Small but remote - traveling on a small yacht

Small but remote - traveling on a small yacht

Author: Peter Willich

At home, on Lake Werrathalsee, Peter Willich, his wife Liane and daughter Melanie have already visited many places. The most exotic destination of the trip was the Seychelles, which they visited in 2007.

We slowly scan the bay, quietly and peacefully located in front of us. After a two-day trip on the autobahns, our yacht "My Way" stands in the rays of the setting sun in the marina of the city Kastela... Memories come to life: a few years ago, when a strong bora wind was blowing, we brought our charter yacht to this harbor Bavaria 35... It is hard to believe that bora can turn such a peaceful bay into a living hell! Together with our friends Harald and Widmanda, who sail on the Fan 23 yacht called "Sharky", we want to visit the islands Brac, Hvar, Korcula, Mljet and Lastovo... Due to the very high prices in the marinas, which are often occupied by crews who decide to have a party there, this year we want to spend the night mainly in the bays. We were well prepared, armed with solar panels, water tanks, small boats, anchors and long anchor lines.

The morning after customs formalities have been completed, our yacht Biga 24 hangs on a crane. Crane operators cannot believe that she has been sailing for 36 years. Thanks to the overhaul at the manufacturer's shipyard and our careful maintenance of its appearance, this really cannot be said! Having installed rigging on "Sharky" and "My Way" and loaded on board provisions, on Tuesday morning we leave the bay, accompanied by a light westerly wind. Rounding the sharp eastern coast of the island Ciovo, we arrive at Bobovisce a small sleepy fishing village on the island Brac... We moor in front of a small tavern. Nestled comfortably three steps from the yacht, we end the day with a dinner of wine, beer and fish.

The next day, in wonderful weather, we move on to the island of Hvar. While we maneuver at a steep sidewind between the islands of Brac and Solta and we rejoice at the speed that our lag shows, I notice something strange. There are people standing on a motor boat about two miles away, waving towels. We turn around. Those whom we mistook for the crash victims ran out of gasoline. For the children on board, we pass water and call for help by radio. When the rescue motor yacht took the children on board and the boat in tow, we say goodbye and head for Hvar again. At night we drop anchor in the bay Luka Tiha on the north side of Hvar, however, unfortunately, the anchor does not hit the sand, but the metal! Inadvertently, I dropped anchor on the chain of one of my compatriots from Germany. While he scolds me and my wife with all his throat, I try to raise the anchor again. At the same time, unfortunately, I pull out the chain and his yacht, which is much larger than ours. When the “fellow countrymen” are yelling, crossing their arms and standing at the railing, Harald and a yachtsman from Slovenia come to the rescue. Together, we manage to quickly release the chain from the anchor. Later, as a token of gratitude, I bring beer to the Slovenian yacht. The couple are very kind and invite me on board. They think I should definitely try their homemade wine. Slovenes are quite surprised by the behavior of our fellow countrymen. But with a clear conscience, I assure them that there are friendly sailors in Germany as well.

On Saturday we reach the hamlet Sucuraj on the east bank of Hvar. In the evening, two more small yachts call at the port. Recently, ships of our size have become a rarity in this region. Therefore, we are very glad that the four of us met in the same harbor.

On Sunday, under a light wind, we go to the island Korcula... When the already weak westerly wind dies down completely, we stop and take the opportunity to swim. In the channel PeljeskiKanal the wind is gaining strength again, so by the end of the day we arrive in Korcula at a speed of six knots. In the evening we wander through the narrow alleys of this pearl of the Adriatic, lively with street musicians. And it doesn't matter whether Marco Polo was born here or not - the atmosphere here is unique!

After breakfast we want to go to the island Mljetto visit our friends Josef and Milka, the owners of the restaurant "Chez Joseph" in the bay Polace... Under gulfwind and at a speed of 56 knots on the lag we are heading towards Mljet. During the crossing, high waves rolling in from the west shake our small yachts violently. We land on the western coast of the island, so that later we can sail to the Polache bay with a favorable wind.

The next day, Joseph invites us for a boat trip. We visit his friends in the village together Soline on a lake with salt water Veliko Jezero... These friends turn out to be the parents of a student who, like our daughter, studies in Hawaii and shared an apartment with her. How small the world is! Two days later, we leave the Polace Bay with a slight sadness. Our next destination is the island Lastovo 16 miles from here. Light nordost carries us forward. And then the already familiar game awaits us. Mirror-smooth surface of the water and not a single breath of breeze. This is a good time to go to polish the handrails, change the grease gun cartridges for the shaft bearings, and tinker a bit with the plotter. When there is absolutely nothing to do, we just go swimming. You can forget about our current plan - to reach Lastovo, we are heading for the village Lumbarda on the island Korcula.

In the morning of the next day we set off again to our destination Lastovo. The day starts off really promising, but soon the wind brings us down again. Motor and sail replace each other. We told Widmanda and Harald so much about the lighthouse and the beautiful bays of the island that we want to get to Lastovo today. As the sun sets we pass the lighthouse Struga on the east bank of Lastovo. We moor near the stairs of the Porto Rosso restaurant in a fabulous bay Skrivena Luka... Round off the evening at Sharky with a glass of Scotch whiskey.

