Heading North the final edition

27th August

Departed Trogir after Lunch, the winds had come up and we decided to head for Vela Stupica Bay on the Island of Zirje where we picked up a mooring buoy.  What a great afternoons sailing in 15 knots of Breeze arriving at our destination totally relaxed at around 6pm, had dinner and noted that there was some ruins on the top of the hill that would be worth exploring the next day.

Roman fortress built in 527 AD

Remains of the inner wall of the fortress

28th August

Roman Bath

police launch

After a good nights sleep we woke to Thunder lightening & rain so had a very lazy morning in bed.  The rain finally stopped so we head ashore and walk up to the ruins,  which turn out to be an ancient Roman fortress built in the Byzantine era around 527 AD.  We had a good look around then headed back to the boat for lunch and then prepared to leave.  I had just gone up to the Bow when a police launch motored into the bay heading straight for us.  They enquired as to whether we were a charter or Private boat and wanted to know who was skipper, Steve had ducked down below deck in anticipation of there questions and came up top with all our papers which they took on board and proceeded to examine them. Four burley policemen giving us the eye over and then they gave them back saying all was in order and that we could proceed on our way.  We were headed for the bottom of the Kornati Islands but the bay we had picked was full and there were no buoys left so we decided to head for for Zincena Bay at the bottom of Pasman Island.  We had a lovely day sailing, covering some 21 nautical miles.  We settled down for the night having a quiet Pivo and late dinner.  Feeling very relaxed.




29th August to 1st September
We decided to head back to Sukosan and the marina as we wanted to be sure that we caught up with Einar our Norwegian neighbour who has been so generous and helpful to us giving us use of his car whenever we need it.  We also received a lovely welcome from Mark and Gudrend the lovely English couple who have a Moody 38 a few boats down from us, we have also caught up with Jos & Susan the German couple with a Jeanneau 42 also on the same pier.  So here we are back at the beginning having done approx. 1500 nautical miles (2700 kilometres).  We still have 2 weeks before we leave and Steve's itching to get out for another few days of sailing before we have to start work winterising the boat before we head home.  So That us all up to date at long last,  I'm off to join Steve for a ride on the Bikes to Bibinje for a very cold Pivo.
Cheers and thanks for reading
Ange & Steve

Split Enz back in the marina at Sukosan

Heading North Part 3

26th August
This morning we motor sailed to Trogir a city on mainland Croatia about 30kms north of Split.  We decided to go into the ACI marina as it was right opposite the old city and we needed water.  The first thing you see as you are motoring up the bay is the old remains of an ancient castle.  The Kamerlengo castle was built by the Venetians in the mid 15th century. 
The walled old city next to it is just amazing with many old official building palaces and churches and was well worth the visit.  We paid to go into the large cathedral in the centre of the town, the carvings and artifacts were amazing to see we even climbed the bell tower, I didn't make it to the top as my great fear of heights kicked in but was proud of myself for making it 2/3s of the way up Steve did go all the way.  I also found this lovely memorial to all the people killed in 1992 during the war.

Memorial to those killed in 1992 during the war, the youngest
was only 20 years old so sad.

Steve looking very tanned at the top of the castle tower
looking towards old town Trogir

All the super yachts lined up at the old town marina

The view from Split Enz in the evening

View from the bell tower of St Johns cathedral In the
Centre of Trogir

The carvings around the main portal of the
cathedral, were done by local architect and
master sculptor Radovan, completed and signed
in 1220AD just amazing

The tomb of Bishop John who died in 1111 AD the carvings
are just magnificent

Heading North Part 2

20th August

Had a leisurely start to the day today not leaving until 10am and set the chart plotter for the Island of Vis, we wanted to check out the "Green Cave" on arrival the area was chocker block with Charter boats and it was rather choppy so we decided to find anchorage for the night and try again early the next morning before all the "Charties" were awake. We looked at several bays but they were either full or would not give us the necessary protection for the predicted overnight weather.  We ended up in Rukavac Bay and picked up a mooring buoy, I thought that we were settled for the night but Steve decided to dive down and check the mooring block and came up saying he wasn't happy and wanted to move as it looked like the mooring rope was just tied around one corner of the concrete block and if the wind changed direction we would pull off., but a 2nd dive down and a closer look and he saw that the rope was very secure and all was well.  We went ashore for a coffee and a walk and then back for an easy dinner and to bed ready or our early start the next day.

