Eight of us chartered a yacht in Croatia to celebrate my brother%26#39;s 40th birthday. We decided to book a boat charter through Navicula (www.navicula.hr) - a company we understood to be reputable. As we boarded our flight in Boston to go to Croatia we received an email from Navicula explaining our boat was damaged in transit and that they were canceling the charter.... Yes, with 12 hours notice they canceled the charter and provided no alternatives.
Luckily, while on a layover in London we found a boat and captain (www.lazywinch.com %26amp; Captain Paul Scowen) that were able to accommodate us at the last second. Paul saved our trip and we will never be able to thank him enough.
But the story doesn%26#39;t end there. After returning to the states we discovered Navicula never refunded our money. We have called and emailed dozens of time to no avail. $12,500 gone... I highly recommend you avoid doing business with Navicula... In addition, if ever booking a boat charter where direct transfer is required for payment, be sure to get travel insurance... we are glad we did.
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Interesting tale!! I have seen the Lazy Winch sailing holidays in Croatia advertised on the net and thinking of booking with them. I wonder if you could give some more details and your opinions of the yacht food service the route sailed etc. many thanks.
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Put it all in writing to the Croatian Tourist office so that they are aware that a Croatian agent is giving the country a bad name. You might be surprised at how high some people jump when prodded.
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My wife and I were two of the eight, and we will second the kudos for www.lazywinch.com and skipper Paul. He was great, the country was beautiful, the food was outstanding.
Coming up on two months since www.navicula.hr cancelled our original charter and no refund. Watch who you deal with.....
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I, too, can confirm that Navicula is not to be trusted and would urge people to avoid doing business with them. After the boat we chartered mysteriously became unavailable the day before our scheduled departure, they not only refused to provide alternative accommodations, but failed to respond to my email inquiries re: a refund.
That said, Croatia is a beautiful country and I cannot speak highly enough of Captain Paul and his First Mate, Tea - the folks from Lazy Winch who came to our rescue. Euroyank - these two are completely accommodating, and will cook fabulous meals on board and/or point you in the direction of the best local dining spots ashore. We elected to pick the boat up in the town of Marina and then sail south along the shore, back to Dubrovnik - spending each afternoon and evening on a different island. It was a fantastic way to experience the country.
Balken - good advice; we%26#39;ll pass on our feedback to the Tourist Board.
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My husband and I have just returned from a week %26#39;cabin charter%26#39; early June with Lazy Winch and our skipper was Simon. There was one other couple(from England)with us so a large yacht just for 5. We highly recommend this experience for those like us who wanted to sail but did not want to charter on our own. Several weeks each season, Lazy Winch offer the cabin charter(with a maximum of 4 couples, and each cabin with ensuite facility). They are 51ft Jeanneau and fabulous. You can also book the entire boat yourself with your own party of 8. We too sailed from Marina(just north of Trogir)and went to Solta, Vis, Pakleni Islands, Hvar. We ate Breakfast and Lunch on board(very ably prerpared by Simon). Lunch was usually a salad with soem sort of meat or chicken. Each night when we anchored up Simon would ask what we felt like eating or recommend a great restaurant. Every single place he took us to was memorable for all the right reasons. We loved the %26#39;lamb peka%26#39; at Konoba Sesula on Solta and had a very special meal at Villa Kaliopa on Viz. We cant wait to go back and do this again. We can not speak highly enough of Lazywinch.
I am so sorry that your initial booking was so poor but are pleased that you were still able to enjoy Croatia.
Cheers
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Me and 7 other mates have just returned from Croatia, sailing for a week onboard the Teja with skipper Paul Scowen from Lazy Winch Sailing - and it was an amaaaazing experience! Couldn%26#39;t recommend them more highly enough.
It was a fantastic experience complete with sailing, sun and great food. We were given various options for the itinerary depending on the weather and how much sailing people wanted to do each day. We could be as involved as we wanted with the actual sailing of the boat - so each day you had the option of either soaking up some rays or pulling ropes and turning winches... not a bad choice to be making each day!
Would definitely recommend Paul and Lazy Winch if you%26#39;re looking for a more unique/boutique sailing experience in Croatia!
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We have just returned from a week sailing on Yacht Teja with skipper Paul Scowen (the lazy Winch). It was one of the best holidays I have ever had, despite the fact the the weather at the start of the week was overcast and not looking fantastic! This just meant we had an awesome sailing experience, and when the sun finally did come out it made the week even better.
The yacht comfortably (if not snugly) slept myself and 7 friends as well as Paul the skipper and Hal our deckhand. The food provided (b%26#39;fast and lunch) was delicious, and evening meals were at lovely local restaurants (I recommend the steak and chocolate sauce at Zoris). Paul and Hal were professional, fun and made sure we didn%26#39;t have to lift a finger (unless we wanted to).
I did a lot of research into sailing in Croatia and found no comparable company who provided a skipper and half board at an affordable price.
Don%26#39;t look any further than The Lazy Winch!
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Very interesting Wimms, you just returned, opened your PC, the TA Forum appeared on the display, you felt inspired to register , than the several months old post about Navicula appeared and you couldn%26#39;t have resisted to advertise for them!
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Jelsa - I believe it%26#39;s called %26#39;Shill%26#39;
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