We left the lovely anchorage at Otak Sipan as soon as we got up in the morning as a Southerly breeze had sprung up and we wanted to get as far with it as we could before it reverted to the typical northerlies of the Adriatic. We had a great sail if a little uncomfortable because of the swell and managed to get about 25 miles without the engine.
Daniel at the helm. We all had turns at steering as the boat slewed around too much with the auto pilot on. The hazards of hand steering for me and Daniel was being shouted at when you let the wind out of the sails - which was usually answered with, "Well if you're so great why don't you do it yourself!"
The radio was giving out a high wind warning and we could hear thunder up ahead so we got the sails down just in case being very wary after our previous encounters with thunderstorms! The anchorage we headed for was a very well protected one with good holding at the South end of Korcula. The thunder was thankfully a false alarm and we anchored in the small bay closely followed by Solstice and we all got in for a swim. The winds started going a little crazy and the girls had to get out of the water as the boat was swinging around too much for them.
Islay Mist and Solstice anchored at Uvala Racisce.
We stayed put in the boat pretty much for the next 24 hours when the wind did indeed get up but thankfully this time everyone stayed in one place!
Daniel staying in touch with our new Croatian VIP internet dongle a great buy!
It was quite a nice wee spot so we decided to leave the boat there whilst we visited Korcula town for my birthday. It is another lovely old medeival town but thankfully a lot smaller and not so hot as Dubrovnik. We had a very lovely lunch although not appreciated as much as it could have been if Ali, Daniel and I weren't so hungover after a night with Solstice!
Some pics from Korcula town....
Alisha, Kaylee and Daniel sitting in Marco Polo's chair (although I think it was a replica!) Marco Polo was born in Korcula which we only found out later after being bemused by the abundance of Marco Polo shops, cafes, restaurants, tee shirts....
We left Korcula heading North motoring North into a calm but keeping a good eye out when we saw clouds like these forming....
Usually they come to nothing but there is always the rogue thunderhead around waiting to pounce. The Adriatic has a higher amount of thunder storms per month in the summer than the rest of the Med so it wise to keep your eyes on the sky. The weather reports basically say a chance of thunder every day so they are no help!
Korcula town from the sea, well worth a visit.
Daniel and his groupies with the Peljesac Channel in the background.
One of the many day tripper boats that race around the area.
We travelled around 25 miles with a slight headwind and a bit of chop on the water until we came to Otok Scedro a small island which is pretty much uninhabited until the tourist season starts then all boating hell breaks loose. We got in at around 1pm the anchorage was already very busy so we found a nice spot and anchored tied back to a tree on shore for the first time ever and were quite pleased with ourselves that we had managed it. Then we spent the afternoon swimming to cool down as it was hot hot hot.
The very busy anchorage at Otok Scedro. We were also entertained by all the charter boats and their anchoring antics. Some people seem to have absolutely no idea at all and it is a bit worrying when they drop the anchor next to your boat without digging it in then all go to the pub. Thankfully we were pretty well tucked into the shore so we didn't have to get into any of the shouting matches that were going on all around the anchorage.
When it got a little cooler we went off to explore the island which has no proper roads just some tracks here and there.
The exploration team.
We never did quite work out what this sign meant!
The ruins of an old monastry garden at the top of the hill.
We were on a bit of a roll to get North so the next day we were delighted to find a nice Southerly blowing again.
Goosewinging with the gennaker and jib. The wind died for a while as we were approaching Hvar town. We noticed a small hill fire and were amazed when the fire planes started swooping down and scooping up water from either side of the boat. Sometimes they were as close as 100 metres away, very noisy exciting stuff!
Scooping up the water.
Then dropping it over the fire.
A peerie video of the fire planes in action.
Thankfully they got the fire out and before the wind got up and we continued under sail to an anchorage at Otak Solta. We tied to shore again which involves me lowering the anchor, Ali steering the boat and poor Daniel jumping in with the rope and truing to get it tied around a sturdy looking tree as quickly as possible!
There were high winds forecast again for the next day and you could see it in the sky when we woke up....
