- Sailing Croatia tips
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by Ultra Sailing Team
Most of our guests who charter one of our sailboats or catamarans from our charter base from Split or Trogir make a sailing stop on the beautiful island of Vis and no matter how many times you sail to Vis, you always find something you haven’t seen before.
Vis is such an island that is considered as something special among sailors and if you tell someone that you have been sailing in Dalmatia, Vis will surely be mentioned, as well as the wonderful island of Bisevo with the Blue Cave in front of Komiza.
On the map, the island of Vis appears to be quite far from the mainland, but it is about 8 nm from the “Pakleni Otoci” in front of the island of Hvar, and Hvar is also on almost everyone’s to-do list, while sailing in Croatia.
Best way to explore Vis is by boat
The island of Vis will surely amaze you, because we have to admit that this island has something magical about it that attracts and enchants sailing guests from all over the world. Especially since the island has been recommended in well-known magazines such as National Geographic and Telegraph. The archipelago of the island is about 6000 km² and extends west to the volcanic island of Jabuka and south to Palagruza. The World Wildlife Fund declared the entire area as one of the 10 “last heavenly oases in the Mediterranean”.
The size of the island is about 90 km² or you could round it up to a full 100km² if you count the surrounding islets Bisevo, Budikovac, Ravnik and Host. The main towns on the island are Vis and Komiza. In the interior of the island there are many smaller villages, some of which we will mention in this blog, as well as some of the 54 beautiful bays, which offers good shelter during your sailing holiday.
Something about the history of Vis
First of all, it should be said that the history of the island was quite varied and mostly military shaped by different conqueror. The original name of the island was “Issa” and it is believed that the island was settled as early as the Neolithic period. The island gets its greatest achievement in the 4th century BC. where it was settled by the Greeks, Greek power was dissolved in 47 B.C. by the Roman Empire. Before the transition between the Greeks and Romans, “Issa” established its communities on the land of Trogir, Stobrec (surroundings of Split), Lumbarda on the island of Korcula.
Remains of the city walls, coins and numerous ceramics remains have been preserved from antiquity. Through the many centuries, monasteries and churches were mostly built by Benedictines, as well as fortresses by Italians, English or Austrians, depending on who ruled the island at the time.
This proves the strategic importance of the island in the Adriatic Sea. In the 19th century, two major naval battles took place in front of the island. The first battle was in 1811, led by the English Admiral William Hoste to a victorious march against the superior Franco-Italian fleet and in 1866 the Austrians, who was led by Admiral v. Tegetthoff won against the Italians.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the island began to rise again both economically and culturally.
After the WWII, the entire island was declared as a military area and tourists were not allowed to visit it. During this time, many of the residents have moved out. The isolation or closure of the island brought the advantage that Vis is one of the least devastated islands on the Adriatic and has been fairly well preserved. The disadvantage was that the development of the island, in contrast to the other islands, is lagging behind, but this has caught up in recent years, at least in terms of tourism.
Vis a dream for sailors
During the last few years, Vis town has been literally flooded with boaters from all over the world during the season. The bay is open to the north-northeast, and is nearly a mile and a half long and half a mile wide. Distinguishing marks are two fortresses visible from far on the hills of Vis: Wellington to the east and Fortica to the west. The entrance to the port is marked from the northeast by a lighthouse on the small islet of Krava.
Mooring in Vis port
In Vis you can moor in the main city port called “Luka” on the city quay (western part), in Vis-Kut port (eastern part) or on one of the 60 mooring buoys that are between these two ports.
On both quays in Kut and Vis you have to moor with stern or bow to the quay. There are around 40 berths with mooring lines in the port “Kut”, in the south-east of the bay. The depth is 2.5 to 4.5m, electricity and water are available, as well as sanitary facilities.
When south-east wind (Jugo) blows you are safe in “Kut”, but for strong north-east (Bura) wind or north-west (Maestral) it is quite open, whereas when it is moderate wind force from Bura it is still safe in Vis.
It is recommended to push strong through the mooring lines so that there is a little more distance to the promenade (quay), as the ferry traffic causes waves and it can hit or push your boat against the shore. If you cannot find a berth on the promenade or on one of the buoys (quite crowded in summer), you can anchor about 40 m from the shore, as anchoring is not allowed in the inner part of Vis port.
The promenade of the Vis city harbor (western part) was completely renewed in 2016 and offers about 60 berths with mooring lines with electricity, water connection and sanitary facilities.
There are restaurants, supermarkets, cafes, bars etc. in both parts, the town of Vis is a party-spot for many flotillas and people sometimes party until the morning.
Stroll through the narrow streets and explore the palaces, fortresses and churches, as well as the archaeological museum of Vis.
As already mentioned, Vis is quite crowded in the season and there is no possibility of reserving a berth to be sure of finding a berth, you have to be in port before 2 or 3pm.
