Month: May 2024 (Page 1 of 3)

It was time to keep heading south, and time to get into the Croatian islands (there are 300+ in this country!). We set sail, and headed for Losinj. The first anchorage we picked was quiet, with about 10 houses on shore and only two other boats in the anchorage. We had no internet signal, and had a nice quiet evening on board.

The next day we moved just 5 miles around the bend (we could have walked in 40 minutes) to a different bay to meet up with friends Immie and Pierre as they were heading north.

The water was crystal clear and beautiful for swimming. Pierre picked us up in their tender with their fabulous new super quiet and lightweight electric motor, and we headed ashore for a nice lunch. After some rests and a paddle, Pierre and Immie came back over for sun downers. We drank and talked long into the evening, and made our farewells (hoping to see them later in the season again).

We had hoped to catch up with Ian and Jackie on Nova Jean as they headed north and we headed south. Sure enough, they got to Pula and gave a favorable report, so we headed down.

Pula is a massive bay with a large ship building presence. But once you pass beyond the industrial part, you come into a nice large anchorage with a view of an ancient ampitheater smack dab in the middle of town!

The weather wasn’t great, and Ian was kind enough to pop over in his tender to pick us up for sundowners on their boat. We had a great couple of hours catching up before the rain drove us home.

The next day was rain storm after rain storm. We finally made a dash for town late in the afternoon only for my meteorological skills to fail and get poured on mid-dinghy ride. We dried out with a cappuccino in a little cafe and then wandered around town.

Pula has shown signs of inhabitation since a million years ago. But the Romans probably left the biggest architectural mark on the city with the Temple of Augustus (bombed to oblivion in WWII and later rebuilt) and the amphitheater, built in ~45 BC. The arena is in amazing shape and was fun to walk around and under. Capable of seating 23,000 spectators, the arena was the scene of many a gladiator fight.

Maybe bot as exciting, but interesting nonetheless, were the zerostrasse, the tunnels, built during WWI to provide shelter in the event of air raids. On top of those tunnels sits the Kastel, the Austro-Hungarian fortress.

Welcome to Croatia! As much as we loved Venice, it was not inexpensive, and more importantly it was time to move on. After a rather embarassing episode of bumper boats on several pilings at the yacht club (wind plus current plus our little engine makes maneuvering a beast), we escaped Italy and were off to Croatia. As usual, it was more motoring than sailing, but the sailing that we had was lovely. We pulled into Umag, Croatia, the first port of entry, only to find out that authorities not work the weekends. We wandered around town with all the locals out enjoying themselves, had a burger on the waterfront, and turned in.

We decided to head to Rovinj on Sunday, stay overnight, and clear in there on Monday morning before moving on. We were motor sailing, and Trip decided to check on a temporary fix he had made in Venice. (He had sheared a special spacer bolt on the sea water pump when tightening belts, but had managed to get a temporary bolt in place.) The temporary bolt had worked its way free and stripped the threads on its way out. Luckily he had drilled a hole and put a cotter pin in place as a failsafe, and that was still holding the pump in place. He set to work down below, I unfurled the jib and tacked, and we set sail to Italy (kidding, but with the winds as they were we were heading way off shore). It turned out to be a fabulous sail despite the tacks required, and we were able to sail all the way into the Rovinj mooring field. We picked up a mooring (it costs to moor or anchor here, so we decided to pay the few extra $$ to moor) and immediately jumped in the water for a swim. It was brisk, but my body is now more acclimated to cold water and the color simply couldn’t be beat.

As we were heading into town, we saw an American-flagged catamaran that we had seen twice two years ago (Horta and again in Sines). David and Diane had also just come from Venice, and were working their way south. We chatted for a bit and moved on.

Rovinj is a very touristy town, but it’s lovely to wander. It’s considered one of the best remaining Venetian towns architecturally speaking in Istria (the region of Croatia). The old town is very concentrated on the bulb of the peninsula with the cathedral of St Euphemia sitting on top, and the town spilling down behind. The streets are old worn cobblestone and wonderful to walk. The hill isn’t nearly as steep as some towns, so it wasn’t as much of an exhausting exercise.

