Coatia Sailing Adventures

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Croatia sailing

I had arrived into Split off the Balkan Trek so had breakie with my friends and said our goodbyes, checked out where our seperate boats were with Monique and met my new sailing mates, Adam, Tom and Sam. Monique and I got some last minute essentials (finally found organic make up after months of searching) and tried to find a phone store which would sell me a new battery as my phone had fully given up. We grabbed out bags and rushed to the port as we had shopped to long. I was the last to arrive but luckily got there in time to find I had a cabin by myself. I then met the couples Sarah and Nate, Laura and Dave, Penny and Alex, Aj and Liz and the rest of the gang Stevie, Katie, Dan, Matt, James, Kate and Alex. Our group was relatively small compared to other boats of 30-40 people but we were happy to have a smaller groupmwhere we got to know everyone better. Our lunch was provided as part of what we had booked and it was so delicious. We had a great cook on board if our first meal was anything to go on, not to mention we had three courses!

Busabout had organised a special day one adventure of rafting in the mountains and everyone signed up for a bit of an afternoon adventure. The drive up into the mountains was amazing although for some reason I thought Croatia would be more of a green almost Swiss Alps feel but it was quite different. The country is ruggard with big rocky mountains surrounding the coastlines. It is not a lush green but there is still alot of greenery. We had the best boat of course! Sarah and Nate, Matt and Dan (Italian boys, not a couple), Laura and Dave and the two singles being myself and James. Our guide did the usual safety chat "bomba" meant get down and sit inside the boat (instead of the sides like we did for the rest of the trip). We had a quick swim stop in the freezing water and then continued. Or we tried...we raced a four person boat and lost! We had some seriously lazy paddlers, no names *cough James* who preferred to appreciate the scenery and have a chat! Haha We were all good friends and were already having a good laugh with/at eachother already. Dan managed to smack me hard on the leg and claim he had killed a march fly but couldn't provide evidence so we decided jury was out on that verdict.

We were mostly in only class 2 rapids and had to walk when we got to the clads 5 section as 8 people would have been dangerous as the area was too shallow. Next part was a class 3-4 area and in a serious bomba where not only did we have to jump in the boat but we were inundated with a wash of unexpected water. The sheer coldness and surprisd renered me silly and I had a fit of the giggles, so by this time we had all had our bonding sessions! Haha We got to the cliff jump section just as the rain and thunder clouds rolled in and luckily Sarah and Laura convinced me to be brave as it was SO amazing! But OH SO cold. We think it was only about 10m, but it looked plenty big enough from the top! The thunder and lightening began in ernest at this point and that encouraged us to paddle harder to our finish point, as did the freezing cold rain which dumped down seconds later. We made a run for the bus and had a much quicker drive back to our sailing boat which has now docked and made a quick change into warm clothes.

Dinner time was a yum bbq, followed by card games, uno, spoons, fux the dealer then we wandered to town for nibbles and bakery food but again we were suddenly bedraggled by a surprise shower and nearly fell over a concrete barrier in our attempt to race back to the mostly dry boat. More eating, drinking and chatting and we decided we had an awesome collection of people on our bus as we all got on so very well. Sometimes it happens on tour and everyone clicks, sometimes not. We played buffalo, cut and paste and our guide Damo said it was sh*t shirt night tomorrow and we would be visiting a market which in his words 'is a great placd to get crap stuff' Sure Damo, you are really selling it for us! The boys mistakenly took a night swim by the boat which they discovered in the morning was a bad idea because the "brown trout" swam close by all the boats. Eww (sewage system grows brown trouts for those unititiated).

It was definately a little strange to wake up on a moving boat next morning and I spent the morning chilling in a deck chair, it's a hard life really. Then we had a swim stop, followed by a sunbake on the top deck and a sleep in the sun. We all decided to bite the bullet (or eat that frog, thanks Jodie) and jump off the very top deck, have another 3 course delicious lunch and jump off the boat again for another swim stop. We decked in Makaska for a quick shop in the "cruddy markets" where we found our dreadful shirts had yet another 3 course dinner (yes I am putting on more and more weight and it is only day two). Had some drinking games, went to the local bars in Markaska for cocktails and then went to the "rave in a cave" which was literally in a cave on the end of the Makarska strand. The boys decided just wearing their horrible shirts wasn't enough and they proceeded to rip them off everyone! Our night ended with a trip to the kebab shop on the way back to the boat.

Next day we had a swim stop at a beach which jutted like a giant finger off shore as its shore line changed with the current and therefore looks different every time you visit. The water was too shallow to anchor very close so we had to swim quite a way to get into shore and then back again against the current. I have never been a great swimmer so I was happy I made it both ways, especially when some of the others needed help getting back to the boat. Another 3 course lunch and another kilo added to the European food baby later and we arrived in Stari Grad where we had a look around the cute cobble stone streets, bought a lilo and got our wifi fix. Damo organised us a wine tasting at a local vineyard and I was happy the wine had much much improved from the metholated spirits they tried to sell us in Greece. There was also another busabout boat docked and we mingled with the other group. We went back for dinner on the boat and had a night in as it was pouring with rain. The Aussie/Italian boys Matt and Dan brought out their unique Italian cards for a game called Brindisi. Nate and I were interested to learn and we sat and watched a few rounds before joining in. After a false start I figured out my scheme and proceeded to smash the Italian boys at their own game. Needless to say they were unimpressed! Haha We walked to the pub in town to see if anything was happening but it was super quiet due to the rain so it ended up being an early night.

