Saturday 26 January 2008

Sailing Croatia - Times Online

Times Online has published an insightful article on sailing Croatia. It's particularly relevant for those of mixed sailing abilities and experience. The author, Jonathan Gornall clearly likes nothing better than a strong breeze and a long sail, whereas you get a feeling that his companions might prefer calm conditions and a little island hopping!

Jonathan is also firmly for overnighting in anchorages rather than being " a bird in a cage" in a crowded marina. Fair enough but there are options in between and if you want to keep everyone's morale up then perhaps there's room for a little of both. John Nash, co - author of the Croatia Cruising Companion, has a strong preference for good windy sailing conditions; me a little less so. When we did the sailing for most of our research on the book, we took crew that covered the whole spectrum.

Fortunately, Croatia is a cruising ground that can keep everyone happy. The occasional overnight stay in a marina will refresh and reassure those still getting used to being at sea, anchoring in an idyllic anchorage allows the tranquility seekers their bit of heaven, and finding a remote village harbour with berthing facilities (and sometimes electricity, water and showers) bridges the gap between the two extremes.

You can read the article in full by following this link:
http://travel.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/travel/destinations/croatia/article3233113.ece

Today's photo is of Polace on Mljet Island - you can anchor in the large bay, or berth at one of the restaurants on lazy lines. You'll be expected to eat at the restaurant that provides the facilities but otherwise you'll have the freedom of the village and the chance to explore Mljet's saltwater lakes.

No comments: