This next blog entry is being written from the main cabin of Deja Vu, 1030am on Friday 31st May. The torrential rain started yesterday, continued through the night and still pours down. We have literally battoned down the hatches, grateful for being in Umag Marina with power to run our fan heater (it is 10 degrees) and the computer!
Going back a few days, we spent a couple of nights in Rovinj, the first of which was sleepless due to being on a Marina berth totally exposed to the unexpected south westerly winds that lashed through overnight. The stern lines of the adjacent Swedish boat broke during the night and we were up most of the night checking and tightening our lines, laying more lines and increasing the fendering. We moved early in the morning to a more sheltered berth inside the marina and then set off to enjoy the lovely town.
Rovinj really is one of our favourite places with fascinating architecture, plenty of interesting artisan shops and real Croatian restaurants as well – as the traditional tourist markets. We revisited some of the treasured places we had discovered with Sue and Dick last September and can confirm that the Prosecco is still good and the walls of Number 13 opposite our position sitting on cushions on the street steps, have been repaired!
On Tuesday 28th May, we said goodbye to our friends Sharon and Peter who had shared a happy week with us, and set sail to Porec, about 10 miles further up the Istrian coast.
We had briefly visited Porec last year and were keen to spend more time exploring ashore. We sat Deja Vu on a buoy behind the harbour breakwater to gain most shelter and took the dinghy ashore for the day. Rather disappointed this time round, perhaps it was the cool, windy weather, but the pretty streets seemed spoiled with tourism and we were hustled at every doorway to buy, eat or drink, none of which were top of our agenda.
We found the deserted back streets much more to our liking, they contained most interesting buildings and varied facades.
It was not long before we were back in the dinghy with some provisions to spend the rest of our time there on board.
We freed our lines at 9am on Thursday 30th May and encountered a very confused sea to make the trip up to Umag, 13 miles further north, very uncomfortable.
The harbour of Umag is very sheltered and grateful for a Marina berth, we cleaned up before going ashore to explore. The bikes came into their own to cover the two miles distance to the town but it was not long before we were pedalling back ahead of more black threatening clouds. The town is poor and depressing, the old parts of the town dwarfed by ugly concrete blocks, relatively new, but old and in poor repair long before their time. So here we are on May 31st, waiting for a break in the clouds to get out and about again.
Our plan is to check out of Croatia from here tomorrow 1st June and sail across the Gulf of Trieste to Porto Buso and then up to the Sunbeam Yard at Cantieri Marina San Georgio di Nogaro. It will be our first excursion into Italy.
Deja Vu 
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