Deja Vu

Our final sailing in Croatia before heading further south

Our first week sailing south behind us, we are setting off south again from Trogir with winds still set firmly in the south, which is tiresome when the prevailing winds should be north westerly! We plan to spend a couple of weeks revisiting and exploring haunts before meeting up with Tom for our few final days in Croatia.

On May 18^th we enjoyed a fine beat from Trogir down to the north coast of Hvar. The pretty port of Stari Grad nestled in a deep inlet on the north coast of Hvar with a regular ferry service to Split, afforded good shelter from the gales threatened for a few days. It was quite exciting getting moored up in a strong crosswind, but we managed without incident and then enjoyed the spectacle of others trying. It was vital to be on board to fend off out of control charter boats but when we had yachts safe on both sides we felt able to go and explore.

The town is celebrating an historic anniversary and there is much development going on to expand the quay on both sides of the harbour. We witnessed the flowers being put up all over the town. We have enjoyed a few days walking around the familiar town, revisiting bars and one particular restaurant which served us an amazing 3 course meal with wine for under £28 for the both of us. The bikes were assembled and we had a great day riding across the Stari Grad Plain to the ports of Vbroska and Jelsa, some 7km away across the peninsular. The rough road took us past the old aerodrome and a fertile valley which is extensively farmed. New potatoes were ready, vines were thriving and all allotment style plots were most carefully attended. A sheer delight for Mo was the brilliant display of wild flowers, Milk Wort, Avens, Vetch, rows and rows of poppies, and many others tossing in the strong wind. It was mostly flat across the plain, but a descent into the ports was countered with a steep climb back on our return route. Fortunately we had the wind behind us for the trip back and we felt healthily tired when we finally got back to Deja Vu, some 20km later. Memories of the bike ride below.

Nigel decided to service the winches whilst quietly at anchor one sunny morning and inadvertently dropped a large screwdriver onto the cockpit floor which managed, against overwhelming odds, to fall vertically down the water drain! The debate concluded that it would indeed have fallen through and onto the sea bed, some 6 metres below. Rising to the challenge of retrieving the screwdriver Nigel braved the cold sea armed with a magnet on a long line. Just before he turned completely blue, he located the screwdriver and very skilfully lowered the magnet, made contact and hauled out the trophy! A job well done!

Our detour to Vis was not a happy one as we caught a south easterly gale followed by a thunderstorm whilst moored on a buoy in the harbour. Space in the harbour was restricted as the main quay was being rebuilt and out of action. Not a lot of sleep that night as we watched the crowded buoyage with boats swinging round in circles and other boats heaving on the quay at Kut, some leaving for safer moorings. We took our chance to leave Vis with a lull in the wind and had an angry sea to encounter as we journeyed up to Milna.

With a couple of settled days promised we set out on a circumnavigation of Brac which became interesting as we had not done this before and we discovered the delights of the eastern end of the island. We passed the famous stone quarries from which the stone to construct the White House in Washingdon DC originated, or so the Croatians are delighted to boast. We moored up in a delightful, sheltered inlet on the north east coast and fell for the temptation of supper at Pipo’s konoba, which was very delicious. We were treated to the sight of a long white cloud streaming across the tall mountains of the mainland which fell dramatically to the coast as we left early in the morning to round the eastern end of Brac.

May 28^th and time to make for Split to meet up with Tom. He arrived on a late EasyJet flight from Manchester, so we took the opportunity to clean the boat and do the shopping, exhausting stuff in very unusual hot temperatures of 28 degrees C. It did not last and as soon as we were ready to go the next morning, normal service had been resumed with 17 degrees C and 25 knot winds for us to beat into.

We had a great time with Tom, good sailing and sunnier days. We visited Milna, Vis and ended up in Vela Luka on Korcula where he departed on the ferry back to Split to get his flight home.

From Vela Luka we had a fast beat, yes, again, down to Lastovo. We love this island for its beautiful remoteness and the peace of it is very therapeutic. From here we have to bid farewell to Croatian shores and as we sailed away on Saturday June 4^th, we both looked back with more than a tinge of sadness that we were leaving Croatia behind. New shores beckon for now but we hope to return here in the future. Last night in Croatia, at anchor, below.

Start of the sailing season, leaving Sukosan and getting to Trogir

The season started early for Nigel when he flew to Sukosan on the 3rd May. This was to meet up with the sail maker and receive and test our modified sails. In the event he couldn’t come and Gunter from Sunbeam was summoned instead, arriving only on the 10^th. Deja Vu was launched on the morning of the 4^th with assistance from our American friends Geoffrey and Giannina in berthing after the launch.