To check if there are still places you can call the reception.
Reception town harbor Vis – Luka: 00385 21 718 746
Reception Vis – Kut: 00385 21 711 007
North coast of Vis
In this blog we’ll sail along the south shore of island Vis and will go through several bays and islets in details which are more popular sailing spots.
The north side of the island offers also three pretty bays. From west to east, there are Tiha, Slatine and Gradac. The first one, Tiha is in our opinion the only one notable. Tiha bay offers good shelter from the winds Maestral (NW) and Jugo (SE), and is a good spot to anchor at a depth of around 10 metres, in sandy bed covered in sea grass. There are several houses and holiday homes. If you prefer more isolation, Slatine bay is a better option, which is recessed inland and ends in a pretty beach.
Sailing from Vis to Komiza
We sail to Komiza along the south coast of the island. The two first bays from if you sail from Vis-town on starboard side are “Dobra Luka” and “Stenjalo”, both are suitable for anchoring and offer good shelter from south and west winds. However, a little further there is a wonderful, as well one of the most famous Vis bays, the Stoncica bay.
Stoncica bay
Most sailors tend to choose Vis as evening destination, since Vis has a large harbor, but if you prefer solitude, Stoncica is a perfect anchor bay.
Stoncica is a narrow bay recessed deep into inland, approximately in the middle of the bay you can anchor at a depth of 6-7m, the bottom is sandy and does not hold very well, make sure the anchor digs in and tie up stern to shore. We recommend to anchor in the south part, at a depth between 5 and 15 metres. If necessary, there are some mooring buoys in the bay which belongs to the restaurant.
The bay is well protected from all winds except bora. At the end of the bay there is a sandy beach with an excellent family restaurant “Stoncica”. The sea is crystal clear. After a swim stop and delicious food, you can take a walk to one of the most beautiful Adriatic lighthouses the “Stoncica Point”, rising 38 metres above sea level.
Another beautiful sandy beach for families is in the neighboring bay of Smokova Vela, just half nautical mile from Stoncica, there are no restaurants or similar, only suitable as a swimming stop.
Stoncica Restaurant Tel.: 00385 21 711 952 or 00385 91 251 22 62
Budikovac and Ravnik
There are several small islets on the south-eastern shore of the island of Vis, two of which are quite popular as anchor stops for boaters and will surely delight you. The little island Budikovac boasts one of the prettiest lagoons on the Adriatic.
On the islet of Budikovac you can anchor in the Budikovac Lagoon. Anchorage is located on the southwest side of the island, opposite to the Zaglav beach on the island of Vis. Caution is required when entering the bay as it is very shallow near the offshore islets of Sanak rock and Mali Budikovac, so it is best to avoid them and enter the lagoon from the south side, where the depth is just 2 m, so many boaters drop anchor on the outer side of the lagoon. The sea is clear and transparent, and the lagoon is regularly visited by small boats.
As said, Budikovac lagoon is suitable as a swimming stop or if you want to go to the beach, we recommend using the dinghy, there is a restaurant on the beach.
Ravnik is the second small islet in front of the south-east coast of the island of Vis and, like Budikovac, it is mostly suitable as an anchorage and swimming stop.
Many tourists want to visit the “Green Cave”, in which, unlike the “Blue Cave”, you can swim in front of and inside the cave. If you are looking for a berth on the south side of the island of Vis, you can find a safe harbor for yourself and your boat after anchoring on the island of Ravnik in the opposite Rukavac bay on the island of Vis.
Rukavac, Srebrna and Stiniva bay
If you sail from Vis to Komiza, the wide Rukavac Bay is the largest settlement and the safest harbor on the south side of the island. The cape “Polivalo” offers good protection against westerly winds and the in front lying island of Ravnik slows down the waves and the southeast wind. There are three restaurants in the bay and also some mooring buoys. At the headland in the middle, there is a small concrete pier with 2.5 m depth at its head.
Right after the Rukavac bay, after 1 NM comes the Srebrna bay, with one of the most beautiful beaches in the area. It is best to anchor about 10-20m from shore on a sandy bottom. The pebble beach is really beautiful, offering lot of shade but in the summer quite crowded with residents from Rukavac Bay who come here to swim.
After the Srebrna bay follows the bays of “Vela Travna” and “Mala Travna” and then the neighboring bay of Stiniva.
Stiniva Bay is one of the most beautiful and most visited bays on the whole island. Most of the pictures of Vis on Instagram or Facebook are made in Stiniva Bay.
Stiniva beach was crowned “Best beach in Europe” in 2016. Once you are there, you will also recognize this extraordinary beauty for yourself. Clear sea and stunning nature are the main characteristics of this bay.