Thankfully this time we were actually booked into a marina because Ali's alternator had arrived in Croatia and you have to be in a marina to get it shipped to your boat from customs. This was only the beginning of a long story of how much red tape there is in Croatia. Ali thought he had a very good deal with the alternator being shipped from the UK but as soon as it got into Croatia it could get no further than the customs office at Zagreb without Ali having to do a lot of calling around, visiting customs and finally hiring an agent to transport it to Split. It turned out to cost almost as much as the alternator itself but still less than buying one in Croatia so not too bad!
The only police/military boat we saw in Croatia which was a nice change after being in Italy.
The high winds hit in the afternoon and continued all day with very dark clouds gathering in the North. we had heard from Solstice they were anchored in the middle of a very big thunder storm about 80 miles to the North so we knew it was coming. Even so we decided to brave the fish barbecue on the pier next to the marina. It was all going splendidly, the wine was 70 cents a glass and the most expensive dish was about 3 euros. The place was packed, the band was playing and everyone was having a good time until the rain came and boy did the rain come. We had taken umbrellas so we were OK but none of the locals had so when the bands speakers shorted and all the barbecues went out and every one had scarpered we realised it was time to go back to the boat.
We spent two nights at the marina Kastella just outside of Split and we spent a lot of time in Split. Split is an all year round town so it isn't as cheesily touristy as Dubrovnik (although not as stunning either) The main tourist sites are Diocletian's Palace, a sort of walled city within the city built by Roman Emperor Diocletian, (funnily enough) at around 400 AD for his retirement home no less. It is really beautiful and you can wander through little lanes and ruins which are all inhabited by the locals just like Dubrovnik.
Some piccies....
A lot of the bars had utilised bits of columns for outside tables, imagine a bar in Shetland trying to get that one past SNH....
The underground tunnels, no a giant craft and gift shop.
the statue of Grgur Ninski, an old holy man who was the first to use Croatian language in religious teachings. It is said if you rub his toe you will definitely return to Split one day so it looks like Ali will be going back there. The girls were hot and bothered so they refused to touch the toe as they said they never wanted to come back and it might be a bit cheesy....
On the waterfront with Diocletian's Palace in the back ground.
All too soon it was time to leave the comfort of the marina and get back to our anchoring routine, (because the marinas in Croatia are horrendously expensive.) We anchored at another lovely spot on Otak Solta then spent a night at Drevnik Veli before heading to Trogir. We had a lovely two days swimming and climbing around the coast. One little bit of excitement was the first time we anchored at D. Veli we were just stopping for lunch and when we went to leave we found our anchor was wedged in under a rock. Once again thank goodness for Daniel and his swimming abilities, he dove down the 5 metres and managed to get a rope attached to the back of the anchor so we could get it pulled out with the winch.
Kaylee on the lookout for boats.
The first time we had seen one of these cruise boats with their sails up which was nice as we had become a bit skeptical as to whether they were just there for decoration.
Then Trogir, another medeival town, but just as pretty as the others and good for a look around. Here we met up with Solstice again and Ali invited them over for his famous take on the French Cassoulet, it would have been great if we hadn't had to pick out bits of cellophane that had been around the bits of sausage in it....
Some pics from Trogir....
Kamerlengo Castle
A view Of the Trogir waterfront from the top of the castle. We anchored in the channel to the West of the town, good muddy holding but also the first place we were charged for anchoring which got a certain thrifty Scotsman's back up just a little!
The girls had spied a trampoline at the bottom of the castle which they were desperate for a go on and not to be left out the big kids also had to have a go....
Two very hot little girls after all that jumping in the sun.
Obviously we left the next day for a free anchorage. On the way the girls had a little knot tying practice on their long suffering brother..
We headed with Solstice to a harbour on Otok Solta which we had heard you could go on the pier with water and electricity for only 30 euros a night, a bargain in Croatia! We couldn't get in to the busy harbour the first night and so anchored just outside. We got up early as we had been warned it was a bit of a scrum for places as soon as they became free and how right that was!
We got in first then the space next to us emptied so we called solstice on the VHF to up anchor and come in but as they came in there was a big catamaran shouting that they wanted the space and it was a bit hectic. But finally the two boats got tied up together...
Both boats took full advantage of the water and electricity to do some washing and hoovering etc.