Nigel then spent the following four days until Mo arrived cleaning and polishing such that Deja Vu looked better than ever. Then it rained leaving a fine deposit of red dust all over the boat. C’est la vie! When Mo arrived we had a beautiful calm morning so we decided to rig the new sails in advance of Gunter arriving. All went well and the changes looked to be a great improvement. We rented a car and did the admin in Zadar and another couple of rounds of shopping to stock up and get the perishables.

During this time we met up with our many sailing friends in Sukosan, including Paul, Jane, Jeremy, Pat and Pete, Mark and Gudrun and Peter and Jess. We will be sad to leave then behind and have enjoyed good times with them.

On the 10^th Gunter arrived and we went out for a test sail to check how the new sails set. It was a perfect day for it with winds of 12-15kt. Deja Vu was put through her paces and the sails pronounced good. Gunter passed on many useful tips on getting the best out of the boat and we enjoyed his company over lunch. Sunbeam have done well by us and their support has been appreciated.

That evening Chris and Liz arrived and our adventures began.

Our friends of over 40 years, Chris and Liz Jones joined us on Tuesday 10^th May for a week to travel south to Split. Their Ryan Air flight was early and they were on board by 10pm. Keen and raring to go sailing, we had to disappoint them on day one and settle for a day sightseeing in the lovely town of Zadar, due to the miserable wet and windy weather, which was forecast to upset the week ahead.

The day was well rewarded with a good lunch at Bruchetta in Zadar, an interesting tour around the Ancient Glass Museum and a final excellent fish supper in Kod Guste back at Sukosan where we had the chance to say goodbye to the lovely family running the restaurant who had always made us so very welcome. Hugs and kisses from Antonia who promised to welcome us again when we returned! Thursday May 12th we set sail, leaving Sukosan behind for the last time as we head off for new sailing adventures in Greece.

The photos above show the best of our happy week. Unsettled the week turned out to be, but it did not prevent us having some good sailing in between the stormy bits, and we port hopped down through Murter, Kakan, Rozognica, Vinisce and finally to Trogir. It was a changeable week of contrasts. We saw sunshine and showers, the strong southerly Jugo winds, but not the northerly Bura; rough waters to sail in and sometimes smooth; we enjoyed a peaceful night on a buoy in Kakan and a noisy afternoon in Rozognica as workmen were redeveloping the quayside; it was sometimes hot for an hour of sunbathing but often cold for snuggling down below decks for a warm toddy and a game of Bananagrams, but Chris and Liz did get a very quick swim in the frigid sea during one sunny period! On our last night we walked the ancient streets of Trogir and enjoyed a good meal in Konoba Teuta, one of our favourites. We said goodbye to Chris and Liz and immediately set sail south to spend some time on Hvar before returning to Split to meet Tom on May 28th.

Planning for sailing in 2016 is underway

It is only February, and storm Imogen has been ravaging the south of England. With 60 knot winds inland and 95 knot winds recorded at the Needles, we are very glad not to be sailing now! However we have Deja Vu very much in mind and it is helping to get us through a round of DIY home projects that we have been putting off for too long.

Deja Vu’s sails are with the sailmaker for a recut of the jib and a repair of the main. Not a great outcome for a new boat, but we hope when they come back they will be perfect for this coming season. We are planning to leave our Marina in May and sail south, our destination being Corfu around mid July. We plan to return home for the latter part of July and all of August before returning to explore the northern Ionians in September. Meanwhile we are collecting things to take down to Croatia; additional bedding, a new prop for the outboard, lovely new gadgets we have collected as Christmas presents, almanacs for Greek waters, new head torches to name but a few. We plan to bring back some other things to make room for the new additions though, to keep our inventory under control.

End of the 2015 sailing season

Whilst waiting for the Bura to blow through we went on an extended walk on Molat, which we had visited many times but not had time to explore inland. To our interest and surprise we discovered that Molat had been the site of a large Italian run Concentration Camp during WWII and from 1941-1942 had housed over 25,000 captured Croatians and of which many had died on Molat. There were remains of watchtowers, derelict camp buildings and walls, pathways and possible burial grounds cascading through wooded areas down the hill from the top of the small town towards the east facing coast, as shown in a few photos below. One could almost feel the uneasy past, but now there were good signs of harbour wall regeneration on the east coast, plenty of brand new park benches and perhaps this is now a well frequented holiday camp site. Molat is a quiet and private island not very willing to give up its secrets.

