Meet our skippers: Juraj's top destinations starting from Trogir / Split

Spending a week on a boat with a person you've never met is not a meaningless thing! Northeast Agency values the importance of your skipper, as (s)he is the one that makes sure everything is ok and shows you the best places around.

Juraj is thirty years old and currently works as a Math teacher. This gives him time in the summer, which he uses to earn some extra money and work as a skipper. With a Master degree in Civil Engineering, Jura skippered throughout his studies, financing himself as a student.

You've started working as a skipper while studying. What was it like?

Juraj: Being a skipper was the best way to be financially independent while studying. Being a student that studies Civil Engineering and works at the same time is not an easy task,, so this job enabled me to work a couple of months in the summer, with enough time to concentrate on my studies.

Which are the qualities that,  in your opinion, a good skipper should have?

Juraj: Quite a lot of them. The main ones, of course, are related to general safety and boat handling. I believe that sharing such a small space with people you dont know makes you more respectful and attentive to other people's needs. In order to be a good skipper, you must genuinely love what you do and you need to be a people person. Communication is crucial: sometimes your guests like to have more privacy, other times engaging more with them is gonna make their vacation unforgettable. A smile on your face, patience when explaining the principles of sailing, making suggestions for a good restaurant or just narrating a bit of history of the area will help a lot with crew bonding. If, at the end of the week, you menage to have a more friendly kind of relationship than a cooperation, you know you're doing a good thing!

Which kind of guests do you like the most? Age group, nationality?

Juraj: The ones that tip the most, of course! (Juraj laughs)
Jokes aside, i believe that variety is a key in order to endure working several weeks in a row, so a little bit of everything works best for me. I've been a skipper for all kinds of guests from all over the world. These include lots of weeks in flottilas with young people that want to party, but even more weeks with families. The age group or nationality really doesn't matter, as long as there's mutual respect and understanding, everything works pretty smoothly (meaning guests are ok and willing to help out a little bit by throwing a rope when mooring or helping with the anchor). I like when the crew likes to take part in the sailing activities. So far, I haven't had any issues with my guests. This one week I've had a group of older people from Norway, they were around sixty-year-old jazz musicians who played their instruments wherever we went. Great week!

Interesting episode. Is this that one crazy story you consider as the best one?
There are a lot of them, but my favourite one would definitely be when I had a crew from Washington DC and one of the guys reached out months before our week, so together we organized his marriage proposal. It was epic and thankfully she said yes. We are still today good friends (I've visited them in Washington two months ago) and I hope I'll make it to the wedding. (laughs)

How did you get in touch with Northeast travel agency? When did your collaboration begin?

I've known Marko and Daniel for quite a few years now. We were playing football in the same team and thus became friends. Sailing only came later. I was very happy when they told me that they're going to create Northeast and asked me if I want to be part of it. The cooperation never got in the way of our friendship, we still play football and sail together.

Were you together when this photo was taken?

Actually, yes! We like to test our limits and sail in extreme conditions. Gusts of wind were reaching fifty-five knots that day. You need a very experienced crew to sail in such conditions. Since there were only skippers aboard, it was ok and we decided to give it a try.

Let's talk about the places you would recommend. Imagine yourself starting a week from Trogir or Split. Your guests are on board and they ask you: which places do you recommend?

The places a skipper usually recommends to his guests are never the same, it all depends on who's on board with you and the weather forecast. It's never a made up plan. The usual procedure is to sit down with your guests and have a talk about what kind of holiday they want. The options are multiple – remote anchorages, lively cities and villages, some want to sail as much as possible, other party and visit islands with night clubs. After you talk to them, you are able to make up a general plan, and you plan the details for the next day or two. It's usually never more than that, since the plan tends to change, but you also don't have a precise weather forecast.
The more experience a skipper has, the more (s)he can „feel“ what kind of places their guests want to see. So I'll just try to imagine a family of four with two children. Bits of everything: some beautiful towns and villages, anchorages  in peaceful bays, lots of stops for swimming and as much sailing as possible. We assume that the weather is fine, letting us move wherever we want.

1)    Saturday: Split – Brač, Šolta, Drvenik

As the boat is usually ready around 4 p.m., we'll take that as a starting point. Guests are often pretty tired from the flight, the arrival to the marina, the buying of groceries for the boat. So they just want to move to a peaceful bay not far away and spend the night anchored there. The island of Brač is an hour away from Split, perfect to reach if you start in the afternoon. With a bit of luck, there's some  afternoon mistral that blows from our starboard and we set the sails out straight away. Options around Split are numerous: we can choose one of the bays south bays of Šolta, those of Brač or the smaller island of Drvenik. No villages or ports, no restaurants, no city lights that ruin the perfect sky at night. After swimming, having dinner on board along with a great look at the sky (the common phrase is 'I haven't seen so many stars in a long time') guests are usually pretty satisfied and go to bed tired, but happy.

2)    Sunday: Brač – Pakleni Islands - Ščedro

After a good sleep, we wake up and have an early breakfast. Usually the kids are up for a morning swim, after which we set out for Pakleni Islands: an archipelago made of sixteen small islands. We stop there and anchor in one of many bays, let's say Ždrilci. It's probably quite hot, so everyone can't wait to have a swim. Lunch on board and an hour for resting, reading  or swimming some more. In the afternoon, we set sail for Ščedro, an interesting uninhabited island (except the family restaurant owner) which is about two and a half hours away. Let's presume that guests are up for a restaurant at dinner, so we call and reserve a table, but also a mooring buoy which will be waiting for us, offered by the restaurant. A good dinner in one of the rustic restaurants, a walk around in the evening. There's also the chance to take a walk to the top of the island and have a look at the old dominican monastery.

