3 best overnight anchorages around Zadar

About the Captain

Born and raised in Zadar, captain Tonči knows everything there is to know about the Zadar region. Listen to your yacht captain advice and explore the shoreline and islands of the greater Zadar region. Captain Tonči sailed and cruised in all the major seas and oceans in the world, from the Caribbean and Greece to France.

Being a second-generation superyacht captain means that Tonči`s family upbringing was very sea-oriented.

His family is very experienced when it comes to superyachts, because of the wealth of knowledge being passed from generation to generation. Onboard IMAGINE yacht charter, captain Tonči implements a “lead by example” work ethic. He is very dedicated to providing great service to his guests and making their stay onboard memorable and fun.

This calm, highly organized captain has built a loyal charter following. He is always looking for something “out of the ordinary” to offer guests and encourages his crew to help with this.

IMAGINE is a luxury yacht specially designed for charter purposes in the Croatian Adriatic sea. IMAGINE yacht charter is a beautiful vessel with 5 cabins and a top-notch, award-winning crew.

Zadar is a special location in Croatia because it is a city located in an archipelago containing nearly 300 islands and islets within a radius of approx. 70 miles. This translates into a maximum of 3 hours of navigation where you can visit nearly 300 islands.

Because of this unique island-to-shore ratio, nowhere in the world is it possible to enjoy this amount of diversity, other than in the Zadar archipelago region of Croatia.

When you arrive in Zadar and you do not want to berth in the marina or the promenade, because of the crowds, but you also want the option of going to Zadar whenever you wish, consider your yacht captain’s advice.

Let Captain Tonči introduce you to hidden bays that are extremely close to the city of Zadar, but also far away enough for you to enjoy privacy and an exclusive location.

You can anchor in the beautiful ambience of a private bay, but at the same time, very close to Zadar, so you could enjoy a night on the town and return to a quiet and private bay.

Here are three possible anchorages for the superyacht IMAGINE, where you can enjoy privacy, peace and silence, but still be near Zadar:

1. Yacht captain advice: Puntamika

If you charter a big superyacht, you can find a perfect anchoring location behind the Puntamika cape, westwards of Zadar. Here, a sandy bottom bay which is relatively shallow and protected from all south and north winds offers perfect anchorage for superyachts.

It is a spot that is close to shore, but also far enough from the city that you can feel a dose of privacy. A special factor is that you are very close to the mainland, so you can use your tender to visit the city of Zadar or one of two Zadar marinas, Borik or Tanke Commerce.

Let the yacht crew use the tender to transport you to Zadar`s old city core or take you to the main berth of the old town. You can also arrive at the bridge and take a stroll in the city.

The most important thing is that you are incredibly close to shore, so you have unlimited possibilities for quick sightseeing. The nautical distance from this anchorage to Zadar`s old core is 2 nautical miles, which translates to less than 5 minutes of travel by tender.

2. Yacht captain advice: Frnaža

The second anchoring point on your yacht captain advice list is the Frnaža bay; there are no people, buildings or social infrastructure, just pristine nature and a clean sea.

The location of Frnaža bay is on the island of Ugljan, directly opposite Zadar. Being a completely uninhabited bay, Frnaža sits beneath a small hill, where there is no running water or electricity. A truly beautiful view of Zadar in the distance is obtainable from Frnaža bay.

A sandy bottom covers all the seabed of Frnaža bay and is also quite deep, a good thing to know when anchoring. This bay is very practical, if your captain anchors your superyacht using a quadruple anchorage system – it means using both bow anchors and double stern lines on port and starboard sides.

If you ask your captain to anchor like this it will result in completely cutting off the bay`s entrance to any outside visitors, creating a totally private bay for your enjoyment only. Charter guests will love the feeling of exclusive isolation and privacy. The nautical distance between Frnaža bay and Zadar`s old core is 4 nautical miles, which translates into 10 to 15 minutes of a relaxing tender ride.

3. Yacht captain advice: Kostanj bay

Another bay on Ugljan island, also overlooking the city of Zadar, is Kostanj bay, located 8 miles eastwards of Frnaža. The beaches in Kostanj bay are sandy and stretch the entire span of the bay. You can enjoy walking on the warm sand in complete privacy, before swimming in the crystal-clear sea, totally undisturbed.

Kostanj bay is comprised of two smaller neighbouring bays, offering beautiful panoramas. This is particularly true in the evening, when Zadar`s flickering lights shine in the distance, offering a beautiful contrast to the starry sky above.

Kostanj has a west side and a south side; both sides have sand at the bottom and the shoreline. Both sides are also perfect anchorages for superyachts, just heed your yacht captain advice and enjoy the untouched nature and the refreshing Croatian Adriatic Sea. The nautical distance between Kostanj and Zadar town is approx. 5 miles.

Yacht captain advice in the Zadar archipelago

All of the abovementioned bays are in close proximity to Zadar old town, so you can go sightseeing whenever you wish, without worrying about berthing in busy marinas or docks. All three locations are different and unique in their own right.

If you choose to move even 20 meters from a chosen location, you can already experience a different sensation, be it a novel view, more or less sunlight or varying levels of wind protection. What all three locations have in common is a clean sea, beautiful nature and privacy when anchoring your superyacht.

If you have trouble deciding between locations, then ask your captain for advice, and he will tell you the following…

If he had to choose between the three, his choice would be Frnaža bay, because you can experience the greatest level of privacy if you anchor the right way. When it comes to wind, waves and sea currents, Frnaža is also the best choice, because it offers the greatest level of protection and stability for your superyacht charter.

It is also the calmest location for sleeping on your superyacht. This does not mean that the other two positions are in any way lacking in protection or privacy.

Remember the yacht charter captain advice if you are a charter guest visiting Zadar. If you do not want to berth in a busy Zadar marina, rather choose a more private location, without losing the option of sightseeing in Zadar, when you want. Anchor somewhere close to Zadar and use the bays as your private marinas, so you can avoid the hustle and bustle of the summer season.