Shirlee and Mertzen - a very well travelled little 'weiner dog.' She is 15 years old now and has sailed from San Fransisco up to Alaska through British Columbia, back down the West coast of the USA, then through the Panama Canal across the Atlantic, up to the Baltic and now right around the Med! The girls loved her but sensibly she was a little wary of them. Alisha now has her heart set on a sausage dog when she gets home, we'll see!
We left Solstice at O. Solta as we needed to get back to Dubrovnik with Daniel for his flight. That day we sailed our best yet, 50 miles all under sail and mostly 'goosewinging' the whole way down the channel between the islands of Hvar and Brac.
Ali delighted to be using the sails!
We came across a kite surfer in the middle of the channel and were thinking 'gosh he must be good to be the whole way out here.' Then he fell in the water and had to wait ages for the rescue boat to come out to him - so not that good after all!
The rocky mountains of the Bosnian stretch of coastline that cuts Croatia in two. Very beautiful.
A cute little light house on the very Southern tip of Hvar.
We anchored in a tiny inlet for the night and as the next day was Sunday we had our last pancake breakfast with Daniel before setting off South again.
Some shoreline terraces on the Peljesac peninsula.
As usual the day got rougher and rougher and there was a fair scoosh of wind by the time we left the shelter of Korcula heading for Mljet and a fair bit of sqwaking about the amount of sail.
We anchored at the island of Mljet just outside what we thought would be the limits of the national park but just as we were serving up tea a little boat came up to us to charge us for anchoring. It was 90 Kuna per adult on board so thankfully I managed to stop Daniel coming up on deck whilst they were there. It works out at about 13 Euros but includes a ticket each for the bus across the national park to the lakes at the other side of the island. In the morning we took the boat into the harbour anchorage and Daniel and I went with the girls to the park.
Daniel and the girls at the top of the hill overlooking the lakes. we went for a small hike through the trees and a walk along the lakes before heading back to sail to Dubrovnik.
On the way Alisha correctly identified this wood ear type fungus which she had read about in one of her books, it was nice to realise she actually is taking it all in after all!
The lakes.
After a quick swim in the pristine waters and lunch we set off towards Dubrovnik, we had to go through narrow channels through the islands which was just as stunning as the national park itself.
Another breezy sail down the Mljet Channel.
Our anchoring spot next to the marina was free which was great as it is nice to come back to the same place for once and know it is good holding etc so you don't worry.
We had two days before Daniel left so we got all our laundry done then set off into Dubrovnik to do the city walls walk we had missed on our first visit. It is so worth the money although I would advise anyone to do it in the cool of the morning as we fried in the afternoon heat.
A view of the Strada from the walls the guide book says it is one of the prettiest streets in the world, I would agree with that although I would add hottest and busiest too!
Onofrio's fountain.
The city roofs, apparently the newer looking tiles are all ones that were damaged in the war and had to be renovated.
The walls completely encircle the old city an impressive 1940 metres long and up to 8 metres thick in places!
A very well deserved icecream for the weary walker!
The old city harbour unfortunately no room for visiting yachts in here.
The only bad thing that happened in Croatia was being eaten alive by mosquitos at a restaurant next to the marina, poor Ali and Daniel had about 30 bites each. Ali thought he would treat his with aftershave instead of bite cream which made them worse poor thing....
For Daniel's last night with us we decided to have a barbeque at the side of the river, the smoke was a good bug repellent and we all sat as close as possible to the flames after the biting of the night before.
It was a lovely night we even had background music of nuns singing from the convent behind us and a couple of beers to go along with the meal too.
There was one little mishap though....
Ali was trying to empty the hot charcoal into the river and accidentally dropped the roasting tin in. He wasn't going to leave it behind and jumped into the freezing water to get it back!
Daniel's last dinghy ride. All too soon Daniel's month was up and it was time for him to catch his flight - to say there were two depressed little sisters onboard that night would be a big understatement.
The next morning we were up bright and early to get water and fuel before the trip to Greece.
On the way down the river Ali spotted his little 'fixer upper' again he took a picture but the idea of renovating a house in Croatia had gone a little sour after the hassle of trying to get an alternater imported! Here it is anyway, a bargain at 20,000 euros with it's own river front berth!
