A Sailing Week from Split: Making Room for the Pakleni Pause
Our proposed sailing week from Split connects Trogir, Stari Grad, Komiža and Hvar, while reserving time for swimming in the Pakleni Islands. Weather, passage planning and the Friday return deadline shape which stops to keep.
Thursday is worth keeping clear. In our proposed sailing week from Split, it is the pause around the Pakleni Islands: time to swim, stay aboard or visit Hvar Town without adding another substantial passage. To protect that pause, the earlier stops—and the return to base on Friday—need to be planned around it.
The route includes Split, Trogir, Stari Grad, Komiža and Hvar, with Saturday arrival and handover followed by Sunday departure. It assumes your charter base is in Split itself. If you are starting in Trogir or another Split-area marina, revise the sequence with your skipper rather than following the same circuit.
The central choice is how much moving your crew wants to do. If visiting each town matters most, this proposal gives you a sequence to assess. If swimming and rest lead the wish list, moving Trogir outside the charter week or leaving Komiža for another trip can release time. Neither choice makes the holiday less complete.
A charter week, not seven full sailing days
Here, “seven days” means a week-long charter that includes arrival, handover and departure—not seven full days at sea. Saturday check-in and the following Saturday’s check-out are a common pattern. Published operator documents give examples of late-afternoon handovers, but your booking sets the actual hours.
Friday’s return time deserves particular attention. One Split operator requires boats back at least an hour before sunset for an underwater inspection, with refuelling completed beforehand. Return by the deadline in your own booking, then check out on Saturday morning; do not interpret “Friday evening” as permission to arrive at sunset.
| Day | Proposed route | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Arrival in Split; stay at base | Handover, provisions and settling aboard |
| Sunday | Split to Trogir | First passage and time in the old town |
| Monday | Trogir to Stari Grad | Passage, then an unhurried evening |
| Tuesday | Stari Grad to Komiža | Proceed only with suitable weather and mooring options |
| Wednesday | Komiža to the Pakleni Islands | Return toward Hvar; swim if conditions and time allow |
| Thursday | Pakleni Islands and Hvar Town | Swimming, rest and a town visit if you wish |
| Friday | Return to Split | Refuelling and the contracted return deadline |
| Following Saturday | Check-out | Handover at the agreed time |
Use this as a proposed itinerary, not a fixed schedule. Each passage and overnight stop needs skipper review for your boat, crew, forecast and available berths. Passage times depend on the exact base, navigable route and vessel; build the daily plan around those details rather than a generic estimate.
Saturday and Sunday: Split first, then Trogir
Keep arrival day useful rather than crowded. Complete the handover, understand the equipment and safety arrangements, stow provisions and clarify the return procedure. Staying at base leaves Sunday morning for a prepared departure instead of making Saturday a race to get underway.
If the handover leaves time to go ashore, Split’s historical complex with Diocletian’s Palace offers a focus for a short visit. It is a UNESCO World Heritage property, but exploring it need not become an elaborate arrival-day programme. Let the time available determine how much you do.
Sunday’s proposed destination is Trogir. Its preserved historic centre brings Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture into one town visit. The old-town streets and Cathedral of St Lawrence give you a reason to go ashore without filling the afternoon with appointments.
This is the first useful trade-off. Keep Trogir as an overnight sailing stop if your crew wants that time in town. If the priority is a slower week around the islands, consider visiting before or after the charter instead. That changes our proposed on-water circuit, but reduces the number of moves competing with swimming and rest.
Monday: leave the Stari Grad evening open
Give the passage from Trogir to Stari Grad its own place in the day, rather than attaching a full shore programme to an uncertain arrival time. Once the boat is secure, a walk and dinner may be enough. An open evening also leaves room to discuss Tuesday’s forecast without everyone feeling hurried.
Stari Grad’s nautical port is in the town centre beside Petar Hektorović’s Tvrdalj. For a sailing crew, that location is useful: time ashore need not automatically involve a separate excursion.
Stari Grad and Hvar Town are separate stops on the island of Hvar. Including both gives you two shore visits, but neither needs to occupy a whole day. If some of your crew want to explore while others prefer to stay aboard, leave room for those different preferences rather than making every outing compulsory.
Tuesday: decide whether Komiža fits the forecast
Komiža is the stop that most needs to remain conditional. The Vis Tourist Board identifies Komiža Bay’s exposure to western and south-western winds and warns of difficult conditions in southerly and south-westerly weather. It should not be treated as an all-weather overnight refuge.
Before leaving Stari Grad, assess the outward passage, the following day’s return toward Hvar and realistic mooring options. Check the Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service’s marine forecasts and warnings before departure and throughout the week. The decision needs to cover the time you will be away, not just the conditions at departure.
If conditions and mooring prospects support the visit, treat Tuesday chiefly as a passage day, with time ashore after securing the boat. If they do not, omit Komiža and revise the route around Hvar with your skipper. Protecting the crew’s comfort and the return margin matters more than keeping every place name on the plan.
Wednesday and Thursday: keep the Pakleni pause
Wednesday brings the proposed route back from Komiža toward the Pakleni Islands. Swimming can fit after arrival if time, conditions and the chosen stopping place allow. Do not make it a promise that pushes the crew to rush the passage.
Thursday is the day to keep free of extra destinations. A swim, an unstructured meal and time aboard can be the programme, with a visit to Hvar Town if you want one. Giving rest its own place in the week is more reliable than hoping to find a spare afternoon after everything else.
Palmižana is one possible base for combining island time with a town visit. ACI places its marina on Sveti Klement in the Pakleni Islands and describes nearby coves, beaches and taxi-boat access to Hvar Town. This offers an alternative to planning around a berth on Hvar’s waterfront.
Confirm Palmižana’s operating dates and berth availability for your sailing week, including any restrictions affecting capacity, and check transfer arrangements locally. Swimming stops also need a location suited to your boat and the current conditions; no cove in this proposal is a guaranteed sheltered anchorage.
If your crew wants an afternoon ashore, give Hvar Town that space. If swimming and reading aboard appeal more, keep the town visit optional. By this point, the route should give you fewer reasons to watch the clock—not another list to complete.
Friday: work backwards from the return deadline
Plan Friday around the operator’s return deadline, allowing for the passage, instructed refuelling procedure and arrival formalities. A final swim is optional. Reaching Split by the agreed time is not.
Before choosing your boat, settle the details that shape the week: departure base, handover hours, Friday return time, fuel instructions and sleeping arrangements. If you are chartering without a hired skipper, our bareboat charter guides can help with the practical preparation.
Saturday morning then belongs to check-out and departure. You may have reached every proposed stop, or you may have moved Trogir outside the sailing days and left Komiža for another week. The Thursday pause is the useful test: if you had time to swim, go ashore or simply stay put without borrowing against Friday’s return margin, the route served its purpose.
