Photos from bottom to top:
Matelot in Pag today 1 Sept
South of the passage between Rab and Dolin
Rab with mountain backdrop from our anchorage
Matelot on the wind
Pula Roman Ampitheatre - Matelot is framed in 3rd or 4th from right
No explanation needed!
View from belltower Rovinje
Arrival Rovinje
Wednesday 20 August 2008
Our immediate destination from Isola is Piran, just around the corner to complete our customs formalities and have our new sails fitted – at last! An exciting moment and we are thrilled with the sails but it does take longer than expected and by 4.00 pm we request the customs office to be allowed to stay overnight and depart early the next morning which is fine.
We wonder why we have not spent more time in this tiny harbour with its delightful old town. It is also less expensive to stay overnight at E45 than Isola, but while there is shorepower available, the showers we hear are not that great. We shower on the boat and spend a pleasant evening with our Venetian neighbours from the boat next door and turn in early.
Thursday 21 August 2008
We are up early and away at long last and turn towards Croatia which is less distance than Waiheke is from Mission Bay. Soon we are sailing in a freshening NE breeze past Umag, Novigrad (there are 2 Novigrads that we know of in Croatia) and Porec to port. Our new sails in 8 – 10 knot breeze on the beam reaching along at 5-6 knots of boat speed and Richard tweaking as we go, do not disappoint; it is a moment we have waiting for and they gleam very white against the brilliant blue sky. This is truly what we came to the Med for.
We close on our destination Rovinje by around 14.30 and stunning sights meet our eyes. The tower of St Euphemia Cathedral on top of the prominent hill above the old town and a massive square rigged barquentine ship leaving the harbour … We cram into a space on the Customs Wharf which seems barely large enough and we have to run a long line right across the quay to the other side. Fenders and springs are everywhere and we hurriedly take our papers ashore to complete our formalities, including paying approx E250 for our annual cruising permit for Croatia. The harbour is interesting but we quickly move on through the washing machine of boats to find our anchorage in a lagoon type bay called Lon south of the ACI Marina but near to the Punta Corrente Forest Park established in 1890 by Baron Hutterodt. We swim off the boat in crystal clear water and are joined by curious blue fish which follow us about. Before too long we notice the bodies on the other boats around us are mostly naked and we gleefully shed our clothes along with our stress of sailing into a foreign port for the first time. It all drops away and we wonder at our lovely surroundings.
Friday 22 August
The old town beckons and we take the promenade – a short stroll into the midst of the maze of old streets, climbing up to St Euphemia Cathedral past many local art and craft shops. The highlight of this experience is climbing the belfry – we need the exercise - and having coffee in a small café – so small we have to sit on the steps outside.
The outboard motor is smoking badly on our return to the boat and this is the beginning of a drama which culminates in our having to buy a new one in Pula. It has lasted exactly 30 minutes and was so badly corroded internally that it was unserviceable economically. We have kept the old OB on the boat so that we can have a go at cleaning it up ourselves when we are looking for something to do over the winter!
Saturday 23 August
We sail on towards Pula to sort out the OB and find a magical anchorage just south of there named Soline. We sneak in behind some islands, leaving a lumpy sea behind us after having had yet another really great sail. Matelot really is confirming that she is the right boat for us in every way.
We chat with our neighbours Rosemary and Werner on board their boat “Sassa” over a glass of wine and get a weather forecast from them. It is going to be NE 35 knots overnight so we are happy to be in this very still water. At this stage we are happy to have achieved our 3rd free anchorage in a row and we are going to go for as long as we can without going into a marina. The boat is well provisioned and we are loving anchoring out. There is nothing like waking up in the morning and swimming off the boat in the crystal clear waters. We enjoy our fresh fruit and muesli with yoghurt for breakfast each day. We have 4kg of muesli on the boat amongst other things!
