We woke up this morning eager to start the next “chapter” of our adventure – sailing around the beautiful coast of Croatia! We made our way to the port, said goodbye to Sinéad for now, found our boat and met our guide Bryce (who just so happened to also be from the Peninsula back home). We started to meet the rest of our group as they trickled aboard and were pleasantly surprised to find they were not all 18 year olds (a small fear of ours!)! Most people were around our age and there was a great mix of people – although all 17 of us were Australians! We had two girls from Perth, an excellent group of cops and their friends from NSW, a guy from Melbourne, a girl from Adelaide, Meila (who is now living in the UK and has adopted us into her circle of friends), two hilarious girls from the South-East suburbs of Melbourne (Marley and Sarah) and two guys from the Peninsula. It’s crazy how many people actually ended up being from down our way! Max actually knew one of the boys from back home, but had not seen him properly in a very long time (they had been friends-of-friends in high-school but more recently he had worked with her sister). As such, she recognized him but couldn’t place him, and instead of helping her out, he silently looked taken aback. Max started to go red, feeling embarrassed, (she does this a lot and very easily) and everyone started to speculate. Finally he piped up and filled in the scandalous-free blanks. He still claimed she was “dead” to him, which became a catch-phrase of the trip! Someone came on the boat to introduce the crew to us and to explain the rules of the voyage before we set sail. After the formalities were over, we started chatting and getting to know each other as the engines started to rumble. Anchors away!

The boat itself wasn’t too bad. There were a few bedrooms below deck and the main deck had our dining room, bar, kitchen, bathrooms and an under-cover area with long table. Then you had the upper deck where most of the bedrooms (including ours) were situated, as well as a nice-sized open area with deck chairs. There was also a ladder where you could access the roof of the cabins – nothing up there but a good place to lie down and sun bake if the mood struck you. The bedrooms and bathrooms were quite funny. They were all bunk beds with not much space between the bottom bunk and the top as well as between the top bunk and the roof. There was no rails or ladders on the bunks (it was actually so hard to get on and off the bed – once Max was cornered there by a wasp and there was nothing you could do! No space to move at all!). You then had a small passage between the bunks and the wall, and the end of which were a few shelves. The door in the wall led to a tiny bathroom with a toilet and sink. At first we thought there were no showers other than the two downstairs, however as it turns out, the tap for the sink is on a retractable hose, and that’s your shower! It was great fun!
Our crew was a bit of a rag-tag bunch. First there was our captain Ivan who seemed young and was very quiet, I don’t think his English was very good. Then there was our bar tender, also called Ivan, who everyone loved – he acted a bit like the boat DJ as well as the bar tender and would poke fun at everyone, quite a jovial spirit. Next came Dommo, probably the best way to describe him would be the sleazy sailor. He would always slap people on the bum as they jumped into the water, once even with a saw! The nicest one of all was probably Ivana, not entirely sure what she did, bit of sailoring, but of cooking and a bit of bar tending, but she was just so lovely and quiet and occasionally would jump in the water too but would often wait till we were all out of the water first. Last but not least was our excellent Chef, but alas, I have no clue what his name was. Perhaps it was also Ivan.
I will give you a brief rundown of what each day was like and then get into the specifics. The boat would depart early each morning (generally before 7 but we were told earlier to ensure no one actually missed the boat – apparently it happens quite a lot but didn’t happen on our trip) with breakfast provided for those of us who were early risers. Then you would pop your sunnies on, grab a book and head up to the deck to relax while some music played (often beats rather than relaxing music which was odd – once Bob Marley played and some people seemed as if they might riot) as we sailed to our first stop. We would always have one swim stop, but often one either side of lunch where we could jump off the boat, or climb down the ladder into the crystal clear turquoise waters (they were actually that clear – you could see everyone’s legs under the water if you were still on the boat)! Lunch itself was an event – three course, freshly cooked meal every day starting with a first course of a garden salad. But not just any salad. It was more like one part of the salad was given to us each day! One day we had lettuce, one day we had a bowl of tomatoes, one day we had cabbage… We were really looking forward to the day we would get Feta, but alas, that day never came. While we enjoyed our interesting meals Bryce would give us some information about the island we were going to dock in. Once we arrived Bryce would take us for a bit of an orientation stroll around the island before we had some free time to discover the sites, wander the sun dappled streets, have a swim, check out the water sports or explore the shops. Then there was always an optional group dinner before a night checking out the bars and dancing the night away!

