Wednesday 30 June 2010 Iž to Vela Panitule

Wednesday 30 June 2010 Iž to Vela Panitule 25nm

It is nice to sleep on a boat when there is just a little movement to rock you to sleep.  We awoke to another beautiful day and witnessed the marina come to life as the people rose from there berths.  We ate some breakfast and then went for a walk to buy some bread.  It appeared that everyone else had the same idea.  

Sandy waiting for bread

We then readied the boat and motored out of the little harbour.  We are experiencing usual summer weather systems at the moment, calm in the morning 

Calm seas in the morning

and then a good sailing North West wind in the afternoon.  We motored our way south and toward Kornati National Park.  Kornati is a group of islands that had been denuded of trees in years past and are now a spectacular wonder of Croatia.  The rock formations are amazing and the photos don't show the scale of the surroundings.  

Not too deep here!!

On the way to Kornati we had to pass through a narrow channel, with water so clear you can see the bottom as we glided through.  Ivan has been such good value to have on board,  he has become a good friend.  His local knowledge earned from sailing in these waters from his childhood is incredible.  We witnessed a bit of poor seamanship when as we just entered the channel another boat coming the other way entered as well so it was a bloody tight squeeze and the depth sounder showed 20cm under the keel.

We made our way past a big lighthouse that stood on the entrance to the Adriatic Sea proper. 

Still motoring

Old ruins on the hilltop

As we made our way to the open sea we were expecting a little wind as it was now about 11am but it was not to be for another hour or so, so we kept motoring.  I tried to convince Ivan that we could duck over to Italy to have a coffee but he said the boat wasn't registered for offshore.  It's only about 80nm after all :)

As it was now lunchtime and we were hungry we headed back into the islands to find an anchorage to have a swim and make lunch.  We found a spot and set the anchor in a nice bay, put the ladder down and dived off the boat, water temp 24degC.....very nice.

During our swim the wind picked up so we headed off down wind 

Heading downwind

just so we could come back to windward to get some real sailing in.  The wind picked up nicely 10-14 knots and we had a great time.  Actually when we went to reef the headsail the clam cleat that secures the furling line wouldn't hold so we had some fun trying to jury rig that.  It all worked out and we had some great sailing. The wind had picked up to about 15knts so we were having too much fun and forgot to take any pictures of the action.

The marina we are staying in is on a small island, Vela Panitule, with floating pontoons to secure the boats to.

  Again, once we had completed the motions of securing the boat, Ivan said “You know the procedure”, so off we went for a couple of celebratory drinks.  It is a small marina consisting of a bar/restaurant, corner store and the marine amenities.  However there is also another restaurant across the small stretch of water on another island (Piškera) which is famous for the quality of their fish as they catch all their own.  

  

While having pre-dinner drinks Ivan gave them a call and arranged for them to pick us up in their dinghy.  Before settling down for dinner we took a quiet stroll around the surrounds that included a deserted restaurant, a church once used as a hospital in WWII and the distant tinkle of sheep bells .  

The church

The sign tells about it's use as a wartime hospital

The restaurant

The meal was superb as was the wine which is why we didn't get to write any blog that night.  

We finished at the restaurant and they taxied us back to our boat in the dinghy.  On the pier an English fellow asked us about the restaurant and dinghy service and I think he was a little disappointed to hear how good it was as he ate at the only other restaurant – again we were thankful to have insider knowledge!  After our indulgence we fell into our bunks planning for a good nights sleep.  The mosquitoes had other ideas!!  It was a pleasant but balmy night which meant we had to leave the hatches open and as they hadn't any screens the mozzies had a feast of their own at our expense.

Tuesday 29 June 2010 Zadar to Iž

Tuesday 29 June 2010 Zadar to Iž 10nm

Yes, that's 10 nautical miles :)  That's right we sailed today and we both agree it's a hell of a lot easier than cycling.  Ivan (our skipper), Sandy and I left the marina at about 1030 and motored (no wind) until we got to another island and then we anchored, went swimming from the boat in usual Croatian water, crystal clear, and then had a spot of lunch on board.

We anchored in 7m of water and you could see the shadow of the boat on the bottom.  We donned our newly purchased snorkel and goggles and swam.  I could see that the anchor had dragged when we tried to set it, the water was so beautiful.

