2018 — present
Adriatic charter skipper
Weekly charter skippering out of Split, Trogir and Šibenik through the full April–October season, on both bareboat-style weeks and fully hosted trips.
Split, Croatia
Verified skipper
Marko Kovačević
Split, Croatia · Sails Central Dalmatia, Kornati & the Southern Adriatic
Adriatic skipper focused on well-paced island routes, clear communication and giving crews the right balance between sailing and time ashore.
- Rating
- 4.9 · 128 reviews
- Experience
- 12 years
- Sea miles
- 34,000+
- Languages
- Croatian · English · Italian
Identity and relevant professional sailing documents reviewed by Malaka.
About Marko
Calm at the helm. Flexible with the route.
Marko has spent most of his professional sailing career in the Adriatic. He prefers routes with enough movement to feel like a sailing trip, but enough time ashore that the week never feels rushed.
He grew up between Split and Šolta and started working the summer charter season at twenty-three, first as crew on delivery legs between Croatia and Italy, later as a skipper running weekly island routes out of Split and Šibenik. Twelve seasons on, he knows which bays hold in a strong maestral, which harbours fill by four in the afternoon, and where to go when the forecast changes on a Wednesday.
"I plan the week around the wind and the crew — not the other way round. Everything else is negotiable."
Briefings happen the evening before and take ten minutes, not an hour. Guests who want to steer, trim or learn to read a chart are welcome at any point; guests who would rather read on the foredeck are left to it. Marko sails with an eye on how the group is doing — a quiet anchorage after a long passage day, a town night when the crew wants one.
Trips are hosted in Croatian, English and Italian, and he is comfortable with mixed groups where the sailing experience ranges from none at all to a few own-boat seasons.
Good to know before you book
- Beginners are welcome on every hosted route — no sailing experience is required.
- Routes are confirmed day by day, based on the forecast and what the crew wants.
- Typical sailing day: three to five hours under way, arriving early enough to swim.
- Monohull and catamaran — Marko skippers both, including on skipper-only requests.
- Messages go through Malaka, so trip details and agreements stay in one place.
Usually replies within a few hours during the season.
- Base
- Split, Croatia
- Experience
- 12 years · 34,000+ sea miles
- Languages
- Croatian · English · Italian
- Yacht types
- Monohull · Catamaran
- Primary sailing areas
- Central Dalmatia · Kornati · Southern Adriatic
- Services
- Hosted trips · Skipper-only
- Booking modes
- Whole yacht · Cabin · Single berth
- Season
- April – October
Track record
Experience on the water.
Twelve seasons of Adriatic sailing — hosted island weeks, private charters and deliveries along the Croatian, Italian and Greek coasts.
2016 — present
Hosted sailing trips
Designing and hosting island routes across Central Dalmatia, the Kornati national park and the Dubrovnik archipelago for mixed-experience crews.
2014 — present
Delivery & repositioning
Season-start and season-end passages between Croatia, Italy and Greece, including overnight legs across the Adriatic and around the Ionian.
2017 — present
Catamaran experience
Regular seasons on Lagoon, Bali and Fountaine Pajot classes in the 40–46 ft range, with families and larger whole-yacht groups.
Verification
Professional credentials.
Malaka reviews the documents that matter before a skipper is published — and shows you the summary, not the paperwork.
Professional sailing licence
Valid commercial skipper qualification for the sailing areas shown on this profile.
VerifiedVHF / SRC radio
Short range certificate for marine radio operation on board.
VerifiedIdentity
Government-issued identity document checked against the account holder.
VerifiedAdditional certificates
First aid, sea survival and similar training, where the skipper holds them.
Reviewed where applicableMalaka verifies relevant professional documents before showing the Verified Skipper badge. Licence numbers, document scans and personal details are never published — only the verification summary above.
Local knowledge
Where Marko knows the coast best.
Three stretches of the Croatian coast he sails most weeks of the season — each with a different rhythm.
Central Dalmatia
Split · Hvar · Brač · Vis · Šolta
Short hops between big-name islands and quiet channels. The classic first Croatian week — swimming stops at midday, a town every second night.
Kornati & Šibenik
Kornati · Zlarin · Dugi Otok · Primošten
Bare stone islands, national park anchorages and very few lights at night. Emptier than the south, and the best sailing when the maestral fills in.
