Coleman Sailing Trip 2017

We have stayed here today because we seem to have time.   This place is a bit odd.   It is clearly just a beach resort, but there are nature reserves you can go to on tourist boats.   We don’t think private boats are allowed. We have found that in this part of Croatia most of the tourists are German.   German cars abound and all the locals speak German.   In fact there is not much English spoken here.   We have had some language difficulties because of that. It has been cold and we have been putting layers on and taking them off all day.   I did some shopping.   I found a butcher and bought some meat.   I also bought a very expensive piece of cheese.   It cost over £10 for about 6 ounces.   It is a hard cows cheese with local black truffles.   We had a taste and it is very nice. The big excitement was over our insurance.   We got an e-mail from the Cruising Association saying that the Italian authorities had raised the level of insurance they require boat owners to have fo

We woke early and checked the weather.   It looked OK to go.   We didn’t rush and left our mooring at about 9:30.   The sun was shining but it was rather cold. We had a long way to go to get out of the harbour, so we put up the sails.   The forecast was for some strong gusts, so we left in the reef from the last sail. Well the wind started at a 4, but soon was gusting strongly up to a 6.   I was not a happy bunny because we were going into the wind initially and we were heeling a lot.   At one state Richard asked me to let the main sheet out, but I couldn’t do it.    The damn rope has been acting up and won’t go through the clutch.    This means you have to lean over the coach roof and push the rope through to make it move the sail.   Today we were heeling so much (not quite gunwales in the sea) that I couldn’t reach to pull the rope without moving to a position where “I was sure” I was going to fall over and go out of the cockpit! Richard however, was having a great time.   H

We did the town fully today.   Richard’s app on his phone says he walked 15,055 steps!   I usually do 20% more than him (short legs) so it is no wonder we are tired! The town is interesting and the Amphitheatre is huge.   We saw lots of Roman bits among Venetian and other structures.   The weather has even been nice.   It was sunny and by the afternoon quite warm.   Of course the afternoon breeze coupled with the sun going down has made it cold at night.   We have had the fan heater on! I got two loads of laundry done (at a cost, nearly twice what I was paying in Greece), so that is up to date.   We hope the settled weather lasts until we get to Italy.

We did get up early and managed to leave by 7:30!   The sun wasn’t up yet, but it did come.   The port we stayed at is at the end of a long harbour.   Richard found there was a shortcut to get in and out and wanted to try it.   So I went below to make breakfast and sandwiches for lunch when there was a terrible banging noise.   As Tom Cunliff once said “We all know what it sounds like to hit a rock”.   Well I do and I knew that is just what happened.   Richard had put us aground on rock in this so called short cut.   Luckily the keel was fully down and by taking it up and going in reverse (only done when I shouted to go backwards) we got off.   There were a few moments of tension when Richard wanted to proceed down this route and I knew we would not.   So Richard avoided a full mutiny and went back to the usual route which we came in on.   We had hoped to sail but to start with there was absolutely no wind.  But by 10am there was enough wind to put the sails up, but we c

I didn’t post yesterday because nothing happened other than it rained!   It rained all Sunday night and right through Monday until teatime.   There was also a warning of very strong winds gusting 30-50 knots!   So we didn’t go anywhere.   The only vaguely interesting thing was that the marina drove us to the local shop to get some food and waited for us to finish and drove us home.   Also when it finally stopped raining Richard cleaned and put away the dinghy. It was very windy from early evening well into the night.   I was getting worried that we would never get away and never make it to Venice on time.   But we were pleasantly surprised this morning to find that the sun was shining.   The weather report was still for winds gusting up to force 6, but wind or no wind we had to go.   The forecast was even worse for Wednesday with winds of over 30 knots. We set off with the just the Genoa up.   The wind was blowing a 5 gusting 6, but the wind was behind us and the sea was flat,

The forecast this morning seemed OK.   There was suggestion that there might be a light shower, but nothing too bad.   So we decided to set out as soon as possible.   We left our nice mooring at 8:15 and set out to go to what looks like a delightful anchorage which is really a passage between two islands.   It is only 25 miles away and we should get there by lunchtime, so I haven’t made anything to eat under way, The day starts out nice enough.   The wind is very light, but from behind.   So we put up the sails in the hope that it will help us get a bit more speed on.   All seems to be going well until about noon, when the sky turns a very funny shade of Wedgewood blue and we can see rain coming out of the clouds in the direction we are going.   Perhaps the original view that Sunday was going to be wet and windy was right after all. Seeing this Richard suggests that we change course.   He has identified a marina on an island 15 miles away.   We will arrive a bit later than pla

