Croatia I

Cruising Log of Croatia (Adriatic Sea)

Croatia and the Adriatic Sea have it all: crystal waters, abundant sea life, hundreds of islands, historic ruins and ramparts, museums, you name it. I'd like to emphasize clean, spotless villages, food that can satisfy the most gourmet palate: We enjoyed fresh grilled fishes and meats, and all kinds of vegetables and fruits.

But all that is nothing compared to the the best sailing conditions I ever enjoyed: small chop and 10 to 20 kts was the norm. You easily get a berth or anchorage in a friendly town port or marina. Another nice thing is that you can change itinerary and direction and still come up in a nice port or anchorage that has something appealing to offer: at the very least, flower-lined streets, great food, friendly people and prices 60% lower than the average medit. port. I have sailed many areas: all the Caribbean, lot of the Med. and of Polynesia: Croatia has the best mix of them all.

Here is our cruise log, for a cruise in early spring (May):

Day One

Arrived at Venice (Italy) Airport, then bus to train station and on to Trieste (in ex-Yougoslavia.) Our friends came by train from Rome. From Trieste, the bus trip to the base in PULA is about 3-1/2 hours. The bus was very crowded since many women go do their shopping in Trieste. Arrive at at the base after 7PM. No food shopping possible, so the base manager is kind enough to give us a package of coffee for tomorrow morning breakfast.

Day Two

Gary and Dan do the debriefing in the morning while Vicky and I go the grocery store. The choice of vegetables was terrible... in fact so bad we decided to buy some canned food. Fortunately, on the exit was a wonderful fruit and veggie stand where we were able to stock up everything from tomatoes to grapes. Back to the boat and by morning end, on our way to Rovigno, a beautiful place. The typical village must be seen, with lots of restaurants and lots of history.

Day Three

Short stop in Brunji and on to Beruda for a overnight anchoring.

Day Four

Stop at Suzak, a little difficult to get in. After lunch we went to Mali Losinj where we tried to shore in the village for a very small charge.

Day Five

Just when we were about to leave in the morning, an Official asked to check the ownership of the boat and our Captain Licences. We could not show any of those documents. So we tried to explain in our best possible German that all this was cleared and verified by the Charter Company, but it did not move the Official a bit. Finally, he called the base and got all the information to his satisfaction. That incident kept us busy for more than 2 hours. We then left for Silba, a very pleasant little island to be walked around. Anchoring not good enough to spend the night though, so we sailed around to the other side of Mali Losinj, for overnight anchoring.

Day Six, Seven

Sailed to Rab, where we tied up top shore. But got stuck there for 2 days, as the local wind announced itself: the BURA. It is a very strong Northeasterly wind, which can blow up to 50 knots. It was OK as there is a lot to see, eat and drink in Rab. The town goes back to circa 1200 AD, so it is extremely interesting to visit.

Day Eight

Sailed to Osor, probably packed with tourists when it is full summer, as they have also a music festival there. Anyone stopping over in this town HAS to go eat at "Buffet Osor", a wonderful tiny seafood restaurant. The owners, husband and wife, do not speak English, but the food is phenomenal and very reasonable (an enormously abundant and delicious meal with wines and deserts for under $100 for 4 people!) Around 4PM, we went throught the little bridge at Osor and tied the boat othe other side.

Day Nine

Left at about 5AM to start our trip back to Pula, where we arrived around noon. We did some sightseeing and a van took us back to Venice, at a cost of $50 per person.Conclusion: A wonderful area of the world to sail, lots to see, friendly people and mostly great food. We highly recommend it. A not about water: The bottled water we bought was terrible: salty with a bit of fizz. Not peanut butter either!!! Oh well...