We signed out at Cavtat again and by lunch time were on our way to Greece!
Daniel at the helm. We all had turns at steering as the boat slewed around too much with the auto pilot on. The hazards of hand steering for me and Daniel was being shouted at when you let the wind out of the sails - which was usually answered with, "Well if you're so great why don't you do it yourself!"
The radio was giving out a high wind warning and we could hear thunder up ahead so we got the sails down just in case being very wary after our previous encounters with thunderstorms! The anchorage we headed for was a very well protected one with good holding at the South end of Korcula. The thunder was thankfully a false alarm and we anchored in the small bay closely followed by Solstice and we all got in for a swim. The winds started going a little crazy and the girls had to get out of the water as the boat was swinging around too much for them.
Islay Mist and Solstice anchored at Uvala Racisce.
We stayed put in the boat pretty much for the next 24 hours when the wind did indeed get up but thankfully this time everyone stayed in one place!
Daniel staying in touch with our new Croatian VIP internet dongle a great buy!
It was quite a nice wee spot so we decided to leave the boat there whilst we visited Korcula town for my birthday. It is another lovely old medeival town but thankfully a lot smaller and not so hot as Dubrovnik. We had a very lovely lunch although not appreciated as much as it could have been if Ali, Daniel and I weren't so hungover after a night with Solstice!
Some pics from Korcula town....
Alisha, Kaylee and Daniel sitting in Marco Polo's chair (although I think it was a replica!) Marco Polo was born in Korcula which we only found out later after being bemused by the abundance of Marco Polo shops, cafes, restaurants, tee shirts....
We left Korcula heading North motoring North into a calm but keeping a good eye out when we saw clouds like these forming....
Usually they come to nothing but there is always the rogue thunderhead around waiting to pounce. The Adriatic has a higher amount of thunder storms per month in the summer than the rest of the Med so it wise to keep your eyes on the sky. The weather reports basically say a chance of thunder every day so they are no help!
Korcula town from the sea, well worth a visit.
Daniel and his groupies with the Peljesac Channel in the background.
One of the many day tripper boats that race around the area.
We travelled around 25 miles with a slight headwind and a bit of chop on the water until we came to Otok Scedro a small island which is pretty much uninhabited until the tourist season starts then all boating hell breaks loose. We got in at around 1pm the anchorage was already very busy so we found a nice spot and anchored tied back to a tree on shore for the first time ever and were quite pleased with ourselves that we had managed it. Then we spent the afternoon swimming to cool down as it was hot hot hot.
The very busy anchorage at Otok Scedro. We were also entertained by all the charter boats and their anchoring antics. Some people seem to have absolutely no idea at all and it is a bit worrying when they drop the anchor next to your boat without digging it in then all go to the pub. Thankfully we were pretty well tucked into the shore so we didn't have to get into any of the shouting matches that were going on all around the anchorage.
When it got a little cooler we went off to explore the island which has no proper roads just some tracks here and there.
The exploration team.
We never did quite work out what this sign meant!
The ruins of an old monastry garden at the top of the hill.
We were on a bit of a roll to get North so the next day we were delighted to find a nice Southerly blowing again.
Goosewinging with the gennaker and jib. The wind died for a while as we were approaching Hvar town. We noticed a small hill fire and were amazed when the fire planes started swooping down and scooping up water from either side of the boat. Sometimes they were as close as 100 metres away, very noisy exciting stuff!
Scooping up the water.
Then dropping it over the fire.
A peerie video of the fire planes in action.
Thankfully they got the fire out and before the wind got up and we continued under sail to an anchorage at Otak Solta. We tied to shore again which involves me lowering the anchor, Ali steering the boat and poor Daniel jumping in with the rope and truing to get it tied around a sturdy looking tree as quickly as possible!
There were high winds forecast again for the next day and you could see it in the sky when we woke up....