3)    Monday: Ščedro – Pelješac - Korčula

Early breakfast and a quick morning swim, since we've got a longer route to the island of Korčula (about three hours). I'd like to imagine there's some Bura, our famous Northeast wind (which inspired the name of this travel agency), so we bring the sails out. Korčula is the second most populated island in Croatia (after Krk) and has two towns: Vela Luka on the West side of it, and the town of Korčula on its East side. The town of Korčula is very close to the peninsula of Pelješac. Lovišta, a beautiful bay on the Northwest tip of this peninsula, is perfect for our lunch stop. Since the marina in Korčula ca be quite busy, we head off after lunch and another swim, arriving at the marina around four o'clock. The whole afternoon to visit the town, which is truly beautiful (one of my favourites). There's also the chance to take the bus to Lumbarda, a small village near Korčula, with lots of vineyards. You can find a few wineries held by local people there, taste their products and buy a bottle of excellent wine at a very decent price. If the guests prefer to stay on the anchor for the night, we can skip the town of Korčula and go to Lumbarda straight away. That way, they can visit the vineyards or go to Korčula by bus.

4)    Tuesday: Korčula - Lastovo

After a good sleep, we move to a bay a bit south from Lumbarda, Pržina. Depth here is very regular, so one option is to anchor far off the beach. The beach is sandy and has lots of things to do, so the second option is to anchor closer to it, take the dinghy and go to shore. A beach bar, playing volleyball on the sand, a massage, water activities and a jumping trampoline in the sea – the options are multiple and suitable for both kids and adults. Lunch on board, more swimming and chilling. Plenty of time before we move south to our farthest destination, Lastovo.

Lastovo is an archipelago consisting of 46 island. It remains my favourite destination to this day. The options here are various: depends whether the guests want to eat on board or in the restaurant, and whether they want to see a village or stay in a solitary bay: Zaklopatica and Skrivena Luka are bays with restaurants, Ubli and Pasadur are villages, while the Lastovnjaci and the Mali and Veli Lago are  places where we can anchor. Since Lastovo is considered a Nature park, a small fee is paid if you spend the night on the anchor. If you opt for the bays with a restaurant, this fee is not charged.

5)    Wednesday:  Lastovo – Korčula - Vis

After breakfast, we move back to the east side of Korčula, to Tri luke. The name means „three ports“ but it's actually a group of three nice bays one next to the other. A stop for lunch and a swim (all three bays have a beautiful turquoise colour) and we continue for the island of Vis. Vis is an island west of Korčula and southwest of Hvar. It used to be a military base during Yugoslavia and civilians were unable to visit it until 1989. There are two towns on Vis (Vis and Komiža) and lots of bays to anchor (with and without restaurants).  Let's say the guests are up for some sightseeing, and the best place to do that is Vis. The options here are two: you either moor on the dock or take one of the many buoys around and reach the shore with the dinghy. Plenty of things to do: some very nice beaches are reachable on foot, but I usually suggest to rent some scooters and reach Komiža with it,  that way you can see both towns. The road goes up the hill and gives a majestic view on the whole island. Other activities include a military tour (a military designed jeep takes you on a tour around the island, showing you all of the military fortresses), a tour of the vineyards and wineries and other. Vis is also full of good restaurants: I usually recommend to try the „Peka“: a van picks you up in town and takes you up the hill, where you find a rustic cozy restaurant with only one meal: the mentioned „Peka“, a traditional Croatian dish with veal or lamb meat (other options are fish or octopus), all cooked in a big pot under the bell for several hours, along with potatoes, cabbage, carrots and other vegetables.

6)    Thursday: Vis - Šolta

We wake up and buy delicious fresh croissants in the local bakery. After that, we leave right away, anchoring in a bay nearby. We have breakfast here and visit the submarine cave: it's a tunnel where submarines used to stay. It's quite fun to take the dinghy and have a look inside. You can also climb on the top of it and jump in the sea, but it's quite high! After a swim we leave and set the sails for Šolta, our destination is a stunning bay with a small restaurant  and a limited number of buoys, given to you if you dine there. There are about 6-7 buoys, which makes the place very intimate and quiet, perfect for an outdoor dinner with a stunning sunset. The problem is you have to book the place a couple of days in advance, so I usually propose that during the first few days. The restaurant is far from the nearest village and bringing the supplies can be quite a problem, so the menu varies every day, but it's always original and tasty: the y grow their own vegetables, make their own liquor, the choice of fish depends on what has been caught that days. Guests are always satisfied and it turns out to be the perfect place for the last night.

7)      Friday: Šolta – Split/Trogir

Since you usually have to be back at the marina by 5 o'clock, there's no rush (Šolta is about an hour and a half from Split). After breakfast and a swim, we leave and sail around if there's some wind. We stop somewhere for lunch (options are multiple, though it's wise to choose carefully in order to avoid crowds, since lots of boats are getting back to the marina and are therefore close to Split), and a last swim. Some more sailing on our way back, a stop at the fuel station in order to refill our tank (usually up to 200 euros). After that, we moor in the marina and guests have the rest of the day to additionally visit the city. The skipper usually leaves in the afternoon after he's done the check-out with the charter and made sure everything is ok with the boat. Guests can sleep on the boat and leave next morning. Usually, with a satisfied smile on their face!