We sailed with Pam and Alan to Veli Rat on Dugi Otok and found a sheltered anchorage away from the strong North Easterlies that continued to blow. Next day though, now Tuesday 22^nd September, the day dawned with little wind and plenty of sunshine, so we enjoyed a slow sail south to Preko, arriving at the Marina there around 6pm. We were enthusiastically greeted by CA members Gillian Percy and Marjory Bradley and there seemed to be quite a collection of British sailors moored there. Preko, see below, is delightful and we had a lovely evening revisiting Restaurant Joso to whose opening night we had been 5 years previously. It was still good!

The last leg Preko to Sukosan on Wednesday 23^rd September in good winds enabled us to do a record trip averaging 7 knots. A great way to end the sailing season.

Soon after we arrived in Sukosan on Wednesday we all took a whistlestop tour of Zadar in the last of the fine weather for a while. The famous promenade sea organ was a favourite to see and hear.

Pam and Alan departed Thursday in torrential rain and another Bura. We have 4 days ahead to clean up, pack up, lift Deja Vu and winterise her until next year.

Although we had more disjointed sailing this year, and stayed in Croatia, we are pleased that we discovered several new places to visit and enjoyed some hot sunny days and good sailing. September proved to be excessively windy with Buras and Yugos blowing in succession. One thing is sure, variety is the spice of life and the weather in Croatia does not disappoint on this score! We are looking to Greece next year but will see how the politics and economics, (especially in relation to the marine industry and tourism) pan out over the winter before making any commitments.

September Sailing

Nigel and Mo explored Bibinje by bike before setting sail and were entranced by the skill of a kite surfer in the harbour as he sped at lightning speeds across a narrow stretch and turned effortlessly to tank back. He even stopped to talk to some friends on the other side whilst his kite loitered above in some considerable wind.

He made sailing look easy and the very next day we set off north seduced by the very temporary southern set of the winds. No more than 5 miles later, the wind settled into the north, so a beat it was bound to be.

We spent a very pleasant few days in Molat, Rava, Sali and a favourite anchorage at Uvula Statival on Kornat, sometimes visiting places we had not previously seen. Views of Sali and Statival below.

On Saturday 13^th September we headed into Brbinj to meet up with friends Alan and Pam Penson from Lymington, due to arrive the next day on the car ferry in the adjacent bay.

Quite coincidentally we moored alongside friends Jane and Jeremy from Halberg Rassy Hebe June, Cruising Association friends made in Sukosan, and we gate crashed their evening to help them eat a most delicious but enormous sea bass at the very good Antonio’s restaurant!

We were delighted to welcome Pam and Alan on board on Sunday morning as they arrived off the ferry and we soon set sail to the island of Iz to seek shelter from the strong southerly winds forecast for the next few days. The winds did indeed arrive and kept everyone in port for the duration of Monday. On Tuesday we set off and had an interesting beat in 25 – 30 knots of true wind. Needless to say we were well reefed but were quite glad to make Lake Telescica, our next port of refuge for a couple of days.

We dinghied ashore and walked across the hills to the port of Sali, south facing and not a place to choose for enduring the weather, but we were entertained to many boats attempting tie ups to the quay in less than desirable conditions.

With the wind behind us for the next leg we made Rava and had a lovely overnight stay on a sheltered buoy. Our foray to find provisions proved rather fruitless as the village had very few amenities, but we enjoyed the walk although it did prove to be rather too hard a climb for Nigel’s new hip. He was then assigned to quarters for a couple of days.

Rava to Ist, Ist to Molat where we are now. A spectacular thunderstorm broke over us last night and today we are waiting for a Bura to blow through over night. Some views of Molat below

Starting again in September

We arrived late at night courtesy of the Stansted to Zadar Ryan Air flight on Thursday September 3^rd. We were craned into the water at 1030am the next morning and got moored up on Pier 16 just before the storm hit, about the same time that the dozens of charter boats were returning at the end of their weeks holiday. Chaos ensued for the next couple of hours as 50 knot winds chased torrential rain, thunder and lightning and visibility was reduced to a boat length. Boats were all over the place, we learned later that one sank in the adjacent bay. Then it was calm again underneath a still dark and angry sky.

We spent a couple of days organising the boat, getting a tiny Smart car to enable us to go shopping to provision the boat for the next three weeks sailing. Making good use of the car we went up the coast north of Zadar to visit the charming small town of Nin. Established in Roman times it was one of the first Croat settlements with a fine gated entrance and plenty of old town wall still standing. Cars were all parked outside the town walls which made for very pleasant wandering around even though we were dodging torrential downpours.

