A few weeks have past since our last destination blog post from Vis
and the Pakleni Islands off Hvar. Given we have now bid farewell to our beloved
Croatia – who graciously introduced our family to the nomadic cruising
lifestyle, we’ve flirted with Montenegro (post to follow) and as I write we are
in the midst of our first overnight (24 hour, 200km +) passage down to customs
entry port Gouvia, Corfu in Greece’s Ionian Islands. So as not to fall too far
behind, here are some highlights from our last two weeks in the larger southern
Dalmatian islands and coast!
Having met only a handful of Australians in our first two and half
months, either the early summer season was finally priming, or the preference
for Croatia’s southern islands as a touring ground for our fellow countrymen –
but the Aussie floodgates opened once we hit Korcula. Whether it be sharing a
bay with another long-way-from-home Aussie-flagged yacht (who’s residents would
often row over for a friendly hello) or one of the dozens of old wooden gulets,
come week-long live aboard cruises, with music blaring, packed with bikinis and
bare chested guys (frequently swearing loudly in a familiar accent) and bomb
diving off the highest decks. Mike and I know these
wooden gulet boat trips all too well, given this was our tour of choice to
explore Croatia back in summer 2006. And our partying actions, despite what
felt like a complete disregard for the culture and country at the time, like
many twenty-something Aussies who’ve trod the same well-worn path, it was a
roaring good time. Korcula Town is another scenic, walled and densely populated
peninsular – a pretty locale to stop a few nights.
Polace at Mljet National Park provided a protected two-night
anchorage during some blustery weather and a pleasant sightseeing day around
Mljet’s two aqua blue lakes, island monastery and cool, fragrant pine forests. When
your legs are regularly cooped up in a small living space, any opportunity for a
substantial stretch of the legs is most welcomed.
Inching closer to Dubrovnik and the southern end of the long
coastline, we’d been recommended to visit (yet another!) historic walled old
town – particularly to taste the famous product from its never-ending rows of
oyster and mussel farms. With strong northlies on the nose, we decided against
navigating up the shallow channel and instead anchored in nearby Slano bay and
took the local bus to Ston. A lesser-known township off the tourist trail and yet
only 45 minutes north of Dubrovnik – Ston is not just any walled old town. Incredibly has the second longest remaining fortified
wall in the world at 5.5 km (behind China’s goliath Great Wall). After a hike
up and around part of the town’s walls for some awesome views, we devoured four
dozen fresh Ston oysters between us, washed down with several glasses of cold Karlovacko.
Tasty!
Dubrovnik needs little introduction – as Croatia’s tourism crown
jewel and one of Europe’s most popular destinations. The fortified old town hugs
a rocky coast, with a painstakingly rebuilt sea of red tiled rooftops (the town
was violently shelled during the civil war just two decades ago) – and is one
of the most photographed scenes in the Mediterranean. Dubrovnik’s old town is striking
and well worth a visit even if just to circumnavigate the old walls and fill up
your camera memory card with postcard perfect pictures. Having visited
Dubrovnik before, I’d honestly have to say sadly this is one special place where
mass tourism and the cruise ship trade is suffocating the charm and magic as daily
they disgorge thousands upon thousands of tourists shoulder to shoulder into
the humid, enclosed old town. We counted four new cruise ships arrive and
depart each day that we were there.
I’ve read that there is talk of limiting the number of people
permitted into the old town each day, as it is clearly obvious the enjoyable
capacity has been surpassed. Perhaps it was just a shock after the early season
freedoms and space we’ve relished to date. But if and when you are to visit
this photogenic destination – we suggest it’s best to leave your wall walk and
alleyway roaming until late afternoon or early evening once the hoards have
returned to their floating hotels for their pre-paid dinner onboard.
Not an area that’s favourable for yachts – we sat anchored in
Dubrovnik’s Gruz harbour for five hours (and were just about to take the tender
to shore) when at 6:00 pm the harbourmaster finally decided to advise us that
anchoring there was forbidden. As the official ACI marina was full with charter
yacht handovers, we were left with little choice but to moor at a private
sailing club marina nearby. The next day we were gouged 100% extra for a
catamaran (every other mooring has never been more than a 50% surplus). At
A$220 for one night to tie up to a slab of cement, laid moorings and plug in
power, it was by far the most we’d paid in our three-month cruise up and down
the coast. As I’m sure you can understand, when you are trying to make your
money stretch over nine months and you already have to supply your own bed,
bathroom and kitchen sink, regular hits like this do not make for a sustainable
budget!
What we wished we’d known at the time and will happily recommend to
other yachties heading north to Croatia – a perfect alternative is the picturesque seaside village of Cavtat just fifteen kilometers
south, with regular taxi boat and bus services up to Dubrovnik. For our last
two days in Croatia we enjoyed some blissfully calm weather here in a free
anchorage (we do love free!), just around the corner from our selected customs
clearance port. Whilst our Dubrovnik crowds and overpriced mooring experience
had left us slightly bothered and disheartened, in Cavtat we topped up on our relaxed Croatian good vibes and uncrowded
vistas to depart back on a high note. We also ended our stay with a much-anticipated
visit from the bronzed lovebird newlyweds Bek and Joel who’d also been soaking
up the sun and fun of this friendly country! After plenty of laughs, swims and wedding
story catch-up over beers, we very much look forward to welcoming them back
onboard soon in Greece!
Well what more can we say? Early March we arrived to bitter
winter’s-end bora winds where even
snowflakes made a brief appearance; we now depart in the midst of a
Mediterranean heat wave. Arriving well before the seasonal crowds provided us
with many glimpses of how the locals live and communities tick for the other
half of the year. Croatia’s 1,200+ islands and islets have gifted not only a
visual smorgasboard around every corner, but have provided time for plenty of
learnings and lessons about the boat, local weather characteristics and
Mediterranean sailing etiquette (or lack thereof), all whilst learning to live
closely together and accommodate each others strengths and weaknesses. And as
the initial set up, maintenance and modification period for the boat – there
have been several deadlines and itinerary constraints to work around. This has
made for some challenging moments and other times when patience has been
essential. But all part of the adventure!
We’ve simply loved every minute of our cruising visit of Croatia and
hope we’ve inspired a few to add this deserving country to their travel
destination wish list. Its rich diversity of landscapes, crystal clear bays,
unassuming old towns, mind-blogging history (from ancient to the very recent)
and friendly, welcoming locals will be long treasured. Though it’s time to move
on and we are also very excited to be changing the local courtesy flag for some
new colours – to see what wonderful surprises, adventures, characters, mishaps
and memories the next few months have in store. We hope that you’ll stay with
us on this journey! To conclude, here are a couple of favourite images again
from our time in Croatia (along with a splash from Venice).
Do vidjenja Croatia!
