Leg 77 of 97 · Passage plan · RYA Yachtmaster standard
Kornati to Skradin
East out of the Kornati past Kakan and Kaprije, through the narrow St Anthony channel into Šibenik, and up the Krka river through Prokljan lake to Skradin, at the gate of the Krka National Park and its waterfalls.
About 14:51 CEST at Skradin. In the afternoon, with about 5 hours 20 minutes of daylight in hand (sunset 20:09 CEST).
Tides
Range about 0.2 m: no practical effect
Wind
The maestral in the afternoon; the river is sheltered
Boat
35 to 38 ft sailing yacht, 1.9 m draught, 6 kn under sail, 5.5 kn under engine
Crew
Skipper and 3 crew, 2 watches of 2
Track and waypoints 1 to 8, with ports of refuge as squares.
Go or no-go
Decide at 08:00 CEST. Go only if all of these hold:
No bora or wind above force 5.
ACI Skradin berth confirmed.
Visibility 2 nm or more.
If the weather is wrong, stay at Piškera, or stop at ACI Vodice on the way.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 0.5 nm off land except at the harbour ends. Distances and courses are calculated from them. Plot every one on the current chart before use. Courses are true.
#
Waypoint
Latitude
Longitude
Course
Leg nm
Total nm
ETA
Notes
0
ACI Marina Piškera
43°45.6′N
015°21.0′E
09:00 CEST
Depart.
1
South-east of Kornat
43°45.8′N
015°24.0′E
085°T
2.2
2.2
09:26 CEST
Out of the park.
2
North of Kakan
43°45.0′N
015°36.0′E
095°T
8.7
10.9
10:53 CEST
Check on the chart
3
North of Zlarin
43°44.5′N
015°46.0′E
094°T
7.2
18.1
12:06 CEST
Check on the chart
4
Šibenik channel approach
43°43.0′N
015°50.5′E
115°T
3.6
21.7
12:49 CEST
Off the Jadrija light. Call Šibenik Port Control on VHF 9.
5
St Anthony channel
43°43.3′N
015°51.8′E
072°T
1.0
22.7
13:03 CEST
2,700 m long and 120 to 300 m wide. Outgoing current up to 3 kn when the Krka is high.
6
Šibenik harbour
43°43.9′N
015°53.4′E
063°T
1.3
24.0
13:19 CEST
Check on the chart
7
Krka, below the bridges
43°46.4′N
015°53.5′E
002°T
2.5
26.5
13:49 CEST
Up the river: keep to starboard, many red and green lights. Check on the chart
8
Prokljan
43°48.5′N
015°53.0′E
350°T
2.1
28.6
14:15 CEST
Cape Oštrica light Fl G 2s. Check on the chart
9
ACI Marina Skradin
43°49.0′N
015°55.4′E
074°T
1.8
30.4
14:51 CEST
Position approximate. Check on the chart
Tides and time
Kornati · Mon 9 Aug · CEST (UTC+2)
LW
03:07
0.1 m
HW
13:07
0.3 m
From the Split station.
Skradin · Mon 9 Aug · CEST (UTC+2)
LW
03:07
0.1 m
HW
13:07
0.3 m
From the Split station.
Monday 9 August 2027. Tides. The range here is 0.1 to 0.3 m: tides make no practical difference. Wind and air pressure move the sea level more than the tide does.
Both ends use the Split station.
Tide times are predictions made for this plan from the TICON-4 harmonic constants (DGFI-TUM) with the Neaps tide predictor, because the official 2027 tables were not yet published when it was written. Tested against the official APDL table for Leixões on 23 July 2026, the predicted times were within 8 minutes and the heights 0.1 to 0.2 m lower. Heights are above lowest astronomical tide. Check every time against the official 2027 table before sailing.
Daylight. Sunrise at Kornati 05:56 CEST. Sunset at Skradin 20:09 CEST.
Weather
Among the islands the sea is mostly sheltered.
The Krka is a drowned river valley, sheltered from all directions.
