Sailing The Med - The Times June 2007

...Croatia

A THOUSAND miles of mainland coast, a thousand islands and 500 ports of call: no wonder Croatia is the fastest-growing sailing destination in the Med. It's especially great if you like plenty of shore time, rather than dawdling away your days on the big blue. It's a good choice for families too, with modest-to-gentle winds and somewhere to tie up around every bend - especially handy if you've any "Are we nearly there yet?" mutineers aboard. And Croatia has more full-service marinas than any other country, with hot showers, restaurant food, mini marts and (if you're on a top-spec yacht) power points for firing up the air-con.

You could be unlucky and suffer a buffeting from a north wind called the bora, although it's rare in summer and invariably gets predicted by Croatia's excellent weather forecasts, which are broadcast in English. At the very worst, you'll spend a couple of days stuck in port.

Fancy a measure of culture with your cruising? Again, you're in the right place. The Venetians first sailed these waters in the 13th century and stuck around for the next 500 years, building stately citadels (Trogir and Stari Grad as well as Dubrovnik) and stamping their lion logo on the gables like artists signing a masterpiece.

Sailors have plenty of points of attack: you can cast off along the Istrian peninsula in the north (flying in to Pula) or from the Unesco World Heritage Site city of Dubrovnik in the south. Then there's the Dalmatian coast in the middle, approached via Split, which includes the larger islands of Korcula, Brac and Hvar, the so-called "Madeira of the Med".

Looking for something more adventurous? Croatia also harbours the Kornati National Park archipelago: 100 or so deserted, khaki-coloured islands that are guaranteed to bring out the Thor Heyerdahl in you.

For beginners: on Neilson's Stay and Sail holidays (0870 909 9099, www.neilson.co.uk ) at the Lumbarda Beachclub on Korcula, you'll spend the first week at a hotel, completing a four-day introduction to yachting course (with private tuition options), and the second week in a flotilla. In July, it costs £1,079pp, based on two sharing a 31ft yacht, including flights from Gatwick to Split and transfers. Children can be looked after in the hotel kids' club while parents do the course.

For flotilla sailors: for fun and (during the school holidays) lots of other families, sign up for Sailing Holidays' flotilla trips out of Zadar (020 8459 8787, www.sailingholidays.com ). There are two options: one heading south along the Dalmatian coast, the other to the Kornati. A two-week holiday in late June, based on four people sharing a 31ft yacht, costs £855pp, including flights from Gatwick to Split and transfers.

For bareboaters: those with an RYA Day Skipper certificate (or better) can sail independently with Sail Croatia (0871 733 8686, www.sailcroatia.net ), who will help plan your route and support you on the water via mobile phone. A week on a 45ft yacht (sleeping up to eight) in June starts from £2,115, including outboard for the tender and airport transfers from Split, but not flights.