Sailing Croatia - the days blur

Sailing itinerary:

Day 1 - Embark at ACI Marina, Dubrovnik. Island Šipan; Port of Šipan 

Day 2 - Town of Ston and the small bay of Kobas - after the wine tour

Day 3 - Island Miljet, bay of Polace and the Miljet National Park where we cycle to the  lakes

Day 4 - Island and town of Korcula 

Day 5 - Korcula and the bay of Gradina

Day 6 - Island Hvar; town of Hvar

Day 7 - Island Solta; village Stomorska - dinner at Kastelanac family house.

Day 8 - Split ACI Marina

The next days are idyllic and oh so relaxing. We lose all sense of "real world" time and stress and allow ourselves just to be in the moment, as we travel from one island to the next; happily content with each others company and the glorious surroundings. The Arta becomes our home on the Adriatic Sea as we sail along the Dalmatian coast, past peninsulas and bays, pretty wooded islands with welcoming villages and docks. Boats of all sizes, shapes and models keep us company. Fantastic food, plentiful beverages and great conversation keeps us nourished.

Owned by some very rich dude. Note the helicopter on the top deck.

 

Mostly we are running with a moderate tail wind, but at times it is lighter and we have to motor. When the sails are up and the motor turned off, it feels majestic and peaceful;smooth sailing, just the sound of waves and the taut snap of canvas.
We take turns at the helm, but after a while, Peter and Graham, under Damir's watchful eye, become our go-to helmsmen.They also do the bulk of the work when it comes time to help Damir with docking. The rest of us stay out of the way, taking care not to spill our wine or beer!

Our motley crew.

Damir is an excellent skipper and he shares his sailing knowledge with us so that we keep the boat in good trim. We learn to watch for gusts of wind by "reading" the waves and to come about smoothly. On the first day, we have a serious discussion about safety and what to do if someone falls overboard. Hmmm. I'm not sure how much help I'll be in that kind of emergency, but fortunately I think that at the pace we're going, our biggest danger is falling off the narrow gangplank when the boat is bobbing in port and we've had maybe one glass of wine too many.

At least I remember to hold onto something when I am walking on the boat, particularly when holding a camera or drink.

It's a rough life, but someone has to do it. The name of the game is relaxation and we get pretty good at watching the world go by....very slowly.