The Stiniva offers no protection and is only suitable as a swimming excursion. It is best to anchor in front of the large rocks that stand at the entrance to the beach. You can then take the dinghy to the beach to enjoy the view a bit and take some photos for your Instagram or Facebook profile. Don’t leave the boat anchored unsupervised, Stiniva is a very popular excursion point and most of the time it’s quite crowded with boats, but it’s worth it. Sailing along south side of Vis Island and not visiting Stiniva beach is a mistake that you will not forgive yourself so easily.
Komiza harbor
After Stiniva Bay, there are some other beautiful bays such as “Duboka bay”, but there is not enough time to explore all the bays and villages in a week or two sailing vacation.
That’s why we mentioned at the beginning that you can “discover” Vis over and over again. Komiza is one of the most beautiful and picturesque places on the Croatian islands.
Located by the sea and sheltered from the north winds by the almost 600m high Hum hill, Komiza offers good protection from north and east winds, but Komiza is quite open in west-southwest winds.
In summer you have the option of mooring at the main pier in the harbor. All berths have electricity and water, but if you can’t find a berth at the pier, you can use one of the 70 mooring buoys located north and south of the main pier.
In the port of Komiza there is always a lot of traffic, be it from the boat drivers arriving to Komiza or excursion boats driving the tourists from or to the Blue Cave. While in Komiza it is best to take a trip to the island of Bisevo and the famous Blue Cave.
Supply options are good and there are a few restaurants and bars.
A walk through the town is a very special experience. We recommend visiting the Fishermen’s Museum on the waterfront, after all this is the place of the longest fishing tradition in Croatia. You should also not miss a visit to the monastery with the church of St. Nicholas above Komiza.
The locals have a special bond with St. Nicholas, because to this day the tradition of burning an old wooden ship in honour of St. Nicholas (6th December) as the patron saint of travellers, sailors and fishermen has remained (which is also the day of Komiza).
Komiza Berth Tel: 00385 21 713 849 or 00385 21 713 215, Mobile: 00385 91 271 3000
Bisevo and the famous Blue Cave
When visiting Komiza, you have to visit Bisevo and the Blue Cave, really, you have to. From every corner of Komiza, this nearby boulder attracts curious glances.
The island of Bisevo is located about 5 NM southeast of Komiza, it is one of the most famous tourist spots around Vis, mostly because of the Blue Cave. The Blue Cave is the goal for most excursion tours from all over central Dalmatia and it is also loved by the sailors.
The first inhabited bay when sailing from Komiza is Mezoporat bay. By inhabited we mean, there are some residents living in the bay. It needs to be said that on the small island of Bisevo lives around 15 residents the whole year.
Mezoporat is a shelter and a starting point for Blue Cave visitors. You can visit the Blue Cave only by boats from Nautical Center Komiza, who are responsible for managing the cave and to avoid crowding and anchoring in front of the cave. So, you can either moor in Mezoporat and from there take a tourist boat from the Nautical Center to the Blue Cave. Or, if you have already moored your boat in Komiza harbor, you can also book a trip in Komiza to the Blue Cave.
The Blue Cave on the island has been protected as a natural monument since 1951 and there is a fee to enter it. The Blue Cave is actually a “light show”. The angle of incidence of the sun at the upper opening of the cave and a larger opening under the sea (in the cave) makes the cave appear in blue. This phenomenon occurs between 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. and is best experienced then. Thus, in the high season, you can count on lots of visitors and crowds, but the organization and guidance of the Nautical Center work almost flawlessly, even in the high season. The entrance to the grotto is quite narrow, be careful when entering.
Other bays on Bisevo
Furthermore, there are some other beautiful bays on Bisevo, such as Porat and Salbunara. These are located on the west side of the island. There are two restaurants in Porat bay, and this one is mostly visited by Komiza’s excursion boats or visitors coming from the Blue Cave for a swim stop, so the neighboring Salbunara Bay is a much quieter option for a swim stop. Sailors avoid these bays because it is open to the Maestral (NW), which is not good for a carefree stay even in summer. There are no buoys or quays in bay of Porto and Salbunara. Actually, no bay on Bisevo offers good protection from wind and waves, so you should always be careful and visit only by good weather conditions.
There is something for everyone on Vis
Whether you moor in Vis or Komiza, take a trip to the interior of the island by scooter or old VW Beetle rental car and explore the villages and taste traditional and home-made wines “Plavac” and “Vugava” after the island of Vis is fairly well known.
Vis offers something for everyone, diving, snorkeling, beautiful bays, culture, history, landscape, nature, tradition and much more, so on your next sailing trip in Croatia a port and a bay of Vis should definitely be on your list.
Trust us, once you visit Vis, you’ll have some difficulties to separate from it, because its beauty simply infects you and we’re sure you’ll be back, like many others.