When we got up this morning the sun was shining and it seemed a lovely day.   Richard looked again at the weather forecast.   As it has said all along, today would be sunny and settled with little wind.   But the forecast for tomorrow had changed.   There were no more suggestions of strong winds or rain. In the circumstances we decided to revert to our original plan and go to Sali which is the main town on the island of Dugi Otok in the Zadar Archipelago.   It is a large group of islands, many of which are unoccupied.   Sali has a town wall to moor to.   Richard was a bit worried because the books say the harbour is not protected from an Easterly wind, but the forecast doesn’t show that will be the case. So we set out. As ever, there is little or no wind.   Richard tried to put up the Genoa, but gave up after half an hour.   It was so settled I was able to make lunch under way.   We arrived in Sali at about 2:30pm.   There were hardly any boats here.   We were directed to a pl

The anchorage last night was really lovely.   In the end there were 10 boats in the bay.   Had the weather been warmer and allowed us to swim it would have been perfect.   In the morning we were a bit shocked to see that the temperature in the boat was only 14C.   So we put the heating on for a few minutes to just top up the warmth.   I went up to the cockpit and found it was actually warmer there especially with the sun shinning.   But the water temperature was only 17C. We set off just before 9am.   We hoped that we might be able to sail again, but no.   The usual conditions applied.   Little wind and what there was, was on the nose.   So it was back to motoring for the morning.   Last night we contacted a marina 25 miles away and booked a space.   We were persuaded to pay to reserve because it is Friday and the charter boats come in.   Not sure it was necessary, but better safe… The trip was pleasant if boring.   The sea was flat and the sun was shining.   It was however qu

Yesterday the lady in the Marina reception suggested that the weather today might not be suitable for us to leave.   But we woke up to sun for the first time in days and the forecast looked good.   We hadn’t planned to go far.   Richard identified an anchorage on the mainland which is only 14 miles away and is free! So we set off.   The plan was to stop at the fuel quay and fill up on diesel.   We are down to half a tank, which isn’t a problem in itself, but I worry where we will find suitable supplies on the way.   However, when we got there a superyacht was taking up the whole of the quay and said they would be there for another half an hour.   So we gave up and left. As we left the harbour it seemed like there was sufficient wind to sail and not on the nose!   So we put up the both sails and shut off the engine.   It all started comfortably enough.   The sea was very flat and comfortable.   The wind was blowing a force 4 from 60 degrees off to a beam reach.   But these wind

It rained most of the night and continued all morning.   It is also quite cold.   We have reverted to the duvet on the bed and we are sitting in the saloon with fleeces on!   All of this is far more like sailing in Northern Europe rather than the Med! We had a quite morning hoping the weather would improve, but it did not.   So at midday we put our layers on including our waterproof jackets and walked into the old city of Split.   By the time we got there we were cold, wet and hungry so we stopped for lunch first.   We were persuaded by a very pushy waiter to order their fresh fish and great cost, but it was good.   When we had finished our meal the rain had stopped and the sun even tried to get through, though with not much success. The old city of Split is really interesting.   Basically it is built within what was the palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.   So there are a lot of Roman pillars with Byzantine and Baroque houses and churches built into the old stone walls.  

Plan A for today was to go to Split.   It is 25 miles away and we hoped to set off by 8am (if someone was around to untie our lines).   We were wakened at about 6am by heavy rain, thunder and lightening.   Richard then got up and looked up the weather forecast and said that we weren’t going anywhere.   The forecast was for gale force winds.   So we went back to bed. When we finally got up I wasn’t so sure that we should stay where we were in such weather.   Although we seemed to be safe it was very uncomfortable and if the sea got up more it would be really dangerous getting in and out of the dinghy which would mean staying on the boat all day in nasty conditions.   So we thought maybe we could get over to the marina on the other side of the bay and take shelter there.   Richard telephoned them and they couldn’t understand him and just hung up.   Then Richard looked at the weather forecast again and to his surprise it had been updated and wasn’t looking too bad.   There was going