DAY 1: DUBROVNIK TO SLANO

Departing Dubrovnik harbour we took in the beauty of Eliphite Islands as we started to cruise up the coastline. We stopped not long after lunch finished for a refreshing swim stop, and cracked our the only floaty we had on the boat – a giant inflatable pizza! It wasn’t long into the swim stop before some people decided to test one of the rules of the boat – if you ring the bell at the bar, then you are buying shots for everyone on the boat. I have never seen a group of people swim faster towards the ladder of a boat. After this happened three more times in a row we thought that this might not be the “quiet” first night that we had anticipated. As we continued to sail towards Slano – where we would dock for the night – we sat around the table of the outdoor deck and got to know one another a little bit better. We swapped tales about our past and future travels as well as from back home. Once docked we had a bit of time to explore the mainland port before dinner. We decided to go for a walk and “gossip about/evaluate” our first day and the tour so far. We wandered up and down some of the small streets and even trespassed found some adorable little gardens and a cat or two. Dinner was on the boat tonight, and the crew cooked us up a delicious Croatian BBQ to celebrate our first night on tour. One person didn’t quite make it to dinner. After dinner we could here some music playing in the square and a few of us wandered off to check it out. Turns out it was a Večer dalmatinske pjesme (Evening of Dalmatian songs) – there were a variety of different groups of singers and musicians, and although we didn’t understand anything they were saying, the emotion in the music was and talent on stage was crystal clear. We sat down on the concrete (the show was on the steps of a church with most of the audience sitting in lawn chairs in front) with our legs crossed as we were swept up in the atmosphere of it all.

DAY 2: SLANO TO KORCULA

We left port early this morning which meant we got the whole morning to explore our first island Mljet, and the beautiful Mljet National Park which takes up most of the island. We hired bikes to be able to see more of this real -life island paradise. We cycled to a tiny pier where we caught a “shuttle boat” to an island in the middle of a lake where we walked around the old Roman ruins and fed an adorable donkey. We then went back to our bikes and road around the rest of the main island track, stopping once to take in some of the most picturesque, clear-blue waters I have ever seen, and once more to have a dip in one of the pine-fringed lakes where the current was so strong you would jump in on one side of the bridge, and before you would come up for air you were well and truly on the other side! The natural beauty of this island was simply stunning – rich with olive groves, vineyards and all kinds of flora and fauna. Some from our trip were so caught up in there majestic surroundings (or maybe just got distracted by a pizza) that they almost missed the boat and received a slow clap as we welcomed them back on board 20 minutes late. We had lunch on board as we sailed onwards to Korčula, the island of Marco Polo (the birthplace of this famous explore – which the island really seems to milk for all its worth with ever second shop having something to do with Marco Polo). Korčula is the sixth-largest Adriatic island, stretching nearly 47km in length and has a glorious old town with incredible stone work! After our walk through town we needed some refreshments and decided to climb up three ladders, inside a fourteenth-century tower, in order to sip some delicious cocktails while we took in the smashing views (ah Croatia, you have stolen our hearts). On recommendation, we then decided to sample some of what is arguably the best wine in Croatia, produced from their native pošip grapes. We did manage to underestimate how long this would take, mainly due to the chatty nature of our waiter who brought us home made vegetable bread, a cheese board and home grown olives. It may also have been because it was one of our new friends birthdays – Meila – and every time we toasted we insisted on singing another round of “Happy Birthday”. Either way – we were late for group dinner (although we were more than half the group..) but apparently they heard our arrival as we giggled our way towards the restaurant. Then we made our way to a weird little sunset bar where Bryce showed off his moves on one of the poles inside and we enjoyed another cocktail or two. We finished the night dancing away at Boggie Jungle – an open air club with an awesome vibe – and enjoying one of the tastiest burgers you could imagine before heading back to our boat.

