by Klara Braga Jakobsen, Yacht Reviewer at DMA Yachting
The third CROYA Yacht Charter Show ran in Split from 28 September to 1 October 2026. According to the organiser’s official wrap-up, 36 charter yachts lined the city’s West Coast quay, and 222 brokers and central agents walked their decks. Our team was there all four days, as we have been at every edition since the show began in 2024.
What is the CROYA Yacht Charter Show?
CROYA is Croatia’s charter yacht show. The Croatian Yachting Association (CRO.Y.A.) runs it in Split with the Croatian National Tourist Board, under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport. Central agents and owners bring their yachts to the quay so brokers can step aboard, meet the crews and judge each boat the way a guest would. For us, it is the one week a year when most of the Croatian charter fleet is in one place.
How big was CROYA 2026?
- 36 yachts, from 16.56-meter catamarans to a 55-meter motor yacht
- 968 meters of yacht along the quay
- 222 brokers and central agents
- 118 crew members and 12 exhibitors
- Four days, one more than the first two editions, which the organiser put down to international demand
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edition | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Days | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Yachts on show | 42 | 49 | 36 |
| Brokers and central agents | Not published | 253 | 222 |
The 2026 fleet was a young one: five of the 36 yachts were built this year. Beyond the quay, the program added the show’s first Captains’ Dinner, an opening ceremony aboard XCAPE, a welcome party at Taboo Beach Club, yacht hops, an oyster and wine evening and a sushi session.
“Split has once again proven that it is an indispensable hub for yacht charter in the Mediterranean,” Stipe Petričević, president of CRO.Y.A., told Yachts Croatia.
Who won the CROYA 2026 competitions?
The crews competed in four contests, and every one was built around Croatian produce. The chefs’ brief, “Drops of Gold,” asked for Croatian olive oil in every dish. The judges were Rudolf Štefan of the Michelin-starred Pelegrini in Šibenik, Karlo Kaleb of the Michelin-starred Krug in Split, and Ante Toni Bjelančić of Gastromare.
| Competition | Winner |
|---|---|
| Chefs: “Drops of Gold” | 1st FARBEN, chef Lucija Smoljo 2nd (tie) RENATA, chef Duje Dumbelović, and DREAM, chef Artem Cherednichenko 3rd ZORA NUA, chef Luka Vrdoljak |
| Tablescaping: “Honouring Our Roots” | FARBEN, Nadja Bonači |
| Designer Water: Croatian herbs and flowers | OPAL ADRIATIC, Barbara Sinčić and Ana Milićević |
| Cocktails | RARA AVIS and AMBER ONE (tie) |
FARBEN took two first places. ZORA NUA placed on her first visit to the show.
What did we learn at CROYA 2026?
- New builds are arriving with a twist. MIDORI is a fully electric Sunreef. ZORA NUA is a Heysea, a builder rarely seen in the Croatian fleet. BALANCE is a brand-new Azimut.
- Refits are giving proven yachts a second life. RENATA’s interior was rebuilt from scratch. CYNTHIA has been refitted so thoroughly she reads far newer than her years.
- Repeat guests are the real review. MARALLURE already has ten returning guests booked for next season. OHANA set this season’s record with 22 charters.
- The food is moving out of the galley. On MIDORI the chef made sushi in front of the guests, and on DREAM the chef ran a different show on the beach deck every afternoon. Guests watch, then eat.
- Families are the core market. We saw a dedicated kids’ room with a climbing wall, stern cabins that connect for parents and children, and crews who plan whole weeks around three generations. On DREAM, four of six charters this season had guests over 70 aboard.
- Routes are moving past the classic Split to Dubrovnik week. Captains are pitching the northern Adriatic and Venice, and Šibenik works as a base in its own right for the Kornati islands.
How do we inspect a yacht at a show?
We walk every yacht we might recommend, and we split up so the team covers the whole quay. “We go to the shows so that we can actually step on board the yachts ourselves, meet the crews, and know exactly what we’re offering to our clients,” our broker Benita told our camera on the quay. “Through a brochure, I think you only get about 10% of the value of the actual boat.”
What we check is what a brochure cannot show:
- Condition up close: wear, creaks and how well an older yacht has really been kept.
- The smell of the yacht: “Can’t see that on the internet, can’t see that on a photo.”
- The crew in person: how they greet guests, show the boat and work together.
- The managers behind the boat: who will replace a crew member if needed, and who answers when something goes wrong.
Then we pool what we saw. “Even when we are getting onto the same boats, we notice different things,” our broker Max explains. “I’m taking into consideration the opinion of five or six of our brokers.” Every yacht below was walked by at least one of us, and most by several.
Which yachts stole our attention at CROYA 2026?
MIDORI: the most original catamaran of the show
MIDORI is a 2026 Sunreef 70 Eco, fully electric and built around a Japanese idea. Midori means green, and her hull is a deep green to match.