Sunday 24 August
The wind has been howling in the night, but the boat has not moved much and there is still a fresh breeze. We are unable to leave the boat, so it is a good day for reading and lazing about under the spray dodger which we pull up to get out of the wind, and doing some essential tasks on the boat. The day slips by…
Monday 25 August
Pula (Pooh-la). We anchor north of the fuel dock and are greeted by a view of a magnificently preserved Roman amphitheatre right on the waterfront and a strong odour of sewerage. Sorting out the OB is financially painful and disappointing as we get the bad news from the Yamaha agent. It dominates our visit here to this delightful town except for the smells. We also invest in a chain and lock for the dinghy which we leave right beside a carpark on the water’s edge. There is not much time for sight seeing, but what we do see is truly lovely and dates back to pre Roman times.
Tuesday 26 August
Neither one of us has slept well. The wind has been howling again in the night despite the water being flat calm. The anchor was rumbling despite being on a bridle and ropes were banging and clanging above. We are also a bit hungover from our disappointment over the OB. By 1200 hrs we are back on the boat with both OBs stowed and head for the fuel dock which appears to have vertical concrete poles to moor to. We rush about and get every fender on the boat in place only to find the poles are rubber and very gently on the hull. We soon clear the harbour and enjoy our best sail yet on Matelot. Our destination is Unije Island 24 NM SE. The breeze freshens to NE 22 knots true as we clear the bottom of the Istria Peninsular. We are sailing on full main and reefed genoa and making around 8 knots when Richard sights a turtle in the water. Our arrival in Unije around 5 pm proves to be busy, as half way across we have discovered a forgotten open hatch into the small bunkroom which we use as a storeroom. Both mattresses are wet, as is stored bed linen and clothes. The anchorage of Vovisca is uninhabited and very sheltered. We enjoy a swim and early dinner of Romano Italian Tortelini alla Carne with sweated leaks and carrots – not bad! We sleep like babies and congratulate ourselves on our 6th free anchorage in a row.
Wednesday 27 August
Richard is up early with a mission to fit up the new sails with their reefing lines before the wind comes up again. By 7.00 am we move out into the clear water between Unije and Cres and spend the next hour drifting while we set up the lines and practice reefing the main which we can achieve from the cockpit via a continuous system and pulleys on the sail. This is yet another huge benefit we appreciate on board Matelot. Our goal for today is the island of Rab which we hear is well worth a visit but we need to clear the southern part of Unije first in order to go east. If we don’t make it we will stop in Cres for an overnight. We slip southwards making barely 2 knots. It is also our goal to sail rather than motor, so we decide to stop for a swim and wait for the afternoon breeze to pick up. We find the bay of Zapodaski on the NW approach to Mali Unije is a treasure as we drop the anchor for lunch and yet another swim. Matelot is surrounded by schools of blue fish and we can clearly see the anchor on the bottom in 4.5m of turquoise clear water. Two beers, salad lunch, 2-3 swims, 1 hour reading and writing catchup later and we pull up the main and sail off the anchorage to a blissfully smooth run in 8-12 knots on stbd aft quarter. The remote islands around us are very reminiscent of Tonga without the palm trees.
One hour later we round Unije keeping Kozjak Island to stbd and suddenly find ourselves having our first on the wind sail as we head NE for the southern end of Cres. We keep looking at each other and smiling – Richard’s favourite expression is “Which pinch me day is this?”
In our first choice of anchorage a boat came out and asked us for 130 Kuna anchorage fee. Apparently it was a “concession” area. Whatever… We tell him we would not charge him to anchor in our country and leave.
We are soon anchored in Meli, a bay popular with day trippers who soon depart in their small boats and we are the only boat in the bay. It is a gorgeous spot and reasonably settled weather, but a bit cool and breezy in the cockpit. As night falls, Matelot envelopes us in a cosy space inside where we enjoy our meal and the last of the day. It is somewhat of a surprise to go up on deck and encounter the still empty darkness all around. We are alone… except for the lights of many aircraft passing overhead far above us in the clear starry night. The wind does not fade away to nothing in the night but we sleep through the harmonic humming in the rigging and awake refreshed.