 

DAY 3: KORCULA TO HVAR

We departed Korčula early in the morning with an extra floaty on board! Yay! After enjoying two swim stops in the crystal clear Adriatic, we glided on into Hvar’s hub and busiest destination, Hvar Town. We needed to get a “shuttle boat” into port as the boats are not allowed to dock until the evening. Our driver could not have been more casual, smoking and talking on his phone, occasionally touching the wheel, as we bounced up and down on the water towards land. We explored the small bay town, with ornamented Gothic palaces and traffic-free winding marble streets, surrounded by 13th-century walls. We walked through the main square and market stalls, marveling over the wide variety of souvenirs made with Lavender (grown on Hvar), before we found a great spot to sit in the port and people watch/check out all the stunning yachts. After our seafood dinner, the three of us left the group and made our way to Hulahula Bar to meet up with Katie and Tim who had started their honeymoon with some of their family in Hvar! We walked past some of the most stunning hotels I have even seen, as well as a man who, while trying to get into a boat, missed and fell into the water! We were startled, but a bunch of his friends started laughing and began to help him out. We shared two cocktails while we waited for Katie and Tim. One was delicious and we enjoyed it while sitting on the sun lounges and the other we grabbed a free cabana and sipped on the strongest cocktail ever. Luckily Katie, Tim and a few others we had met at the wedding showed up and helped us finish it, otherwise we might still be sitting there now! We had a great time chatting and were kicked out when the bar closed at about 10.45. We said our goodbyes and headed back to Kiva Bar (stopping along the way to pose with a weird bin – see photo below) to try and rejoin our group. Alas, we could only find a smattering of them and kept loosing the ones we did find. The bar was cut in half by a little alleyway, so there was stacks of people both in the bar and spilling out onto the street! The music was great, so we stayed dancing for a while but there was so many people that not long after Max went off to get some air, Rosh and I decided to find her. What we found was at first confusing, and then wonderful. Max was sitting on a stool chatting with what appeared to be a nice couple. We saddled on up to her and they explained that the husband of the pair had accidentally purchased the giant bottle of Moët inside of the normal size, and there was no way they would be able to drink it all. They had seen Max, who had been standing next to their table, waiting to see us when we came out, and they invited her to join them! Then they invited us! They were such a nice couple – from America, in their early 30’s – and we had a great old chat over the champagne. After they had one, maybe two, glasses each they got up to leave and offered us the rest of the bottle. We tried to say no/offer to pay but they were insistent, and floated off into the night. We were so shocked! Followed by frustration thy we hadn’t taken down their names. We enjoyed the rest of the champagne as we sat watching the town lights glisten over the harbour.