We stopped to admire the ‘piscina naturala’ (the public swimming pools simply made by pouring concrete slabs around the rocks at the edge of the sea) when we spotted a really cool restaurant next door, with its seating area terraced down on the rocks at the water’s edge. We hovered at La Puntulina and managed to snag a lovely spot on the rocks to enjoy a gin and tonic. Little did we know it was a Michelin star restaurant (not that we could have gotten in, they were completely booked), and instead settled for beans & rice back on board.

The next morning we went back in promptly at 8 to complete our cruising vignette (permit) with the local authorities. We ran into David and Diane and chatted with them for a bit, then did a final wander around town again. With weather coming, we were off to Pula.

In our wanderings about town we had passed a church advertising a concert of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678). We bought two tickets.

We took the vaporetto over and were heading down the street when I spotted a little shop. I had read about the churches that have thrift shops attached, and this was one of those places. I managed to get a summer dress for 5 euro, but Trip had the real find. We had been looking at blazers for him (where else but Italy would you be inspired to go blazer shopping), and walked away with a second hand one for only 30 euros, and from an Italian manufacturer, no less. He’s now looking rather dapper for our concert.
The performance was remarkable. I never get tired of listening to the Four Seasons, but this group, eight members of the world renowned Interpreti Veneziano, was absolutely amazing. It was a lovely evening all around.

We also toured the Teatro la Fenice (The Phoenix Theatre), the Venice Opera House. Burned to the ground twice since it was built (once by accident and once by arson), the building has risen from the ashes like its namesake.

Burano is a small island village near Venice known for its lace making. More so than the lace, it’s known for the colorful houses. The story goes that fisherman frequently return home in heavy fog and the houses are painted distinctly so that they can recognize their own. I’m not sure how true that is, but it makes for a spectacular setting on a sunny day. And, no, Trip did not dress on purpose to match the buildings, it just worked out that way.

Murano, another island just a short ride away from Venice, is famous for its glass blowing. We’re admirers, though we have no desire to own one these pricey pieces. But we couldn’t resist the urge to go visit a glass blowing plant while on the island.

It was fascinating to watch the craftsmen working with the glass, and we watched demos of them making both a glass bowl and a glass horse figurine. Then it was into the labyrinth of the shop.

There weren’t prices, so I knew better than to do anything other than admire from a distance. I watched a salesman work an American couple: A decanter and six glasses would only cost them 1,200 euro (shipping included). Time to move on!

Cichetti are the Italian version of tapas. Little bites (ok maybe 3 or 4 bites) of food to eat as a snack with a drink. You go into a bar, order a drink, a few cichetti, and there’s your lunch. You step outside and enjoy.

Seafood is common (we are on the Adriatic), and baccala (salt cod) is particularly popular. Anchovies and sardines litter the tops of bites or are baked in. There’s always the sliced meats and cheese to satisfy the carnivore.

The biggest problem is getting a table. At the bar, All’ Arco (popular spot we were tipped off to), we found we had to get there at noon to get one of the few prized tables. But once seated, we could sip and nibble away to our hearts’ content.

Enjoy the images…..

Venice was built on the water and is surrounded by a system of canals. Everyone gets around by boat. Even the buses are boats – called vaporettos. You buy a vaporetto pass and go to a specific stop and catch a specific number vaporetto to get to where you want. They have LED billboards that tell you when the next vaporetto will arrive and where it’s going. Amazing.

It’s not just tourists on the water buses, all the locals use them too.

Venice is an expensive place to visit, even by boat. Marinas are 100+ euro a day. We were lucky enough to find out about an inexpensive local yacht club and booked a reservation. The place is well run, we can tie along side a dock (easy for boarding), the bathrooms and showers are clean, and we can walk to town. The people at the club are wonderful and we’ve had a great time getting to know the locals.

Flavio, one of the boat owners at the marina, has been gifting us with treats from his garden every other day. Fresh lettuce, violet artichokes (a local specialty), fennel, it’s a surprise every time he comes to visit. He’s also been great with local advice and recommendations (a must, as Venice is a total tourist trap and you need expert advice to avoid the pits).