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Deleted User YDKXO
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I’ve been meaning to do a cruise report on one of our Croatian cruises but never quite got round to it due to pressure of idleness. So, finally, this is a report on our most recent 6 day cruise from our marina, which is just north of Split, south to Dubrovnik and back and I’ve also tried to give some general impressions of Croatian boating life as well. But first, just a bit of background as to how we found ourselves in Croatia in the first place. After 5 happy seasons in Majorca with a Ferretti 46, we traded up to a Ferretti 53 in Croatia last year and we have decided to keep it there for a few seasons as the cruising area is reputedly one of the best in Europe.
Following a recommendation, I decided to keep the boat at Marina Frapa near Split and which is billed as a 5 star marina, whatever that means. Anyway, it’s an attractive marina with restaurants and shops on site, a nice swimming pool, 32amp leccy supply (for aircon), helpful marineros and, an unmissable Miss Croatia contest which takes place once a week during the high season!
Anyway for our most recent cruise, we pitched up on Saturday night May 28th after one of the Fat Greek’s airbuses deposited us at Split airport. Our teenage son was accompanying us and we were only blessed with his presence having agreed to take 3 of his schoolmates along for the trip, something which has become alarmingly regular in recent years. According to SWMBO, I should be treasuring these times as they fly the nest all too soon. Mmm. The first surprise on arriving at the marina was that the boat seemed to have been stolen. Then I remembered that I’d asked the marina to carry out some basic maintenance work and sure enough, we found the boat near the travel hoist. The second surprise was that neither the generator not the galley fridge was working despite the fact that both had been working perfectly when we were last on the boat. Then I remembered that I’d also asked the marina to service these 2 items. So the next day, instead of heading off into the blue yonder, I spent the day searching for service personnel to shout at. The marina is quite canny about this because they employ gorgeous women who seem to be specifically trained to smile and flutter their eyelashes whenever a boat owner looks like he’s going to lose his rag. Needless to say, nothing happened on Sunday but by Monday lunchtime, all was fixed and off we went.
I’m not up with all this digital map stuff so you’re going to have to make do with this photobodge map. Fundamentally, this is the BartW restaurant tour of the south Dalmatian islands so my sincere thanks to him. My opinion of Croatian cuisine is now considerably higher and my wallet considerably emptier
Our first destination was Korcula town on Korcula island some 65nm away. This place was recommended to me by a local so we were looking forward to visiting. After about 3 hours of cruising in smooth seas, we arrived in the Korculanski channel between the island and the mainland in half a gale. This is a characteristic of Croatia in that wind and sea conditions can change unexpectedly and BartW had warned me about the winds off Korcula. The marina is quite tight and we weren’t helped by the fact that the marinero insisted that we moored away from the other boats without another moored boat to hang on to. With my rookie crew and to the apparent disappointment of the watching charter crews, it was a relief to attach ourselves to something solid without mishap.
Korcula town proved to be delightful although I can imagine that in August it might be a living hell. Like many Croatian towns, it is perched out on a promontory commanding the channel. History has it that the explorer, Marco Polo, was born in Korcula and, of course, this is all the excuse the locals need to sell you Marco Polo themed everything. Having dodged the market stalls, we found a cocktail bar on top of one of battlements which could only be reached by a vertiginous ladder through a small hole in the floor.
I guess toilet humour was around even in the Middle Ages
The Croatian Navy was in town. All of it!
The following day, we wound our way through the islands east of Korcula island towards Polace on the island of Mjlet, which was a BartW recommendation
Teenage moroseness personified. My son as we navigated the shallow channel through the islands before the crossing to Mjlet
The obligatory wake shot as we crossed to Mjlet in flat calm seas
Entering the anchorage at Polace
Polace proved to be as attractive as we had hoped although the manic waving of restaurant owners from the shore imploring us to moor at their quay for dinner was a bit disconcerting. After having been thrown off a buoy, belonging to a restaurant that we weren’t going to eat at, we attempted to anchor in the bay. This proved more difficult than it should have been as I just couldn’t get the anchor to set in the weedy bottom but eventually I gave up and we lay safely enough to the weight of the anchor and chain whilst we swam and the boys messed around in the dinghy. The boss pottered off in the tender to have a look at a Nordhavn 55 called Tai Pan anchored nearby and managed to blag her way on board. To be on the safe side rather than rely on an anchor that wouldn’t set, we moored at a quay belonging to the BartW recommended Bourbon restaurant and later had an excellent meal there.
