If its June it Must be Croatia

For the past month we have been cruising in a spectacularly beautiful country, Croatia. We knew very little about the country beyond the basic facts that it was part of Yugoslavia and in the early nineties some sort of war was fought over Croatia. What we have discovered is a country filled with fairy tale villages, gleaming seaside resorts, historical towns and stunning green mountains tumbling down to the crystal waters of the Adriatic. We had been told the Croatians were very reserved and not particularly friendly and that the food was ho-hum. Instead we found charming folks both young and old always ready to help, lend advice or share a story and food which is quite tasty. Croatia was part of former Yugoslavia which was formed after WWI. During WWII Croatia sided with the Nazis thinking that would gain her independence from Serbia. After the war Croatia was once again back in the Yugoslavia fold this time under the Communist rule of Tito. Once he died in 1980 things began to unravel and in 1991 Croatia declared independence. War broke out shortly afterwards with Serbia and continued until 1995. In a short amount of time Croatia has amazingly put itself back together and only a few signs of war damage remain. The Croatians have embraced democracy and capitalism with zeal. In fact a local told us “Croatia is the land of a 1,000 niks. You get niked (charged) for everything, everywhere.” Something we found to be true. We were fortunate to share our Croatian adventures with two sets of friends – Corkey and Pat Campbell and Jim and Barbara Brock. Jan and Corkey have known each other since they were 3 and 4 and coincidentally he was Craig’s roommate at A&M and best man in our wedding. Jim and Craig worked together in the past and both Jim and Barbara have crewed with us on Harvest Moon Regattas and Jim was crew when we took Seabbatical across the Gulf and in the Caribbean 1500 in 2006.

Our Croatian adventure began with an overnight sail from Corfu, Greece. This was our first overnight sail of the season and 219nm sail proved to be uneventful. We left Corfu at 0825 and motored on glassy waters throughout the day and night until 0600 on 1 June when the winds picked to 17knts off our starboard quarter for a great sail the rest of the way. We reached Gruz Harbor, the harbor for Dubrovnik, and tied off to the Customs quay at 10AM and cleared into Croatia. It was another case of going to doors number 1, 2 and 3 - passport control, harbor master and customs, all of which were very efficient. After the exchange of copious quantities of kunas (nik, nik) and our folder filled with various permits we were on our way again and by 1126 we were in a berth in Dubrovnik Marina a uniquely pretty marina built on the grounds of a renaissance palace. The next day we were off on the bus to old town of Dubrovnik which lives up to its nickname – The Pearl of the Adriatic. One look stroll down the Stradun, the main promenade, with her buildings of beige stone and terra cotta tile roofs convinced us that all our guests had to see this truly beautiful city. With several days on our own before Corkey and Pat arrived we headed out of the marina on 3 June to the island of Lopud and dropped the hook for two nights in Sinj Bay. We had been told by the folks on Our Alabi that the beach bar in Sinj Bay had the best burgers in the world. Well of course we had to investigate but there was a problem. There are two beach bars in the bay both serving burgers. Hmm? Which one was the right one? We randomly picked one and yes the burgers were good, but were they the best? Hopefully we would have a chance to try the other bar’s burgers for a true taste test. After two nights in Lopud we sailed to the next island and med moored on the town harbor wall of Sispanaka Luka. Sispanaka. That evening on the advice of Our Alibi we had dinner at Kod Marka. We were simply asked fish or meat (we chose both) and the rest of the decisions were in the hands of the owner and chef. What resulted was an excellent 3 course meal. Sleep can easy that night and the next day it was back to Dubrovnik Marina to await the arrival of our first guests.