After lunch the wind had picked up so we unfurled the sails and headed toward Iž.
The sailing was downwind on a broad reach in about 7-10knots so very relaxing.

Finally sailing

The autopilot is broken so we took turns on the helm

We got to the marina early as it's small and popular and it's 'first come, first served' for berths.  Ivan's local knowledge helped us again as we have seen one big boat come in than turn around and leave again.

Our boat

Iž is a lovely little fishing village that has a small/basic marina right in amongst the fishing boats and little cafe/bars.

Ivan and Sandy

Ivan, our very cool skipper, has been a great tour guide and shown us so much on the way.  Even if I had a Croatian boat license it would pay to hire a skipper for the first couple of days anyway just for the local knowledge.

Sandy cooked spag bog for dinner and we are now sitting in the cockpit watching the sun go down.

Monday 28 June 2010 Zadar (a new adventure begins)

Monday 28 June 2010 Zadar

Sandy and I arrived in Zadar with heavy hearts, we had such a nice time in Mali Losinj and this ferry ride seemed like the start of the journey home.  We talked about chartering a yacht in Split but that involved a bus ride, another hotel and more packing and repacking.  I think we are getting tired of living out of a suitcase, or pannier in this case.

After much discussion we just couldnt decide what we wanted to do, bus to Split, ferry to Italy to make our way to England or ferry to Italy to fly straight home.  Neither of us knew what was the right decision and after wandering around Zadar I said “Stuff it, lets just go home”.  We headed to the ferry office to by tickets and Sandy just knew it was the wrong thing to do and asked “Can we just have a cup of tea before we buy the tickets?”  I agreed and just at that moment Sandy motioned across the other side of the port at the line of nice yachts and said “They look like charter yachts?”  “Sure do” I replied and then I pulled out the iPhone and Googled “Zadar Yacht Charter” and the search results showed a map of exactly where we were standing and a number of charter companies on the other side of the water.  “Lets go and have a look” Sandy suggested.

To get to the other side of the water you can walk 500m to the footbridge or catch a rowboat skilfully rowed by an old man the 50m to the pier on the other side.  We took the rowboat.  This man has oarmanship (???) to be proud of.  He effortlessly glided us, and four others, across the water and only accepted $2.50 for the two of us.

We then walked to the first yacht charter office we saw Torete Yacht Charters and spoke to the man.  Next thing you know were onboard a Bavaria 34 having a look around and discussing rates.  As I dont have a valid Croatian license we had to ask to take a skipper but were actually really glad of that as he's a top bloke and will teach us all sorts of good things about sailing in Croatia.  On Friday if were having fun I'm going to sit my boat license exam and then extend the charter for another week without the skipper.  That is if I remember all my lights and shapes etc.

So we've gone to the shops and bought provisions, unpacked out gear and settled down to a lazy afternoon on the boat before we head out tomorrow.  Life is grand again.

This reminds me a great chat I had with Kevin (English bloke who was cycling with his equally top wife Mary who we met in France) where he quoted from Wind in the Willows;

"There is nothing--absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

We do have a small confession to make, we both didn't really have suitable boatie type shoes so we went and bought ourselves some 'Crocs'.  Yes I know they are the ugliest creations ever and in the past I have always bagged people who wear them but I've seen so many yachties in them that they must be OK.  As it turns out they're bloody comfy :)

Thursday 24 June 2010 Mali Losinj

Thursday 24 June 2010 Mali Losinj


It's over.  Well the fully-loaded cycling part of our holiday at least is over.  We have decided that we  need a bit of a holiday from our holiday and have sent all our camping gear home (Mum there are four big boxes on their way).  We still have the bikes and two rear panniers each but no more camping for us.  The plan is now to try and get a yacht charter in Croatia for a week which is unlikely at such short notice and then catch a train back to London for one last look at England before heading back to Australia.

We are staying a couple of days here in Mali Losinj as it's absolutely beautiful and a very good place to have a couple of lazy days.  We went for a swim yesterday and I know I've spoken of the clear water before but it is sensational and worthy of further praise.  Ate some more ordinary food last night and retired to bed.