Southern Adriatic
Dubrovnik · Mljet · Korčula · Lastovo
Green islands, longer channels and warm water into late September. A slower week with more distance between anchorages.
The chart
Marko's Adriatic, area by area.
Select an area on the chart to see the islands he sails there and the trips he hosts in that stretch of coast.
Selected area
Central Dalmatia
Short hops between Split, Šolta, Brač, Hvar and Vis — the route Marko sails most weeks of the season.
- Split
- Šolta
- Brač
- Hvar
- Vis
- Pakleni Islands
Trips hosted here
Tap a marker or an area to change the selection.
Hosting style
What it's like to sail with Marko.
You are choosing a person for a week, not only a qualification. Here is how he runs a trip.
Calm communication
Clear briefings the evening before, no unnecessary drama when something changes.
Flexible route planning
Weather and crew needs come before a rigid itinerary — the plan is confirmed day by day.
Guests can participate
Sail handling, helming and navigation involvement if you want it — and none of it if you don't.
Strong local knowledge
Anchorage choices, arrival timing and a second option for every bay when the wind turns.
Social but not forced
Enough structure to make the crew work together, without over-hosting the week.
Honest about the sailing
If a passage will be lively, he says so beforehand — and offers the shorter alternative.
Hosted experiences
Trips hosted by Marko.
Routes he designed and sails himself. Book the whole yacht, a cabin, or a single berth on a shared week.
Showing all 4 trips.
4 departures left
4.9 (64)
Central Dalmatia
Croatia Islands Escape
Split · Hvar · Vis · Komiža · Brač · Šolta · Split
- 6–13 Jun
- 13–20 Jun
- 18–25 Jul · 2 left
From €850 / person
€6,400
whole yacht
whole yacht
3 departures left
4.9 (31)
Kornati & Šibenik
Dalmatian Hidden Islands
Šibenik · Kornati · Dugi Otok · Zlarin · Primošten
- 20–27 Jun
- 29 Aug–5 Sep · last cabin
From €790 / person
€5,600
whole yacht
whole yacht
Catamaran
4.8 (22)
Hvar & Vis
Hvar & Vis Social Sailing
Split · Hvar · Vis · Pakleni Islands · Split
- 4–11 Jul · last cabin
- 15–22 Aug
From €980 / person
€7,400
whole yacht
whole yacht
Late season
4.9 (11)
Southern Adriatic
Southern Dalmatia Week
Dubrovnik · Mljet · Korčula · Lastovo · Dubrovnik
- 12–19 Sep
- 19–26 Sep
From €910 / person
€6,900
whole yacht
whole yacht
Next weeks
Upcoming departures.
Confirmed weeks with places still open. Cabin and berth availability updates as bookings come in.
6–13 June
Croatia Islands Escape Split → Hvar → Vis → Brač → Split
Bavaria Cruiser 46
4 berths left
View departure13–20 June
Croatia Islands Escape Split → Šolta → Vis → Hvar → Split
Dufour 430
2 cabins left
View departure20–27 June
Dalmatian Hidden Islands Šibenik → Kornati → Dugi Otok → Zlarin
Dufour 430
3 berths left
View departure4–11 July
Hvar & Vis Social Sailing Split → Hvar → Vis → Pakleni Islands
Lagoon 42
Last cabin
View departure12–19 September
Southern Dalmatia Week Dubrovnik → Mljet → Korčula → Lastovo
Bavaria Cruiser 45
Whole yacht open
View departureSkipper-only
Already have a yacht?
Marko also accepts skipper-only requests for selected dates and sailing areas — your charter or your own boat, his local knowledge at the helm.
Requests are reviewed individually. Marko confirms only the areas, dates and yacht types he actually sails.
Available areas
- Central Dalmatia
- Kornati & Šibenik
- Southern Adriatic
Yacht types
- Monohull, up to 50 ft
- Catamaran, up to 46 ft
Typical services
- Weekly charter skipper
- Private multi-day trips
- Delivery / repositioning where appropriate
This season
Availability at a glance.
A public overview only — exact dates are confirmed with Marko after a request.
June
Limited availability
Most weeks already hosting. One skipper-only window mid-month.
July
Available selected weeks
Two open weeks for skipper-only requests in Central Dalmatia.
August
Mostly hosting Malaka trips
Cabins and berths on hosted departures are the best route in.