I didn’t post anything yesterday because nothing really happened.   We stayed in the marina due to rain and wind.   We got domestic chores done including have the laundry done and cleaning the outside of the boat.   Today we decided that the weather was good enough to leave, so we slipped the mooring and just after 7am.   We want to go to Hvar, which is over 30 miles away and is, according to all the books, very popular, so we are keen to get there as early as possible. The day starts out sunny, but very cool.   There is no wind to speak of, and what little there is, is on the nose, so we are still motoring.   The thing about Croatia is that for the first time this trip we are seeing lots of other boats, but they are all going the other way!   As the day wears on the wind picks up and the sea gets a slight swell.   As we are motoring into the bottom of a 4, the going is a bit slower than we had hoped for.   We arrive in Hvar bay at about 1:30.   We really had no idea where or

We had a nice comfortable night.   As we awoke to a 7am alarm we noted that the weather was on the change.   It was very cloudy and the wind was building.   So we made our agreed departure at 8am to go to another of the Dalmatian islands, Korcula. The wind was as expected.   Mainly gusting 6-7, later force 5.   It was from behind, so it was not too bad.   Unfortunately it still was not enough to push us along at 5 knots to get to Korcula in a reasonable time.   So despite what seemed to be a sailing wind we motor sailed all the way.   We kept seeing rain clouds and wore our rain jackets and life jackets, but we didn’t get rained on.   We spoke to the marina last night and they said there was no problem about availability of mooring spaces.   The problem here is the charter boats and flotillas which all come in to the marinas near major airports at the weekends for change over filling the marinas.   But that seems OK for now because we are headed for an island not near an airport s

Our next place to see is the Dalmatian Islands.   The idea for today was to have a fairly leisurely morning and go to an anchorage about 15 miles away.   The alternative was another 50 mile motor trip, which we did not fancy.   We looked at the weather forecast last night and it showed settled weather with light winds and fairly flat seas until at least the weekend. So we did that and set off just after 9am.   I was a little concerned when Richard was spending a lot of time at the chart table and couldn’t understand why we weren’t just following the plan.   Eventually (after about 2 hours) he told me that the up to date weather forecast that he just had showed strong winds over night and a force 5 to 6 tomorrow.   Therefore, the anchorage he had in mind originally was not going to be suitable.   He thought we might try another anchorage, but that was 30 miles away, a further 6 hours motoring.   I hadn’t prepared for such a long trip and the sea was lumpy and I wasn’t entirely comf

Another day, another country.   So we woke up early and got the boat ready to go.   Richard even took off the passerelle and hauled the boat in close to the pier so he could get off to sign us out.   However, when I called up to ask for assistance signing out of Montenegro we were told to slip anchor and go to the customs pier.   So we did that.   The men were waiting to take our lines and drive Richard to the various offices to do the necessary paper work.   So before 9am we were ready to go, having been warned that we mustn’t stop anywhere in Montenegro. The first hour of the journey was fine.   Back though the inland sea in sunny conditions with little wind or waves.   But that didn’t last long.   When we got to the open sea it was entirely another matter.   There was a moderate following wind, but the worst of it was a very lumpy uncomfortable sea with at least a metre swell or more. I put up with it for about an hour and decided I needed to take a pill and lie down.   Poor ol

Well, we are still here in the marina, but at least today we did something other than shelter from the storm.   When we woke up the sun was out, but the clouds soon built up.   Nonetheless we set out to go to Kotor.   We found the bus stop and caught the 11am bus.   It is an hour’s drive around the coast.   It would only be two hours by boat.   In fact there is a quicker route over the mountains because they have now built a tunnel, but we didn’t see that. The journey was another eye opener for Balkan bus travel.   Again the bus was crammed to the gills.   Because we got on at the first stop luckily we got seats.   Otherwise it would have been very uncomfortable.   I am also glad we didn’t hire a car and try to drive.   Basically the road was wide enough to be comfortable for traffic in two directions as long as they were cars.   The bus had other problems and there was a lot of backing up and hooting involved it getting it to Kotor. But we made it there without undue incident