Croatia is everything we hoped it would be, and far, far more. We went home for a couple of weeks to enjoy a little bit of rain, wind and fog and a wedding (congrats Davina and James) and then, with great excitement and much checking of the weather forecast, hopped on a flight or two back down to Dubrovnik.
Since we’ve been back, the weather has been exactly as the forecast predicted: endless blue skies, cloudless days, warm balmy nights and just the occasional light wind rising in the afternoons. Perfect.
More guests came down to Zaffina with us, this time Christian, Adam, Leonie and Brian. On the way back from the airport, our taxi driver dropped Adam and me off at a big supermarket where we did a huge trolley dash in readiness for their time with us. Adam was highly amused by the café alongside the store which went by the appetising name of Café Scorpion! The rest of their first day with us went exploring the port and the pool and then in the evening we took them into Dubrovnik and gave them an idea of why we had raved about the city quite so much! In the early evening light, it looked even more beautiful than last time we’d seen it and quite a bit more crowded as, with all of Italy taking the month of August off and heading off on holiday, this really is the height of the season in Croatia. Fortunately we’d managed to book the restaurant we had promised to take them to, and overlooking the little fishing harbour, we dined on octopus, black rice, fresh fish and tender steak. After dinner we drank cocktails at a popular outside bar until the boys decided to drop ice cubes down the back of Frank’s trousers and we headed back to Zaffina. A good start to any holiday!
We’d promised ourselves that if we had a good sea, we’d move straight up towards Hvar the day after our arrival and sure enough, the wind was down and the sea was calm so once the port formalities were completed, we meandered back up the winding channel that connects the marina with the sea and pointed the boat to the north. Our only problem was that the plotter wasn’t plotting and navigation had to be done manually but in such perfect conditions and an easy sailing ground, it wasn’t a problem.
By the afternoon we’d reached a small island just south of Hvar where we’d anchored once before, and decided to drop anchor there again, this time slightly deeper into the inlet. A bit of a breeze had come up towards the end of our trip and was blowing across the anchorage which made life a little awkward when I swam ashore with the rope – the first time we tried to tie on, Zaffina pulled away before we were attached and the end of the rope shot back into the water and promptly coiled itself into innumerable knots. As I tried to untangle the knitting, Frank had the difficult job of trying to keep Zaffina in place until eventually we were secured by both anchor and mooring rope to the land. The boys swam ashore to check out the nearest café/bar whilst the rest of us lazed on board until the sun dropped in the sky and we broke out the barbeque for dinner. Afterwards, the six of us piled in to the dinghy and returned to the bar for liqueurs and ice creams, where we played a silly rhyming charades game until the staff, fed up with their clientele (not just us) turned all the lights off to encourage all to depart!
We woke to perfect conditions on Sunday and after demolishing a few croissants and swimming in the fish filled water around the boat, we upped anchor for the short trip to Hvar. Frank called up a marina on the nearby island of Parmezana but was told there was no room. However, once we got close, we decided to nose in and see if perhaps a space was available and thank goodness we did…berths are obviously allocated on a first come first serve basis, and with just four spaces left, we were given a perfect position near the marina entrance.
The marina here is more of a winding inlet with permanent pontoons around the edge than a proper construction but it is absolutely lovely. Crazy paved pathways lead from the boats throughout the island and the scent of pine, lavender and herbs hangs in the air. The ever present cicadas start their music when the sun comes up and serenade us throughout the day and on the other side of the island, just a ten minute walk away, there are two or three tiny, crowded beaches and some shady restaurants around a teeming anchorage. The taxi service runs from here to Hvar whenever there are at least five people ready to go, although they prefer to make you wait until they have a full boat, and can take between ten minutes and half an hour depending on which of their boats is running when you want to leave!
We opted for dinner in Hvar on Sunday night, and the town proved as beautiful as we had hoped. Our chosen restaurant had views over the main square and the marina, the food was good, the wine flowed and the music was…well, there was music! After cocktails at a noisy rooftop bar, Frank and I caught the boat back to Parmezana whilst our guests stayed behind to sample the nightlife. Their return coincided with the sunrise the following morning, as they’d decided to experience the full moon party, along with around 996 other people! (And bumped into several Jersey acquaintances whilst they were there!!)
Naturally yesterday was a somewhat quiet day – well, to start with anyhow! Frank and I left them all in their pits whilst we pottered across to have breakfast in Hvar and explore the town, another maze of tiny, winding streets dotted with tiny, cave-like shops. On our return, the four party-goers were waiting for the boat-taxi, bleary eyed and weary looking, (and one, who shall remain nameless, with a multitude of cactus thorns in his foot!) but ready to face the remains of the day! They took off for town as we prepared for an afternoon on the beach, where we spent a considerable amount of time cooling off in the deliciously refreshing water of the Adriatic.
All, especially the Famous Four who had had an eventful afternoon in town, had a quiet evening on Zaffina! I don’t think they’ll forget Hvar in a hurry, nor do I think Hvar will forget them (although not for want of trying!) Today we’re hoping to strike out for Vis, a few miles to the west of here, but we’ll be sorry to leave Parmezana as it’s such a delightful little island and such a perfect marina. We'll be back!
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