Corkey and Pat arrived on 8 June and after unpacking we were off to show them the old city. This time we took in the sights strolling along the town walls which offered excellent views of the old city on one side and the Adriatic on the other. Of course after such strenuous exercise we had to have dinner and gelato in town. The next morning we were off for a week of island hopping up the Dalmation Coast. Once again we stopped at Lopud. However due to winds we anchored out on the other side of the island off of Lopud Town and enjoyed a great steak dinner on board under the stars. From Lopud we headed for the island of Mljet and the national park located at the northern end. Besides the national park which is truly beautiful with anchorages, two inland lakes and ruins of monastery, Mljet claim to fame is that this is the island on which Calypso held Odysseus prisoner for seven years. We took a mooring at a restaurant appropriately named Calypso and spent the afternoon in the national park. That evening we enjoyed a traditional dish, Lamb under a Bell, at the restaurant. If you’ve ever been in scouts or were a scout leader you’re probably familiar with dutch oven cooking which is essentially the method used to cook the dish. Chunks of lamb, potatoes, onions and peppers are cooked in one pot over an outdoor kitchen fire. A great meal was had by all as we listened to the tunes of Nora Jones playing from Lone Star which was just across from our table.

We made three more memorable stops that week, Korcula, Hvar and Trogir. Korcula Town on Korcula Island is another medieval walled city. Though not as big as Dubrovnik, it is every bit as charming and is the home of Marco Polo. Korcula has a very laid back feel which is just the opposite of Hvar Town on Hvar Island. Hvar is considered one world’s top 10 most beautiful islands and the town is full of jet setting activity. Originally settled in 4th century BC by the Greeks, Hvar has been occupied by Slavs, Venetians and now tourists. While the town is beautiful, the harbor is a nightmare. Even in perfect wind conditions it is rolley and crowded. But if conditions are right and your early enough to find a place along the wall it’s worth the roll and noise. We lucked out and were able to be right in the center of action. Surrounded by 40m plus yachts on either side, we spent our time people watching, taking in a concert of traditional Dalmation music and hiking the the fort high above the town. Our final sail took us to the town of Trogir, a tiny medieval town completely surrounded by water. Trogir has a scenic harbor promenade and is full of twisty, turny streets and alleyways. We enjoyed a final farewell dinner and the next morning Corkey and Pat were off to Rome and more adventures.

On our own for two days we sailed to the Split, a large bustling cosmopolitan city compared to Trogir, and home to the Diocletian’s Palace. The palace was the retirement home of Emperor Diocletian, one of the few emperors who actually made it to retirement. Diocletian’s claim to fame was coming up with the clever idea of feeding Christians to the lions. We spent the afternoon exploring the remains of the palace and the following morning preferring the sourroundings of Trogir, we split from Split and headed back to Trogir for Jim and Barbara’s arrival.

We were lucky to find space on the harbor wall the first evening but had to move off the second night due to a large flotilla of small Croatian cruise ships that were arriving. We dropped anchor in the harbor and were soon joined by Jim and Barbara. Not long after their arrival we were visited by the harbor master who “niked” us for just anchoring out. Oh well, it was worth seeing Trogir again and sharing it with our friends. The next morning we were underway and our first stop was Hvar Town. However this time the wind conditions were averse to mooring in the harbor. In fact the harbor was closed anchoring and all sailboats because of the conditions. Instead we took a berth at the Palmizana Marina on Pakleni Island, across from Hvar Town. We took the water taxi across the canal once again enjoyed the beautiful town. Dinner was at a Rick Steve’s recommended restaurant, Konoba Menego, located on a steep back street. We put ourselves into the hands of the owner, Dinko, and the result was several typical Croatian dishes and locally produced wines. The biggest adventure of the evening occurred as we headed back on the water taxi, by now 11PM. All of a sudden an alarm was going off and the driver was instantly shutting down the engine and on his cell phone – the water pump had blown up. His female companion told us “Don’t worry, he has 125 numbers he can call.” So there we were, the four of us, the driver and his companion rocking and rolling in a small broken down boat in the middle of the night. Sure enough about 10 minutes later we see the lights of an approaching boat, another taxi, on its way to rescue us. We were expecting a tow, but no instead the four of us were transferred to the rescue taxi and at the last minute the “companion” jumped on as well leaving her boyfriend to wait for his rescue on his own. What true love! The next day we cruised along the west coast of Hvar stopping off at Scedro Island for lunch and a swim. Well at least three of us swam – briefly. The water was freezing and Barbara probably showed the most intelligence of the group and elected not to get in.

