SeaSmith

We are on the way to Sukosan to pull the boat out for the winter. The last two nights were spent in little bays on Kornati - quaint and simple except for some seriously noisy neighbors on Saturday night. All one could hope was that they felt ill the following morning!! The weather has been consistenly around 29 for the last few days and today we have the main up but are motoring. We have lots of funny, quirky and wonderful memories to look back on. Restaurant menus can be extensive but whether they have what is listed is a completely different matter. We have sometimes ended up asking what they do actually have!! Lots of very short legged dogs-bodies are normal just their legs didn't grow!! Tobacco companies still have a significant source of income ... read more

Got back into sailing mode today. About 20 nautical miles uphill. I guy in a jenneau 49 footer tried to take us on! His boat speed was about the same but sailing about ten degrees lower....didn't take long to lose him. The boat is performing beautifully. It is great to sail on an efficient sail boat again. We have ended up on the Kornati Islands. Another National park, more money extracted for the Croatian Govt. We are now making our way back to Sucasan to lift the boat next Tuesday afternoon for winter. It will be a big job to pack up everything and stow it down below. We go back to Split on Wednesday and fly back home Thursday evening. We have been having a great time but are now turning our minds to home. ... read more

Hi everyone. We have arrived in Sibenik after two wonderful nights in Skradin. The weather is again very warm. Today is some special festival here and we are moored at the town quay just in front of the Cathedral. There are stalls everywhere and people in medieval costumes - going to be quite a night here. The festival continues throughout the day tomorrow. Skradin was beautiful and as it was my birthday we took a cruise up to the Franciscan monastry at Visovac then on up to the waterfalls at Roski Slap. Ended last evening with a lovely dinner and bottle of Moet for good measure. Chris is currently sitting on the boarding ladder attempting to catch a fish - it was for the purpose of feeding one of the local cats but it has now ... read more

Hi everyone. Well, today we sailed through what they call the 'bora'....gusts up to 37kns. Lost the boarding plank overboard, snapped one of the turning blocks on the self furler, and despite best intentions had to concede and wind in self furler and motor. Full wet weather gear...believe me, might not be the best look but boy was it good!! Tested the inexperience and nerves in this novice sailor but the skipper was awesome and we are now safely tied up for the night in Sukosan. Have spent the last two nights on Otuk Olib in Olib town as the weather really came in and we needed to find a safe harbor. It was an amazing little town - only 150 people live there now - were 2000 there 100 years ago. So many ruined houses ... read more

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Hi all. Well I hate to say it yet again.... actually I don't .... but it is another glorious day and after a wonderful stay in the beautiful town of Porec we are heading south down the Istria peninsula to who knows exactly where tonight. We have decided to just island hop for the next few days and find a mooring in a bay when it suits us. We have a couple of goals in places to visit but there are just so many idyllic island bays it is a shame to pass them by if they are deep enough for us to go in. SeaSmith is performing beautifully and we even pumped up the dinghy yesterday which enabled us to go into town and have a stroll around. The gelato here is just wonderful and ... read more

Well, we are in Venice. Sailed across the Adriatic for 52nm leaving Novigrad in Croatia at 3.45am yesterday (12th) and arriving in Venice at around noon. Had some interesting experiences negotiating the Lagoon... Not sure about the laws of the water here!! Mind you it is Italy and given the inability to drive cars here it is no wonder they drive their speedboats and water taxis like they are F1 drivers. We managed to find a Marina to moor in ( a mission in itself) which is a short ferry ride from the Grand Canal but it is quiet and our neighbors are friendly. Not possible to moor in the main marinas unless a regular is away and they are very expensive. It is hot and humid and Venice is full of tourists, which of course ... read more

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