TROGIR, CROATIA – The final leg of Geja’s 2011 voyage will retrace the first in reverse, again with an all-boy crew. Lukas from Switzerland is joining, back for this third straight summer, as well as Big Steve, a high school buddy joining Geja for the first time. We have an easy week ahead of us, with ample time to reach Geja’s home base in Trogir. For a change, the weather forecast shows only stable weather ahead.
(Sunday, August 14) We partied pretty hard last night in
Vodice with the girls from Leg Five. Lukas and Big Steve, who slept in a rented room, were finally able to move aboard once the girls cleared out in the afternoon. Project number one at the beginning of each leg is a big grocery run, and as is often the case, a supermarket is never far away from the boat. We finally pulled out of the harbor at 4:30pm, letting the wind lead the way to some yet-to-be determined destination. We had some nice easily sailing around Vodice’s nearby islands, eventually ending the 11-mile sail in a secluded bay on the island
of Kaprije. With an hour of sunlight left, we paddled to shore for a little exploration. Like much of Croatia’s landscape, Kaprije is covered in a labyrinth of old stone walls, built up by farmers using unwanted stones from their soil. Stupidly hiking in flip-flops on very sharp, irregular rocks, we reached the northern summit, rewarded by a beautiful sunset. Made it back to Geja unscathed just before dark, where we settled in for a wonderfully calm night.
(Monday, August 15) We were apparently in no rush this morning, not hoisting anchor until 12:30pm. That gave a harbor official time to collect money for our overnight stay. Apparently he tried to collect while we hiked last night.
He squeezed 28 euros out of us from the privilege of using the community’s mooring buoy, but he was nice about it. Apparently the whole area is under his jurisdiction.
When we got going today, we again just followed the wind, which led us to a narrow gap between to nearby islands. Approaching the gap, the wind shifted and came directly on the nose. A lazy sailor like myself would usually flip on the motor to clear such a gap, but Lukas insisted
that we tack our way through. As if back in sailing school, we sailed off at an angle, nearly reaching the shore of one island, before zigzagging back on the opposite tack until reaching the other island. A few tacks later we were through, a rewarding little accomplishment that we “cruisers” are often too lazy to do.
Followed the wind further to the town of Kaprije, where we dropped anchor and had a look around. It’s a mellow little place, typical of Croatia’s small island villages. Still just 3pm, we
kept on sailing, navigating around a myriad of islands before approaching Sibenik. Just outside of town is St. Nicholas Fortress, and island fortification built in the 16th Century. Conveniently, there is a quay just at its entrance, making for an adventurous stop. We checked out the various levels within the fortress, as well as the sprawling rooftop. The local kids must have a blast in this place!
We motored the final stretch into Sibenik, where there was ample room as always to moor along its central quay. When the harbor guy came to collect, it turned out to
be the same dude that we paid in the anchorage this morning! At least in Sibenik they have mooring lines and water, so you feel like you’re getting something for your money. We had a big laugh together with the guy, who gave us a small discount.
We spent the evening exploring scenic Sibenik before dinner. Finally found a nice looking place to eat, but had to wait for a table to open up. A group of Italian girls let us know that they were done soon, and we ended up having a little chat during the transition. They were staying down the
coast in Primosten for the week, which coincidentally was our next stop. We agreed to look for each other at the wine bar in Primosten tomorrow night at 10pm.
(Tuesday, August 16) Big Steve was up with the sun, which means before 7am. Sibenik is truly photogenic, and he made good use of the morning light. After breakfast on board, the boys each did some sightseeing around town while I stuck around, doing “office” work. At noon we cast off, motoring out the channel and down to Solaris Beach, an entertaining resort with water slides and a Viking ship. Had a couple of beers by the pool, though it’s more of a family place.
Pulled away from Solaris to find that the wind had strengthened, a lot. Stable weather brings an afternoon sea breeze, and it was definitely blowing. Raising the mainsail was a bitch as it flogged wildly, reminiscent of summer
sailing in San Francisco Bay. We bore off and flew downwind, surging at up to nine knots with the following seas. It took no time to reach Primosten, and it was tempting to ride the wind and just keep on going. But we stuck with the plan to stop, pulling in around 4:30pm. The anchorage was a mess, with waves rolling in, boats swaying uncomfortably. We tucked Geja as far into the port as possible, where protection from the northwest wind and seas was adequate. We would have to relocate eventually, however, as the forecast calls for northeast bora winds overnight.
Needing a
n anchoring solution, we hatched a plan just before sunset that would have us anchor near the beach with a line tied to a huge stone bollard ashore. After scoping everything out by snorkel, we relocated successfully, though an older local guy did not approve of the setup. We dined in town and eventually caught up with the Italian girls at the wine bar. Several carafes later, we convinced them to meet us at the nightclub Aurora, one of Croatia’s most well known party spots. Lukas, Big Steve, and I had to stop by Geja for a change of clothes and a drink. Which turned into several drinks. One guy short, Lukas and I finally stumbled off of Geja and found a ride up to Aurora, a few minutes away by taxi, where we found our patient new friends. One of them turned out to be pregnant! All three
were lots of fun, and great dance company. We boogied until last call, and somehow managed to be the last guests to get a taxi back to town.
(Wednesday, August 17) Enjoyed a slow morning in Primosten, including breakfast with our new Italian friends. Then checked out the church atop Primosten before departing at 12:45pm, destination Hvar. Though quite a detour, Hvar is a terrific place, and we had time to include it in the route. Compared to yesterday, the wind and seas were way down, but still enough breeze for off-the-wind sailing.