Thursday 28 August
The morning is chilly but clear and sunny with little wind. The vegetation is so similar to Kawau, we imagine a wallaby will pop its head out any moment! Today we plan to passage to the western side of Rab and hope we will have another great sail. We relax and wait for the breeze to come in. The day trippers arrive and the wind drops away even more so that the sandy bottom joins with the turquoise of the water and creates a patchwork of gold and turquoise on the surface.
By 2pm we are sailing in a 10 knot breeze and closing on Rab, which we notice on our approach is very green and forested right down to the water’s edge. We stop in the bay of Cifnata for a couple of hours but then decide to move closer to the old town for a visit ashore. Our anchorage up the inlet of SV Fumija turns out to be a 3 night stay. We are the only boat at anchor here and enjoy a peaceful night, within an easy dinghy ride of the old town.
Friday 29 August 2008
It is time to start running in the new OB. Rab township is a magnificent sight of palaces and bell towers set against a backdrop of the tall mountain range behind it. We find that the forest and gardens on the island are due to the efforts of the Head Forester who in 1883 afforested the island and created the lovely Komrcar Park. We walk up the hill from where we leave the dinghy, turn a corner and find ourselves in the heart of the old town steeped in history dating back to Roman times and with Venetian influences at every turn. We walk through narrow winding streets and polished marble flagstones from the many feet which have walked here before us. To our delight we discover there is an open air movie theatre with a movie (The X-Files) in English on that night. This evening we take the dinghy down the inlet into the harbour and tie up cheekily under the bows of a large tourist vessel. The movie is excellent and the night air is warm and balmy in the garden of old stone walls and conifer trees where we sit on park benches. Our return to Matelot is a bit spooky as is pitch black as we exit the harbour and motor up the inlet under the walls of the old city, however we are soon tucked up on board again feeling very pleased with our night on the town.
Saturday 30 August 2008
This anchorage is magic and free, so we relax and decide to attend to the electric winch which has been squeeking and we suggest may not have ever been serviced. It is one of the most valuable things on the boat for us, which is surprising as it was not on our wish list. It turns out to be a job taking several hours but the job is soon done to perfection. We have also attended to lots of jobs in this stop like printing and posting tax returns and annual accounts, making phone calls to sort out future wintering possibilities, sending away claims for medical expenses etc. Our brains hurt a bit! The internet café is closed today though and we are frustrated we cannot get on line. We manage to find someone to help us download a weather report and do a few minutes catchup but that is all.
Sunday 31 August 2008
Okay now we must leave this really great anchorage. We have lost track of how many nights we have anchored for free now but it is mounting. We wait out the wind in the morning and Richard services another winch. We eventually sail off the anchor around midday and passage between Rab and the island of Dolin making around 2 knots and having sandwiches and beer. We slip out the bottom between these two islands, the backdrop of mountains comes into full magestic view off to our port side and we lay the notorious Velebitski Channel, well known for its catabatic blasts off the mountains. The wind freshens to all of 5-6 knots and we are now sailing at 2.8 knots! The sea state is very calm and blue against the backdrop of windblasted mountains and islands around us with almost zero vegetation in sight, becoming more and more lunar like as we sail south. We finally make it into Pag fairly late in the day around 6.45 pm and find a very sheltered anchorage just off the sea wall, where we are able to row ashore 50 metres to explore and have dinner out.
Monday 1 September 2008
Here we are in Pag. Built in the 15th century to replace the original town Stari Grad, which had been destroyed (we don’t know how)…. It is yet another delightful old town, medieval in its nature (but the walls were removed in the 19th century) and we are welcomed as NZ’ers by the locals.
Today we plan to passage further through the Llubacka Vrata into the Llubacka vala then head further west to the Kornati National Park.
Our immediate destination from Isola is Piran, just around the corner to complete our customs formalities and have our new sails fitted – at last! An exciting moment and we are thrilled with the sails but it does take longer than expected and by 4.00 pm we request the customs office to be allowed to stay overnight and depart early the next morning which is fine.
