PERSONAL DETAILS

Date and place of birth : 14 MAY 1976, Milano
Nationality : Croatian
NON SMOKER

SPOKEN LANGUAGES

Croatian, English and Italian mother tongue, French advanced,
Spanish basic (thanks to my excellent knowledge of the Italian language I have good comprehension and communication skills for Spanish and never have had problems in communicating with my many Latino American clients)

EDUCATION

1979-1994, International School of Milan, International Baccalaureate Diploma
1994-1996, Royal Holloway & Bedford College (University of London) Media &Communication studies 1997-2003, IULM Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione, Bachelor Degree in Public Relations and
Communication Sciences
Final Thesis : “The come back of Croatia on the world tourism market after the war” 2012-2014, University of Split faculty of economics, Diploma in Tourist Agency Management

RELEVANT YACHT QUALIFICATIONS AND CERTIFICATES

Boat Leader Certificate B Category
STCW Certificate (Standards of Training Certification & Watch keeping for Seafarers) VHF License
Matricula

YACHTING EXPERIENCE

Thanks to my free lance jobs winter jobs I could focus on what I most liked as my big passion has always been from early age Croatia and its incredible islands and sea.
Since 1999 till the present day (2015) I have worked for the top charter companies in Croatia as a hostess, guide, second deck and logistics at sea, with an average of 18 weeks per season.
My constant effort in putting quality of the service at the first place has been recognised by many charter operators and foreign agents over this past decade.
I am an expert on hidden locations and particular spots away from the tourist masses.
Having a big experience in this field, knowing very well the whole area not only physically but also culturally, I often get called as an advisor for other people’s organisations, as a problem solver and as a navigator to those who know how to sail but do not know where to go to get the best out of their sailing charter week.
My philosophy is treating the foreigners we get on board not as common tourists, but as visitors and friends to whom we want to show the best there is, make them experience Croatia trough all the senses and make people feel as part of it all.

I have always dedicated my self predominately to charters rather than private owned yachts (though I did have several experiences which are fundamental for an overall 360° boat hostess) for the pleasure of meeting new people every week and integrating different cultures and knowledge’s with my own.
I consider myself and my colleagues as ambassadors of our country in some sort of way, and my main aim is for our guests to fall in love with Croatia and have great memories about it all.

TYPE of YACHTING EXPERIENCE

Endless to list, as 15 years is a long period of time of working with charters and changing boats every week as I cover for charters sailing boats, catamarans, motor boats and luxury yachts.
But here is a short sum up of boat ranges that I have covered through out the charter season in the last 15 years (may-october) :
Sailing boats from 30 up to 58 feet (Beneteau, First, Hanse, Bavaria…) Catamarans from 38 up to 62 feet (Lagoon, Privilege, Nautitech..)
Motor boats from 60 up to 90 feet (Sunseeker, Princess, Ferretti, Yaretti…)

Boats where I was fix member of crew: 2010 March,April,May,
private yacht, logistics and second crew member on Pershing 90 M/Y “Alice” 2010 September, October, November,
private yacht, hostess on Ferretti 881 M/Y “Tugarka” Season 2008-2009 and part of season 2010,
charter, second crew member on Lagoon 570 “Mala” (Nava Boats)
Season 2007
charter, second crew member on Ketch Scorpion 72 M/S “SinbadSan” (Fortuna Cruising) 2004 September, October, November
private yacht, hostess and logistics on Mangusta 80 M/Y “Temptation”

2005 August,
Member of the organisation for an Italian boating company “Water Tribe” for a two week flotilla in Croatia of 27 boats with 230 people, I was in charge of everything from the route to the daily problem solving and logistics.

RELEVANT SKILLS
I am a cheerful, communicative, enthusiastic, responsible and well organised person who has grown up in an international spirit and is used to working a lot with people and for people.
I love presenting my country to foreigners and I have taken this as some sort of mission! Excellent public relations skills
Flexible, open-minded and creative Working under pressure
Tolerant, precise and stress proof
I pay exceptional attention to details Love team work

INTERESTS & HOBBIES
Travelling and discovering new cultures
(travelled to Australia, New Zealand, Morocco, Oman,Tunis, Cuba, USA, Europe…next plan is Brazil, Chile and Argentina)
Photography
(had two independent exhibitions in 1999/ Zagreb and 2001/Bol, island of Brac, theme:
“1989-1999 the decade of windsurfing’s development as a sport on the Croatian Adriatic Sea”. Reading
Gastronomy and wine Skiing
Swimming Hiking

MY COOKING

I am not a schooled “chef” but it has been 15 years I have been cooking for people and guiding them on their holidays on high level boats and they have always been delighted with the food which I prepare and serve.
I don’t impose a particular kind of cuisine in advance without knowing the people I will have on board, as I like to adapt and conform to those which are people’s preferences and this is the reason why I don’t create menu’s in advance.
Having on board every week people of different countries and cultures one well knows that not all people like the same things or have the same food habits and timings of their meals.
Being the summer months very warm on the Adriatic Sea, the preferred cuisine I prepare is the Mediterranean one, rich of vegetables (in all possible ways), salad’s, pasta’s, fish, marinades, risotto’s, pate’s…
Meat and meat stews are also an important component of the Croatian food culture which link the Mediterranean (Italian style diet) and Continental cuisines.
I have a big flexibility and adaptation to people’s needs and sometimes it depends on what can be bought in the local markets on the day (fresh is always best, I am not a fan of giving people frozen food!)
I like it when it is possible that the client’s contact me in advance to tell me what are their food orientations, if they are vegetarians, if they suffer from any food allergies, if there is something they really don’t like, if there will be any special recurrences during their stay on the boat such as anniversaries, b-days…
The more information I have the better it is to reach best clients’ needs.
What I do avoid to have or cook on board are shells as they are always risky especially in high temperatures. I am very sincere on this point as poisoning from sea shells is quite unpleasant.
When people are into shells I prefer to recommend them the few restaurants I really trust who get them from the right people and can store them better than we can on the boat.

IDEAL WEEK ON A BOAT
An ideal week on a charter boat is when there is clear communication between the guests and the crew, as guests have to make their wishes clear and then it is up to the crew to give their maximum to combine the guest’s wishes with the true possibilities to make them have a great holiday on the boat.

Interview with Sanja, published in magazine More (Sea)

Article by Sanja, published on Meet the Adriatic

Welcome aboard, Benvenuti a bordo, Dobro dosli na brod – I must have said that sentence hundreds of times in the past ten years, and still it gives me the same pleasure to say it every time I welcome new guests aboard yachts. New guests are friends you haven’t met yet – here to enjoy our beautiful Adriatic and experience Croatia. Most of the times those guests have little yachting experience or none at all, but have heard from friends this was the best way to see the beauties of our country, its islands and coast. Some of them choose chartering a yacht for its trendy appear, but forget about appearances the second they step aboard; just relax and enjoy the freedom only boats can give. Those who have already experienced that freedom and mastered the art of sailing are rare, and most of luxury yachts in these waters are chartered by inexperienced tourists who benefit greatly from help of professional crews. Seasoned crews know how to spot newbies – a great tell is the number of suitcases dragged aboard; their type and size – a boxy Samsonite with wheels is hardly sign of an experienced sailor. …