Croatian Yacht Charter Show (CRO.Y.A.) 2024: a broker’s-eye view from Colin Srivastava
Earlier this month the beautiful Croatian city of Split hosted the inaugural Croatian Yacht Charter Show (CRO.Y.A.) with over forty yachts lining up in the historic harbour. Attending brokers, including CharterWorld’s own Colin Srivastava, declared the show a great success!
CROYA – Aerial view of Split Harbour – Photo Stipe Nincevic
A regular visitor to Croatia, Colin was excited to see the vibrant city abuzz with members of the yachting community and was looking forward to connecting with other brokers, central agents, captains and crew. The show began with an opening ceremony at the harbourside Ambassador Hotel followed by a welcome party at Fabrique Pub – a charming and traditional destination in the heart of Split.
The yachts are the stars of the show and there were plenty to inspect, plus food and drink to enjoy throughout the weekend. Croatia is well known for building fabulous contemporary motor sailing yachts and Colin’s highlights included M/S REPOSADO, M/S SCORPIOS, M/S RARA AVIS and M/S ANETTA, all representing the current quality of Croatian charter yachts and the future of the Croatian yacht building industry.
CROYA – Yacht Charter Show – Photo Mario Jelavic
Luxury yacht SCORPIOS
A beautiful charter yacht can only ever be as good as its crew, and as well as inspecting the yachts, the show was a great opportunity for brokers to meet the crews and experience first-hand their professionalism and creativity. Colin let us know his thoughts on the importance of a good crew, “charterers can be forgiving of slight imperfections on the yacht if the atmosphere created by the crew is excellent. Being able to exceed even the most demanding expectations and create an atmosphere and buzz is what we often see with Croatian crews – and it is to be valued”.
The Chefs’ competition challenges yacht chefs to impress with their culinary skills and the CROYA competition was won by Mateo Rac from M/Y ANNABEL II, one of CharterWorld’s CA fleet. Colin attended a lunch on board and confirmed that the award-winning chef’s creations were outstanding, “The sea bass wreath starter was a masterpiece.” He continued, “I was sure to let brokers who were unable to attend the lunch, know the folly of their ways!”
Winning chef Mateo Rac in action – Photo Stipe Nincevic
Winning dish by Chef Mateo Rac
Charterers expect high standards and as Colin told us, “Brokers are held to high standards in terms of our judgement and responsibility in guiding clients.” The table-scaping competition is a useful showcase for brokers to assess the quality of service on board. This year’s competition was won by Tash Pericic from another CharterWorld CA yacht M/S SCORPIOS. Colin continued, “The values the crews demonstrate at shows are indicative of the experience guests can expect and we look for these qualities on the yachts we recommend.”
Tash Pericic of Superyacht SCORPIOS – Photo Stipe Nincevic
The city of Split was an amazing backdrop to the event and showed off its credentials as a great starting point for a luxury yacht charter vacation. Colin highly recommends beginning a charter in Split and had this to say, “You can either head south to the islands towards Dubrovnik or north via Sibenik to the Kornati. Years and years of possible variations and a holiday look and feel from the moment you arrive in the marina – all only 30 minutes from the airport.” Croatia has grown in popularity over the last 20 years and is now one of the premiere destinations in the world. This is reflected in the choice and quality of yachts and crews, “It still has that OldeWorlde charm compared to the French Riviera, but the change is palpable in the much-risen quality of yachts and crews,” Colin concluded.
Yacht Charter Broker Colin Srivastava with Chef Mateo Rac
The lively awards ceremony announcing the competition winners and the gala closing event in the Cellars of Diocletian’s Palace were fitting finales, as were the deafening yacht horns that echoed across the harbour to mark the close of the show.
See you next year – Photo Mario Jelavic
We would like to thank Colin Srivastava for attending the show on behalf of CharterWorld and sharing his valuable insights. We are looking forward to next year’s show already!
Colin or any of our professional charter broker team would be happy to discuss their recommendations for your next luxury yacht vacation.