After dinner we set off into the darkness in the tender to Tai Pan for yet more drinks to hear the owners’ stories of their cruises around Europe and the Med and to get a guided tour around a proper motorboat. It was interesting to hear the owners’ opinion of Nordhavn which can be summed as the boats are great but they’re way better at marketing hype than customer service.
Next day we set off south for Dubrovnik. The wind had changed around from the north (known locally as bora) to a brisk southerly (jugo) so we punched into an increasingly lumpy sea as we cruised down the Mjletski Kanal. Our 3 teenage guests apparently involuntarily deposited their breakfasts overboard but I was happy enough dodging spray on the flybridge. The Ferretti 53 is acknowledged as one of Ferrettis best sea boats and Sumianda wasn’t fazed by the conditions. My original plan to anchor off reputedly the only sandy beach in Croatia at Sinj had to be abandoned due to the wind direction and we found a quiet anchorage in a bay on the north side of Lopud island. Once again, we couldn’t get the anchor to bite into the seabed so we just put out a whole load of chain. The boys recovered from their seasickness were soon jumping into the sea
My son doing a passable impression of a frog
After lunch we motored on south to Dubrovnik inside the Elaphatine Islands chain which protected us from the worst of the sea conditions
Arrival at Dubrovnik. Turn left for the marina, straight on for the town
I had taken the precaution of reserving a berth at the ACI marina in Dubrovnik because it’s the only marina serving the city. Over the phone, they told me that there was a 50% deposit for reserving a berth which I assumed was deducted from the mooring charge. I was somewhat pissed off to find later that the reservation fee was charged in addition to the normal mooring charge and my mood wasn’t improved by the empty berths around us.
After a swim in the marina pool
Off we trekked to the UNESCO heritage city of Dubrovnik for dinner. I gave the boys a few quid to lose themselves because there was no way I was going to buy them dinner in the next BartW recommended Nautika restaurant which I already knew was an arm and a leg job, having visited Dubrovnik in the past. The restaurant is located on the battlements of the old city walls overlooking the sea and is in a superb position. SWMBO decided she wanted lobster and I was stupid enough to join her. The waiter obviously thought we were high rollers after that and offered us a bottle of Dom Perignon to wash the lobster down, an offer I had no problem resisting. Despite this, the bill was a trifle eye watering; I obviously failed to notice that we’d eaten the diamond encrusted variety of Adriatic lobster
Dubrovnik at night
The old city of Dubrovnik is gorgeous and now fully restored following the damage it sustained during the Balkan conflict. After dinner we had a drink at the famous Buza bar and finished off by watching the jazz at the renowned Troubador café. Dubrovnik really is worth a visit and with BA flying there regularly, a weekend visit is perfectly viable if you’re so inclined.
Following a recommendation, I decided to keep the boat at Marina Frapa near Split and which is billed as a 5 star marina, whatever that means. Anyway, it’s an attractive marina with restaurants and shops on site, a nice swimming pool, 32amp leccy supply (for aircon), helpful marineros and, an unmissable Miss Croatia contest which takes place once a week during the high season!
Anyway for our most recent cruise, we pitched up on Saturday night May 28th after one of the Fat Greek’s airbuses deposited us at Split airport. Our teenage son was accompanying us and we were only blessed with his presence having agreed to take 3 of his schoolmates along for the trip, something which has become alarmingly regular in recent years. According to SWMBO, I should be treasuring these times as they fly the nest all too soon. Mmm. The first surprise on arriving at the marina was that the boat seemed to have been stolen. Then I remembered that I’d asked the marina to carry out some basic maintenance work and sure enough, we found the boat near the travel hoist. The second surprise was that neither the generator not the galley fridge was working despite the fact that both had been working perfectly when we were last on the boat. Then I remembered that I’d also asked the marina to service these 2 items. So the next day, instead of heading off into the blue yonder, I spent the day searching for service personnel to shout at. The marina is quite canny about this because they employ gorgeous women who seem to be specifically trained to smile and flutter their eyelashes whenever a boat owner looks like he’s going to lose his rag. Needless to say, nothing happened on Sunday but by Monday lunchtime, all was fixed and off we went.
I’m not up with all this digital map stuff so you’re going to have to make do with this photobodge map. Fundamentally, this is the BartW restaurant tour of the south Dalmatian islands so my sincere thanks to him. My opinion of Croatian cuisine is now considerably higher and my wallet considerably emptier
Our first destination was Korcula town on Korcula island some 65nm away. This place was recommended to me by a local so we were looking forward to visiting. After about 3 hours of cruising in smooth seas, we arrived in the Korculanski channel between the island and the mainland in half a gale. This is a characteristic of Croatia in that wind and sea conditions can change unexpectedly and BartW had warned me about the winds off Korcula. The marina is quite tight and we weren’t helped by the fact that the marinero insisted that we moored away from the other boats without another moored boat to hang on to. With my rookie crew and to the apparent disappointment of the watching charter crews, it was a relief to attach ourselves to something solid without mishap.