The evening was spent at anchor in Loviste Bay on the Peljesac Penninsula. Grilling out under the stars completed another perfect day in Croatia. Our last day at sea included a lunch break and shopping for local wine in Polace, Mjlet. Then it was on to Sipanaka Luka on Sipan where we took a mooring ball in front of Kod Marka Restaurant. Barbara and Jim are definite “Foodies” and we knew they would enjoy this dining experience. We all choose fish and first out was marinated anchovies and rocket salad with fresh smoked tuna. This was followed by octopus balls (similar to crab cakes) and seafood risotto. The finale was fresh grilled sea bass and amberjack. All was accompanied by carafes of the local white wine. Yum! Yum! If you’re beginning to think a main if not the main event in cruisers’ lives is eating local you would be correct! It was great ambience with the town and Lone Star in the background. The next day we sailed back to Dubrovnik Marina and were off one more time to the Old Town. Jim and Barbara got to experience the walk on the walls and we enjoyed one final last excellent meal in the Old Town. Too soon it was the next morning and they were on their way back to the States and home to hot, hot Texas.

The boat was very quiet after all our guests left. We had another week left on our cruising permit and planned to sail north to some places we had not yet seen. However, Mother Nature had another plan in store. Greece has the meltemi winds and Croatia has the infamous Bora. These are northeast winds which blow often at gale force 30-45knts and even up to hurricane force. We had not yet had the pleasure of experiencing the Bora but our luck ran out. For five days nonstop the Bora blew making any headway north extremely uncomfortable if not close to impossible. We did manage to leave the marina and once again anchor in Sinj Bay, Lopud before the winds set in. We spent three nights at anchor waiting out the winds. Now this did give us the chance to try the other beach bar burger. Verdict, also good perhaps better than the first, but Bill’s in Black Cat Junction outside of Kingwood still reigns as the best burger ever! After three nights on the hook and going a little stir crazy we did manage to make it back to Dubrovnik Marina and take a berth – just before they closed the marina for incoming boats due to high winds. After two more days the Bora finally blew itself out and we left for Cavtat a harbor town just south of Dubrovnik. This is a happening little town with a lively harbor walk, plenty of restaurants and once again the picturesque architecture of Croatia. We anchored on the town wall and spent the afternoon exploring the waterfront and walking around the bay. Before evening set in we were visited by Antonio, the harbor master, looking for his “nik”. He was accompanied the by the electric and water guy who was also looking for his “nik” which turned out to be the cost of half our monthly electric bill back home. Needless to say we chose not to take electricity. Our final bit of business in Croatia proved that sometimes things can be a little screwy. Wanting to save time the next morning we went to Harbor Police hoping to check out the night before. Not only were we told no we would have to wait till the morning (which ok we could understand that), we would have to move our boat to the Customs Dock before we could check out. The Customs Dock was exactly 30meters away but no, even though they could see our boat it wasn’t good enough.
So the next morning we pulled up the anchor, waited in line in the harbor for one hour and reanchored on the Customs Dock only 3 boats away from our original berth. Officials – you just got to love ‘um!

Looking back on our time in Croatia, it is time well spent and enjoyed and not enough time in this beautiful country at all. Our travels here were enhanced by the knowledge of two cruising couples – Katherine and Craig Briggs on Sangaris who passed on several brochures and insider tips and tricks on Croatia and Ann and Gerry May on Our Alibi whose treasure trove of information guided us the whole month. Gerry you should be a travel writer! Croatia we will miss you!