21 August

Komiza, Vis Island

We motored across the bay to look at the "green cave" but it was still quite choppy and anchoring was deep, Steve didn't want to leave the boat so we have deciced to we will see it another time and motored across to another Island Bisevo to look at the Blue Caves again it was very choppy and a Stern anchor would be required so we headed back to Vis and picked up a buoy in Komiza, We have renamed this as Rolly Bay as it was like being in a washing machine all night.  We rowed into town for dinner and a look around the village, coming back was a real test of my ability to manoeuvre from the dingy to Split Enz with all the pitching and rolling it was a wonder I didn't end up in the drink.

beautiful bronze canon in front of the harbour fortification in
Komiza, Vis Island

22nd August

Woke up fairly early and the bay was relatively calm but we could see that the sea was pretty glassy further out so had a quick breakfast and motored back over to Bisevo Island and stern anchored then went in the dingy to the "Blue Cave" Wow it was beautiful and well worth the effort I'm only sorry that our photo does not do it justice. We then set sail for Marinkovac Island just across from Hvar and found good mooring in a bay called Stipansca  where we had a nice relaxing day eating & swimming as we had not got much sleep the night before in the "washing machine".

Inside the Blue Cave

23 August
Again the wind was not in our favour much to Steve's frustration so it was motoring to Scedro Island where we stern anchored at Carnjeni Bay.  Much to our embarrassment we had to have 2 attempts as we were caught by the wind and my lack of experience in helming the boat, but we got there in the end and provided a bit of entertainment for the Italian boat moored next to us.  There were a lot of wasps here so we waited to eat until sunset when they all disappear.  We went ashore fore a walk and were very disappointed about the state, lots of toilet paper everywhere.  Boaties you should be ashamed of yourselves, this is why you have holding tanks is it not.

24th August
This morning we went back to Stipansca bay with the intention of anchoring for the night and catching a water taxi across to Hvar Town, but on investigation we thought it was too expensive and decided to give Hvar a miss as the harbour was very busy and not a lot of buoys to pick up. so on to plan B and find a bay to anchor and get protection for the night.  We managed to get in a little sailing and picked up a buoy at Luka Tahi Bay, Hvar.

25th August
We motored on to Stari Grad Hvar this morning and picked up


One of the many alley ways in Stari Grad Hvar

a buoy, rowed ashore and had lunch, an explore of the town and shopped for supplies.  We went back to the boat to stow the supplies then back into town to catch a bus to Hvar Town where we explored and had dinner then back to boat for a good nights rest, very satisfied with our day.  I'm sorry to say that I didn't realise that my camera memory was full and I as I was Snapping away so lost a lot of Photos.

Star Grad Hvar (translation Old Town Hvar) is the oldest town in Croatia and indeed Europe. it was originally named Faros by the Greek settlers who arrived in 384 BC and  then taken over by the Romans after defeating the Greeks in 219 BC.  The town is protected as a world heritage site by UNESCO, in 1278 the people of Hvar chose to put themselves under the protection of the Venetian Republic.  During the 16th Century the town was defeated by the Turks and much of the town was burnt down the town was slowly rebuilt and expanded resulting in the town we see today,  so much history and old buildings it is really spine tingling walking around.

Hvar City
This was established in 1278 as part of the agreement with the Venetian Republic who commissioned the building of a new fortified town Hvar which went on to play a major role in the venetian shipping empire until the moved the Naval base to the Kotor on the mainland in 1776 when the town went into decline until the early part of the 19th century when it came under Austrian control and had a bit of an economic and cultural revival. Much of the town was destroyed by the Turks in 1571  and suffer further damage in 1579 when lightening struck the gunpowder magazine.  Many of the buildings today date from the reconstruction of the town after the explosion.

