Vrboska

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Revision as of 09:53, 8 October 2018

Vrboska/wiki/Vrboska

Vrboska 43°10.705'N, 016°40.853'E43.18102;16.67205 destination

lat=43.17842 | lon=16.68089 | zoom=14 | y

Vrboska inlet showing ACI marina at bottom

The town and harbour of Vrboska are situated on the N coast of Hvar Island in Croatia, a mile NW of the port of Jelsa. The harbour lies at the W end of a long, winding inlet quayed along most of its length and canalized at its top. The setting is extremely attractive, with an almost Venetian feel to it, and the town contains numerous old Gothic and Renaissance town houses and fine churches, including a remarkable 16th century fortified church of St Mary of Grace.

The harbour offers excellent berthing options for visiting yachts, with a 125 berth ACI-operated marina as well as extensive town quays. Shelter is excellent in all conditions except strong SE gales, which create a dangerous surge in the harbour. The harbour can also be subject to a phenomenon called ‘plima’ in Croatian, a seiche which causes rapid fall and rise of water levels by as much as 2.0 metres. Fortunately this is a relatively rare occurrence (last event in April 2010).

Charts

Weather

See Croatia.

Passages

See Croatia.

Communication

Also see World Cruiser's Nets.

Navigation

The entrance to Vrboska inlet showing the white light structure

There are no dangers in the immediate approach to Vrboska. It can be hard to spot the inlet, especially if approaching from E, but a white light structure on the N side of the entrance is usually conspicuous from some distance. Depths in the entrance are 6.0 metres, gradually shelving to a depth of 2.0 metres by the small islet just under a mile up the channel. Depths on the quays are mostly 3.0 - 4.0 metres and in the marina 3.0 - 6.0 metres.

Entrance

Stari Grad is the nearest summer port of entry. At other times of year, Split or Korcula are the nearest year-round ports of entry.

Berthing

The quay has 20 laid moorings

The north quay has some private moorings

There are three main berthing options:

Town quay

Town quay/wiki/Vrboska#Town_quay

berth Town quay [[Vrboska#Town quay|Town quay]] 43°10.864'N, 016°40.383'ETown quay43.18107;16.67305

Vrboska town quay is to port, about 200 metres past the ACI Marina, and starts at a red port marker. The 100 metre section of quay from the marker to the W end has around 20 laid moorings for yachts along the first 50 metres; the second 50 metres has no moorings and is used by tripper and fishing boats to go alongside. Depths are from 4.5 metres at the E end (at the red marker) to 3.5 metres at the W end. Shelter on the quay is good in all but strong SE winds (25 knots and above), which send in an uncomfortable swell. Water and electricity are available on the quay. Current charges (July 2014) 200 kuna per metre (including water and electricity) plus 100 kuna port fees.

N quay

N quay/wiki/Vrboska#N_quay

berth N quay [[Vrboska#N quay|N quay]] 43°10.761'N, 016°40.810'EN quay43.17935;16.68017

There is a quay on the N side of the inlet, 200 metres NE of Marina Vrboska, where a yacht may be able to lie bows/stern-to or alongside. Much of it is occupied with local boats on moorings tailed to buoys, but it seems that yachts are tolerated here for short periods if there is space. You will probably have to use your anchor if mooring here. Note that the N shore of the inlet beyond this point has depths of little more than 1.0 metre along most of its length.

Marinas & Yacht Clubs

Marina VrboskaMarina Vrboska/wiki/Marina_Vrboska |  – marina |

Anchorages

There are good anchorages in two coves on both the N and S sides at the entrance to Vrboska inlet. Anchor in whichever offers better shelter in the prevailing winds in depths of 4.0 - 5.0 metres. The holding is good in sand and weed. It is possible to find shelter in one or other of the coves in most conditions, although in strong SE winds neither is really tenable.

Amenities

Facilities
Water	at the town quay and in the marina
Electricity	see above
Toilets	in the marina
Showers	in the marina
Laundry	in the marina
Garbage	in the marina and next to the town quay
Supplies
Fuel	INA/wiki/Vrboska#INAfuel INA [[Vrboska#INA|INA]] 43°10.778'N, 016°40.442'EINA43.17964;16.67404 the fuel berth is just W of the marina (depths of 2.0 metres alongside)
Bottled gas
Chandlers
Services
Repairs	basic repairs at the marina
Internet	In some of restaurants
Mobile connectivity
Vehicle rentals	car, scooter and cycle rental outlet next to the marina
Health

Provisioning

Studenac supermarket 100 metres W of quay. Smaller Konzum supermarket 50 metres further on. Butchers and bakers. Fruit and vegetable market.

Eating out

Several restaurants and café/bars ashore.

Transportation

• Buses to the town of Hvar, Stari Grad, Jelsa, Sućuraj and then as far as to Split
• For ferries see Jelsa and Stari Grad

Tourism

A canal runs through the village

The basin at the top of the town

The remarkable fortified church of St Mary of Grace, Vrboska

The old town is a delight to explore, with a rich architectural legacy of Gothic and Renaissance town houses and some fine churches, including the remarkable 16th century fortified church of St Mary of Grace, built for protection against Turkish raids. Also worth visiting is the 15th - 17th century church of St Lovrinac, which contains some superb examples of religious paintings from the Renaissance. The town also boasts a fishermen’s’ museum celebrating the long fishing tradition of the port.

Nearby, at the head of the inlet, in an area inevitably described as ‘Little Venice’, is an area of old stone houses clustered picturesquely around an old stone bridge and a tiny islet bearing a lone palm tree and a war memorial. Finally, there are some excellent walks both through the woods into the mountains and along the coast to Jelsa.

Links

• Vrboska at the Wikipedia
• Vrboska Tourism website

Also see Croatia.

References

See Croatia.

Comments

We welcome users' contributions to the Wiki. Please click on Comments to view other users' comments, add your own personal experiences or recommend any changes to this page following your visit.

Verified by

Date of member's last visit to Vrboska and this page's details validated:

• July 2014 --Athene of Lymington
• Sep 2018 --Vadim

Contributors to this page
Names: Lighthouse, Athene of Lymington