Another adventure began for Deja Vu II on Tuesday July 1st. We were heading off for her last voyage to St Giorgio in Italy, a distance of about 150 miles, where we are due to rest her up on July 26th. With four weeks ahead to cover the distance we have decided to travel north slowly and visit some islands that have previously eluded us.
Rab has been on our wish list since 2008, but time and winds have prevented us in past years, so now we can await the right conditions to venture up towards the infamous Velebit Channel where Rab sits guarding its northern entrance.
We stopped en route in Molat for a beautiful sunlit evening and then again on Silba, just 15 miles further north. Next stop Ilovik, an island at the foot of Losinj separated from Sv Petar Island by a narrow channel in which we moored up for a windy night. This became our setting off point for Rab, only 20 miles to the North West. Light winds had us motoring, but better too little than too much in these waters!
Rab sits just under the Velebit mountains, a coastal fringe of the high Dipara mountains which run as a backbone north to south in Croatia. Rab also acts like a plug in the northern end of the infamous Velebit channel, renowned for its very strong winds. Not a place for sailors and we spotted few yachts there despite the benign conditions.
Our first sight of Rab town was impressive, three towering churches flanked the old coastal approach and we looked forward to exploring later on. The marina was deserted when we arrived but did start to fill with mostly motor boats. You could count the masted boats on one hand, clearly this island does not attract many yachts!
Rab dates back to Roman times and the town is laid out in Roman style with a Lower Street, Middle Street and Upper Street which we enjoyed exploring. Since those days it has had many cultures influencing it from the Byzantines, Venetians, Hungarians to the current Croatians. The old town sits on a peninsular with the harbour to one side, a sheltered bay to the other. Rab is mostly a holiday and tourist destination with busy bars, restaurants and markets, rather too many for our taste. We sailed around the island from the south to the northern bay of Kamporska Draga and saw plenty of pretty south facing bays and anchorages.
Leaving Rab on Sunday 5th July we headed for Cres and en route we were entertained by a lone dolphin swimming with a smile in our bow wave. Another unusual natural sight was that of a few dozen small cormorants just hanging about in a circle in the sea. It must have been the nursery! On Cres we found the idyllic bay of Kolorat, well sheltered from most weathers. We were expecting an anchorage, according to the pilot books, but this has now become a buoyed concession, so fees were due!
Having enjoyed a few settled days, the forecast for the next few days, true to form, is well into decline with storms and very strong winds coming our way. With the pressure plunging we have decided to hang out in Mali Losinj, a well sheltered and buzzing little town, until the worst passes. Should be able to upload this blog on the 8th or 9th July and will try to make some calls whilst near the internet cafes.
Deja Vu 
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