In the wide selection of charter companies operating on the Adriatic which offer their clients rentals of sailboats, motor boats and yachts of every conceivable size, one segment of the nautical market has somehow been neglected and shunted to the side. Namely, the aforementioned charter companies, while most often offering their vessels for a minimum period of one week, have simply overlooked those tourists who want to enjoy the charms of sailing voyages for only a single day, or even less. Perhaps even for just an hour or two. Just enough to take memories of a different experience from their vacation on the Adriatic, to tell their friends and acquaintances how they had many interesting and unusual adventures.

It is just this segment of the nautical market – the “short haul” for tourists who do not want to forsake the security of dry land and the comfort of their hotel rooms or rented suites but still want to “smell” the sea and see the wind fill their sails – that has almost timidly begun making an appearance at several places all down the Croatian coast. One of these places is the town of Hvar, which was among the first to recognize the lack of this service and decided to fill in the void, taking advantage of the divinely bequeathed wealth of Hvar’s surrounding marine environment, the Pakleni Islands and the relative nearness of the island of Vis. So two agencies have sprouted up in this town, offering the possibility of short sailing tours “with a  taste of a regatta” in speedy vessels which give adventurous tourists a brief, yet still adrenaline-filled experience similar to that of a boat race.

But Hvar natives Edi and Jelena Jurišić opted for something a bit more peaceful. They offered interested “short-haul seafarers” a family version of a sailing on a luxurious Baré yacht, on which tourists can experience the charms of gliding in a peaceful and friendly atmosphere, with a drink or two and tales of sailing experiences, Hvar and the island way of life, enhanced by a short course on sailing and life on board a vessel. The story of short sailing tours began three years ago, when the Jurišićs began offering one-day and half-day cruises around the waters surrounding the islands of Hvar, Brač and Vis. The Baré then succeeded its predecessor, the Elan Express, the family’s seven and a half meter yacht, which soon proved too small for this purpose. The 12-meter Reflex 38 proved an excellent choice of vessel that offers full comfort for a small group of tourists on shorter voyages along the shores of Hvar and to the nearby Pakleni Islands, but also for one-day jaunts to Vis or Brač, always guided by the sure hands of Jelena or Edi as skippers.

A voyage enriched by tales about the boat, sailing and navigation

We were interested in learning about the type of experiences they had on their short voyages and time spent with tourists who decided to rent their yacht, the type of visitors who most often choose these trips and how they like their stay on board. “Our experiences have been quite varied”, Edi says candidly, adding that their clients have been just as colourful. He notes that an advantage of their offer is that they can pick their guests themselves. Their most frequent customers come from the United States, Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand and even France. Sometimes it’s a married couple who want to rent the boat so they can be on it alone, sometimes it’s a group of five or six friends, or a family that wants to tour the islands and become familiar with the surroundings of Hvar, or just a few guests whose sole intent is to enjoy the sea and enjoy the charms of sailing. Most of them are mature people for whom sailing is both a challenge and a pleasure, who want to learn something about sailing and to experience life on a vessel, and they often exhibit an interest in many details on board and frequently ask questions about navigation. Some of them also want to help raise the sails or steer the craft, they are interested in how to anchor and berth the vessel, how to change course and how to catch the wind in the sails.

“Each of our voyages is always enriched with tales of the boat, sailing and navigation, life on board and on the island. But we try to adapt each of these stories, just like the places we tour, to the preferences of our guests and discover what they are interested in and to what extent. With time, we’ve learned to recognize the interests and desires of our guests and offer them precisely what they want and expect. This is why many of them return in subsequent years or bring us their friends and acquaintances. When we launched this venture, we realized that the key to success is the fact that you have to do this job with relish and a great deal of affection, because your positive attitude is recognized by the guests, and this makes their stay on our boat more complete and richer”, Jelena explains, adding that they take particular care to truly offer their guests the experience of sailing, without using the motor, so that they never feel that their expectations haven’t been met.

Although the Jurišićs have a web-site on which their sailing packages are presented, they say that the guests who come to them via that page are almost negligible in comparison to those who have already been on their boat and then return, or who come at the recommendation of friends or acquaintances, or even through a few travel agents who promote their tours. As to the prices to rent the yacht for short tours, a half-day outing that includes four hours of sailing (in the morning or afternoon, depending on customer preference) is HRK 420 per person. The Jurišićs endeavour to make sure that there are no more than five to six people on the vessel at the same time, but it is not rare for a smaller group of guests to express a willingness to pay the full rental fee for five persons in order to have the boat all to themselves. Short sailing tours generally do not include the preparation of meals on board, but Jelena and Edi will offer each of their guests fruit, snacks or a glass of fine wine from Hvar. The price for a full-day tour, which lasts from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (often entailing a trip to Vis and the Green Cave) is HRK 680 per person, but often the rates are adjusted to the size of the group.

“Is this island anchored, or does it float around?”

There are also intriguing stories and experiences from meetings with the truly diverse array of guests. Edi says that there were times when guests became frightened when the wind picked up, and there were also all manner of humorous and peculiar events. He recounts an unusual question from one guest, who wanted to know if the island was always “anchored” or if it freely floated over the sea’s surface. Jelena remembers a guest from Japan, a resident of one of that country’s megacities, who almost had no idea what nature was, but who did not let this get in the way of her active enjoyment of sailing. Only later, Jelena recalls, when they docked at Hvar, did she admit that she didn’t even know how to swim.

For the Jurišićs, sailing is much more than just a job. It is a way of life, a passion and a part of the everyday life on the island, so the “Baré” just sort of naturally sailed into this way of life into the cove in front of the Franciscan monastery. This is a continuation of the sailing tradition which has been deeply rooted in this family for years, and this is further demonstrated by one of their sons, Filip Jurišić, who – as a member of the Mornar Sailing Club in Split – has been diligently training for years and has already recorded considerable successes in European and world championship races in the Laser class. But Edi Jurišić’s primary occupation remains fishing and lobster-hunting, while the yacht rentals for short jaunts serve as a combination of business with pleasure, a good way to cover vessel maintenance costs and to enjoy spending time at sea and to present this enjoyment in the best way possible to others – tourists who desire something new and different, and who want something over and above the standard tourism amenities.

Nautica Portal

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