On Saturday 21st October 2017 we chartered the new Hanse 455 from Croatia Yachting for an end-of-season sail.
October has been unusually warm, allowing those of us who work like crazy in the summer season to enjoy a small taste of summer before winter finally takes hold. My husband works in the charter industry and has been sailing all season and, before this year, I worked with him; so, while we have spent a lot of time at sea, we have never actually chartered a boat for ourselves.
With the glorious October weather, we decided to take advantage and go sailing for a few days. Our friends Nick and Mahina Hathaway also work in the charter industry as a skipper/cook combo, being that they often charter and skipper various yachts depending on their clients’ wishes, they were keen to get on the water and check out the Hanse 455 as well.
After booking we received confirmation and information about check-in, Croatia Yachting has three bases Dubrovnik, Kaštela (Split) and Biograd na Moru. We chartered from Kaštela which was easy to find. We drove our car and parked (parking costs €10 per day or €50 for the week).
Friendly efficient check-in and team
We were greeted by the very friendly Ivana at the front desk, we finalised all details and were promptly taken to our yacht by one of their team.
The bonus of chartering out-of-season is that we didn’t need to wait or battle any crowds. I asked Ivana how it normally looks in the height of season:
“It is busy, there is a lot going on, boats being cleaned, new guests arriving… but, we give everyone an estimated check-in time, then one or two people from the group normally wait for check-in, to finalise details and be shown around the boat by our technicians, while the others go for provisioning or sit and enjoy a coffee. The check-in process can take anywhere between 20mins – 1 hour, depending on the clients, i.e. some guests have a lot of questions about the boat and so we need to spend more time with them, others who are more experienced (like yourselves), need less time for this procedure.”
I must admit, it was strange to be on the receiving end of customer-service for once but I definitely appreciated it!
We also got these very cool t-shirts!
Advice for Check-in:
- Be on time, don’t miss your appointment
- Not everyone needs to be there to go through the inspection, leave one or two and the rest can go do provisioning or relax.
- Be thorough – you will be taken through the entire boat by the Croatia Yachting technician to show how everything functions but also to point out of there is already any damage, make sure you understand everything.
- Be patient, there are a lot of yachts and people arriving but it won’t be long before you are sailing away and beginning your holiday.
Wanting to take advantage of the good weather, we also hired a SUP board and kayak, if you are interested in any extras, I would advise checking out what is included and booking extras beforehand (especially in peak-season), though it can, of course, be arranged on the spot.
Since we live in Split, we already had the majority of our provisioning but needed a few extras like water and snacks – there is a small shop at the base which has all basics, so we did a quick last-minute shop and had a coffee in the sun before we set out.
Because it was the end-of-season our yacht and skipper were ready early, so we were on the water and heading out of the Marina before 11 am which was a nice bonus.
Spacious, comfortable, fantastic features and design.
Truth be told, even though I have been sailing the Adriatic for many years, I haven’t been on any yacht like the Hanse 455; for the most part, we have been on larger cruising vessels or gulets over 80-feet. And, I have to say, we were all really impressed with the amount of space.
Being the mild-critics that we are, we did a complete tour of the boat, opening every single cupboard and space. The salon and kitchen were the greatest surprises, well set-up, spacious, comfortable and plenty of storage. We came aboard with (near) full provisioning for 3-days, for 6 people and we had more than enough storage and fridge space.
I personally loved the little desk area as well, it was perfect for us because we all took turns working on our laptops at various stages.
The wardrobes in the bedroom also allowed us to get unpacked and while the cabins are definitely smaller than we are personally used to, for a 45-foot yacht, they are well-designed and comfortable.
Back on deck, the cockpit is where we all spent most of our time; a spacious two-helm cockpit with a foldaway table and some fun features like watertight storage for life’s necessities (sunglasses and phones) and the bathing platform where you can relax or dive from.
In terms of ‘boat life’ one of my other tests is always – lounging/sunbathing/yoga. If I can do all three, I am happy. As I said, the cockpit of the Hanse 455 is spacious and comfortable, the table folds back down if not in use, leaving more walking or lounging space. The foredeck has enough space for sun loungers or a yoga mat and we even managed to string up a hammock that Nick and Mahina brought along!
We explored and tested all of this while the skipper was at the helm. Oh, didn’t I mention we had a skipper? I wanted to see the full guest experience from Croatia Yachting, so we decided to charter with skipper – I also wanted to see if my husband could truly relax without being at the helm! Igor Graso was our skipper. Experience is obviously the first and most important factor if you are to trust someone else but after that comes personality; Igor had a relaxed, friendly attitude which made him easy to be around – and when you are sharing a 45-foot space, this is crucial.
When I asked Igor how long he had been working with Croatia Yachting and why he chose to skipper for them, he said:
“I enjoy working with Croatia Yachting because before, skippering for other companies, I was shifted around a lot – finishing a tour in Dubrovnik then needing to get to Split to start another tour, it was messy and I never knew what kind of boat I would be on. Whereas Croatia Yachting are professional, I work out of one base, they deal with Hanse yachts which I really enjoy skippering; so overall, it is a better work environment.”
Three kiwis who chose to leave New Zealand for sailing in Croatia!
We were barely 30-mins on the water before it was time for a snack – note when sailing: snacks are super-important, there is something about being on the water that makes everyone hungry. So, keep this in mind when you do your initial provisioning; cheese, crackers, pršut, nuts and fruits always go down a treat. And, since we weren’t working and the sun was shining, it was time for a light bevanda.