We wonder why we have not spent more time in this tiny harbour with its delightful old town. It is also less expensive to stay overnight at E45 than Isola, but while there is shorepower available, the showers we hear are not that great. We shower on the boat and spend a pleasant evening with our Venetian neighbours from the boat next door and turn in early.
Thursday 21 August 2008
We are up early and away at long last and turn towards Croatia which is less distance than Waiheke is from Mission Bay. Soon we are sailing in a freshening NE breeze past Umag, Novigrad (there are 2 Novigrads that we know of in Croatia) and Porec to port. Our new sails in 8 – 10 knot breeze on the beam reaching along at 5-6 knots of boat speed and Richard tweaking as we go, do not disappoint; it is a moment we have waiting for and they gleam very white against the brilliant blue sky. This is truly what we came to the Med for.
We close on our destination Rovinje by around 14.30 and stunning sights meet our eyes. The tower of St Euphemia Cathedral on top of the prominent hill above the old town and a massive square rigged barquentine ship leaving the harbour … We cram into a space on the Customs Wharf which seems barely large enough and we have to run a long line right across the quay to the other side. Fenders and springs are everywhere and we hurriedly take our papers ashore to complete our formalities, including paying approx E250 for our annual cruising permit for Croatia. The harbour is interesting but we quickly move on through the washing machine of boats to find our anchorage in a lagoon type bay called Lon south of the ACI Marina but near to the Punta Corrente Forest Park established in 1890 by Baron Hutterodt. We swim off the boat in crystal clear water and are joined by curious blue fish which follow us about. Before too long we notice the bodies on the other boats around us are mostly naked and we gleefully shed our clothes along with our stress of sailing into a foreign port for the first time. It all drops away and we wonder at our lovely surroundings.
Friday 22 August
The old town beckons and we take the promenade – a short stroll into the midst of the maze of old streets, climbing up to St Euphemia Cathedral past many local art and craft shops. The highlight of this experience is climbing the belfry – we need the exercise - and having coffee in a small café – so small we have to sit on the steps outside.
The outboard motor is smoking badly on our return to the boat and this is the beginning of a drama which culminates in our having to buy a new one in Pula. It has lasted exactly 30 minutes and was so badly corroded internally that it was unserviceable economically. We have kept the old OB on the boat so that we can have a go at cleaning it up ourselves when we are looking for something to do over the winter!
Saturday 23 August
We sail on towards Pula to sort out the OB and find a magical anchorage just south of there named Soline. We sneak in behind some islands, leaving a lumpy sea behind us after having had yet another really great sail. Matelot really is confirming that she is the right boat for us in every way.
We chat with our neighbours Rosemary and Werner on board their boat “Sassa” over a glass of wine and get a weather forecast from them. It is going to be NE 35 knots overnight so we are happy to be in this very still water. At this stage we are happy to have achieved our 3rd free anchorage in a row and we are going to go for as long as we can without going into a marina. The boat is well provisioned and we are loving anchoring out. There is nothing like waking up in the morning and swimming off the boat in the crystal clear waters. We enjoy our fresh fruit and muesli with yoghurt for breakfast each day. We have 4kg of muesli on the boat amongst other things!
Sunday 24 August
The wind has been howling in the night, but the boat has not moved much and there is still a fresh breeze. We are unable to leave the boat, so it is a good day for reading and lazing about under the spray dodger which we pull up to get out of the wind, and doing some essential tasks on the boat. The day slips by…
Monday 25 August
Pula (Pooh-la). We anchor north of the fuel dock and are greeted by a view of a magnificently preserved Roman amphitheatre right on the waterfront and a strong odour of sewerage. Sorting out the OB is financially painful and disappointing as we get the bad news from the Yamaha agent. It dominates our visit here to this delightful town except for the smells. We also invest in a chain and lock for the dinghy which we leave right beside a carpark on the water’s edge. There is not much time for sight seeing, but what we do see is truly lovely and dates back to pre Roman times.
