After one of the most extensive votes by the nautical community this year, the Zadar marina D-Marin Borik has been confirmed as the most desirable starting point for sailing the Adriatic among participants of the Nautičko jedro 2025 campaign. According to the organizer, tens of thousands of readers and thousands of boaters participated in the selection, and the final ceremony was held on December 1, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Zadar Maraska hotel. In an atmosphere that brought together the profession, local self-government, and representatives of national institutions, the Zadar marina was recognized for its service quality, technological strides, sustainability, and stay experience for crews of various profiles.

Along with representatives of the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the event was attended, among others, by the Prefect of Zadar County Josip Bilaver and the Mayor of Zadar Šime Erlić, as well as numerous guests from the nautical industry. For D-Marin Borik, this recognition symbolically rounds off a season in which the Zadar area reaffirmed its status as one of the leading Croatian and Mediterranean destinations for boaters, with excellent transport connectivity, a blossoming high-end hotel offer, and emphasized care for preserving the marine environment.

What is Nautičko jedro and why is it important

Nautičko jedro is an annual initiative that, through field work by journalists, thematic features, and survey voting by the audience and boaters themselves, maps the best experiences along the eastern coast of the Adriatic. In the ninth year of the campaign, the format retained its recognizable blend of subjective experience, professional evaluation, and public voting. Precisely such a combination makes the difference compared to classic professional awards: the results are a reflection of usage in real conditions – from registration and docking, through infrastructure and safety, to hospitality and service support on the spot.

For a marina like D-Marin Borik, such a model proved particularly relevant. Borik passes the "reality test" on a daily basis with a large number of short-term and seasonal users, including charter crews and owners of yachts up to 30 meters in length, who often combine a city break in Zadar with quick sailing towards the Kornati National Park and Telašćica Nature Park. These are precisely the parameters that gather the most points in surveys year after year: speed and clarity of procedures, digital self-service, availability of technical support, and general tidiness and safety of the water area.

Infrastructure and capacities: boutique approach with a focus on crews

D-Marin Borik is positioned on the western city coast, opposite the Zadar Peninsula, with direct access to the channels and islands of the Zadar archipelago. The marina has berths designed for stability in different wind regimes, and the reception of vessels up to approximately 30 meters enables a quality "spread" from family cruisers to larger yachts. In daily work, this means transferring experience from the world of superyachts – standardized protocols, neat energy and water management, discreet security – into a format accessible to the wider nautical community.

Besides basic electrical and water infrastructure, Borik has imposed itself in recent seasons through the modernization of reception processes, laundry and sanitary facilities, integration of laundry services, the possibility of lifting and launching vessels in coordination with partner services, and transparent management of berth availability. In practice, this shortens the time from docking to the crew's "stand-by" state, and also reduces the potential for errors in taking over and handing over charter vessels – an item that crews particularly highlighted when rating.

Digital transformation: smart pedestals and an application "in the palm of your hand"

Digitalization in marinas is no longer "nice to have," but a real competitive advantage. In Borik, this is seen through smart connection pedestals and monitoring systems that allow owners and fleet managers to track consumption and connection status in almost real-time. Integration with the D-Marin application enables online reservations and service management, and crews increasingly rely on notifications and self-service access for standard actions – from berth confirmation to reporting a potential connection stoppage.

For the user, this means less time at the counter and more time available for the city – a walk on the Peninsula, a visit to the Zadar Forum, sunset at the Sea Organ, or a trip to nearby islands. In this sense, the synergy of the marina and the destination of Zadar manifests in the fact that the most used functions of the application are precisely those that shorten the stay in the "gray zone" of logistics and shift it to the experiences for which crews come.

Sustainability as operational practice, not PR

In the Adriatic, where the sensitivity of marine ecosystems is an increasing challenge, sustainability is a topic that must be rooted in operations. In recent years, D-Marin Borik has conducted seabed cleanings in cooperation with local divers and the community and introduced solutions aimed at reducing consumption and waste. The installation of solar panels on buildings and smart energy consumption management in the marina reduce the footprint, while standardized protocols for handling wastewater and hazardous liquids raise the level of safety in daily work. Digital sensors on connections and consumption records serve not only for transparency for users but also for internal monitoring and optimization throughout the season.

For four-week and shorter stays – typical for charters – such "invisible" infrastructure is often crucial: crews do not notice sustainability when everything works, but they quickly reward it in ratings through impressions of the tidiness of the water area, the quality of sanitary facilities, and the availability of a technical team that reacts promptly to malfunctions.

Zadar as a destination: synergy of city, marina, and new hotel offer

Declaring the Zadar marina specifically as the best on the Adriatic fits into the broader context of rebranding the city as a destination for multi-day stays with a light "city-break" pace outside the peak, which boaters are increasingly choosing. The opening of the Hyatt Regency Zadar Maraska hotel brought the city a new level of five-star accommodation and congress capacities, and the business and premium crew segment now more easily combines regatta, brokerage, or inspection obligations with a stay in top accommodation. This new address is also a symbol of the successful repurposing of historical industrial heritage into modern tourist content, giving Zadar additional differentiation compared to competitive destinations.

