As Croatians tell it, the Greek hero Odysseus was shipwrecked and imprisoned on the Croatian island of Mljet. When we were there in May, I and six other sailors embraced the myth when the engine on our 54-foot yacht failed.
“Remember, Odysseus spent seven years on Mljet,” said Ivan Ljubovic, our captain. “We can spend two nights.”
Overall, the clogged fuel filter that was hampering our progress on a seven-day island-hopping cruise from Split to Dubrovnik on a yacht – helped along by passengers – was minor. Although an engine is essential even on a sailboat for docking and keeping to schedules on calm days, most of my shipmates agreed that being waylaid in a village of Roman ruins in a turquoise bay was an acceptable fate.
When I signed up for the trip last November, I had resigned myself to what I thought would be worse inconveniences. Then the tour operator G Adventures had several trips for sale over the Black Friday weekend. The best deals were in the off-season, which meant potentially chilly weather and closed restaurants and attractions. But heading out on a seven-day island hop in late April for about $1,300 — after a 30 percent discount — was too tempting to pass up.
My cousin Kim agreed and we made plans to pack waterproofs and meet in Split to test the favorable waters.
“Everything in between is an adventure”
Little was published about the itinerary before departure and none of it was binding.
“Split and Dubrovnik are repaired,” said the captain, who would steer the ship alone and also act as our guide, on our first day. “Everything in between is an adventure.”
It started with the Sauturnes, a pretty Kufner yacht with four cozy guest cabins, four economical bathrooms in which the pull-out faucet doubled as a shower faucet, and a spacious galley. Our “crew”, a mix of Australians and Americans aged 18 to 75 – all of whom had also benefited from promotional prices – spent most of their time on the boat, where foam mattresses encouraged sunbathing and a cockpit awning provided shade.
The weather, which turned out to be sunny and pleasantly cool, wasn’t our biggest concern. The G Adventures website had mentioned well-known islands, including the beach islands of Brac and Vis, which were a convincing Greek idyll in the film “Mamma Mia 2.” However, since many places would be closed in the off-season, the captain said we would stick to the dictates of the weather and conditions on land.
Meals were not included, so finding restaurants that were open was important. For breakfast and lunch on board, we donated 50 euros (about $54) each for shared groceries that we purchased at local markets. In the evening we ate in restaurants; G Adventures recommended budgeting between $250 and $325 for the week, which was correct, although we often indulged in Croatian wine (a carafe of house red averaged $15).
Small ports
After the hustle and bustle of grocery shopping and settling into the bunk cabin Kim and I shared, we experienced the zen of sailing as the ship set off on a sunny morning for the 43-mile-long island of Hvar, the longest and supposedly sunniest island in Croatia.
Neighboring islands drifted past as the wind transformed the sea into shifting waves and ripples. A flock of shearwaters flew past at eye level.
Within hours, the ridges of steep Hvar appeared, revealing terraced fields of lavender and olive groves. We sailed down a long, narrow bay and arrived in Stari Grad, a village of stone houses with terracotta roofs, like those of travelers since 384 BC. BC when Greek sailors from the island of Paros settled here.
Our berth offered a front-row view of fishing boats and cafes that populated the waterfront. Stari Grad’s attractions, including the Greek ruins of Faros and a 17th-century Venetian cathedral, had yet to open for the season, but we enjoyed exploring the narrow streets and deserted squares of the old town.
From the waterfront, a 20-minute aerobic hike up a steep hill topped by a giant white cross offered views over Stari Grad and the plain beyond, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with agricultural fields dating back to the 4th century and Stone walls surrounding vineyards and olive groves.
That evening we visited them to reach Konoba Kokot, a farm restaurant that specializes in “peka,” a type of grill where meat is cooked under an iron lid loaded with hot coals. The operating family opened early in the season and welcomed us with refreshing shots of Rakija, a local herbal liqueur. At a long table under an arbor, we ate homemade goat cheese, wild boar pie and stove-roasted lamb, veal and squid with countless jugs of red and white wine for 35 euros per person.
Starry nights
Small ships are second to none when entering small ports, but a yacht trip is also a bit like camping and usually starts the morning with homemade instant coffee. Marinas offered free bathhouses with showers.
Cool temperatures apparently deterred the celebrity-filled megayachts that are known to anchor in the town of Hvar on the southern coast of the island of Hvar. Our captain declared it the “Mykonos of Croatia” as we cruised past the harbor, full of visitors with shopping bags and ice cream cones.
Since clear weather was forecast, we moored in an undeveloped bay east of town. The mooring belonged to the owners of the Moli Onte restaurant, who took us ashore in a motorized dinghy, so we had enough time to visit the fortress above Hvar and St. Stephen’s Square, the largest in the area, before dinner Region to drink an Ozujsko beer Dalmatia.
Back on board, with no artificial light to wash out the night sky, we headed to the upper deck to watch the stars. As my shipmates went to bed, I grabbed a blanket and a hat and settled in under the stars for the unfolding show. Every now and then I would wake up to watch the drama of the rising moon reflected in the still water.
Little Dubrovnik
Fingers of gray rock reached down to the sloping vineyards along the southern coast of Hvar as we headed towards neighboring Korcula. On our longest day of sailing, five hours, I relished the opportunity to play first mate and man the lines on the foresail.
To break up the journey, Captain Ljubovic navigated to a quiet bay off the Peljesac peninsula, where the Caribbean-blue waters, cloudless skies and sandy bottom convinced us to jump in, despite the oppressive sea temperatures.
15th-century walls surround the historic center of Korcula, earning it the nickname “Little Dubrovnik.” Past the stone gates engraved with a winged lion, symbolizing the Empire of Venice, which controlled much of the Adriatic after the 13th century, narrow streets led to ornate churches and mansions. There is no better excursion into history than getting lost in the network of pedestrian paths. At least that’s what we told ourselves when we passed the supposed home of Marco Polo, which was still closed in the preseason.
Along the seawalls, restaurants served pizza and seafood under lights strung in the pine trees, and we watched the sunset from a former tower now converted into the Massimo Cocktail Bar. In this bar, guests must climb a ladder to the roof to protect themselves from second rounders.
The most romantic port of the trip was also the loudest, at least when it came to the marina where a Polish sailing regatta was taking place. As I headed for the shower at 6 a.m. the next morning, I came across a group still happily dancing on a yacht littered with empty liquor bottles and crushed potato chips.
Stranded on Mljet
We left Korcula in strong 20-knot Jugo or southerly winds and Captain Ljubovic hoisted the sails and said: “You paid for a sailing holiday, not a motorboat.”
As we cruised back and forth toward Mljet, the boat heeled over at an awkward angle and we took face shots of the sea spray.
On Mljet, where Mljet National Park lies at the western end of the island, we rented bikes (10 euros) to ride a breathtaking route over the park’s mountain ridge. On the other side, we cycled around two inland lakes and took a boat ride to a 12th century monastery built on an island in one of these lakes (park entrance fee: 15 euros).
As we docked in the still sleepy town of Polace, we heard stories of high season, when up to 100 yachts were anchored in the bay and members of the band U2 were once seen cycling in the park. After a short rain shower, the city shone in the sunset and the Stella Maris restaurant welcomed us with grilled sea bass (25 euros) and shrimps (20 euros).
“I’m so glad I chose this time because I don’t like crowds,” said my shipmate Nova Hey, 46, from Sydney, who was traveling with her 18-year-old daughter.
In the morning I had the path to the summit of Montokuc to myself. The approximately three-mile round trip hike reached one of the highest points on the island, a rocky outcrop with breathtaking panoramas shared by a family of wild goats.
Not long after, the Sauternes’ engine refused to start and we were stranded in a national park on a remote island with no mechanicals.
The teeming Dubrovnik
The next morning Captain Ljubovic repaired the problem, but it didn’t last long and the engine stalled again, this time directly opposite a cave on Mljet that we joked was Odysseus’ refuge.
After a morning of easy sailing, a mechanic from the mainland arrived by speedboat and within an hour we were heading to the Franjo Tudman Bridge, which spans the bay to the Dubrovnik marina, where hot showers awaited us.
“Dubrovnik is the most expensive city in Croatia,” said Captain Ljubovic as we spent the last of our pooled money, 70 euros, and hired a taxi to take us to and from the walled heart of the ancient city, about 15 minutes away.
With two large cruise ships in port, Dubrovnik was swarming with visitors, and the price to climb the stone walls surrounding the city was a shocking 35 euros. (On the following two days that Kim and I spent in the city after the cruise, we purchased the more comprehensive Dubrovnik Pass for 35 euros, which included entry to the walls as well as several museums and public bus transportation.)
On our last evening we measured the lack of crowds compared to closed museums; perfect hiking weather versus floating water; Lots of space on the dock compared to more restaurant choices – and we felt like we came out on top during bargain season.
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2024-06-24 09:00:23
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