17th July 2012

Crikey, that was all a while ago!
After the fighting Rabs (Rabians? Arabs?) and San Marinians, we had a couple of nights in a beautiful anchorage north of the walled town, where we did very little except while the hours away and enjoy the conditions. As usual we were one of just a couple of motorboats that spent the night at sea, all of our other neighbours were yachts, as the yachties seem far more confident about remaining in situ rather than heading into port for the night.
We knew we had to start heading south as we needed to leave Zaffina in Mandolina Marina for a trip back to Jersey, so early on a gloriously still morning, we pulled the anchor up and crossed the channel to a small island called Losinje, almost attached to the south of Cres, where we had to wait half an hour for the bridge to rise and the miniscule entrance to open and allow us through. Zaffina managed with little room to spare on either side and we were one of the largest boats passing through that morning, but my skilful skipper managed to make it look like child's play! Another day, another anchorage, and another beautiful spot on turquoise water. Here the most memorable aspect was the shoal of fish milling around Zaffina and following us when we dived into the water and swam around the boat - it was quite an experience. In the evening we went into the ACI marina and walked into town where we had a very good meal on the harbour-side and wondered why we hadn't checked if they had a berth there before we went into the marina! Still, the walk probably did us good, as did my cycle ride back the following morning to check out the shops. They weren't really worth the effort, although I did pick up a nice little rug for the boat and then had to cycle back with it balanced precariously in my rather tiny basket!
When we left Losinje later in the day, the wind was up and so we didn't want to stay at sea for too long.   As we motored down the coast, we kept a lookout for a sheltered spot in which to anchor and eventually found what we were looking for off the island of Ilovik, where the narrow channel was protected from the wind, the sea was calm and there was a row of handy buoys waiting for us. We wandered ashore early evening and immediately decided to abandon our plans of supper on board and instead eat at a beautifully sited restaurant on the water's edge. Sadly the food wasn't as memorable as the position, but it was still a grand evening, and watching the sun's lazy descent as we sipped our wine more than made up for the lack of culinary expertise.
Our next hop down the coast took us to an almost deserted anchorage off Molat, which became more crowded as the evening wore on; a couple of luxury motoryachts dropped anchor nearby and then  a small flotilla came in, almost causing us to up anchor and depart, but after some initial loud singing and noise, they quietened down and were peaceful neighbours.
We were up early and back to sea, where our wake caused the biggest movement on the water. We weaved between islands, retracing our steps to the south and recognising landmarks we had passed on our way up to Istria. Eventually we came in sight of Dugi Otok and from there it was an easy hop down to Zut, where the natural choice for dinner was Festa, a restaurant we visited a couple of weeks earlier. The weather was extremely hot and when we got back to the boat after an exceptionally good but painfully expensive meal, the electrics were turned off for the night (the power runs only till 11pm there) and the temperature was going through the roof. Without air con, there was no point in sleeping in our cabin so we took bedding up onto the flybridge where we settled for the night, which was fine until there was a heavy dew! At 5am, we crawled back to our now somewhat cooler cabin and continued our night's sleep!
And that was almost the end of our trip. We returned to Mandolina, from where we had set out three weeks earlier, bedded Zaffina down for a few days and flew home to Jersey and the rain.
Four days of catching up with friends and family was fun, even if the weather was depressing, but then it was back on Easy Jet and back to the south. Zaffina had been well cared for in our absence, probably because the marina staff know that we intend to leave her there for the winter and if they make a good impression now, they are in with a good chance of getting more business out of us later in the year. It was lovely to see her looking pristine, and after 24 hours in port, we were back to sea via the refuelling dock and heading back to the lovely village of Mandolina, stopping en route in a charming anchorage where the sea temperature was up to tepid and the water felt like silk.
Once tied up, we realised that the marina staff had made a grave error and put us next to a Guernsey boat! The resulting banter caused us to call in reinforcements, so we were relieved when we saw the familiar Jersey flag on a yacht approaching the harbour...Alex Ohlsson, Emma Smith, Chris and Ana Philpott to the rescue!! Realising that we were all going to be in the region at the same time, we had arranged to meet for dinner, little knowing that we would be in dire need of some Crapaud back up to hurl abuse at the Donkeys! Our long anticipated meal at the Martini Marchis Hotel lived right up to expectations, and having also enjoyed great company for the evening, we swiftly awarded the place three Walker Stars!