September
Skipper-only availability
Good late-season window, including Southern Adriatic one-way routes.
Open for requests Limited Mostly booked Private calendar details are never published.
Skipper request
Ask Marko about your week.
Tell him the area, the dates and the yacht. He reviews the details and responds with availability and a price.
- 1 Send the trip details — no payment at this stage.
- 2 Marko confirms whether the dates and area work.
- 3 You agree the details and book through Malaka.
Reviews
What crews say afterwards.
Reviews are written by guests who completed a trip or a skipper-only week booked through Malaka.
4.9
128 reviews · 12 seasons
Average across hosted trips and skipper-only weeks. Sub-scores are shown when at least ten guests have rated that category.
- Communication
- 5.0
- Sailing
- 4.9
- Local knowledge
- 5.0
- Organization
- 4.8
- Crew experience
- 4.9
- Value
- 4.8
Showing all 6 reviews.
Group of friends · Croatia Islands Escape
Route changes because of wind were explained clearly and actually made the week better.
First-time sailor · Hvar & Vis Social Sailing
I never felt out of my depth. We could help with the sails when we wanted, but there was no pressure.
Couple · cabin booking
Great balance between sailing time, quiet bays and evenings ashore.
Whole-yacht group · Kornati
Marko understood quickly when we wanted a social night and when we wanted somewhere quiet.
Skipper-only · own charter
We chartered the boat ourselves and hired Marko for the week. He fitted into our group instead of taking it over.
Skipper-only · catamaran
Very organised week with two families on board. We would have liked one more long sailing day, but that was our call, not his.
On board
From recent weeks at sea.
A few frames from this season's departures.
Trust & safety
What Malaka checks and handles.
Identity verified
Every published skipper passes an identity check before the profile goes live.
Professional documents reviewed
Licences and radio certificates are checked and re-checked each season.
Secure booking
Payments and cancellation terms run through Malaka, not a private transfer.
Platform messaging
Questions, agreements and trip details stay in one thread you can refer back to.
Clear trip details
Route, yacht, cabins, what is included and what is shared — written down before you pay.
Customer support
A Malaka team you can reach before, during and after the trip.
Before you book
Not sure what to ask before you book?
Pick one of these and it goes straight into a message to Marko. He answers questions before booking, not only after.
FAQ
Questions about sailing with Marko.
Yes, for selected dates and areas. He takes skipper-only work on yachts you charter yourself or already own, mainly in Central Dalmatia, the Kornati and the Southern Adriatic. Send the dates through the request form and he will confirm whether the week is open.
Central Dalmatia is home water — Split, Šolta, Brač, Hvar and Vis. He also sails the Kornati and Šibenik archipelago regularly, and runs Southern Adriatic weeks around Mljet, Korčula and Lastovo mostly in late season.
Yes. He has sailed Lagoon, Bali and Fountaine Pajot classes in the 40–46 ft range for several seasons, and hosts one catamaran trip a year on a Lagoon 42.
Croatian, English and Italian. Briefings and messages can be in any of the three.
Every hosted trip is open to people who have never sailed. You can take the helm, help with lines and learn to read the chart if you want to — or stay out of it entirely and enjoy the week.
Yes, on the departures marked for cabin or berth booking. You share the yacht with other guests, and Marko keeps the group size to what the boat comfortably takes.
Most departures can be taken as a whole-yacht booking for your own group, at the whole-yacht price shown on each trip. Availability is first come, first served.
Malaka reviews identity and the relevant professional sailing documents before the Verified Skipper badge appears. Only the summary is published — licence numbers, scans and personal details are never shown publicly.
Yes. Use "Ask Marko a question" — questions before booking are normal, and he usually replies within a few hours during the season.
You receive the confirmed dates, the daily rate and what is included. Once you both agree the details, the booking and payment are completed through Malaka — no private arrangement needed.
More skippers
Other skippers you may want to meet.
Verified skippers with a similar style in neighbouring sailing areas.
Ana Petrović
Dubrovnik, Croatia
4.9 · 96 reviews
Elena Papadopoulou
Lefkada, Ionian
5.0 · 74 reviews
Luca Moretti
Palermo, Sicily
4.8 · 58 reviews
Stefan Jovanović
Tivat, Montenegro
4.9 · 41 reviews
Sail with Marko
Sail Croatia with Marko.
Join one of his published routes or ask about skipper-only availability for your own yacht.