For the Borik marina, this means a natural upgrade of the overall experience: from a quick connection to the airport to gastronomic and cultural offers within just a few minutes' drive, crews can reduce the entire logistics of one shift to a single morning, and use the rest of the day for rest or short trips. In this grid, Zadar becomes a "hub," and the marina – a "dock in the city."

What boaters highlighted: safety, speed, and "quality on touch"

When comments and scores are analyzed, three themes constantly return: (1) a sense of security and surveillance in the marina, (2) speed and clarity of procedures (from check-in to technical service intervention), and (3) the so-called quality on touch – quality which is reflected in tidy berths, undamaged boxes, properly maintained connections, and cleanliness. D-Marin Borik has delivered "quiet" details in this regard that make a difference: standardized checklists, calibrated measurements, up-to-date instruction boards, reflective markings and signage, as well as adequate lighting of access piers.

The team also plays a big role: a combination of a multilingual reception, on-duty technicians covering electrics, water, and basic mechanics, and a coordinator who harmonizes the lifting/launching of vessels with external partners. When these processes are "well-rehearsed," crews are left with fewer frustrations, and this is most quickly seen in surveys at the end of the season.

Effect of the recognition on the broader nautical scene

Recognitions like Nautičko jedro have a double effect. The first is market-based: winners and highly placed marinas recognizably capitalize on visibility in the next season, which increases demand in the peak and outside of it. The second is developmental: standards indirectly prescribed by such recognitions – digital self-service, transparent consumption, sustainability measurable in kilowatt-hours and liters, protocols for wastewater – become a reference point for the competition. In this sense, the success of D-Marin Borik raises the bar for other marinas in the Zadar archipelago as well, while bringing the city of Zadar additional arguments in branding as a base for exploring northern Dalmatia.

Routes from Borik: "one day – one discovery"

Accommodation in Zadar and docking in Borik most often turn into a cycle of short, well-timed trips: Ugljan and Pašman for a day of "resetting," Saharun and Veli Rat when sandy coves and open horizons are sought, Žut and Kornati when the goal is raw beauty and the minimalism of civilization. For those who want gastronomy, the Ravni Kotari hinterland and the fine dining scene in the old city center are a ten-minute drive away. Upon return to the marina, the digital interface guides through the boat's turn-down routine – closing connections, logging, storing in "quiet mode" – so that the city can once again become a playground for the evening hour.

Conversation with management: standards as investment, not cost

In conversations after the awards ceremony, the management of D-Marin Borik emphasized the importance of consistent standards and investing in people. "Our criteria are not seasonal – they must function in November as well as in August. Sustainability is not a campaign, but a way of working. Digitalization is not a trick, but a tool that frees up time for what crews appreciate most: human help when things get stuck," is the message the director summarized in a few sentences, with thanks for the trust to the nautical community and the team that implements standards from shift to shift.

Why specifically Borik in 2025

When all cards are added up – geographical position, safety and tidiness standards, digital functions, sustainable interventions, and the broader growth of the Zadar destination – the answer imposes itself: D-Marin Borik offers an "urban" nautical experience with a view towards the open sea. This is the marina profile that the growing generation of skippers and cruiser owners is looking for: close enough to the city so that logistics don't eat up the day, networked well enough that service and the crane are not a lottery, and disciplined enough in operations so that the sea and coast are preserved, not consumed.

What this means for boaters – practically

• Planning arrival: with D-Marin digital tools, it is advisable to confirm the time of arrival and berth in advance, especially in the peak season and during events in Zadar.


• Energy management: smart pedestals facilitate consumption monitoring; for longer stays, it is worth optimizing air conditioning and battery charging during "cooler" hours.


• Service and lifting of vessels: coordinate with reception and partner workshops at least a day in advance; there is a well-established chain of services in Borik, which shortens downtimes.


• Trips: for one-day routes, a "light ship" configuration and early departure are recommended; return by sunset leaves enough time for logistics and evening Zadar.


• Sustainability: use ship tanks and disposal sites according to protocols; crews coming to Borik often cite tidiness and cleanliness as a reason for returning – it is worth maintaining that.

D-Marin network and "network effect" for the Adriatic

Although this story is local, its reach is regional. D-Marin as an operator manages a series of marinas in Croatia and beyond, and standards developing in Zadar spill over into other ports of the network. For users, this means simpler transfer of learned habits: one application, recognizable protocols, similar logic of pedestals and systems. For the Adriatic, however, it means a race on quality, not volume – a trend that, judging by this year's results, will mark the next season as well.

A destination that "works" all year round

Another reason why the choice fell on Borik is the fact that Zadar depends less and less on the two-month summer peak. The cultural program, gastronomic events, and congress happenings gradually widen the demand curve, making the marina relevant outside of July and August as well. For yacht owners, this means that a stay in the port off-season is logistically sensible, and for charter operators, that the return on investment in maintenance and digitalization is justified in "quieter" months too.

In conclusion – a standard that defines expectations

Although the criteria and preferences of boaters are diverse, 2025 shows a clear orientation towards marinas that are operationally precise, digitally accessible, and sustainably managed. D-Marin Borik has, in this sense, set a standard that will become a starting point for comparisons in the upcoming season – both on the Adriatic and wider. And for Zadar – a city that combines urbanity and the archipelago – this is confirmation that the sea is still the strongest asset, provided it is managed smartly, responsibly, and with respect for crews and the environment.