Forecasts to check
Croatian marine forecast: DHMZ Marine Meteorological Centre, Split, meteo.hr, for the North, Central and South Adriatic, with warnings.
Split Radio: weather and safety broadcasts at 05:45, 12:45, 19:45 and 00:45 UTC on VHF 7, 21, 23, 28, 81 and 84. Dubrovnik Radio: VHF 7, 19, 4, 85 and 28 by area.
NAVTEX Split: station Q on 518 kHz in English, at 02:40, 06:40, 10:40, 14:40, 18:40 and 22:40 UTC.
Hazards
St Anthony channel. Narrow, with ships to Šibenik. Port Control VHF 9, harbour master VHF 10. An outgoing current runs at the entrance: about 0.5 kn, up to 3 kn when the Krka is high.
Krka river. About 100 m wide in places, 7 to 40 m deep; the left bank is shallower. Speed limits and anchoring rules for private yachts on the river could not be checked. Check on the chart
Krka National Park. Private boats stop at Skradin; park boats carry visitors up to Skradinski buk, and the ticket includes the boat. Swimming only at marked spots. Drones are prohibited.
Bora (bura). A cold, gusty north-easterly that falls off the mountains. It is strongest and most frequent in winter but can blow in summer, and can start suddenly from a clear, calm sky. Signs are a cap of cloud on the mountains and a short, steep, white-crested sea. In a bora warning, stay in harbour or tuck under the lee of the mainland, never under the lee of an island in a channel.
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Piškera
Start
Within the first hour
ACI marina.
ACI Vodice
4 nm north of waypoint 3
Weather turns
VHF 17, +385 98 398 847.
Šibenik
Waypoint 6
Alternative
Marinas. Check the pilot book
Pilotage
Leaving Piškera
Leave the marina by the north or west approach and head east out of the park.
Up the Krka to Skradin
Enter the St Anthony channel past the Jadrija light, listening on VHF 9.
Cross Šibenik harbour and go up the Krka, keeping to starboard, past the bridges and through Prokljan.
Enter between Cape Lukovo (Fl R 2s) and Cape Dut (Fl G 2s). Call ACI Skradin on VHF 17 (+385 98 398 848).
Strong outgoing current in the channel. Wait outside or stem it at reduced speed, keeping clear of ships.
Person overboard. Shout, point, throw the danger buoy, press MOB, DSC distress alert, Mayday on 16.
Before leaving
Forecasts read and logged before the go or no-go time
Croatian notices to mariners checked for the route
Waypoints entered and checked against the chart
Ship's log started in UTC
Crew briefing: route, watches, safety gear, MOB, fog
ACI Skradin berth booked
Fuel for 7 hours under engine, plus a reserve
Water, food and hot drinks for 8 hours
Lifejackets with crotch straps, jackstays rigged, harnesses
Liferaft, grab bag, flares in date, handheld VHF
Radar, AIS and navigation lights tested
Passports, boat papers and insurance aboard
Sources
Šibenik channel: portauthority-sibenik.hr.
ACI Skradin and ACI Vodice: aci-marinas.com.
Krka National Park: npkrka.hr.
Croatian harbour masters: mmpi.gov.hr (Pula, Rijeka, Zadar and Šibenik offices and branches). Vignette: mmpi.gov.hr; enautika.pomorstvo.hr.
Croatian lights: plovput.hr (official list). Radio and NAVTEX: plovput.hr.
ACI marinas: aci-marinas.com.
Tides: predictions from TICON-4 harmonic constants (Hart-Davis, Dettmering and Seitz, DGFI-TUM, 2025, doi 10.17882/109129) with Neaps (openwaters.io). Check against the Instituto Hidrográfico 2027 tables.
Sunrise and sunset: calculated (NOAA method).
Lights: The Lighthouse Directory (Rowlett), ibiblio.org/lighthouse, Portugal pages revised August 2024. Cross-check with the IH List of Lights, volume I.