Sail Croatia

August 16-25, 2007

On a hot and sunny Saturday morning, 1 Scot, 1 Saffa, 1 Kiwi, 2 Americans and 17 Aussies piled on board a Croatian sailing ship called Mihovil, in the port town of Split in anticipation of what was to come over the next 7 days. We had met up with Janey and Greg for another chapter of travel adventures together.

The skipper got the ball rolling by handing everyone a glass of his potent home brew stuff flavoured by rosemary sprigs and carob which also doubled as a reserve fuel supply for the boat if we ran out of diesel. Then as everyone gathered on the top deck Fi and Janey were first seen stretched out on the lounge chairs sun baking, Jop was the first to have a beer in his hand, Johnnie and Davo were already talking about Transformers (Yeah, High 5, Woo!) and the scene was set for what was to come.

The crew included the skipper, his wife as cook, his 2 sons (one adolescent age heavily into the same 4 or 5 techno songs and one cheeky and mischievous 10 year old nicknamed by us 'Little Chicken') and one extra random as deck hands. They were our guides, cooks, waiters, drinks bitches, DJs, toilet cleaners and friends for the week.

Basically, our day involved getting up, eating breaky if you were up before 9.00, sitting on the deck sleeping more or reading a book, stopping for a swim (in the aqua blue, crystal clear, warm water), having lunch, stopping for a swim (in the aqua blue, crystal clear, warm water), stopping at a port somewhere on the coast of Croatia or on an island, having a look around, eating dinner and going to bed in our little cabins on board the boat.

At any stage during a normal day the beers would start, sometimes early, sometimes a bit earlier. Unfortunately for a few people, some days the beers didn't start at all thanks to a bit of food poisoning going around. Davo and the boat railing became good buddies one night.

Our port stops included Makarska and Peljesac. At Peljesac, we docked next to 13 other boats which all needed to be climbed aboard before we could reach the shore. Here, the skipper treated us to a traditional home cooked Croatian BBQ while his wife made dessert, which were both amazing.

Our southern most port was Dubrovnick for which we were given a whole afternoon to explore. A highlight was the ancient city wall, built as a fort in the 3rd - 6th centuries. We spent about 1.5 hours walking around it on the top and got some great views and photos.

Leaving Dubrovnick the following morning, we were pursued by some pretty fearsome looking dark clouds. Out of nowhere off the port side, (note the sea jargon), we spotted 2 funnels of water sprouting from the clouds and reaching out for the sea below. They were mini tornadoes, or in Croatia they are named after a creature similar to a centipede due to its coiling action like a tornado. The skipper and crew were untroubled. Besides, the sun was still shining and the weather otherwise reasonably calm, a bit of wind and no rain. The tornadoes continued sprouting but even when one formed directly in our path in front of us and again only metres from our starboard side (note the sea jargon again and also the picture as evidence) the skipper was still calm as a cucumber. The rest of us had our cameras on rapid fire.

So it was that we made it to the other ports of Korcula, birth place of Marko Polo, Starigrad on the island of Hvar and Bol. Here we had a second BBQ in celebration of Naomi's birthday and dressed up as sailors, gym instructors, karate kids, Pippy Longstockings and gay Mexicans... as you do!

A highlight of the trip for us was just being on the boat and being able to stop for swims (in the aqua blue, crystal clear, warm water). We saw different levels of enthusiasm when it came to jumping off the boat and also different preferred methods of entry including the dive, the summersault, the horsie, the gassie, the cannon ball or the one and a half twist face plant which gave Jodie a nice shiner to take home with her.

Another hightlight was the unique way in which we were able to explore a new country and its culture. But a big highlight was the people we spent the week with and the friends we made. We'd become a mini family in a way and are already talking about doing a repeat cruise in the Whitsundays one day.

It was hard to say goodbye to everyone, especially Janey and Greg, who we now probably won't see until they are back in Australia at the end of the year. Then again, I'm pretty sure either Davo or Greg won't want each other's company this coming weekend as the Hawkies and the Crows meat in the first round of AFL finals! Go the Hawks!