In 2019 we sail the Mediterranean!
I share photos and anecdotes of this stage in CROATIA. Kastela, Split, Biograd, Sibenik, Trogir, Brac, Solta. Bora wind of 175km on the Adriatic. Anchorages, beaches and the best ports. Tips for sailors
Sunset in the Adriatic
Almost a month ago we arrived in Croatia, we came with great expectation and it did not disappoint us. Its landscapes, its waters, the medieval architecture, the food, the people, everything has been very interesting.
My 46th birthday
The city where we bought the boat, is a few kilometers from Split. It is called Kastela and there are several small “barrios” built around ancient castles that are perfectly preserved. So much so that in almost all, scenes of Game of Thrones have been filmed. In all Croatian cities there are castles, forts, cathedrals, or ruins, but here in Kastela they are especially concentrated and mixed with the daily life of the neighborhood. I want to say that you do not have to go especially to see them, but you go by when you go to the supermarket!
Pachi en Split
Winter in the Mediterranean in general, and in the Adriatic in particular, is a tough season in terms of winds and temperatures. One of the typical winds in this region is the Bora (bura in Croatian) and we had already been warned in the navigation guides, which can be very strong and dangerous. These waters, which in summer are so peaceful to navigate, can become a hell in a matter of minutes if the mountain Bora falls.
A week ago we saw that the personnel of the Marina Kastela, dedicated his day to place extra ropes between ship and boat, reinforce moorings, remove some boats from the dock, etc. As the saying goes “wherever you go do what you see” …
When the wind came in, it did it with such fury, that despite being a few hundred meters from the protection of the mountain, the water inside the Navy turned white, it began to fly spray, and all the ships were heeled twenty or thirty degrees and that’s how they stayed. They imagine hundreds of boats laying violently pulling their moorings and the docks … well that was for more than 24 hours. In those circumstances, there was a dialogue on board that remained for the story: – “I’m going to check that the ropes are good” … – “No, do not go out, let’s see if you fly!”.
Bora Wind in Croatia
After the storm, the people here said he had been the strongest in twenty years. And the news reported more than sixty broken ships in Split, Trogir and other places, and gusts of up to 175 km per hour were recorded, that is, the equivalent of a category two hurricane …
Return the normality, we continue with our tasks of preparation of the boat and tourist trips. It is a relatively small country and allows to know a couple of cities and several small towns in a day of car or in a couple of days of navigation. Biograd, Trogir, Sibenik.
As it happens in Greece, here one experiences the strange sensation of walking through the same streets and stepping on the same stones that Charlemagne or Emperor Deocleciano stepped on. The guy did not skimp on expenses, huh. In the year 305 (d.c.) he abdicated as Emperor of Rome and came to live in Split, which at that time was part of the Roman backyard, where he had an incredible palace built with a cathedral and all. As part of the decoration, he used among other things some sphinxes of the fifteenth century (a.c.) who “brought” his campaigns in Egypt. As who passes by Falabella, let’s say. His remains are precisely in that cathedral and all that is visitable.
Diocecliano Split
In a few days we will go to Montenegro, passing through several other Croatian cities and islands. Besides Dubrovnik, one of the scales that interests me the most is Korčula, an island where important people like Marco Polo and the mother and father of my friend Hugo Finara were born. We’ll see what we found …
And at the end of June, with the arrival of spring, we re start the Clinics! Sicily and the Aeolian Islands, Amalfi Coast, Cerdegna, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera.
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