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Adriatic Long-Distance Cruise -
Part 2
I got used to my new action range quite quickly. On a good day, 50 kilometres were easy. 40 kilometres with weak, unsteady winds. Headwinds or calms: 30 kilometres.
There were mornings that arrived humid and hazy. Then, I would find the point on the imaginary line
where the blue of the sky mixed with the darker colour of the water with my little compass and start paddling towards it,
not impatiently, because wind and waves would change several times a day.
On other days the wind would blow whitecaps off the crests of the waves. Then I would steady the boat with my knees while tying
in a number of reefs, not afraid because I knew the behaviour of my decked sailing canoe in the swell and knew what to do.
Against heavy wind and waves, I found that the boat needed all the dacron it could carry, and in addition I helped the canoe
over the crests of the waves with the paddle until it hit the troughs so hard that I was afraid the mast would
pierce the hull. Every now and then a crossing sea flooded the deck up to the spray boards.
With the wind from aft, I reefed early and steered carefully down the waves that passed underneath the boat so that the canoe
was not in danger of broaching.
And then there were hours when I just sat in the cockpit, the child close to me, listening to the bow wave and feeling the wind caress the sail, and when I think back, those were probably the best. Often I would sit motionless until I felt the sea breathe like a great animal and I would think about my straight wake beyond the rear horizon where creatures, time and things become one.
In that way I spent the whole day in the centre of my own little world, watching the islands pass by, covered with downy oaks, Aleppo pines and pine forests fragrant in the sun, cicadas inside. There was evergreen maquis with juniper, lavender and rosemary bushes on the slopes, now and then an overgrown olive grove. In the gardens, the Japanese paper flower bloomed on the stone walls. It was summer as summer can only be in southern countries, and it was wonderful.
At five, I started looking for a spot on the beach where I could get out and dry the boat. I found distant Croatia, far from
tourist crowds, finding uninhabited islands and deserted beaches, and that discovery alone was worth the whole trip.
In the evenings there was time for bathing, cooking and diary writing. Often at sunset I would retrace the journey in my
mind, my finger on the thin pencil line on the map. The child loved to play with branches and flotsam on the beach,
turning them into abstract sculptures or building stone towers. The nights in the boat under the stars were a dream,
and nightly thunderstorms were almost as good as movies. Only the mosquitoes were a problem, even though I had Autan®
with me. The child dreamed of a mosquito net over the boat,
and I promised to make one for the next trip.
Then it went hot, so hot that I feared a heat stroke while paddling. But the child knew what to do:
- Your cap works well with seawater cooling: it said.
And so, during the warmest hours of the day, I dragged the hat through the water and put it back on, soaking wet.
It helped. Water was becoming a problem because I was using about five litres a day. Every two days I had to find a campsite
or supermarket to stock up on fresh water.
Another story? Pleasure. I arrived at the beach in Viganj, Pelješac, completely exhausted after two days of headwind and found Nelly from Munich there. Or did Nelly find me? In any case, she was on the beach with a cool bottle of water before I had got off the boat, and water has never tasted so good. I quickly got over my low point with a cold shower in her garden and some soup on the terrace, and I received a brilliant idea from her husband Paul for an improved leeboard mount. Thanks to both of them, good wind and good luck on their travels.
In Dubrovnik I pulled the boat onto a low pier in Gruž harbour and placed it on the canoe cart.
There was a harbour restaurant with shady tables. I sat down and ordered a small beer.
- Aaaah. I think Ožujsko is better than Karlovacko: I said.
- If you say so: said the child's voice. - And otherwise?
- Sailing canoe is like flying: I said.
- Yes: said the voice. - By the way, you could stop that big grin now. People are watching.
I looked up. A gigantic dream ship was moored at the opposite pier, taking on passengers.
- I'm a huge, silly mook: I said, taking off my cap and throwing it on the table.
- We could have gotten that very much easier. Why didn't I book a cruise like everyone else?
- Because a trip in a small boat is a great adventure! said the voice.
There was little to add.
- What about the pain in your shoulder: the voice asked.
I moved the shoulder in all directions, gently at first, then more forcefully.
- They're gone: I said in surprise. - Gone. Just gone.
Information and travel data
The most important items of equipment were: simple leather gloves, which I kept soft and supple with Vaseline, a
cap with neck protection, sunglasses and a light long-sleeved T-shirt.
Without my home-built light carbon paddle with a very large spade blade and the
Hugh Horton Venice Canoe Seat I wouldn't have got this far so quickly.
If you don't like this kind of travel, there is another dream boat leaving the Dubrovnik quay every day, and sometimes even two.
| Date | Route | Distance | Wind |
| 01.08.2015 | Icici - Cres, bay near Loznati | 47,06 km | Northwest 3-4, then calms |
| 02.08.2015 | Cres, bay near Loznati - Pag, bay north of Novalja | 54,76 km | Light winds from changing directions, calms in between |
| 03.08.2015 | Pag, bay north of Novalja - Privlaka Camping | 43,64 km | Calms in the morning, fresh northwest in the afternoon |
| 04.08.2015 | Privlaka Camping - Bibinje Camping | 27,67 km | Calms in the morning, fresh northwest in the afternoon |
| 05.08.2015 | Bibinje Camping - bay near Tribunij | 54,35 km | In the morning weak, in the evening strong northwest |
| 06.08.2015 | Bay near Tribunij - Drvenik Veli | 50,67 km | In the morning fresh, in the afternoon strong northwest (approx. 5 Bft.) |
| 07.08.2015 | Drvenik Veli - Hvar, Milna Camping | 54,79 km | In the morning weak, in the afternoon moderate west |
| 08.08.2015 | Hvar, Milna Camping - Scedro east coast | 19,02 km | Calms in the morning, in the afternoon moderate north |
| 09.08.2015 | Scedro east coast - bay near Loviste, Pelješac | 28,77 km | Very strong south |
| 10.08.2015 | Bay near Loviste, Pelješac - bay north from Postup | 21,38 km | Strong south |
| 11.08.2015 | bay north from Postup - Camping at ferry ramp Ston | 42,28 km | Calms, weak southwest, then north, then calms |
| 12.08.2015 | Camping at ferry ramp Ston - Dubrovnik | 40,08 km | Weak southwest |
Disclaimer
Long trips on small boats can be dangerous. Excellent seamanship, coupled with caution and realistic assessment of your
own possibilities and limits are crucial for the success of such ventures. You shouldn't travel in this area without a good
weather report.
I cannot be held responsible for your own activities on the water!
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