Next day we were supposed to head to the other side of the Island to visit Havar but wind, rain and bad weather conditions meant the boat had to stay put. Our group decided to stay in Stari Grad for the morning and after a group lunch we were going to catch the bus over. Luckily a local offered us a ride in his much nicer airconditioned car and we had a look through the shops in Havar. We were all in need of a swim and settled down a little way off from Town and at the beach met a Hungarian Aussie and arranged to meet at the sunset bar later for cocktails. The girls and I did some shopping and then met the Italian boys at the sunset club where they had booked the best seats in the house. Not only did we have comfy chairs, table service and the absolute best view of the sunset, we also had a massive ice bucket with 2 bottles of champagne, a 3 litre bottle of Belvadeer Vodka (which also had a light in the bottom) and 2 rounds of shots! Needless to say we were the envy of everyone who walked past and had the best party going. I also ordered an amazing plate of singapore chicken with peanut sause, so delicious.

We spent the next few hours eating, drinking, dancing and chatting and watched the sunset without a trace of rain clouds, it was spectacular. By chance we also met Johnassas the millionare super yaht owner from Germany who invited us to have drinks on his yaht. By 10pm the sunset bar was quiet and then suddenly the heavens opened and we were drenched. Dan decided to steal a jumbo umbrella from the bar and we made a run for it into town. We stopped for pizza and found a new bar and hid our new umbrella up some residential stairs. I had a pink cat cocktail and then got in trouble when I tried to leave the bar with my drink. Whoops! I was only looking for my friends! Luckily I managed to sweet talk the barman into letting me out with my drink and dragged my 20 or so friends back to the bar so it was definately worth letting me out! Haha

We danced at a few clubs in town and then found Johanass near the yaht docks who invited us onto his super yaht for wine. It was slightly awkward as there was Liz and A.J, Laura and Dave and Nate and Sarah all couples...and then me and a very very drunk James who kept calling Johanass namea! So I was the only single female and 40 year old Johnanass was way too obvious as to his intentions. Eww. He also wouldn't let our other friends on and it got more awkward when Matt and Dan turned up with 2 English girls who obviously liked the look of Johnanass's boat. We evetually got off the boat and found our friends, grabbed some cupcakes for a snack from the still open bakery and grabbed an expensive taxi back to our boat on the other side of the island. The fact that the taxi had space for 8 people and we pilled 14 inside seemed irrelevant at that point!

The next day I woke super early and had my first hot shower (previous it had been only cold water...arg) and spent my morning reading a book, watched the boys fish and also loose their fish to an opportunist seagull and watched the dolphins swim in the distance. We had a swim stop near the other busabout boat and watched a guy try and jump of the top deck of their much smaller boat. But he was too scared and his whole boat yelling at him from the water and then all of our boat also watching and telling him he was a chicken didn't help either. Haha Aussie's can be evil. We arrived in Korcula and went shopping for our pirate party night in the markets, I managed to loose the girls and went wandering on my own before meeting everyone for dinner, cocktails at a local bar which was on the roof of a castle like tower outcrop which overlooked the sea. Spectacular view and our drinks arrived up the wall via a dumb waiter! Very cool. We had some more drinks back on our boat and then went out to a club where we watched a sleezy fashion show on their cable tv, it was not a great bar...so we had an early night.

I Woke late the next day and it was very rainy when we arrived in Miljet. We all sat in the hotel lobby and used their free wifi before I went for a walk to the national park, unfortunately the clouds were being ominous and then followed through with serious rain so we left for a new swim stop and a sleep. In the afternoon we arrived in Slamon and I decided to go for a run as I had devoured far too much food over the 3 course lunches and dinners every day. It was Nate and Sarah's anniversary and he surprised her by proposing! We celebrated their engagement and Katie's birthday with our pirate party, played the chicken eye glasses game, which turned into a pirate game and then played it with "air" instruments. We had to leave the boat at midnight if we wanted to keep partying so we headed to the beach further down the road and built ourselves a bonfire. To which the cops came and put it out...one of the cops was laughing the whole time though! So we had a party without fire :-( haha

Our last day I woke just before breakie and we were already on our way to last the final swim spot. We were all sad to have our last swim off the boat. Laura perfected her swan dive and we got some group photos on the top deck where half of us nearly fell over as the water was choppy. We got to Dubrovnik and chilled out till lunch, our last 3 course meal (my still growing food baby would be disappointed)! We had tea in a local cafe and I finally found a new battery for my phone. We all piled in a seiously crowed bus into town and had dinner at an Irish pub. Damo lectured James on the dangers of picking up pigeons on the way to our next club and Laura and I had long Island Ice Teas at Revellen (worst smelling toilets in all of Europe/Vietnam) and we shoe skated home via the now slippery cobble stoned roads, made the usual stop at the bakery and I slept on the deck as my bed had been making me itch for days. After an early awakening, Damo checked my itchy bites and confirmed my worst suspicions...I had bed bug bites all over me. Gross!. I got yelled at by the crew (they said I had brought them with me! Which wasn't true!) and treated like a leper so it was not such a good end to my lazy week of sun and swimming. Luckily my new accomodation had organised to pick me up from the port so I was happy to run away after saying all the goodbyes to my sailing friends.

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