We took pictures of the small 9^th century church of the Holy Cross, a pre-Romanesque of typically Croatian style. The town had one main street, pretty with cafes and souvenir shops and the views out to sea were beautifully framed by the dark sky. The main business of the area established in Middle Ages era was salt trading and round and about was lots of evidence of this.

A hot July

Apologies to Sue and Dick for not yet uploading the photos from their week in June, but we were swept away by events! The wonderful wedding of the year over, we retreated to the boat on July 4^th with friends Sharron and Peter Hornsby, to unwind from all the excitement and explore Southern Croatia once again.

Sharron and Peter only had one week and the lack of wind was bit of a barrier to long distance sailing. We put into Murter for a replacement battery charger to be fitted and spent two windless days on Zirje during which time we swam a lot, did some mainsail maintenance which involved srewing up the full length sail battens that had unusually come undone, explored ashore and enjoyed a long lunch at the Konoba in Stupiva Bay. We had promised Peter and Sharron a trip to Vis, some 40 miles further south, to visit some excellent wineries and cool bars there. It eluded us once again when it became clear the lack of wind would be swiftly followed by a Bura, a strong northeasterly that would have made our return trip very uncomfortable. Instead of Vis we headed to Trogir for sightseeing, retail therapy and some good meals!

Sharron and Peter in Trogir — Sharron and Peter exploring Trogir

We were sad to leave our able crew in Trogir just as the weather stabilised with some favourable and moderate winds for sailing south. We missed out Vis, but called in on the north coast of Hvar, Sveti Ivan, a delightful bay just west of Vela Luka on the west coast of Korcula, Lastovo, Mljet, East coast of Korcula, Loviste on the Pelejesac Peninsular, the remotely inhabited island of Scredo, south of central Hvar before beginning our return trip north.

We plucked up courage and entered the small marina in Korcula town to get water and replenish supplies. It was massively hot and even taking a couple of cold showers didn’t help. Our evening stroll took us into the backstreets where we found a small wine bar. Not wanting a meal we ordered a platter of local cheeses and a glass of wine. The wine was so good it was quickly followed up with an order for the rest of the bottle. The cheeses were plentiful and excellent. We enjoyed the medieval surroundings and good food.

On leaving we wandered round the mercifully cooler town more. Found a band playing on the city wall but they were not very good so we moved on. As we got closer to the Marina we heard more and better music so we set off to investigate. In a small square we found a wine tasting happening with wines from the local Korcula vineyards. For 100HRK you bought a glass and from then on it was up to you to sample as many wines as you could, whilst listening to the excellent duo singing. We worked hard and sampled most of them, arriving eventually back at the boat at 1 am. What a night!

It was unusually hot every day on this wonderful circuit of remote anchorages, small bays, pretty islands, glassy seas, gentle winds and almost perfect sailing. We had last visited Lastovo and Mljet two years ago and we were thrilled to return for the perfect relaxation it afforded and we were pleased too to visit some new places en route, including Loviste, a huge bay with great anchoring and Monistir bay on the north coast of the island of Scredo.

In Loviste we went ashore and walked into the main settlement to the south of the bay. We stopped at a bar for a beer only to be told that there was no electricity and no cold beer. Apparently a massive fire had cut of the Pelejak peninsular and cut the power lines. Shortly afterwards a boat came in with a generator they had got from Hvar and cold beer was restored. At the same time as the fire raged on the Pelejak, we could see smoke rising from Korcula and apparently another fire there had also cut power and destroyed over 500 hectares of pine forest. Vegetation is sparse and slow growing in these parts so this is a significant loss.

Being further south was far less crowded, the charter boats from both Split and Dubrovnik would struggle to spend much time there even if they got that far. When we did see the occasional charter boat we were rather horrified about the frequent lack of seamanship exhibited, so we avoided them wherever possible! Clearly anchoring skills are not well taught before they take off on the boats.

So far the new Deja Vu is proving herself a very comfortable and capable yacht. She sails well in both light airs and when the winds get up. Living is good with the large comfortable and airy cabins a blessing in the high temperatures we have been experiencing, although our thoughts are now turning to adding air conditioning next year. The solar panels have really come into their own with wall to wall sunshine and so far we have not had to run the engine to charge batteries even when running both fridges. The larger cockpit makes for pleasant space in port. Of course the really significant improvement is having ice in the gin and tonic!