There was a 10 – 12-knot breeze, which isn’t anything too exciting but we decided to raise the sails to see how the Hanse handled. The Hanse 455 is renowned for its design and single-handed sailing; the Halyards, sheets and reef lines run directly to the helm, meaning – setting, hauling in, shortening and trimming the sails can all be done comfortably from the helmsman position, which is exactly what we saw. Though the boys were no doubt itching to help out, we let Igor do his thing and the sails were up within a matter of moments.
Sailing on a beautiful October’s day, perfection.
Our heading was for Stari Grad on Hvar but while the sun was out we wanted to get some water-sport action in. Igor hauled in the sails and we got the SUP board out, with no intention of paddling but rather, we wanted to try surfing! Thankfully, Nick is Mr Adventure and had it down-packed; I had never tried it before, but the SUP was sturdy and with a little guidance and Igor’s patience (there were a few falls which meant manoeuvring the yacht to collect me), I managed to get up and surf!
After an hour of fooling around, we docked at Stari Grad and went for a walk around.
Cooking on the Hanse 455
Normally, I love eating out at restaurants but since we hired a yacht we wanted to make the most of enjoying it, plus, the next big test is how easy the Hanse 455 was to cook in. Mirko took the honours the first night and cooked a traditional goulash (after a trip to the local butcher) which was perfect for a cool Autumn night. We ate dinner in the downstairs salon but I imagine, during summer, everyone eats ‘al fresco’ at the cockpit table.
Lunch outside before the weather turned.
I love shopping at the local markets and butchers for the best produce, so no need to stock up on everything when provisioning.
Mahina made us omelettes two mornings in a row, both times on the move and it wasn’t an issue in the kitchen, the space is organised well and all of the cupboards and drawers lock, so there is no risk of anything flying open while you are sailing.
The second night I cooked and really enjoyed the social aspect of the set-up. As it was cold outside, everyone was inside, so we had music playing, red wine flowing and I was cooking while enjoying being free to chat to everyone. The blue-tooth sound system was another great feature allowing us to take turns connecting and playing DJ.
Benefits of Docking
The first morning, I woke up with the sun (something I love about being on a boat) and decided to go for a walk around Stari Grad by myself. This is always my favourite part of ‘boat life’, going for early morning walks around all of the beautiful towns and villages and watching them come alive. I think it is one of the best ways to get a feeling for a destination and this is the big advantage of docking – some can sleep in, while those who want to get out or be active can come and go as they please.
Anchor and Enjoy
The Hanse 455 anchors easily and with a 2.2 m draft, it can manoeuvre into any small bay. The second day we spent some time on anchor just outside of Milna on island Brač, where we again took advantage of the water-toys, this time using the SUP to actually paddle and Mirko took the kayak for a spin! These really are fantastic extras to have as they allow for an active holiday and exploring from a new perspective, I would definitely recommend booking these with a charter.
Hanse 455, Great in bad weather
This wasn’t exactly something we wanted to ‘test out’ but nothing wrong with a little contrast and if you are going to charter a yacht, it is also worth knowing how comfortable it is if the weather isn’t perfect. The weather completely turned, from 22 degrees and sunshine on Saturday, to rain and 40-knot winds by Sunday night and Monday morning; so, we set up the awning with a few simple clicks and straps, it held steadfast and provided great coverage. Note: the design still allows a good line of vision for the skipper.
As I already mentioned, the downstairs area is extremely comfortable, so there was more than enough space for all of us to relax that night and it warmed up easily with all of us down there.
The return trip was going to be rough, Bura was raging at 40-knots and there was a 1.5-metre swell. Igor handled the Hanse 455 well and it was a much ‘smoother’ ride than I would have imagined, not once did I feel uncomfortable on the boat or with Igor at the helm. Actually, it was good to have a little adventure and the boys were enjoying staying dry and watching someone else get wet for once!
Finishing up
Pulling back into the Kaštela Marina, I was sad it was over but glad we got a few days on the water to bid farewell to the season. We are forever working in the industry but this is definitely something I want to do again with friends or family for a full week.
We went back to the office where Ivana was waiting to greet us, she asked how everything was and after the boat was checked, she returned our bond and that was it. I asked Ivana if the process would have been different if we skippered ourselves, she explained that besides the general inspection of the yacht, they also have a neutral diver who checks the hull of the boats for any damages before the bond is returned. As Igor was our skipper, the safe return of the boat was his responsibility, so this wasn’t necessary for our situation. But, it is good to know for anyone else looking to charter in peak-season without a skipper to be aware that this is part of the process.
Overall Experience
My only constructive feedback would be that we had 6 people in total on the Hanse 455 and this left us plenty of space; however, with 8 + crew, it could begin to feel small. And, while the cabins were well designed and spacious with comfortable beds, there are no charging outlets in any of the cabins, so I would advise bringing a multi-USB charger for everyone’s devices. In saying this, we never had any issues and we had multiple go-pros, cameras and phones; we charged overnight and there is still a charge from the inverter while sailing.
Besides this, I really can’t criticise much about the boat or chartering with Croatia Yachting, so I am not surprised that they just won “Best Charter Company of the Year” at the National Days of Croatian Tourism Awards (DHT).
It was only three days but our overall experience was great. From the friendly, efficient check-in, Igor’s pleasant nature, to the comfort and design of the Hanse 455, I would easily recommend Croatia Yachting and the Hanse 455 to anyone looking to charter or even buy – Croatia Yachting offers a great Charter Management program and an option to buy new or used Hanse yachts.
For more information, visit Croatia Yachting here or the official Croatia Hanse dealer here.