Thankfully this time we were actually booked into a marina because Ali's alternator had arrived in Croatia and you have to be in a marina to get it shipped to your boat from customs. This was only the beginning of a long story of how much red tape there is in Croatia. Ali thought he had a very good deal with the alternator being shipped from the UK but as soon as it got into Croatia it could get no further than the customs office at Zagreb without Ali having to do a lot of calling around, visiting customs and finally hiring an agent to transport it to Split. It turned out to cost almost as much as the alternator itself but still less than buying one in Croatia so not too bad!
The only police/military boat we saw in Croatia which was a nice change after being in Italy.
The high winds hit in the afternoon and continued all day with very dark clouds gathering in the North. we had heard from Solstice they were anchored in the middle of a very big thunder storm about 80 miles to the North so we knew it was coming. Even so we decided to brave the fish barbecue on the pier next to the marina. It was all going splendidly, the wine was 70 cents a glass and the most expensive dish was about 3 euros. The place was packed, the band was playing and everyone was having a good time until the rain came and boy did the rain come. We had taken umbrellas so we were OK but none of the locals had so when the bands speakers shorted and all the barbecues went out and every one had scarpered we realised it was time to go back to the boat.
We spent two nights at the marina Kastella just outside of Split and we spent a lot of time in Split. Split is an all year round town so it isn't as cheesily touristy as Dubrovnik (although not as stunning either) The main tourist sites are Diocletian's Palace, a sort of walled city within the city built by Roman Emperor Diocletian, (funnily enough) at around 400 AD for his retirement home no less. It is really beautiful and you can wander through little lanes and ruins which are all inhabited by the locals just like Dubrovnik.
Some piccies....
A lot of the bars had utilised bits of columns for outside tables, imagine a bar in Shetland trying to get that one past SNH....
The underground tunnels, no a giant craft and gift shop.
the statue of Grgur Ninski, an old holy man who was the first to use Croatian language in religious teachings. It is said if you rub his toe you will definitely return to Split one day so it looks like Ali will be going back there. The girls were hot and bothered so they refused to touch the toe as they said they never wanted to come back and it might be a bit cheesy....
On the waterfront with Diocletian's Palace in the back ground.
All too soon it was time to leave the comfort of the marina and get back to our anchoring routine, (because the marinas in Croatia are horrendously expensive.) We anchored at another lovely spot on Otak Solta then spent a night at Drevnik Veli before heading to Trogir. We had a lovely two days swimming and climbing around the coast. One little bit of excitement was the first time we anchored at D. Veli we were just stopping for lunch and when we went to leave we found our anchor was wedged in under a rock. Once again thank goodness for Daniel and his swimming abilities, he dove down the 5 metres and managed to get a rope attached to the back of the anchor so we could get it pulled out with the winch.
Kaylee on the lookout for boats.
The first time we had seen one of these cruise boats with their sails up which was nice as we had become a bit skeptical as to whether they were just there for decoration.
Then Trogir, another medeival town, but just as pretty as the others and good for a look around. Here we met up with Solstice again and Ali invited them over for his famous take on the French Cassoulet, it would have been great if we hadn't had to pick out bits of cellophane that had been around the bits of sausage in it....
Some pics from Trogir....
Kamerlengo Castle
A view Of the Trogir waterfront from the top of the castle. We anchored in the channel to the West of the town, good muddy holding but also the first place we were charged for anchoring which got a certain thrifty Scotsman's back up just a little!
The girls had spied a trampoline at the bottom of the castle which they were desperate for a go on and not to be left out the big kids also had to have a go....
Two very hot little girls after all that jumping in the sun.
Obviously we left the next day for a free anchorage. On the way the girls had a little knot tying practice on their long suffering brother..
We headed with Solstice to a harbour on Otok Solta which we had heard you could go on the pier with water and electricity for only 30 euros a night, a bargain in Croatia! We couldn't get in to the busy harbour the first night and so anchored just outside. We got up early as we had been warned it was a bit of a scrum for places as soon as they became free and how right that was!
We got in first then the space next to us emptied so we called solstice on the VHF to up anchor and come in but as they came in there was a big catamaran shouting that they wanted the space and it was a bit hectic. But finally the two boats got tied up together...
Both boats took full advantage of the water and electricity to do some washing and hoovering etc.