It has taken us a while to come to terms with the fact that we will not be doing anymore 'real' cycling but we're OK with it now......sort of.  For the first time on this holiday we can now see an end and that is a bit sad as we've been living a pretty hedonistic lifestyle up until now.  Our original plans had been grand but the reality is we are both tired.  While we would love to travel further east (Albania, Greece, Turkey) but we feel it would be a half hearted attempt, not the undivided attention it deserves, so we'll put that down as another holiday for another time.

Wednesday 23 June 2010 Osor to Mali Losinj

Wednesday 23 June 2010 Osor to Mali Losinj 25km

We left Osor both thinking it not such a good idea but we do have a ferry to catch on Friday in Mali Losinj.  The weather is superb and we have a strong tailwind.  We didn't have far to ride today and the reason we've been a bit slack in the distance department lately is that the ferry only leaves on Friday and well this is a very nice part of the world.  Personally I'd rather be sailing here than riding but it's not too bad.

We stopped for a coffee in Nerezine which was a massive 5km from Osor, so despite not having worked up an appetite we still bought yummies to eat.

This cycling touring caper is bad for the waist line :)

Riding on to Mali Losinj (which is a much bigger town) the traffic started to get worse.  It was very hard to look at the amazing coastline and watch where your going on the narrow shoulder with cars zooming past.  Even with the stress of the traffic it is still an incredible place.

The view from our room

Mali Losinj looks like a 'big money' tourist town.  Big yachts and big motor boats line the marina which is in turn surrounded by cafes, shops and tourist agencies.  We got directions to the campsite and rode on up.  Stunned, that's what we were when we got there, I've never seen so many caravans, it's a mini-city.  Sure it's in a wonderful place but it's not really the camping we've come to be used to on this trip.  Sandy and I like out intimate little campgrounds which nice views and lots of quiet.

We had some pretty ordinary pizzas for lunch at the marina and then wandered back to the campsite.

Tuesday 22 June 2010 Cres to Osor

Tuesday 22 June 2010 Cres to Osor 34km

We woke up to patches of blue sky which in turn led to a renewed vigour for cycling.  It's funny but when it's raining and cold we could think of better things to be doing than cycling through the countryside.  We ate our breakfast, went down the cafe for a cup of tea (cant make tea in our room) and checked the weather forecast on the iphone, they have free WiFi.  Cloudy with patches of sun, good enough for us.  We headed home via the shops to get some supplies then packed our panniers and hit the road.  Well in truth we hit the road after a lengthy farewell from the landlady's daughter who spoke very good English.

Cres

As usual for the Croatia we've seen, we had to climb to 350m out of the town but we both felt great and actually overtook some cyclists who were out for a ride and WERE NOT CARRYING ANY PANNIERS!!!!  We felt pretty good, there wasnt much traffic and we enjoyed the climb.

It turned out to be a great days ride and it's almost hard to believe that for the last few days we were questioning our sanity for cycling in Croatia.  Sure the mainland is crazy but the islands appear to be pretty damn good.  We rode past stone walls surrounding olive groves and all very typically Mediterranean.

We stopped at Belej for a cup of coffee and they had a pig on the spit out beside the road.  It would have been great to wait for lunch and join in, it smelt great.

Just after Belej we were zooming down a hill when I heard a squeal from Sandy in front and then saw the bloody big snake on the road that we just rode past.  That got the adrenalin pumping!!!

We descended into Osor which is on the isthmus between the islands of Cres and Losinj and immediately decided to stay the night.  The campground is right on the water and about 50m from the town.

The town is apparently 4000 years old and there are some underwater treasures just offshore.

We went for a swim and on the way back saw the most delightful and typically Croatian bar/beer garden, we just had to have a beer.  Actually in truth we had three and then they fed us Sardines and a whole fish.

It was awesome!!!!  We finished with a cup of coffee (expresso with a dash of milk) and then the waiter comes out and brings Schnapps “for our special customers”  “aw OK, if you insist” we reply.

We then witness the bridge that separates the islands swung open to allow yachts to pass through the channel

Sandy watching the action from the beer graden

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It is hard to believe that after some of the worst cycling days we are then blessed with one of the best, the cycle touring Gods smiled upon us.