Port in Stari Grad

Ange exploring the streets of Stari Grad

 

View from the Restaurant where we had dinner in Hvar City

Town Square in Hvar City
 

 

Time to head north

After clearing customs in Cavtat on  the 11th August we anchored in the bay for the night and planned our journey and the places that we wanted to see.  We had heard from Simon (Nicha) that Lastovo was worth a visit so decided that we would head that way, the next morning Steve plotted our course for Sunj bay on Lopud Island some 11 nautical miles, the wind wasn't really  in our favour so we motor sailed most of the way arriving just on lunch time, we dropped the anchor and had a leisurely afternoon with lunch and a swim. The next day we set sail for Pomena Bay on the Island of Miljet, this is a part of the southern National Park and we had anchored here with the Hacker family on board,we got in a good days sailing, travelling 37nm with only 3 engine hours so Steve was  happy, I must say so was I, it is very nice travelling along with only the sound of the boat moving through the water, very peaceful and relaxing.

14th August
We left at 9.15am hoping for a good sail to Skrivena Luka on Lastovo but this was not to be as the wind turned around on us but still we managed about an hour of sailing and motored the rest some 19nm. this was a  quiet little bay with 2 Konoba's that had piers with electricity hook ups and water but you could anchor in the bay which we thought was free but it turns out not as the Lastovo Islands are part of a conservation park, and rangers come around to collect a fee for the park, we were below deck having a late afternoon siesta when they called and didn't hear them so ended up having a free night.

15th August
Next port of call was Jurjeva Luka on Lastovo as we needed to restock the cupboards, we dropped the anchor and rowed ashore in search of a super market, only to find that the nearest one was 5kms away.  We decided it was too hot to walk so got a taxi and arranged for him to come back and pick us up a couple of hours later.  We decided to buy lunch and have a cold drink and found a nice Konoba with a view out across the harbour.  The Croatians  have certainly mastered the art of making a pizza! I did a shop for supplies while Steve had a coffee and then we waited for the taxi to return, he was late and we thought that maybe he had forgotten us so we started walking.  We had gotten maybe a kilometre down the road and were not looking forward to walking the rest of the way back when he turned up much to our relief.  It was straight back to the boat for a cooling swim and Pivo time.

Split Enz anchored in Jerjeva Luka
 

16th August
We planned for a big day today as Simon (Nicha) told us that Susac Island was worth a visit. We set sail at 8am arriving at 11.30am and found a lovely bay to anchor in, we had to set a stern anchor as it was quite deep.  We had the place to ourselves the water was so clear, you could see all the way to the bottom some 20 metres and the most beautiful Aqua colour.  We had a lovely skinny dip and a cold fresh water shower off the stern, then lunch.  Unfortunately we couldn't stay the night as there was not enough protection so we set sail back to Lastovo. We anchored in Mali Logo and had a lovely nights sleep after our long day.

17th August

We decided to go back to Jurjeva Luka as we hadn't really explored this bay and there was a lot to see.  This was an old naval base and where we were anchored was the Naval port.  The pier had railway lines that went into 2 large tunnels and in the next bay was a Uboat bunker. There was old buildings that were from the 2nd world war period and modern buildings from the Croatian naval time that were all abandoned and crumbling, what a waste!  I just can't understand why they can't put them to another use!  We rowed ashore and explored the buildings and tunnels, then walked over to the next bay to look at the U boat bunker.  As there is so much to see we decided to stay another night. The next day we walked up to the Lookout bunker at the top of the Hill, wow what a view, we even found a decaying camouflaged binoculars' case.

view from the look out at top of Prezba Island where we were
Anchored at Jurjeva Luka

19th August

Departed 8.30am heading for the top of Korcula Island, went into Vela Luka to fill up with diesel, then we picked up a buoy with the intention of stopping for the night and picking up a few supplies but Steve was not happy with the buoys and the protection that we would get from the expected wind direction so we decided to head for Tri Luka, we had stayed here for one night previously with Tracey & Wayne, but after 3 attempts we could not get good holding on the anchor so decided to look for another place to stop for the night.  We motored further down the coast of Korcula and found a lovely little bay on the Island of Zvironovik. We had dropped the anchor after establishing that we had good holding we settled down to a cold pivo.  A couple of youngsters in a local fishing boat spied our flag and started motoring around us in circles making faces and beating their chests we can only assume that they were trying to do the Haka.  They soon tired of this and disappeared across the channel to home and Dinner.  We had a peaceful night and a good sleep ready for the next days challenges.
All is good on Slit Enz
Until the next instalment.
Ange
 

Then there were two.....

