Croatia At Last!

August 12, 2018

Things have changed a bit since our last post. We ended up in Greece for two weeks longer than expected awaiting a package from the States and then looking for a suitable weather window to head north. We decided to make up lost time by bypassing both Albania and Montenegro (for now) and went straight to Croatia.

We checked into Croatia in Dubrovnik and immediately fell in love with the town. The old town is out of a fairy tale with towering walls and steep cliffs protecting the city and its harbor. The city was rebuilt to a grand design following a disastrous earthquake in 1667 and the streets are nicely laid out and the buildings are built of stone. The architecture was standardized to prevent the rich from building lavish homes which would make them appear to be profiting from the earthquake.

Our plan was to move rather quickly to Istria in northern Croatia and then take our time heading back south, stopping in Split next month to take on our friends Mike and Jan. We did day-hops of about 20nm, mostly motoring into light winds. This is peak season and the anchorages were crowded and sometimes noisy. We watched several anchorages transform into “party city” when flotillas of over 50 boats arrived. In one bay we could hear the sub-wolfer from a party in the next bay.

The islands between Dubrovnik and Split were wooded with vegetation and most anchorages were supported by at least one restaurant. We especially enjoyed Komiza on the west end of Vis and Hvar Town on Hvar. Further north the Kornati Archipelago was barren and the anchorages were rocky with poor holding. Most boats opted for moorings that were strategically placed and expensive. It’s amazing how the charter boats flock to $40 moorings rather than test their anchoring skills.

The islands in the northern Adriatic are much like the islands south of Split but with fewer people and we enjoyed quiet evenings with soft breezes and colorful sunsets. We arrived in Pula on the south end of Istria and checked into the ACI Marina. There we left the boat to spend several days in Venice, Italy.

Venice was just like the movies! Our hotel was 100 feet from the Piazza di San Marco which is ground zero for Venice attractions. We visited the Basilica San Marco which is extravagant beyond words, the Bell Tower, the Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace), the Museum Correr, and the Rialto Bridge. We cruised down the Grand Canal and rode a gondola through the narrow waterways. In the evenings we would prowl the narrow streets debating which restaurant to enjoy. It was a wonderful mini-vacation even though we shared it with a million other tourists.

We will spend the next couple of days provisioning the boat and doing some chores before we head south. We plan to be in Split by September 12-13.

Dubrovnik