happy wanderers
Kornatis to Dubrovnik
Sorry it has been so long since my last post, lots of travelling so here is a catch up to finish our Croatian leg of Moonshadow’s odyssey…
We spent a few days with Meg in the remote Kornati islands, which look like a moonscape, dry brown islands with little foliage. Our mission was to head south so had a great close-hauled sail across to Vodice marina for the night, just inside the harbour of Sibenik.
After being remote for a few days, it was nice to walk around the old town of Vodice and go for a ride along the beaches. The Croatians really cater for family holidays, every beach or flat rocky cove has beach loungers, bouncy castles, gelato stores and are packed with families, so nice to see…
Our last night with just Meg on board was on the western coast of Solta, with a deep anchorage requiring another 50 euro buoy, which was paid to the local taverna. Supper at the taverna was like something out of a Dr Suess drawing, as there were tables set on rocky platforms around the bay. There were couples and yacht crews dining all over the cliff amongst the trees. The grill chef was sweating it out with his open fire further up hill and the poor waitress was getting a great workout running up and down stairs.
The following day, we motored across to the port of Stari Grad, on the eastern side of Hvar, to meet our next crew, Jo and Tom Warren, and were lucky enough to catch their daughter Harriet for a hug and meet her southern man Bill before they left for Paxos.
We anchored out in the gorgeous islands off Hvar where we could swim to cool down from 35 degrees, then collected Lynda from the ferry the following day, along with her parcel from Rose of sesame dressing, stainless clothes pegs, extra pillowcases and fried shallots, yum! We then headed out to the island of Vis where Tito was exiled for 5 years after being overthrown. The wind in this region is usually light until late afternoon when it picks up to 25 knots, so Bill picked our timing carefully to ensure we made the most of the conditions without getting hammered. It was still hot (mid 30’s) so we pulled into a bay to swim and visit a sub cave, this one much longer and in better shape than the one on Brac.
Supper that evening was on the advice of a local lady that Lynda got chatting to. She recommended not eating on the waterfront, as the best places are usually 2 streets back, so we sat in a beautiful garden for supper then watched the final of the Euro cup in a 14th century bar that felt like Mantell’s.
After sailing south to the island of Korcula, with a swim stop in an island lagoon, we tied up in a marina and went for a wander around another old fortified town, once again famous for being invaded by everyone over the millennium, plus the birthplace of Marco Polo.
Jo and Tom love remote places so Bill found a quiet anchorage for their last night, which was like Fitzroy on the Barrier, with a few super yachts sprinkled around. We arrived back in Dubrovnik the following day to clear customs out of Croatia, say a sad farewell to the Warrens and scoop up Lynda’s daughter Chamonix, for the next leg of our journey.
Thanks Warren’s for sharing this part of our journey, lots of fun and chardonnay, safe travels Jo and Tom xx