How did a Kiwi come to live and work on a yacht in Croatia?

“It must be by the hand of God, how else could a girl from the other side of the world end up in Croatia and find my grandson?”

These were the endearing sentiments of my husband’s Baba (now passed) when she first met me. Of course, I didn’t understand it at the time because I didn’t speak Croatian and she didn’t speak English but it was later translated and will be a sentence that stays with me forever.

Five years later and at times, it feels as though there is no other explanation for it. I look around and am still struck by the natural beauty of Croatia; the climate, history, tradition and culture… it all still has me spellbound. And now, I get to share my love and passion with guests sailing up and down the Dalmatian coast. So, how did a kiwi come to live and work on a yacht in Croatia?

I first came to Croatia almost six years ago, I had just finished a 2-year stint in London and my soul was in need of sunshine, freedom and adventure. I knew nothing about Croatia at the time, I had only seen a few dreamy pictures from my friends who had been sailing in Croatia and that was enough.

After travelling around Europe, through a series of coincidences, I ended up working on a boat in Croatia as a tour guide for young aussie and kiwi travellers.

I instantly fell in love with the country, something about it made me feel home. While the turquoise waters and coastline held me captivated, it was the people more than anything who really made me feel welcome. Once I got to know the locals, it didn’t take long before they all started telling me that I was Dalmatian at heart, that I would find love and end up moving to Croatia. I figured this was just a line they used on all of the young, enthusiastic travellers but it turns out, they were right.

This is where the story gets a little cliché, I met Mirko – my now husband, on a boat in Croatia. Not just any boat either, it was a replica pirate ship! To cut a long story short, Mirko and I got together (in my second summer in Croatia); then I moved to Australia for work but inevitably booked a one-way ticket back to Croatia and married my man of the Adriatic.

Since then, we have been working on luxury yachts together, Mirko as the Captain and I work as the hostess. A lot of people think it is a dream to be living and working together on a yacht but I will say this now, working with your partner, in a small confined space is not for everyone. Restaurants taught me a lot of valuable lessons but no matter how difficult, at the end of the day, you still get to go home to your own space. Not so on a yacht. You cannot fake working in this industry, living and working in the same space can be intense, so you really need to be in it for the right reasons and love what you do. Thankfully, we do.

Sailing and the sea has been Mirko’s passion for more than a decade; he loves raising the sails and showing people his country. As well as being the Captain, Mirko is also a – carpenter, electrician, plumber… all of these traits come in extremely handy when you live and work on a boat for 4 – 5 months. My background is in hospitality, for the better part of a decade, I worked in and managed restaurants in NZ, Australia and London. This passion for hospitality, gastronomy and more importantly – people, was the perfect foundation for life on a boat.

I may sound biased when I say this – but after working on yachts in Croatia for a few years now, I can hand-to-my-heart say that when you are booking a sailing holiday, the crew are one of the most important factors. Think about it for a second, you could book the most beautiful yacht but if the crew are incompetent or even just that bit miserable, it will impact on the energy of your holiday. For better or worse, the crew become a part of your travel memories. I have been lucky enough to work among some fantastic crews and it was something that our guests always commented on.

This year, Mirko and I are moving away from luxury cruising vessels and are instead managing and crewing (just the 2 of us) a gorgeous, classic 72-foot sailing yacht. Mirko is thrilled because it means he will be able to hoist the sails a lot more than in previous years and I am excited for the clientele I believe this yacht will attract. While luxury cruising was all good and well, we both have so much passion for Croatia that we want to share with our guests – rather than just ‘serving’.

Croatia has a rich history and culture, the food and wine scene is only just being discovered and for those who want adventure or to get ‘off-the-beaten-path’, we know exactly where to take you. I think this is the beauty of being a foreigner in this role and why Mirko and I make such a great team. For me, the awe of how special Croatia is hasn’t worn off, I see this in our guests and get to guide them through their experience, all while understanding an international traveller’s expectations. Whereas Mirko is from Croatia, he knows the coastline like the back of his hands and can share genuine experiences of growing up here.

Our motto is “SEA it different”; we want our guests to have a beautiful, relaxed sailing holiday but we also pride ourselves on customising our itineraries to match our guests’ interests and expectations while showing them ‘our’ Croatia – rather than a copy-paste tour.

Like I said, the job itself can be challenging but waking up on the water, in a new destination every day and showing people around a country that we both love, really is a dream job to me, to us. We are already excited for the summer sailing season ahead and cannot wait to create new memories for our guests. See you in Croatia!

If you’re interested in joining Tash and Mirko in Croatia, or have any questions about sailing in Croatia, get in touch with us on (03) 8609 7499 or send an email to rosie@mosaictravel.com.au