Polace to Hvar

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Polace to Hvar

Our intention was to leave early and have a short travel day so we left at 7am, after a very disturbed night due to our neighbours party efforts(!) Our destination was to be Lovista, a bay at the north west end of the Peljesac peninsula or the Poluotok Peljesac as referred to on the map.The weather had turned again has another front came through and it was another rough trip across the Mljetski Kanal to Korcula on Otok Korcula. We tried sailing but the wind was too strong, Ken has an aversion to tipping over the catamaran for some reason! Jen and Peter suffered the most so they rested most of the way.



Once in the Peljeski Kanal the wind and water calmed way down and was much more pleasant for everyone. As it was only 11am we decided to head across to Hvar to be closer to Split if the bad weather continued. The weather was so beautiful we stopped for a swim off the boat once we had cleared the Channel. Swimming in the Adriatic Sea in 90 metres of water is an experience we all should have. The water is so clear you can see your legs all the way to your feet! The current was quite strong so Ken tied Jane to one of the ropes and we all had to hang onto it so we did not float away from the boat!



The water across the Korculanski Kanal was again rough so Ken headed across to the coast of Hvar to travel in the lee of the island. We stopped for another swim between Otok Scedro and Otok Hvar, again tied to the boat but the water was beautiful. The water continued to be lumpy and sailing was not an option, although we did try! We reached Hvar about 4 pm and headed to the Palmizana Marina, almost like old hands!
Amongst all this Clem's loo stopped working and he spent many hours trying to find the problem. Once we reached Palmizana he and Ken continued working on it while the rest of us caught the water taxi across to Hvar. Jane booked her climbing tour for the next day while I inquired about a guided tour by car around the island.

We founded a restaurant called Giaxo for dinner and very good it was too. Probably what you would call modern Croatian, built within the old castle but with modern decor seamlessly merging in. Food and service was grand. We had ordered but then Ken and Clem let us know they were on their way over and would be about 30 mins. The waiter asked if we wanted the chef to stop preparing our meals so we could eat together, very thoughtful.



There is an interesting deal with the water taxis, they will not leave the quay unless there are five persons for the trip, or as Ken and Clem did, you pay for the missing passengers! The added twist is that you get one return ticket for five people so if you have people on your ticket that a not part of your group you need to do the return trip together, or they need to pay on top of the five you have already paid for!



Jane did her climb, just her and the tour guide so she had a great time, did six climbs in all and was the lead climber on two. Our guided tour was booked out so Clem hired a car and drove us around. We had lunch at Stari Grad, a lovely village on the north coast with a fairly long inlet and many small boats moored along the quays on either side. This side of the island is much less touristy and definitely worth coming back too another time. Clem continued driving across the island to Vrboska and Jelsa then across to Zavala through a small tunnel and a 1.4 km one way tunnel, lucky the traffic lights both ends we're working!



Lovely views out to sea, up mountains and down valleys for the passengers as the road wound sharply around the steep hills. I was very pleased that Clem kept his eyes on the road! We did not have time to stop for many photos on this stretch as the car had to be back at 7pm and there is a group of villages and churches still crying out to have their photo taken!We made it back with time to fill the fuel tank. Jane rang just after as she was back from her climb and sitting in a bar nearby. We joined up and went for dinner at the garden restaurant starting with a "P", which we had been to the week previously. Given the lunch we had gorged on at Stari Grad, including semi freddo for dessert, I elected to only to have beef bouillon with egg and a salad. Jane was ravenous after her climb so she ordered the chicken fillet and Ken somehow managed to eat a pepper steak!



Back to Palmizana by water taxi for another better nights sleep before heading to Milna on Otok Brac.

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