Sailing charter details
Sailing period: 2 weeks in April 2022 (beginning of the sailing season in Croatia)
Charter company: Freewave
Vessel: Bavaria 37 from 2014 with furling main sail, no bow thruster (3 cabins, 1 head/shower)
People on board: 3 adults, 2 children
Review
We flew into Split airport after almost not making it to our flight in Amsterdam. We had to sprint to make it, making my heart rate go to 180 …
Once arrived, our shuttle was already waiting for us and took us to Trogir, where we met up with the Freewave people in Marina Baotic. It’s a rather large marina that hosts a lot of charter companies appartently.
Arriving to the boat
The Freewave reception was easy to find since it was mentioned on the signs in the marina. It was easy and effortles. Payment could be done by card.
Once done, we were told that the groceries we had ordered via Jam Yacht Supply were already on the boat. Nice! No need to drag 10 liters of water on the boat ourselves :-) We did have to pay these in cash, so make sure you have some Kuna on you.
While we were unpacking everything we got a visit from the boat manager who gave us a tour of the vessel and explained how everything works. He was very friendly and gave a thourough explanation. Tested all the equipment with us and was quick to fix a small issue with the heating.
Inventory
We found the boat to be equiped with everything we needed and then some. The kitchen tools were more than just the basics. It had things like a grater, a stovetop coffee maker, a funnel, bread knife, etc.
> Here’s a list of everything that was on the boat when we arrived. So you know what to pack before your trip.
Summary
What we enjoyed
- Thorough introduction and explantation of all systems on the boat
- Friendly staff
- We received extra fenders & towels when asked
- Boat was well stocked with kitchen equipment like a grater, funnel, coffee maker, etc.
- There were plenty of blankets
- Gas furnace had just been renewed
- Bimini was a full bimini, so it covered us completely
- All labeling on the boat was in English
- We reveived extra gas cans because our trip would be 2 weeks
- Wifi on the boat had unlimited data and was quite fast most of the time
- Bilges looked clean and well maintained
What we didn’t enjoy
- Glass selection was not ideal: small wine glasses and big water glasses
- Mosquito nets on windows were not well maintained
- Leaky windows
- Some cupboard doors were a but sqeaky and hard to open
- Sleeping mattresses are rather thin
Overall we had a really good experience with Freewave saling charters and would definitly book again if we come back to this region.
