Artemis V: Travels in Croatia 2015

We arrived in Kastala Gomilica, just outside Split to find Artemis V looking none the worse for wear after her seven months out of the water. We spent a hectic two weeks preparing her for sea. We fitted her with a new anchor (a really big one) and chain, repainted the woodwork and polished her. All our lines were put back in place and the sails put up. We completed our jobs just in time to have her launched. It was lovely to be back in the water and so pleasing to find that the new anchor is so quick to set and easy to manage.

We collected a friend from the airport that afternoon and took a short bus trip to Trogir, a delightful World Heritage Medieval town. We happened to arrive in the middle of a Medieval festival and what a fantastic setting for it! We had dinner there amongst the houses and little roads, all built in travertine marble.

Trogir Medieval festival

The next morning we were back in our little dinghy for a ride to the opposite shore. We strolled into Split for a look at Doclecian’s palace and then found a good spot for coffee in the outdoor market. That afternoon we set sail for the first of our island stops. We planned to stop in the little port of Hvar but the wind had come up and there was a bad swell running into the harbour. We opted for a quiet night and anchored on the opposite side of the Pakleni Kanal, between two little uninhabited islands. The next morning we had an exciting dinghy ride across the channel and had a very close look at the three cruise ships anchored outside Hvar. Other than the cruise ship tourists, all the islands we visited over the next week have been quiet, with the tourist season only beginning in June.

Hvar town from the castle

We had a stop in the lovely little walled town of Korcula. We went into the town on a Sunday morning and the church bells were ringing. We took a look inside the church and decided to stay for the start of the service. That turned out to be a highlight of the day. Even though Korcula is a tiny town, as we waited the church gradually filled up so that by the start of the service, there was standing room only. There were many teenagers and children there too. Unexpectedly, the little choir turned out to be excellent. As they began to sing, the voice of angels soared through the church. It was difficult to pull ourselves away from the singing.

This is the island that Marco Polo is reputed to come from.

Walls of Korcula town

On we went to the beautiful island of Mljet, a lot of which is National Park. This is the island that is reputed to be the place where Calypso seduced and waylaid Odysseus for seven years. Seeing the tall, beautiful girls in Croatia, one can understand why!

As we came alongside the quay with our dinghy, a young fellow arrived and offered us bikes for hire. We decided a ride would be good so off we went to the National Park with the large lake, V. Jezero. We were too late to take the ferry across to the little island with the monastery so we rode along the shores of the lake. We came across the little fishing village of Soline where we had local cheese and beer to give us energy for the ride back to the quiet bay of Polace.

Village of Soline, Mljet island

Dinner was at a waterfront restaurant overlooking the bay.

Our last stop in Croatia was in Dubrovnik. We anchored just outside the marina where we left the boat and took a tour to Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina. We watched one of the young men jump off the 24m Mostar bridge for €25. Dubrovnik was not yet full of summer tourists and we had a pleasant stroll along the walls before dinner in the old town.

We are now in Durres, Albania. We are tied up alongside the dock in the main port amongst the ships and container hoists as there is no marina.

The upside is that we are just across the road from the main part of town and there is good security in the port. To our surprise, although it is poorer, there are seaside cafes and restaurants, internet, ATMs and high-rise buildings