September 17th-19th - Zut Island - Vodice
Leaving along the open water we got a good sail
In as we made our way to Zut Island for the night. Full on sunshine the rocky islands gave way to more olive trees and the odd homestead as we passed many, many islands and exposed
rocks. Doreen got a chance to sail wing on wing, her favourite way to go.
Zut had a huge marina which quickly filled up with noisy, beer swilling (many start at breakfast), partying Eastern Europeans. Nice to have had this pretty island to ourselves for a while. Swimming followed by a very welcome shower. Strange to be sung to sleep by the sound of distant drunks singing "Country Road"!
By the time we took off the next day the wind had died down. It took us a while to leave because of, yet another, lost lighter. That makes a green one, an orange one & a white one. I wandered up to the market and bought a blue one. The question is, where do they go?
Honestly, we've turned the boat inside out, even
Looked under the stove, no lighters!
We either have a friendly ghost or a pack rat...odds are it's a rat especially when you factor in the nighttime scratching that wakes us up!
Tried to tie up in Pakostane (the book said there was plenty of depth) . Good thing Stan is good at backing up because the depth sounder started screaming as we passed the breakwater. Next time we'll check to see if other sailboats are moored instead of relying on the book's 10 year old information.
So from Pakostane we set off to Biograde where a near collision put us all on edge. Don't know why some people want to race in narrow passageways. Did I mention how glad I am that Stan can handle this 44 foot moving target!
Biograde is a delightful town. From the Turks to the Crusaders to the Venetians to WW II and the war of independence... this place has been destroyed and rebuilt from the ashes with a determination and perseverance hard to fathom. It has now reinvented itself as a hub for boat charters. This translates into lots of restaurants & souvenir shops along a 'fishy' promenade. Many of the big bus tour one day excursion boats leave from here.
Shane and I passed quite a few tours as we walked to the new part of the village looking for a grocery store.
Had a delicious dinner in town at a very quaint courtyard restaurant (Pizzeria Cocalini Biograde).
The wind was almost non existent as we left the next morning for Zlarin. With little or no wind we found ourselves 'sailing on the spot' for a while before practicing 'doughnuts' then packing it all in and motoring to the Island of Zlarin.
This sleepy village completely changed by nightfall. Five small cruise boats tied together at the end of the pier while 8 racing boats tied up between us and the ferry dock. Linda and I were entertained as a few of the men stripped down for a shower at the stern of their boats.
These coastal villages have walk/bike paths along the waterfront. In Zlarin there are no cars, only golf carts, motorbikes and bicycles. Come to think of it, I only saw one motor bike and that belonged to the port authority. Makes for very peaceful walks at any time of the day.
Our last meal together was on the boat watching the lights twinkling in the distance while laughter surrounded us. Tomorrow we motor back the short distance to Vodice where Shane and I hop off to begin the next stage of our journey.
Before I sign off you've got to know...a Pack Rat it is! Another lighter gone and Stan and Doreen's kit chewed through. It even gnawed through the hard plastic of their deodorant.
Looking forward to a night not interrupted by a scratching critter.