DAY 4: HVAR TO STARI GRAD

This morning we stumbled out of our cabins to find an additional two floatys on the deck, covered with towels and sun chairs, remembering that we had this brilliant idea last night. The boat next to us was clearly showing off with it’s PILES of floats, so we had to take two.. It was only fair.. But they also had to be covered so no one would see. Not really sure that the chairs had done an adequate job of covering them, but they were still there! Needless to say the group was thrilled and the floats were a hit at our refreshing swim stop enroute to Stari Grad. Oh, and Max was now fondly described by the rest of the boat as “not as innocent as she looks”. Stari Grad, on the Hvar’s north coast, was a quieter, more cultured and stylish affair than Hvar Town. Before dinner we went for a stroll along the waterfront promenade and I enjoyed an ice cream while Rosh and Meila had a coffee. Dinner was a real treat. We were taken inland to an ancient vineyard belonging to the best wine makers on the island of Hvar. It was beautiful, rustic and charming. We sat and were treated to a wine tasting of the finest quality plus a traditional Peka BBQ grill – all local produce grown at the vineyard. We laughed and ate our fill as the sun set over the Stari Grad plain. We were also invited to explore some of the property and saw some of their horses, donkeys and geese. It was a very special evening in such a unique and local setting. It was almost perfect until Max almost threw her phone in the harbour waters. We had returned to the boat after dinner, but not yet feeling hungry we headed back along the waterfront to explore a bit more of the town. We wandered up, down and around some of the cobbled streets finding quaint art galleries and either a church or a restaurant around every turn. We then decided to sit on the dock, feet hanging down, outside a cafe with free wifi (where we had been that afternoon). Chatting happily and kicking our feet, we did not notice at all as someone snuck up behind Rosh and grabbed her phone! Rosh squealed and grabbed it back, I squealed and hunched over and, for some reason, Max went to throw her phone into the water. For safety maybe? She does not even know why this was her reaction. We all turned to see two of the girls from our boat pissing themselves laughing. Once they had realized Max hadn’t ACTUALLY thrown her phone into the water. They gave us some juicy figs they had just bought from the market up the road and everyone was friends again. It was mostly a quiet night on the boat tonight, as we were warned by Bryce that tomorrow was a fun night out, and so far we had been doing it wrong. Being far too enthusiastic on and quiet nights and dying on the deck on the “big nights”. Most except two listened to him. The night for them ended try to seduce some of the boat staff on the back deck.

DAY 5: STARI GRAD TO MAKARSKA

Today we hit the seaside resort of Makarska, playground of locals and tourists alike, famous for its long pebble beach, wicked water sports, awesome shopping, stunning sunsets and the palm fringed promenade framed by the lofty heights of the Biokovo Mountains. A spectacular natural setting. Bryce first took us into the town square where we met Mario – the handsome owner of the local costume shop, where we could get a discount on a Pirate costume for the infamous BusAbout Pirate party tomorrow night. Then we wandered into the gorgeous riviera town, only making it to the end of the dock before we were stopped by a man with a camera and a man with a microphone. He asked if anyone could spare a moment to be filmed. Straight away, seemingly without any forethought, everyone turned and said in unison “Max!”. Looking somewhat confused she said yes and was taken a few meters away to sit on a bench and look at her phone while the guy with the microphone spoke in Croatian and walked towards her. Her star moment was to smile and look up and him when he sat down next to her and said “hello”. Max was flawless in her portrayal of girl sitting on a bench. However microphone guy mucked up his line and had to go back to the start, while all 17 of us watched on in confusion, Bryce excitedly taking pictures. Our tour continued until we reached the town’s long pebbly beach, where we were left to our own devices. A bunch of us headed to one of the inflatable water playgrounds. I was quite anxious about participating at first but am I glad I did! It was a bunch of fun, everyone fell off, slipping and sliding all over the place. It was hilarious and only slightly painful. The hardest part was getting back up after you fell off! After we were all exhausted, we sat back on the beach to dry off for a tick before heading off to see if we could find somewhere we could go parasailing. Along the way we ran into some girls we knew from home who were doing the boat tour but from Split-to-Split! It was lovely to see them and we knew we would see them again the next two nights, so that was great! We found the parasailing place and myself, Max and two of the cops decided to go on! We picked the second highest height and jumped on the boat with about 10 or 12 other people. Max and I were second last. About halfway through, the instructor came around and asked if we were happy to go to the highest point because that’s “what everyone else was doing”. I started to get nervous but also excited. I wasn’t sure about the fact that there was only one clip either side holding you in, but everyone else had landed back safely on the boat. The cops had gone before us which gave me more confidence, and they looked thrilled. When it was our turn we were hooked up, and then sat on the platform at the back of the boat with the parachute flowing behind us. As the boat began to pick up speed we lifted up off the boat! At first it was scary, and then it was great! We had such a spectacular view over the water, the mountains and the town, it was stunning! We did get a few more butterflies when the parachute “jumps” a little bit when you reach the end of the length of rope connection you to the boat. Oh and whenever Max thought it would be a great idea to look down. Walking back through the markets we purchased the final accessories we needed for the Pirate Party and then headed back to the boat to meet for dinner. We went back to the town square where I enjoyed my first chicken parma since leaving home at a traditional tavern. Max suffered through a pasta with prawns, that had been covered in sauce, but had not yet been peeled. It was a struggle. After eating our fill we went back to the boat to change our clothes before we headed into town to enjoy a few drinks and a dance. It was a super fun venue! Our final destination was Club Deep, an ex. WW2 weapons depot built in to a cave that has now become one of the island’s hottest clubs – from war base to party central. It is fondly called “the Cave Rave”.