Tuesday 26 August
Neither one of us has slept well. The wind has been howling again in the night despite the water being flat calm. The anchor was rumbling despite being on a bridle and ropes were banging and clanging above. We are also a bit hungover from our disappointment over the OB. By 1200 hrs we are back on the boat with both OBs stowed and head for the fuel dock which appears to have vertical concrete poles to moor to. We rush about and get every fender on the boat in place only to find the poles are rubber and very gently on the hull. We soon clear the harbour and enjoy our best sail yet on Matelot. Our destination is Unije Island 24 NM SE. The breeze freshens to NE 22 knots true as we clear the bottom of the Istria Peninsular. We are sailing on full main and reefed genoa and making around 8 knots when Richard sights a turtle in the water. Our arrival in Unije around 5 pm proves to be busy, as half way across we have discovered a forgotten open hatch into the small bunkroom which we use as a storeroom. Both mattresses are wet, as is stored bed linen and clothes. The anchorage of Vovisca is uninhabited and very sheltered. We enjoy a swim and early dinner of Romano Italian Tortelini alla Carne with sweated leaks and carrots – not bad! We sleep like babies and congratulate ourselves on our 6th free anchorage in a row.
Wednesday 27 August
Richard is up early with a mission to fit up the new sails with their reefing lines before the wind comes up again. By 7.00 am we move out into the clear water between Unije and Cres and spend the next hour drifting while we set up the lines and practice reefing the main which we can achieve from the cockpit via a continuous system and pulleys on the sail. This is yet another huge benefit we appreciate on board Matelot. Our goal for today is the island of Rab which we hear is well worth a visit but we need to clear the southern part of Unije first in order to go east. If we don’t make it we will stop in Cres for an overnight. We slip southwards making barely 2 knots. It is also our goal to sail rather than motor, so we decide to stop for a swim and wait for the afternoon breeze to pick up. We find the bay of Zapodaski on the NW approach to Mali Unije is a treasure as we drop the anchor for lunch and yet another swim. Matelot is surrounded by schools of blue fish and we can clearly see the anchor on the bottom in 4.5m of turquoise clear water. Two beers, salad lunch, 2-3 swims, 1 hour reading and writing catchup later and we pull up the main and sail off the anchorage to a blissfully smooth run in 8-12 knots on stbd aft quarter. The remote islands around us are very reminiscent of Tonga without the palm trees.
One hour later we round Unije keeping Kozjak Island to stbd and suddenly find ourselves having our first on the wind sail as we head NE for the southern end of Cres. We keep looking at each other and smiling – Richard’s favourite expression is “Which pinch me day is this?”
In our first choice of anchorage a boat came out and asked us for 130 Kuna anchorage fee. Apparently it was a “concession” area. Whatever… We tell him we would not charge him to anchor in our country and leave.
We are soon anchored in Meli, a bay popular with day trippers who soon depart in their small boats and we are the only boat in the bay. It is a gorgeous spot and reasonably settled weather, but a bit cool and breezy in the cockpit. As night falls, Matelot envelopes us in a cosy space inside where we enjoy our meal and the last of the day. It is somewhat of a surprise to go up on deck and encounter the still empty darkness all around. We are alone… except for the lights of many aircraft passing overhead far above us in the clear starry night. The wind does not fade away to nothing in the night but we sleep through the harmonic humming in the rigging and awake refreshed.
Thursday 28 August
The morning is chilly but clear and sunny with little wind. The vegetation is so similar to Kawau, we imagine a wallaby will pop its head out any moment! Today we plan to passage to the western side of Rab and hope we will have another great sail. We relax and wait for the breeze to come in. The day trippers arrive and the wind drops away even more so that the sandy bottom joins with the turquoise of the water and creates a patchwork of gold and turquoise on the surface.