Shirlee and Mertzen - a very well travelled little 'weiner dog.' She is 15 years old now and has sailed from San Fransisco up to Alaska through British Columbia, back down the West coast of the USA, then through the Panama Canal across the Atlantic, up to the Baltic and now right around the Med! The girls loved her but sensibly she was a little wary of them. Alisha now has her heart set on a sausage dog when she gets home, we'll see!
We left Solstice at O. Solta as we needed to get back to Dubrovnik with Daniel for his flight. That day we sailed our best yet, 50 miles all under sail and mostly 'goosewinging' the whole way down the channel between the islands of Hvar and Brac.
Ali delighted to be using the sails!
We came across a kite surfer in the middle of the channel and were thinking 'gosh he must be good to be the whole way out here.' Then he fell in the water and had to wait ages for the rescue boat to come out to him - so not that good after all!
The rocky mountains of the Bosnian stretch of coastline that cuts Croatia in two. Very beautiful.
A cute little light house on the very Southern tip of Hvar.
We anchored in a tiny inlet for the night and as the next day was Sunday we had our last pancake breakfast with Daniel before setting off South again.
Some shoreline terraces on the Peljesac peninsula.
As usual the day got rougher and rougher and there was a fair scoosh of wind by the time we left the shelter of Korcula heading for Mljet and a fair bit of sqwaking about the amount of sail.
We anchored at the island of Mljet just outside what we thought would be the limits of the national park but just as we were serving up tea a little boat came up to us to charge us for anchoring. It was 90 Kuna per adult on board so thankfully I managed to stop Daniel coming up on deck whilst they were there. It works out at about 13 Euros but includes a ticket each for the bus across the national park to the lakes at the other side of the island. In the morning we took the boat into the harbour anchorage and Daniel and I went with the girls to the park.
Daniel and the girls at the top of the hill overlooking the lakes. we went for a small hike through the trees and a walk along the lakes before heading back to sail to Dubrovnik.
On the way Alisha correctly identified this wood ear type fungus which she had read about in one of her books, it was nice to realise she actually is taking it all in after all!
The lakes.
After a quick swim in the pristine waters and lunch we set off towards Dubrovnik, we had to go through narrow channels through the islands which was just as stunning as the national park itself.
Another breezy sail down the Mljet Channel.
Our anchoring spot next to the marina was free which was great as it is nice to come back to the same place for once and know it is good holding etc so you don't worry.
We had two days before Daniel left so we got all our laundry done then set off into Dubrovnik to do the city walls walk we had missed on our first visit. It is so worth the money although I would advise anyone to do it in the cool of the morning as we fried in the afternoon heat.
A view of the Strada from the walls the guide book says it is one of the prettiest streets in the world, I would agree with that although I would add hottest and busiest too!
Onofrio's fountain.
The city roofs, apparently the newer looking tiles are all ones that were damaged in the war and had to be renovated.
The walls completely encircle the old city an impressive 1940 metres long and up to 8 metres thick in places!
A very well deserved icecream for the weary walker!
The old city harbour unfortunately no room for visiting yachts in here.
The only bad thing that happened in Croatia was being eaten alive by mosquitos at a restaurant next to the marina, poor Ali and Daniel had about 30 bites each. Ali thought he would treat his with aftershave instead of bite cream which made them worse poor thing....
For Daniel's last night with us we decided to have a barbeque at the side of the river, the smoke was a good bug repellent and we all sat as close as possible to the flames after the biting of the night before.
It was a lovely night we even had background music of nuns singing from the convent behind us and a couple of beers to go along with the meal too.
There was one little mishap though....
Ali was trying to empty the hot charcoal into the river and accidentally dropped the roasting tin in. He wasn't going to leave it behind and jumped into the freezing water to get it back!
Daniel's last dinghy ride. All too soon Daniel's month was up and it was time for him to catch his flight - to say there were two depressed little sisters onboard that night would be a big understatement.
The next morning we were up bright and early to get water and fuel before the trip to Greece.
On the way down the river Ali spotted his little 'fixer upper' again he took a picture but the idea of renovating a house in Croatia had gone a little sour after the hassle of trying to get an alternater imported! Here it is anyway, a bargain at 20,000 euros with it's own river front berth!
We signed out at Cavtat again and by lunch time were on our way to Greece!