Korcula town proved to be delightful although I can imagine that in August it might be a living hell. Like many Croatian towns, it is perched out on a promontory commanding the channel. History has it that the explorer, Marco Polo, was born in Korcula and, of course, this is all the excuse the locals need to sell you Marco Polo themed everything. Having dodged the market stalls, we found a cocktail bar on top of one of battlements which could only be reached by a vertiginous ladder through a small hole in the floor.
I guess toilet humour was around even in the Middle Ages
The Croatian Navy was in town. All of it!
The following day, we wound our way through the islands east of Korcula island towards Polace on the island of Mjlet, which was a BartW recommendation
Teenage moroseness personified. My son as we navigated the shallow channel through the islands before the crossing to Mjlet
The obligatory wake shot as we crossed to Mjlet in flat calm seas
Entering the anchorage at Polace
Polace proved to be as attractive as we had hoped although the manic waving of restaurant owners from the shore imploring us to moor at their quay for dinner was a bit disconcerting. After having been thrown off a buoy, belonging to a restaurant that we weren’t going to eat at, we attempted to anchor in the bay. This proved more difficult than it should have been as I just couldn’t get the anchor to set in the weedy bottom but eventually I gave up and we lay safely enough to the weight of the anchor and chain whilst we swam and the boys messed around in the dinghy. The boss pottered off in the tender to have a look at a Nordhavn 55 called Tai Pan anchored nearby and managed to blag her way on board. To be on the safe side rather than rely on an anchor that wouldn’t set, we moored at a quay belonging to the BartW recommended Bourbon restaurant and later had an excellent meal there.
After dinner we set off into the darkness in the tender to Tai Pan for yet more drinks to hear the owners’ stories of their cruises around Europe and the Med and to get a guided tour around a proper motorboat. It was interesting to hear the owners’ opinion of Nordhavn which can be summed as the boats are great but they’re way better at marketing hype than customer service.
Next day we set off south for Dubrovnik. The wind had changed around from the north (known locally as bora) to a brisk southerly (jugo) so we punched into an increasingly lumpy sea as we cruised down the Mjletski Kanal. Our 3 teenage guests apparently involuntarily deposited their breakfasts overboard but I was happy enough dodging spray on the flybridge. The Ferretti 53 is acknowledged as one of Ferrettis best sea boats and Sumianda wasn’t fazed by the conditions. My original plan to anchor off reputedly the only sandy beach in Croatia at Sinj had to be abandoned due to the wind direction and we found a quiet anchorage in a bay on the north side of Lopud island. Once again, we couldn’t get the anchor to bite into the seabed so we just put out a whole load of chain. The boys recovered from their seasickness were soon jumping into the sea
My son doing a passable impression of a frog
After lunch we motored on south to Dubrovnik inside the Elaphatine Islands chain which protected us from the worst of the sea conditions
Arrival at Dubrovnik. Turn left for the marina, straight on for the town
I had taken the precaution of reserving a berth at the ACI marina in Dubrovnik because it’s the only marina serving the city. Over the phone, they told me that there was a 50% deposit for reserving a berth which I assumed was deducted from the mooring charge. I was somewhat pissed off to find later that the reservation fee was charged in addition to the normal mooring charge and my mood wasn’t improved by the empty berths around us.
After a swim in the marina pool
Off we trekked to the UNESCO heritage city of Dubrovnik for dinner. I gave the boys a few quid to lose themselves because there was no way I was going to buy them dinner in the next BartW recommended Nautika restaurant which I already knew was an arm and a leg job, having visited Dubrovnik in the past. The restaurant is located on the battlements of the old city walls overlooking the sea and is in a superb position. SWMBO decided she wanted lobster and I was stupid enough to join her. The waiter obviously thought we were high rollers after that and offered us a bottle of Dom Perignon to wash the lobster down, an offer I had no problem resisting. Despite this, the bill was a trifle eye watering; I obviously failed to notice that we’d eaten the diamond encrusted variety of Adriatic lobster
Dubrovnik at night
The old city of Dubrovnik is gorgeous and now fully restored following the damage it sustained during the Balkan conflict. After dinner we had a drink at the famous Buza bar and finished off by watching the jazz at the renowned Troubador café. Dubrovnik really is worth a visit and with BA flying there regularly, a weekend visit is perfectly viable if you’re so inclined.