She cruises almost silently, and a walk-through from bow to stern makes her read as one open platform. The galley is the star: the chef makes sushi at a huge cooking island and serves it straight onto the counter in front of the guests.
Her yacht hop was one of the most elevated of the week. Every bed splits into twins, so she reconfigures for any group. Read our full MIDORI review.
OHANA: the family yacht of the season
OHANA means family, and she earns it. She set this season’s record in Croatia with 22 charters.
Below decks she has the best kids’ room we have seen on a charter yacht in Croatia, with a climbing wall, monkey bars and a little kitchen, and a cinema next door for movie nights. Everyone eats together on the aft deck, and the crew run themed nights on request.
Her hospitality is what groups talk about afterwards. She takes up to 30 guests. Read our full OHANA review.
RENATA: our favorite for pure luxury
We saw RENATA for the second year running, and for the second year she had the sharpest interior at the show. Her owner rebuilt the interior from scratch, and the cabins are a size up across the board: her doubles are what most yachts call VIPs.
The master has its own private deck with a jacuzzi, and the beach club has a sauna that opens straight to the sea. Her chef, Duje Dumbelović, took second place in the chefs’ competition. Read our full RENATA review.
ARGO: the large-group yacht done properly
At 55 meters, ARGO was the largest yacht at the show, and she is built around service. Her crew hosted one of the best yacht hops of the week, and it showed how they look after a full boat.
Where big boats often give the smaller cabins a ferry feel, hers are light, colorful and finished like a hotel. She takes 26 guests, and the bridge deck holds the whole group at once. Read our full ARGO review.
DREAM: no small cabin for the top three couples
On DREAM, the afternoons were the highlight. Every day of the show, chef Artem Cherednichenko had something new on the beach deck, from a barbecue at the water’s edge to homemade dumplings, and he tied for second in the chefs’ competition.
She is a 33-meter Cyrus for 10 guests, and three couples share her without anyone getting the small room: the master sits on the main deck with no stairs, the VIP below is the biggest cabin aboard, and the bow cabin holds its own. On four of her six charters this season, guests over 70 were aboard.
Captain Nicholas shares his secret itinerary on the bridge.
MARALLURE: one of the most solid picks among Croatian motorsailers
We have walked MARALLURE at all three editions of the show, and she keeps getting better. Ten returning guests are already booked for next season, which says more than any brochure.
Her crew carry buzzers and smart watches, so a request reaches the right person right away, and they film the week by drone so guests go home with their own footage. Add one of the best sundecks among the motorsailers we saw and a water slide, and she is one of the safest recommendations in her class.
CYNTHIA: a fast yacht with a different route
CYNTHIA is a 35-meter Maiora, fully refitted, and from outside she looks like a very large speedboat. She can run at 30 knots, but her crew use that power with restraint: gentle cruising with swim stops, and the speed saved for when a group wants to cover ground.
What stood out is her captain’s pitch for something other than the usual Split to Dubrovnik week: the northern Adriatic, with Venice within reach. She ran more than ten charters in Croatia this season, many with three generations aboard. Read our full CYNTHIA review.
BALANCE: the quiet pick for the Kornati
BALANCE is a 2026 Azimut and the quiet, contained option in her size. Her interior is minimalist without being cold, in light beige with wood trims, and the crew and guest areas are properly separated, so the service happens out of sight.
She is based in Šibenik, the natural start for the Kornati islands, and she can begin a charter on any day of the week.
ZORA NUA: the value find of the show
ZORA NUA is a 2026 Heysea, a builder that is hard to find in Croatia, and she was the value find of the week. Four of her five cabins are matching doubles, so four couples share the week on equal terms.
The fifth is a twin for friends or children. That layout is rare in the Croatian catamaran fleet.
Her chef, Luka Vrdoljak, placed third in the chefs’ competition on her first visit to the show.
TRI WING ENDOR: the best water-toy setup on any catamaran
TRI WING ENDOR, a Lagoon 65, has the most impressive water-toy setup we have seen on any catamaran in Croatia. A crane on the bow launches the jet ski, so it actually gets used.
The crew time the inflatable platform so it is ready when the group returns from lunch or an island tour. A projector can be hung anywhere, the bow included, for a cinema night at anchor.
She spends her summers in Croatia and her winters in the Caribbean.
Our take
The yachts that impressed us at CROYA 2026 were either new builds trying something different or proven boats whose owners keep investing. The crews competed on Croatian produce and hospitality, not on size. At the top of this fleet, Croatia competes on product, not just on price.
What to do next
- Read our first report: CROYA Yacht Show 2024 Wrap
- Compare the best catamarans: Top 10 Crewed Catamaran Charters in Croatia
- Browse the motorsailers: Top 10 Croatia Luxury Motorsailers
- Bring a big group: Top 10 Croatia Yacht Charters for 13-30 Guests
- Plan a northern route: Been to Split and Dubrovnik? A Captain’s Case for a Northern Croatia Yacht Charter
- Sail to Italy: Can You Charter a Yacht from Croatia to Venice?
Last updated: October 2026
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