Old walled city in Dibrovnik

We are on a bit of a count down now til we have to winterise the yacht before returning back to NZ. All of our guests have returned back to their homes and lives while we have had the last 5 weeks going as far south as Montenegro , Bar....next stop Greece (Next year) and now as we write this in Trogir, just around the corner from Split.
I must say we thoroughly enjoyed having the Pelletts and the Hackers on board, not to mention Marina our first NZ guest, and we do find ourselves often commenting, "Tracey would have loved this when we are exploring the narrow lanes of old villages, or "Wayne would have loved this" when we enter a bay where we are the only yacht or there are lots of adventurous things to do.  And we certainly miss the fun and banter of the "3 Mad Hackers" but when all is said and done we are certainly enjoying being on our own again and being free to go where the wind takes us.
We thoroughly enjoyed Debrovnik and the highlight was walking the wall of the old city although we could certainly have done without the 40+ degress of heat.  What a fantastic job that was done on the restoration after a lot of it was destroyed during the recent war in the early 1990's.

Stunning Montenegro

Going to Montenegro "killed two birds " for us as we were able to Catch up with Simon from Nicha and travel with Annie and Cam from Annecam. saying goodbye to them as they head down to Greece, and also Clear out at customs as our 3 month were up and we needed to cross a border and come back in, and Montenegro fitted the bill as it was a non EU country.  Wow what a place, entering the Fjord and clearing Customs then heading further down the Fjord to Kotor was just magnificent, the huge mountains of Granite that go right down to the waters edge and all the little villages clinging to the coastline.

Kotor is a fortified town from the middle ages but was founded in the 5th century BC.  It was fortified by the Venicians during their occupancy. And even was part of Austria at one stage, and you can see this in the town square where there is a building that is definately Austrian in its architecture.


The walk to the flag pole

They floodlight the old fortifications and you can see them at night, the area around looks like the night sky with the granite looking like clouds.  Then in the morning it is quite a shock to see the huge mountains behind. We decided to walk to the top of the Mountain fortress, but as the weather was extremely hot we thought it prudent to get up early before the heat of the day as once the sun reached that side of the mountain it would be too hot to make the climb, it was worth it as the view from the top was wonderful, it was no mean feat I might add after some 3000 odd steps were climbed.  The old town was lovely with lots of very old buildings and churches.  The main religion appears to be Serbian Orthodox so lots of beautiful Russian style icons with lots of gold inlay.


The view was worth the 3000 steps

We said
goodbyes to Michael and Verena Hacker putting them on a bus back to Austria via Croatia, and also said our goodbyes to Simon Pennlington as this is likely to be the last time that we catch up to him in this part of the world as he makes his journey towards NZ.  We motor sailed further down the coast towards Bar with "Annecam" as we wanted to check out the Marina there.  We threw the pick over in a little bay just a few kilometres up from Bar staying the night there and having our last Pivo hour with Cam and Annie.  Annie and I said our tearful goodbyes as we parted the next Morning, we have become great mates in the  short time that we known each other and share a lot of life experiences especially when it comes to crazy husbands who tell their sailing inexperienced  wives they want to buy a boat in the Med and sail it back home.  Cam and Annie were on their way to the customs clearance wharf in Bar then on to  Greece and the next stage in their journey. We wish them both happy sailing and hope that we catch up again one day in the not too distant future.

Final goodbyes to Cam and Annie, Greece bound.