After settling in on a nice broad reach, I determined that these were ideal spinnaker conditions. We hoisted the big blue monster and enjoyed a nice speed bump. For the next 28 miles, we glided along effortlessly, the balloon-shaped sail pulling us along, averaging six knots for several hours. It helped that we hoisted the dinghy on deck instead of towing it behind (the drag and noise from a trailing dinghy is noticeable). Far too late to get a spot in Hvar, we sailed directly to the outlying Pakleni Islands and one of my favorite anchorages, Vinogradisce, where there is ample space to anchor, even in the high season. After a long 38-mile day, we had the anchor down by 8pm, cooked up some dinner, and turned in early without stepping ashore. Perhaps we didn’t get enough sleep last night.
(Thursday, August 18) Woke up to a glassy calm morning. The goal today is to get a spot in Hvar’s hugely popular harbor. Hvar Town is just 45 minutes away, and I figured that
spots would open up around noon (most charter boats stay just one night). So we got going at 11am for the quick, scenic ride to Hvar. The quay was expectedly full, but the mooring field on the west side of the harbor had several open spots. It’s always a bit tricky to back in, while simultaneously grabbing the forward mooring buoy while someone in the dinghy takes a line ashore. Because of the shallow depths near the quay, boats need to moor about 20 meters off.
Before long we were securely moored and walking Hvar’s fascinating alleyways in the midday heat, followed by a stroll along a perfectly maintained seaside path towards the Hula Hula Bar. Grabbed a chair and a beer in the shade before hopping into the water. While Big Steve and Lukas continued
sightseeing, I returned to Geja around 5pm to find a new neighbor pulling in, its young female crewmembers carefully fending their boat from ours. Turned out to be three young Italian couples, and an invitation to share beers aboard their charter boat soon followed. Again, the friendliest people in Croatia are the Italians.
The boys and I reconvened and returned to Hula Hula Bar for an amazing sunset, and a raucous after-beach party! The seaside bar was super-packed with an international
clan of young party people. Absent were the Croatians, who seem to have been priced out of their increasingly popular Hvar. After a few hours we wandered back to Geja to change out of our beachwear. Homemade vodka drinks were consumed on the quay before our grand tour of Hvar’s nightlife began. We tried every bar in town before the night culminated at the beautifully renovated Veneranda, an open-air after-hours club just two minutes up the hill from Geja’s mooring spot.
(Friday, August 19) By early afternoon, we said ciao to our friendly Italian neighbors. We were staying put for a second night – Hvar deserves an extended stay. We decided to check out the Carpe Diem beach club at an island
across the channel. We covered the one-mile crossing in style, using Geja’s dinghy and its little 3.5 horsepower motor. The Carpe Diem bar on the quay in Hvar is legendary, and their relatively new beach club is super nice, with fancy cushioned booths and expensive food and drinks. The beach – well, beaches in Croatia are mostly rough rock – is well equipped with ladders, sun chairs, and the young and beautiful. We easily killed an afternoon there.
Had an uneventful dinghy ride back to Geja, and by 7pm were back at Hula Hula for more after-beach action. The place has such a great vibe, and we were meeting folks from all over the world, including England, Spain,
and Brazil. We became a bit distracted when three girls of questionable age and nationality discarded their bikini tops in the middle of the party. Like last night, we later changed to more appropriate eveningwear, and again wound up at Veneranda, this time until its closing at 5am.
(Saturday, August 20) Having sufficiently “done” Hvar, we detached from Geja’s mooring at 12:30pm, ready for the long beat up to Trogir, Geja’s home base and final stop for the season. We motored the first few miles until clear of Hvar’s western tip, at
which point we raised sails and proceeded close-hauled towards Trogir. At Lukas’ urging, we kept the motor off, requiring us to tack a few times to get around the island of Solta. Once around Solta, we had a fast beam reach north towards the mainland and into the channel towards Trogir. With a bit of time to spare, we made a quick swim stop just short of Trogir, the final swim of the season (the sea at Trogir is too polluted for swimming). We hoped to moor for free in Geja’s mechanic’s spot in the marina, but it wasn’t available. Anchored instead
in the usual spot near the old castle, where again the local authorities were kind enough to waive the usual (and unpopular) 20-euro anchoring fee.
Not until 10pm were we seated in a restaurant in Trogir. I’m not a big fan of Croatia’s surprisingly expensive restaurant food, aside from the grilled squid, and I’m not into dissecting small fish on my plate. I often wind up eating pizza out. Luckily many places offer both fish and pizza, keeping both captain and crew happy. Despite two crazy nights out in Hvar, we did check out the party scene in Trogir a bit, but we didn’t last long.
(Sunday, August 21) Tried to arrange to moor alongside the town quay, as it would be a great place to rinse, remove, and fold the sails. But the port guys wouldn’t allow it. Many other Croatian ports encourage use of
their quays during the underutilized daytime hours. But things are different here in Trogir. Reluctantly, we checked into the marina, where a one-night stay costs about 60 euros. Handpicked an upwind spot, where dousing the sails would be easy. Lukas and Big Steve were a big help in folding up the sails, knocking a significant task off the list of winter preparations. By mid-afternoon, both crew were on their ways, leaving me alone for the first time in over six weeks.
Leg Six was an excellent finale to an awesome summer of cruising. Big Steve had sailed very little before, but seemed to gel right in with the lifestyle. Lukas brought Swiss precision to every task asked of him. And brought lots of chocolate, too. Unlike some weeks in The Med, a majority of the distance covered was under sail alone. Now onto several days of what I call boatyard hell, wrapping Geja up for the winter.