriatic’s most beloved tourist destinations—and I can see why. From here, there are countless islands and inlets to explore, and the position is also perfect for those who want to visit the Kornati archipelago and the Sibenik islands to the northwest, or Brac, Hvar and Korcula to the south. Here at Marina Frapa, I met with Sinisa, a base manager who I met this past January at the Dusseldorf boat show.

After drinking an espresso (on the whole, the coffee here satisfies even a picky Italian like me!), Sinisa gave me a tour around the dock to show me the boats, which were being prepared for the season. Sinisia’s fleet consists entirely of Dufour yachts, as his company is Croatia’s official Dufour dealer. This year, he told me, he acquired three new sailboats—including a Dufour 335, which is the only one available for charter in the whole country. We then had a stroll around the marina itself, which, I have to say, is the best one I’ve seen up until now. As I mentioned, the location is wonderful—both regards to sailing destinations as well as its proximity to the Split airport (just 30 Km away).

While clearly new, the marina’s buildings have done a good job of maintaining the look and feel of the area, and the village of Rogoznica is an easy five-minute walk from the harbor. The marina itself features a lot of great facilities like restaurants, shops, and even a swimming pool, that it almost feels like a final vacation destination! But the feature that really struck me about Marina Frapa? The water right in the harbor is so clean and crystal clear that you can even swim right there.

Trust the Sail Hunter: this is a rarity in the Mediterranean, and I was quite impressed. I was sort of tempted to jump in and try the water out for myself, but it is, after all, only April. I’ve got a long season of Sail Hunting ahead of me—not to mention a lot of work to do—so I managed to stay professional and resist. But I look forward to hearing how all of you find Rogoznica.

If any of you have sailed from there, or sailed with Sinisia, feel free to leave a comment below!"