Slovenia: Small but nice

Slovenia is a small yacht charter area at the northeastern end of the Adriatic between Italy and Croatia. For Austrian as well as German sailing holidaymakers, the marinas of Slovenia offer a good starting point for a short vacation on the sea. The bay of Piran next to the picturesque town of the same name with its Venetian architecture is not far from the marina in Izola. The other marina popular with sailors is that of Portoroz, which is located directly in the bay of Piran. From the Slovenian coast it is also not far to Venice in Italy or the Croatian Kvarner Bay.

The northernmost of the former Yugoslav republics not only has an enchanting coastline with picturesque locations and a mild climate, but is also suitable for shore excursions to the Julian Alps, the basin of the Sava River or the capital Ljubljana with its Baroque buildings. and Art Nouveau period.

The conditions in the yacht charter area of ​​Slovenia are suitable for a relaxing sailing holiday. The costs are limited here. In addition, vacationers without a sailing license can do it in Slovenia. It also applies in the neighboring countries of Italy and Croatia.

Portoroz and Izola

Territory properties

The Adriatic is dominated by the moderate mistral blowing from the northwest, the stronger hot jugo or sirocco blowing from the southeast and the stormy, cold and gusty bora blowing from the northeast. The Bora reaches wind speeds of up to 200 km / h and can last up to 2 weeks in winter. In summer the duration is usually only a few hours to a maximum of one day. The northeastern Adriatic has a mild Mediterranean climate with high average temperatures of 4.4 ° C in January and 21.5 ° C in July. The sailing season runs from April to October. In some years it lasts until November. The water temperatures range between 13 ° C in January and 24 ° C in August.

In summer, when the mistral is blowing, the area is easy to sail. In spring and late summer the level of difficulty increases to medium because of the bora.

Attention is required when navigating this sailing area. In the northern Adriatic the tidal range is greater than in the south and can even be one meter with spring tides. Especially in passages and around capes, the regular maximum currents of 0.5 knots can be significantly stronger.

There are very well equipped marinas in the ports of Portoroz, Koper and Izola. The most important marina is the Marina Portoroz in the bay of Piran. This marina is a particularly good starting point for sailing trips to the Kvarner Bay, Istria or Venice.

For sailing trips from the Slovenian coast, sailors need a boat license. The skipper should have an “official license for yachts with coastal navigation”. For sailing in Croatia you also need an official “operating certificate for radio operators” (skipper or crew member). For the Croatian radio certificate, an examination by the respective Croatian port authority must be passed.

Portoroz can be easily reached by car without border controls. From the surrounding countries and Germany, it is best to travel by car, as the distances are very short. It takes approx. 5 hours from Munich to Portoroz, approx. 4 hours from Vienna and approx. 2 hours from Venice. For those arriving by plane, the airports of Ljubljana in Slovenia and Trieste in Italy are both just under an hour away.