By 2pm we are sailing in a 10 knot breeze and closing on Rab, which we notice on our approach is very green and forested right down to the water’s edge. We stop in the bay of Cifnata for a couple of hours but then decide to move closer to the old town for a visit ashore. Our anchorage up the inlet of SV Fumija turns out to be a 3 night stay. We are the only boat at anchor here and enjoy a peaceful night, within an easy dinghy ride of the old town.
Friday 29 August 2008
It is time to start running in the new OB. Rab township is a magnificent sight of palaces and bell towers set against a backdrop of the tall mountain range behind it. We find that the forest and gardens on the island are due to the efforts of the Head Forester who in 1883 afforested the island and created the lovely Komrcar Park. We walk up the hill from where we leave the dinghy, turn a corner and find ourselves in the heart of the old town steeped in history dating back to Roman times and with Venetian influences at every turn. We walk through narrow winding streets and polished marble flagstones from the many feet which have walked here before us. To our delight we discover there is an open air movie theatre with a movie (The X-Files) in English on that night. This evening we take the dinghy down the inlet into the harbour and tie up cheekily under the bows of a large tourist vessel. The movie is excellent and the night air is warm and balmy in the garden of old stone walls and conifer trees where we sit on park benches. Our return to Matelot is a bit spooky as is pitch black as we exit the harbour and motor up the inlet under the walls of the old city, however we are soon tucked up on board again feeling very pleased with our night on the town.
Saturday 30 August 2008
This anchorage is magic and free, so we relax and decide to attend to the electric winch which has been squeeking and we suggest may not have ever been serviced. It is one of the most valuable things on the boat for us, which is surprising as it was not on our wish list. It turns out to be a job taking several hours but the job is soon done to perfection. We have also attended to lots of jobs in this stop like printing and posting tax returns and annual accounts, making phone calls to sort out future wintering possibilities, sending away claims for medical expenses etc. Our brains hurt a bit! The internet café is closed today though and we are frustrated we cannot get on line. We manage to find someone to help us download a weather report and do a few minutes catchup but that is all.
Sunday 31 August 2008
Okay now we must leave this really great anchorage. We have lost track of how many nights we have anchored for free now but it is mounting. We wait out the wind in the morning and Richard services another winch. We eventually sail off the anchor around midday and passage between Rab and the island of Dolin making around 2 knots and having sandwiches and beer. We slip out the bottom between these two islands, the backdrop of mountains comes into full magestic view off to our port side and we lay the notorious Velebitski Channel, well known for its catabatic blasts off the mountains. The wind freshens to all of 5-6 knots and we are now sailing at 2.8 knots! The sea state is very calm and blue against the backdrop of windblasted mountains and islands around us with almost zero vegetation in sight, becoming more and more lunar like as we sail south. We finally make it into Pag fairly late in the day around 6.45 pm and find a very sheltered anchorage just off the sea wall, where we are able to row ashore 50 metres to explore and have dinner out.
Monday 1 September 2008
Here we are in Pag. Built in the 15th century to replace the original town Stari Grad, which had been destroyed (we don’t know how)…. It is yet another delightful old town, medieval in its nature (but the walls were removed in the 19th century) and we are welcomed as NZ’ers by the locals.
Today we plan to passage further through the Llubacka Vrata into the Llubacka vala then head further west to the Kornati National Park.
4 comments:
Hi guys "which pinch me day" are you in now?! Pippa you should write a travel book. Truely fascinating........
Great to catch up with all your news while we are in Washington DC. Keep up the good work on maintenance - it will definitely pay off later. Wonderful descriptions Pippy!
Fantastic travel stories - the descriptions have us right there with you. We wish you lots more free anchorages, fair winds and many more "pinch me days". Our few sunny days among the "Big wet" days pale into insignificance.Keep having fun.
Captain:s Comment
Whatever we dreamed about has certainly come true in spades. We are so fortunate to be having this experience in this way and are loving every minute. Keep the comments coming - we love to hear from you guys.
Capn Buck
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