We went on to Bar and booked into the Marina for the night, as we wanted to check out prices for the future wintering over of Split Enz & to top our water tanks and do some washing.  We had heard that Starigrad Bar was worth a visit also, so after completing all our chores we headed into town in search of a cold Pivo and to find the old town, this was some 5kms away so caught a Taxi.  The taxi driver was very friendly and told us a bit about Montenegro.  The Ruins of Old Town Bar is one of the worlds largest fortified archaeological sites and was well worth the visit.  There is an olive tree there that is said to be 2000 years old, and the remains of a Benedictine Monastery that is said to have been established in the 9th century, the fortifications are again Venetian and date back to the 14th & 15th century. I was certainly glad that we made the effort to get there.


Ange at Stari Grad Bar, Montenegro

 On 10th of August we left Bar to head back to Croatia and a leisurely sail back to Sukosan.  The wind was good and Steve was very excited about being able to get some sailing in.  In our rush to get going we made the classic mistake of not closing all the hatches and bringing in the fenders before rounding the breakwater,  the seas were huge and Steve struggled to get this all achieved before any big waves broke over the bow.  I was  at the helm and prayed that I could keep Split Enz into the waves.  We managed to get this all done without too much getting wet.  We then set about getting the sails up.  Boy did we have some big waves and the sea was everywhere a bit like being in a washing machine.  We were going along quite well then Steve and I heard a noise like something pinging, we looked at each other wondering what it was and then Steve looked behind to see our Dingy off in the distance. Well you should have seen our faces,  I started to panic, Steve was immediately in action dropping the sails while I helmed. "Keep an eye on the dingy" he shouted.  Anyway we somehow managed to retrieve the dingy with Steve leaning out like a trapeze artist and me freaking out about what I would do if he fell overboard.  The seas were huge around 3-4metres, I was nearly ready to get off after that.  I began to struggle with sea sickness after this, the seas were all over the place and I was not very comfortable and fell asleep in the cockpit. Steve woke me a few hours latter and said that I should go inside as a big storm was about to hit.  I slept through all of this and Steve had a ball.  He had just the main sail out and reefed, the winds were gusting up to 46 knots with the wind behind and a following sea.  He said that the boat speed got up to 9 knots he had a huge grin on his face.  I woke up in time to do my usual chores with dropping the anchor at Risan Bay in the Fjord, as we were clearing  customs the next morning and sailing back to Cavtat. Well that's all for now I will post the next edition in a few days...... All good on Split Enz.

Customs flag at Cavtat

Up came the wind, it swung 180 degrees in minutes .

Austrians in the Med

For those who don't know, back in 2003 we had Verena stay with us in NZ as an exchange student for 3 months. We thoroughly enjoyed  catching up and loved our time with her brother Michael and sister Ricarda....Verena has written the blog as she saw it......

After a long and tedious journey (Croatians and their public transportation…they really are in no hurry to get from A to B), we finally arrived in Split. We had a walk in the scorching heat when we arrived in the Marina and soon discovered Steve and Angela’s boat “Split Enz”. We were welcomed cordially and were shown around the boat. We were stoked; such a stunning conveyance! This would be our home for the next 10 days. 

Verena on the bow

Captain Ricarda

Michael chilling out.

Usually our days started with a nice morning swim which was followed by some breakfast. Then we left the bay we stayed at for another destination. We had lunch during (or after) our cruise and after having sailed for a few hours, we anchored at another bay. We discovered the new land, went swimming and snorkelling and just enjoyed ourselves. After that it was Pivo-time (which basically meant that we were having some snacks and drinking some good, Croatian beer) and in the late evening we always had a lovely dinner which was prepared by our chef, Ange. Our days were accompanied by interesting conversations, a lot of laughter (Steve called us “the 3 mad Hackers”; we wonder why that is? ;) ), sunshine and crystal-clear water.

Surfs up for Verena

Yet another superb sunset

Michael Ricarda and Verena

Ange and Verena

Steve giving Verena a few tips

  

 

Monday: first, our journey took us to a tiny little bay on the island Brač; we left Angela and Steve to take the dingy ashore and walk around the island a bit, the flora was spectacular and we saw an old abandoned house, Michael even found some wild herbs which we later used for cooking, after Angela and Steve went to bed, we plunged our feet into the water and couldn’t believe that we saw fluorescent plankton, it was truly magical.

