Croatia II and Italian Interlude

As there was not much to do, we set off by bus to spend a few days in Zadar. It was interesting following the coastline from the 'inside out' so to speak. In roman times the port exported timber and wine and during the Middle Ages became the main base for the Byzantine fleet. We thoroughly enjoyed the old city.

As soon as John and Jill arrived from France, and Mike from Oz, we set sail northwards to Rovinj. From way out one can spot the cathedral dedicated to St Euphemia. The 61 meter high tower is topped by a revolving statue, dedicated to the saint. Already the Italian feel was present. Originally a roman port on an island, Rovinj was eventually linked to the mainland in 1763.

After an easy day at anchor in Luka Dalja, we took down the Croatian flag and set sail into Italian waters.

Locating the Marina in Trieste took some time as the harbour is large and sprawling. We were very glad to be moored right in the city, so to speak as a Black Bora (very cold wind with driving rain) set in shortly after our arrival. Even in the safety of the Marina, we measured 42 knot winds. Trieste is a beautiful city of contrasts with wide streets and open spaces along the shoreline and narrow cobbled streets behind. Amongst the may historical buildings, we were amazed to find one of the most ornate Orthodox churches we have ever seen. Certainly the highlight was visiting the elegant Castello di Mirimare built by Archduke Maximilian in the mid 19th century.

Locating mooring for a 'cat' proved to be difficult in Italian Marinas. However we were given a berth just outside Porto Uno in the river. The approach is through a narrow busy channel with crowded beaches not 200 meters away. We were facinated watching a family of swans (mum dad and 5 cygnets) defend their patch.


This stop-over gave us an easy sail to Venice.. Sailing up the busy waterway of Canale di San Marco gave us a terrific sense of achievement when we came up to St Mark's Square. After a quick photo session, we turned around and sailed to so called Marina di Leo Grande which was a 45 minute ferry trip into the centre of Venice. We slogged through all the famous sites becoming quite foot sore. Our last evening was spent listening to a quartet playing in a small out of the way church.

Paul (from Oz) joined us literally minutes before we set sail for Porto Corsini. We were accompanied by a school of playful dolphins on a glassy sea, with a spectacular sunset which added to the magic; however the overnight passage then turned out to be quite rough. Through the early morning mist, we heard the eerie warning sirens of gas rigs dotted all over.

We then found ourselves in a large modern Marina which was a 20 minute bus ride from Ravenna which is noted for its superb mosaics from the Byzantine period. The highlight for us was seeing the Domus of Stone Carpets - a large dwelling with mosaics of different themes in each room. Jill and John left us here and on cue, Erik, arrived. We had a good train connection to Bologna where we discovered that spaghetti is notserved with bolognaise sauce! Only a vegetarian sauce is served with spaghetti!

After this Italian interlude, we set sail for Croatia once more, re-visiting many of the same places as before. One town we enjoyed and re-visited was Murter, which is described in a travel book as a frumpy little place. The people here are most friendly and the main street comes alive in the evening with music and colourful stalls. A new port of call for us was the island of Vis where we moored along the main lively street. We enjoyed an evening of Klapa (traditional singing) in an old bastion. A little island off Vis is noted for it's beautiful blue grotto - well worth the 2 hour journey in a little boat accompanied by Klapa singing from the two crew.

We continued south, on to Split where we had a crew change. Neville and Joyce from Hout Bay arrived as Paul and Erik left. We were luckily able ride out another threatening Bora in the sheltered Loviste Bay but only after sailing in 40 knot winds for a time.

Split - ancient and modern

Korcula was a must to re-visit where we once again witnessed the exciting (and dangerous) Moreske sword dancing. We also attended a delightful concert in the Catherdral of St Mark.

Again we took shelter from yet another bora before heading for Slano where we moored (first alongside) and five minutes later stern to on anchor. Shortly afterwards a young fleet leader told us to move yet again but this we ignored! We then spent an afternoon in a favourite Croatian village - Ston. Back in Slano we had a great evening listening to yet another quartet playing in the main square right near Chispa.

With no room in Dubrovnik, we moored in nearby Zatron. where we once again we experienced problems. Chispa was actually moved twice! Neville and Joyce, I am sure, were only too glad to finally leave Croatia and enjoy the peace of sailing to Corfu. Gouvier Marina staff were most welcoming as were many of the 'livaboards' who we'd met on our previous visit.

With time to spare, we took an interesting day trip to Albania where we visited the interesting site of Bukrit. Our plan in August 2008 is to set sail southwards and return to Turkey.