Special Visitors and Naming Deja Vu

Still en route to Split to meet our visitors, Tom and Faye for a couple of days and then Sue and Dick for a week. We holed up in Trogir for a couple of days whilst high winds and rain ran through. This kept us close to the boat, but we got away on Saturday 23^rd May and made a break for Split in fresh winds on the beam. It was a fast trip averaging over 7knots and we were soon tied up in Marina Kastela to await the arrival of Tom and Faye early Sunday morning. We ate at the restaurant adjacent to the Marina and met an interesting German couple, Inge and Petra with whom we shared a drink and many a tale aboard their large charter boat after dinner.

Nigel in Trogir, in the rain

: Rain over Trogir

Our extra crew arrived on time, it was lovely to greet them, and by 11am on Sunday 24^th we set sail south. In the next couple of days we visited Lucice Bay and Stari Grad before returning to Katsela to meet Sue and Dick arriving from Bristol on the 5pm Easyjet flight. The islands we visited were bathed in sunshine when we headed up towards Split. See below for the sight that was enough to chill the hardiest of sailors. We moored up in torrential rain but fortunately the skies cleared briefly for Sue and Dick’s arrival and our naming party.

Tom and Faye joined us for 3 days: Nigel and Mo

Storms over Split

With everyone safely assembled Sue did the honours on the bow of Deja Vu officially naming here with a small dousing of rather nice champagne. Thank you to our lovely family for making the effort to share the occasion with us, it was very special. Party time followed, drinks on board and then dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Sue doing the honours of naming Deja Vu

Cheers Deja Vu

The night of Tuesday 26^th May heralded the start of an ugly Bora ( hope that is not a bad sign!) and winds whipped up to 40 and 50 knots, sustaining all day and most of the next night. Miraculously Tom and Faye got away on their Easyjet flight to Gatwick, but instead of sailing, Sue and Dick were treated to a bus trip into the city of Split to see the famous sights there.

More on Sue and Dick’s visit on the next blog.

The start of the season

Having a new boat does not seem to reduce the amount of work to prepare for our departure from Marina Dalmacija. Once launched we spent 4 days cleaning Deja Vu after the winter ashore. In spite of having been well covered in the boat park, she was still covered in red Saharan dust that had engrained itself everywhere. However after two sessions with the hose and the brush she gleamed once again. Mo administered a coat of Boracol to the teak decks, an anti-fungal treatment, determined to preserve the newness as long as possible.

Alien species bug home found in the boom — Look what we found inside the boom. Any ideas which bug made this?

We always enjoy seeing Sukosan and the adjacent village of Bibinje so we took time out to walk and cycle around the local area.

We hired a mini Smart car to get us into Zadar for the essential formalities to make our sailing in Croatia legal and raid the local supermarkets. We always enjoy the social time on Pier 16 in the marina and this time we met up with Irish friends Fiona and Paul Carroll on Little Megan who were en route to Dubrovnik, Jane and Jeremy from Hebe June IV, and Rob, who was looking after friend John Gannon’s boat Forgiveness, whilst John was working in the States!

We finally set off after breakfast on Monday 18^th May in glorious sunshine with the promise of at least 3 good sailing days. Our destination was south and we took in Kakan and Rozognica before mooring up in Trogir to weather the next 3 days of rain and gales.

The main excitement during our stiff beat from Rozognica was an unexpected intake of sea water in the aft heads. Well heeled on a port tack we deduced water was spouting up the basin waste and filling the heads compartment. We bailed out quickly and changed tack! Next time we will close the sink valves. Apart from that we were pleased that the new Deja Vu sailed well on each tack, sailing much closer to the wind than the old boat. We are still trying to get the hang of the new powerful ‘smaller’ jib though. This sail needs a gorilla to winch it in.

Plans for the first trip of 2015

With Mo’s choral concert featuring Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony sung on Saturday May 9th, we feel suitably tuned into sailing as we pack our bags to leave for Croatia on Tuesday 12th May.

The weather forecast for our first few days is for strong southerlies which may make it tricky to get to Split, about 100 miles south of our base in Sukosan.

We are planning a Boat Lauching Party on May 26th somewhere near Split, as the event eluded us last year. Tom and Faye are joining us for 3 days and Sue and Dick are coming out for a week. The overlap day is May 26th so a perfect day for the champagne launch. Thereafter we will be running (should we be so lucky?) back to Sukosan for a flight back to UK on June 6th which should give us enough time to weed the garden before the wedding day on June 27th.