 

Tuesday: we finally could do some proper sailing, the waves were 2-3 metres high; consequently the boat was shaking like mad, thus Angela and Ricarda became seasick whereas Verena, the adventurous one, had the time of her life; we anchored in Loviste, in the evening you could see the stars very brightly, so Michael, our astronomer, did some star-gazing.,

Michael holding the genoa out on the flat run.

Yes we have wind at last.

 

 

Wednesday: we decided to have a day off and stay in Loviste; while Ange and Steve remained on the boat, we Austrians went ashore and explored the village; it was such a lovely place, we went for a coffee,  walked around the island and took all its beauty in.

Ricarda

 

 

Thursday: we sailed to the island Mljet and anchored at a lovely bay which was part of a national park (still there was a lot of rubbish on the bank which was a shame), we Austrians swam ashore to do some exploring again and just discovered the most beautiful spot with a view onto the sea, Michael found some wild onions which we peeled and then transported back to our boat, this day we offered to cook dinner for Angela and Steve and of course made use of the onions (they were delicious, however, the next day we- how can you put this delicately- had some problems with our digestion ;) )

Michael having a crack at rowing....

Meal time with the Hackers

Verena having one of her many swims

Michael with his wild onion find on the fore shore.
 

Split Enz at sunset

The sea can make you crazy....
 

 

Friday: we headed south and anchored in Cavtat, a town a few kilometres south of Dubrovnik; during our sail, we met up with Anne and Cam, 2 of the Northey’s Aussie friends and Susie and Blair, their guests; we had a deep water swim where we briefly got to know each other for the first time and after we anchored in Cavtat, they joined us for some Pivo-time, in the evening we dined out in Cavtat and had a delicious dinner with lovely people and merry conversations.

Verena, Anne, Blair, Ange, Ricarda and Michael
 

The Austrians, kiwis and Aussies big night out.

I think its up here some-where

 

Saturday: we took the bus to Dubrovnik and did a walk around the city walls; it probably wasn’t the best time of day because we walked for 2 hours in the sweltering heat (we were exhausted afterwards) but it was totally worth it, what an amazing city Dubrovnik is! All these tiny narrow alleys, the simple but beautiful buildings and the lovely harbour, surrounded by the sea, we were all blown away.

Dubrovnik, Northeys and Hackers

Ricarda at the old city Dubrovnik

Certainly didn't go hungry

Verena sitting on steps in Dubrovnik

Sunday: it was Ricarda’s last day (she left earlier because she did another trip with her friends) and so we left for Dubrovnik again to explore the city a little more, we did some shopping , walked around the city and stayed at a café, afterwards we met up with Steve, Ange, Anne and Cam and had a delicious dinner at a restaurant which was situated on a lovely plaza, after that it was time for our first goodbyes, we Austrians stayed a bit longer to enjoy Dubrovnik by night and then our ways parted (Ricarda took the night bus to Zagreb)

Our last meal together before Ricarda departed

Ange, Ricarda and Steve

Verena, Ange, Steve,,Michael and Ricarda in Dudrovnik

 

Monday-Wednesday: as we have settled our official formalities with Croatia in order to enter Montenegro, the way was paved to experience another, amazing country. From the beginning, Montenegro was stunning and wasn’t sparing with its beauty. As we entered the fjord-like passage into Kotor, even Steve, who usually is not as mad a photographer as we are, took one picture after another. Kotor, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, blew our minds, especially when we went all the way up to the ruins of the fortress. After a lovely lunch, we (Verena and Michael) had to leave the boat eventually and say our final goodbyes. Steve and Angela accompanied us to the bus station before we headed off to Dubrovnik again.

Ange, Steve, Michael and Verena

Montenegro fjord.

The view from half way up to the flagpole

Verena free falling,,,,,parachute optional.

The view of Montenegro at the summit.

Steve, Ange, Verena, Anne, Michael and Cam at the top overlooking Kotor.
 

All in all, it has been a wonderful time with you guys. Thank you Angela and Steve, for accommodating us and showing us some beautiful parts of Croatia and Montenegro. We laughed a lot, talked a lot and ate a lot – what else do you need? J See you soon in Austria.

Love from the “3 mad Hackers”

Verena, Ricarda and Michael