It's morning again, and we want to visit the Struga lighthouse. After an exhausting hike, we had to regret to learn that entry into the grounds was no longer allowed.

Upon returning to the yacht, we sail to the west coast of the island. For the night we decide to moor near the hotel gangway, located not far from the town Prezba... A hotel clerk helps us do this, while a colleague prepares a welcome cocktail at the gangway and gives each crew a weather report. Yes, it looks a little expensive! The next day we were given an invoice of 50 euros.

We go by motor to a small village Ubliwhere we buy food supplies and gasoline for Harald's outboard motor. After leaving the bay, we follow the course of the nordwest. Then, with a wind speed of ten knots, we change direction from the northwest and move to the western coast of the island of Korcula. Towards evening we find here two free buoys in the bay Gradina... And also an unforgettable sunset awaited us.

The weather forecast for tomorrow promises a wind from the southeast. We need to slowly return to the harbor area from where we started our journey. We moor from the buoys and go on the motor to the exit from the bay, set sails and set a course for the island Saint Clement (Sveti Klement).

Outside, a swell and too little wind awaits us to follow the right course. Again and again the grotto falls, only to rise again with a loud clap. Terrible rolling. I try to walk under Gulfwind, but it doesn't get any better. Having traveled 17 miles, as on a loaded horse, three miles before our goal - the marina Palmizana - the wind rises. For the last two miles we sail past the town of Hvar at a speed of five knots. This is the irony of fate! At 17.00 we will dock at the ACI Marina Palmisana. Shortly before dark we go to the Baccus restaurant. Narrow, romantically lit paths lead through the small island. Cacti grow everywhere, which botanist Menegello planted here in 1906. The cicadas are giving a shrill concert. From the terrace of the tavern, we have a spacious view of the bay Vinogradisce on the south side of the island of St. Clement. With the onset of darkness, many anchor lights merge with the sparkling stars. This is just a fabulous place.

The next morning we want to explore the city of Hvar, located on the island of the same name. Since there are always a lot of people at the city wall and in the parking lots, we decide to cross from Palmisana to a boat taxi. Exactly at 14.00 the boat departs, a few minutes later we stand on the ancient pavement of the old town. The thermometer again clearly reads over 30 degrees Celsius, so we abandon our plan to climb the fortress Spaniola, and we are much more willing to wander through the narrow streets of a town with 4,500 inhabitants. In the shade of the houses, we enjoy the views over the rooftops. Over and over again, the views of the harbor and the bay open from different points.

In the evening we sit on a small terrace above the bay, having a supper of stuffed squid and wine, and watch a huge motor yacht trying to dock. Looking at the megayacht, I involuntarily thought about the history of this city. Hvar is synonymous with the struggle of the middle strata of society against the aristocracy. It has long been dark when a taxi boat picks us up and hastily brings us back to Palmisana. Our neighbors, Wolfgang and Susanna from the southern part of Hessen, are still sitting in the cockpit. Spontaneously, we decide to have another last glass together. Long after midnight we fall into our bunks, tired.

A new day has come, we say goodbye to Wolfgang and Susanna, give up the mooring lines and set course for Brac... Marina is our goal Vlaska in front of the town Milna... It is much quieter here than in the ACImarine. With a westerly wind of 15 knots, we are moving forward rapidly. We twist the genoa a little, and Biga rushes towards the target with tolerable lateral roll. Just a few hours later, a friendly sailor takes over the mooring lines. We are happy to discover that a completely new sanitary building has been built here. New, clean, modern equipment looks impressive.

The next morning a strong northwest wind blows. While Harald and Widmanda want to sail around Soltu Island, Liane and I plan to take a short walk and then have breakfast. In the evening we want to meet at the city wall of the village Stomorska... We leave immediately after lunch. The anemometer shows 20 knots. We walk several miles to the village of Stomorska. At the pier we look out for Sharky. We moor in front of the small Volat tavern. The innkeeper twists the awning slightly as it almost touches our fokastag. Here's the convenience: just two steps to a cappuccino! Widmanda and Harald say that high waves prevented them from passing to the southern side of Šolta. They turned and went directly to the village of Stomorska.

Today we are handing over the mooring lines to make the last passage to the island of Kastela - the harbor where we started our voyage. Seven out of ten miles we have to go by motor. No wind at all! But in the strait between the island of Ciovo and Split, the anemometer again shows over 20 knots. With a huge roll and a freshly washed teak deck, we pass the Institute of Oceanography at a good six knots. After a while, we moor in the Kastela Marina.

We are behind us 210 nautical miles, sailed in great weather without a drop of rain. We visited already known and new places, met kind and not very kind people and saw our friends again. Now, after dismantling the rigging, we have 1,300 kilometers of road and a long winter ahead of us. We stop at a diner on the Autobahn near the town of Skradin and once again enjoy the view of the Krka River. "Dovideniya, Jadran Sea" - goodbye, Adriatic Sea!

07.03.2012