DAY 6: MAKARSKA TO OMIS

Another chilled morning was required after last nights antics. We stopped in at Pucisca for a refreshing swim in, yet again, more stunning water. We made the mistake of ordering a sandwich when we got off the boat, not realising how close we were to lunch time or how huge the sandwich would be. This made the three course lunch was even more of a struggle than usual to finish. Our next stop was the Pirate town of Omis. Omis is a small town and harbour, situated in the mouth of a river, surrounded with massive gorges. It is know as a Pirate town because in the past Omis was notorious for Pirates, whose ships were a centuries-long symbol of retaliation, courage and strength. They left evidence of their power in the ancient town with stone fortresses. Bryce told us we could go on a “small hike” with him up to the stunning fortress that once protected the island and its pirate people and we would be rewarded with magnificent panoramic views of Dalmatia. What he didn’t tell us was that this “small hike” was more of a scramble. There were steps up for maybe a quarter of it, if you were being generous, but most of the 45 minute experience was climbing up rocks and trying not to slide down slippery/rocky slopes. Meila made it in thongs. Which was remarkable. The views from the top were incredible and almost seemed fake. It was definitely worth the effort, but it certainly wasn’t what we had expected. We made our scramble back down to the bottom and started to dress up for our Pirate Party and Captain’s dinner!

DAY 7: OMIS TO SPLIT

Today was our last day of sailing, and our last day of swim stops, so we tried to soak in every last luscious drop of this experience. Our last port was Split – Croatia’s second largest city. We sailed in, gawking at the dramatic coastal mountains and the turquoise waters which helped distract from the dozens of shabby high-rise apartment blocks that filled the suburbs. From the outset it is clearly not the fantasy land that Dubrovnik is, but that almost made it more intriguing. Bryce helped us navigate our way through the maze of shops, restaurants and bars that were thriving amid the atmospheric old walls. Then he gave us some tips on things to see and do in the city and sent us on our merry way. We explored the stunning Diocletian’s Palace (a Unesco World Heritage site and one of the world’s most impressive Roman monuments), the winding streets and the underground bazaar that was filled with jewelry stands and art stalls. We enjoyed a hearty dinner on the Riva waterfront and while we were wandering back to the boat we stumbled across a parade/show of some kind. Earlier in the evening we had commented on the amount of people that were wearing togas but hadn’t thought anything of it. Now while we were watching it we had absolutely no idea what was happening. To be honest I’m still not really sure what it was about, but Bryce said it had something to do with the history and settlement of the island mixed with Roman mythology. There was a lady on stage who seemed like she was telling a story/narrating what was happening, and then there was the parade itself. It seemed to be divided into sections like the gods, the Demi gods, the humans (but the rich ones with nice robes) and then the slaves. There were horses and everyone was dressed up. Whatever it was, it looked very impressive. Then the slaves stopped in front of the stage and seemed to start playing soccer. It was at this point that we left to continue back to the boat as it was starting to get more confusing rather than anything else. The evenings activities started with cocktails in a bucket at a hostel bar (which I promise was nice than it sounded). We sat around the tables on the stools on the street, gossiping and people watching (both on the street and through the windows above is). After a few hours we headed to Inbox bar which was epic. Another outdoor bar, lights in the trees, a giant stage, fresh air rushing around you, fun music and space to dance (at least to start with). It was a really fun place to celebrate our final night together in style.

DAY 8: SPLIT

This morning we woke up early and said goodbye to our fellow pirates and trip mates. Another fond farewell to a great bunch of people we had stronger connections with than one would have planned. Onto the next adventure.