When our friends departed for Vis the following day, we set off back to Sveti Clemente opposite Hvar, where we anchored and lazed for a couple of days until they rejoined us for lunch on board, followed rather rapidly by dinner on the island! We managed a quick dinghy ride across to Hvar Town which was humming with tourists; it is now pretty much high season here, the towns are busy and so are the seas with dozens of yachts displaying billowing white sails as they scud along the water. At one point recently, we counted more than eighty yachts in fairly close proximity, offering us quite a navigational challenge!
With a place booked on the quayside at Trogir, we were meandering towards the port when I phoned them to say we were on our way. A very irate Marinero told me that if we weren't in within the next ten minutes, we would lose our spot, at which point we thrust the throttles forward and flew across the sea, arriving in the nick of time and taking one of the last berths on the waterfront. It was a great place to be when Christian and Leonie joined us the following morning, having flown down for the weekend! They did a whistle stop tour of the town as we prepared for departure, and once they were back on board, we dropped the ropes and turned to the south, back to Sveti Clemente and the anchorage we had so recently vacated. After the beautifully calm conditions we've experienced recently, it was a bit of a shock to find that the sea had come up a bit and we didn't get the smooth ride we were hoping for, so it was a relief to be safely in shelter with the anchor embedded and a rope from the stern to shore firmly attached to a sturdy tree. Despite our position, we opted to go into Palmezana for the night, partly because it meant we could easily get to Zori (yet another favourite restaurant) in time for dinner! We dined on the terrace, huge globes of paper lanterns swaying overhead like a row of full moons, and then  fought agressive cactus plants that dared to attack us on the way home! I had bought a couple of catapault parachute toys in Hvar which the boys shot up into the night sky and watched gliding back down, their tiny lights spinning through the darkness much to the amusement of other tourists who passed along the track.
When eventually we roused ourselves to move in the morning, we crossed to Hvar and followed the coastline around to Stari Grad where we nosed into a spectacular anchorage and dropped the hook. However, the wind was determined to thwart our every move and after about half an hour, we realised that our position was not suited to the suddenly altered wind direction and tried to find a more sheltered spot. No luck; every which way we turned, we were followed by the wind, until eventually we abandoned the anchorage altogether and set off to find somewhere better. Half an hour later, a tiny inlet provided the shelter we needed and the anchor was despatched once more, this time more successfully although the breeze remained with us throughout the afternoon. Any plans to stay at sea for the night had to be shelved, and instead we returned to Solta and the lovely port of Maslinica a day earlier than planned. Fortunately the hotel was able to bring our dinner booking forward by 24 hours and after another culinary treat, we wandered around the harbour to a waterside cafe for a nightcap. Christian and Leonie naturally gravitated towards the one club in the place but to our amusement and their astonishment, when they went through the door they discovered that despite the flashing strobe lights and music blaring out, the "club" was the size of a small cupboard with just room for two people inside!  After a few dance floor moves, which provided a certain amount of amusement to the onlookers, they abandoned plans to let their hair down and we returned to Zaffina for a peaceful night.
Again the wind was up in the morning, delaying our departure, and when eventually we did get out of port, we made a short hop to the anchorage we had found on the island of Drvenik, nicely situated between Solta and the mainland coast, and found to our relief that the water was as warm and silky as we remembered. Any hopes of having our last night with Chris and Leonie at anchor were dashed when we heard the forecast - a strong wind warning for the region - so reluctantly, we sailed back to the mainland coast, booking into Kastela Marina for the night. A good move really, as by the time we were tied up, the wind started to rise and didn't stop until it was howling through the halyards and putting our ropes under severe strain. The new cleats we had attached to the stern during the winter came into good use, with two extra ropes put out to hold us firmly in position through the storm. Just before the wind arrived, the temperature, which had been pretty warm throughout the day, went through the roof and at the same time, dozens of tiny flies descended on us, but both heat and insects dissipated once the gusts started in earnest.
Two days later and we are still wind bound in port; Christian and Leonie departed yesterday afternoon and whilst their stay was all too brief, it was wonderful to have them here, although it seemed a bit strange without Adam, who has always accompanied them in the past but this year is cycling his way around Europe. Only one month and one day until we all meet up in Ireland for Christian and Leonie to tie the knot. I just hope the wind has dropped by then!