Crew Profiles

Cool Change is a life project of 3 brothers, Josip, Jure and Nikola; all passionate sailors from childhood. Interestingly, none of their parents or grandparents have any sailing backgrounds. One day in elementary school, Jure and Nikola saw a poster with a sailing school advertisement and they decided to try it. They loved it and 7 years later their younger brother Josip made the same decision. Since then everything in their lives is about sea, boats and sailing!

Each brother has their own character, but all have the same philosophy. Together they joined forces and fully refitted and upgraded one of the best Lagoon models - 560. Based on their 20+ years of experience in the charter and yacht industry and knowing guests needs, they took care to ensure every detail on board was thought through and made one of the greenest and most comfortable crewed catamaran in Croatia. They are both owner and operators, which guarantee outstanding boat conditions as well as a fully motivated crew!

All 3 brothers are captains and they alternate as skippers (based on clients wishes and brothers schedule), meaning they are always fresh and rested, providing clients with the best service!

NIKOLA KRŠANAC: Captain
Nikola, a twin brother of Jure, is a father of 3 kids. He studied a Master degree on a Faculty for Tourism and Hospitality management in Opatija. Like his brothers, he started sailing when he was 8 and was a member of the national team in Optimist, Europe and 470 class.

Nikola is well-rounded, and with more than 20 years of experience in charter business, he will be an excellent guide for your Adriatic sailing adventure. Together with Jure and Josip, he has a great knowledge of Croatian coastline and islands and will bring you to the most special places. Nimble, resourceful and problem solving oriented, Nikola will bring even most challenging situations to a smooth end.
In his free time, Nikola likes to spend time with his kids and American wife, often going to hike on nearby mountain Učka or taking his grandfather's old 5 meter long motorboat and making a cruise and swimming on the beautiful Opatija`s riviera.

Nikola is fluent in English, German and Italian.

FUN FACTS
Which is your favourite island in Croatia and why?
It really depends on the situation (time of the year, weather etc..) but in ideal conditions I love Vis, especially the town of Komiža. In my eyes, the quieter locations are the best!

Which is the best bay? "One boat bay" on the south side of Vis (it used to be my secret bay a long time ago...)

What is your favourite food? Melanzane parmigiana is a great summer (vegetarian) dish. Another one we like to do on Cool Change is Lamb stew with root vegetables (njam!)

Which is your favourite restaurant to recommend to guests? Konoba Bako in Komiža (same crew and owner for the last 20 years, great terrace overlooking one of the most picturesque harbours in Croatia.

In your opinion what is the best part about Cool Change?
I love the efficiency of our boat in terms of sailing, energy consumption and relaxation on board. I like loads of space and shade... It is just a great boat!

JURE KRŠANAC: Captain

Jure, a husband and father of 2 lovely girls, has spent his entire life linked to the sea either through sailing or yacht engineering. Born in Rijeka in 1981, in his youth he passed through all sailing categories and was a member of a national team in Optimist, Europe and 470 class. He earned a master degree at the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Rijeka and he finished a 2 year course for Yacht Design in Trieste as well. Worth mentioning, Jure designed "Lady 660" - Croatian best seller for yachts up to 7 meters.
With more than 20 years of professional sailing experience, Jure will make your stay on board safe and pleasant. With true passion and expertise, he will ensure your vacation will be the ultimate sailing experience. When he`s not sailing, Jure likes to spend time cooking and preparing traditional Croatian meals, so don`t be surprised to find him in a kitchen together with our Chef Larry!

He is fluent in English, German and Italian.


FUN FACTS
Which is your favourite island in Croatia and why? Island Hvar - being in the center of central Dalmatia, this is the island you go whichever route you pick. With its vibrant main towns and plenty of natural bays, it makes a great place to be with almost any weather.

Which is the best bay? It really depends on the day (and weather) to pick the right one, but I try to seek out the quieter, more private bays for guests to have a nice time to relaxing or partying – whatever the prefer!

What is your favourite food? On Cool change I like dorada fish with baked potatoes and vegetables the best but I cannot miss mentioning fresh baked strudels for breakfast.

Which is your favourite restaurant to recommend to guests? Dions at Taršće bay and Antica – Starigrad and Pojoda – Vis.

In your opinion what is the best part about Cool Change? Cool change has it all! On the one hand it is a super comfortable catamaran of just the right size, almost a mini-mega yacht where all cabins offer great privacy and equipment. It has enough room for crew to offer best possible service and at the same time is real sailing machine like no other cat of this kind - so you do get your sailing holiday experience with lot of sailing. Finally Cool Change is really ECO FRIENDLY; it burns the minimal amount of fuel possible and instead uses lots of solar panels, sails, efficient machinery and it is tweaked for minimum possible generator usage.

JOSIP KRŠANAC: Croatia
Josip was born in Rijeka in 1988 and since his very early days, he has been connected with the sea. He started sailing when he was 8 years old and at 14 he was in a national team in Optimist class, and at the age of 18 he made his best result in sailing - 11th place on a Senior World Championship in Europe class. After graduating from the High School for Tourism and Hospitality industry in Opatija, Josip completed a Masters degree on a Faculty for Tourism and Hospitality management in Opatija. Parallelly with university, at the age of 19, during the summer holidays he started to work as a skipper on sailing boats on the Croatian coast which after a few years became his permanent professional job. Until today, he was working as a skipper on a large number of charter and private sailing yachts, catamarans and motor yachts up to 64 feet.

As well as being a very experienced sailor, he is a friendly and helpful host as well. He is a true "people person" and he will make you feel comfortable and relaxed during your vacation on board! His hobbies are cooking and spending time in nature, usually hiking, biking or snowboarding. Together with his wife, is a parent of a 2 year old daughter.

He is fluent in English, German and Italian.

FUN FACTS
Which is your favourite island in Croatia and why?
Island Hvar. Island Hvar has the perfect combination of beautiful historical old towns and super nice, natural bays for swimming and chilling while on anchor.

Which is the best bay?
Uvala Nedomišalj, Island Hvar

What is your favourite food?
Spaghetti Carbonara

Which is your favourite restaurant to recommend to guests?
Konoba Pojoda on the Island Vis

In your opinion what is the best part about Cool Change?
It is an unbeatable cocktail of great comfort, sailing experience, delicious food and good mood!


LARRY AMBROZICH: Chef/Host
Larry grew up by the sea, surrounded by Mediterranean cuisine. He has learnt a number of ways to prepare the best of it. He has spent every spare moment preparing delicious traditional snacks, combined with the modern twists which he enjoys. He would love guests to get closer to the original Croatian cuisine, to offer them a gastronomic experience that will stay in their memory for a long time. His good knowledge of the underwater world gives him skills to catch and serve a variety of dishes he is sure will amaze their guests.

Larry has been a chef working on yachts (both private and charter) since 2018. He has known the KRŠANAC brothers a long time and together they make a wonderful team. He is married and a father of 2 children.


FUN FACTS

Which is your favourite Island in Croatia and why?
Island Cres on North Adriatic because of the islands untouched nature, beautiful bays and cosy historical towns. I love this island especially because all that is just an hour from my hometown Rijeka!

Which is the best bay? Lubenice bay

What is your favourite food? This is very difficult to answer but maybe Scampi risotto!

Which is your favourite restaurant to recommend to guests? Konoba "Ganeum" - Lovran

In your opinion what is the best part about Cool Change? It is a super nice and very well kept boat. The atmosphere on board is cool as well.