OUR SEARCH FOR A SAILING FRIEND
‘Hi Fern. We’re thinking of chartering a boat in Croatia, Split area. Do you happen to know anyone that will help us move on from Flotilla holidays to independent charters?’
‘Hi Janine. I’ve just got back from Dubrovnik. Give me a couple of days to think about it’
A few hours later, a plan was born and we were looking for our first bareboat holiday!
We happened upon Fern quite by coincidence.
During lockdown in Portugal where we were living at the time, we were recommended RU Sailing by a friend, Martin. We contacted them and were advised that as we were already in Portugal, we could do our Day Skipper.
Now normally on RYA courses, there can be up to 5 students sharing a 36 foot boat, 3 cabins, 1 heads and an instructor. We can’t say we’ve particularly enjoyed any of our courses but this was to be different.
It was to be just the two of us with Rob and sailing on a fantastic X Yacht 43 called Xenia.
We discovered Xenia was owned by a lady skipper called Fern but that was all we knew. Fast forward a few years and by pure coincidence we ‘met’ Fern responding to the same question on a Facebook sailing page! Janine asked her if she kept her boat in Lagos and quickly discovered it was indeed the same Fern. What a small world!
And We’re Off!
On the 11 October 2024, we were heading off to Split on our second sailing holiday of the year. A first for us.
We had booked a boat called Pollux, a 2020 Hanse 418 through Boataround and supplied by Croatia Yachting from Marina Kastela close to Split (and our favourite restaurant, Baletna Skola).
On Friday evening we headed off to Toulouse airport to spend the night in the Holiday Inn Express.
Just a few minutes drive to the airport and close enough to drop our car in P2 on airport parking for our very early flight the next day. The hotel was fine and has its own parking, although a €7 charge was made for 1 night. As usual the beds were pretty firm but Janine had packed her memory foam topper so all good! (It got left in the car)
Early Start
After a short and poor night’s sleep, we were up and showering at 03h30 ready for our early flight to Dubrovnik. Yes, you read that right! Unfortunately Volotea only fly to Dubrovnik on a Saturday and Split on a Sunday so the plan was to hire a car one way from Dubrovnik to Split.
We dropped our car off in P2 at the airport. We’d got a great rate of €98.10 for 15 days booking direct on the airport website. Within a few minutes we were in departures and heading to the dreaded scanner.
Yep, you guessed it, as usual Janine’s excessive bra scaffolding held her back! Despite being frisked and having our baggage swabbed, they decided we weren’t going to blow the plane up on this occasion and we were allowed to proceed.
Volotea is our chosen carrier at the moment, mainly due to their destinations from Toulouse but also the fabulous legroom and relatively comfortable planes. On this flight we were to discover pretty standard legroom instead of the space we were used to! It was still a good flight and passed quickly.
On arrival at Dubrovnik airport we headed to the car hire booth. We’d booked through Alamo and were instructed to head to the Enterprise office. Check in was quick and after a few minutes we were heading to Kastela in our very small car!
After an hour or so Alison decided she couldn’t drive anymore so we pulled over for a quick 40 winks. As it was only a 3h drive, we hadn’t paid for 2 drivers but when Alison is tired, that’s it! She’s going to fall asleep! We were not charged a one way fee, just €36.67 in total for the one day, one way car hire
Marina Kastela
Eventually we were on our way again and before we knew it, we were arriving at Marina Kastela to complete the paperwork and have a sneaky look at our boat for the week.
She was very pretty as boats go, modern and sleek and had a silver grey Hull.
But….we had shopping to do. Off we headed for Kaufland and Lidl to get our provisions and a few bits Fern had requested. Croatia is no longer a cheap holiday destination. Shopping is more expensive than France on the whole and we were surprised how much prices have risen since Croatia changed it’s currency to the Euro.
We had a pretty tight schedule to stick to, so quickly we were heading back to the marina to dump the shopping, get installed on the boat, drop the car back off at Split airport and meet Fern for the first time to get our taxi back with Croatia Taxi.
As it was a 3 cabin boat, we gave Fern the forepeak and we took the two aft cabins. Fern seemed very happy with this arrangement as it meant she got her own private ‘heads’
We quickly got back to the boat, installed Fern, and had an easy pasta dinner. Finally around 23h we went to bed knackered! It had been a great day that went better than we could have imagined. Woke up in Toulouse, fly to Dubrovnik, hire car to Split, collect a boat and shopping, drop hire car off, meet Fern in, taxi back to boat! Phew!
Heading to Brac
Sunday 13 October was a lovely sunny day. After a slow start to the morning, we got on our way around 11am heading to Bobovisca Bay on the island of Brac.
We only managed a paltry 4 knots under sail but it gave us an opportunity to practice putting a reef in the sail, something boss lady Fern made us practice almost daily! We don’t think Fern believed us that we’d managed so far to sail without putting a reef in. Something we were taught during our lessons but never felt the need to do, and so had forgotten the process!
On arrival at Bobovisca we found ourselves a mooring buoy and were soon secure for the night. It didn’t take long for the local patrol guy to come and relieve us of €46!
After a quick beer, we headed off in our dinghy, Davina, for restaurant Konobo Kogula.
It was a nice restaurant with lovely views and we were able to watch a fantastic sunset. Janine and Fern ate grilled chicken and Alison opted for risotto with vegetables. In total the bill was round €60 including drinks so very reasonable.
Row Row Row Your Boat……
We headed back to Davina with some trepidation, would she start? Would she heck! So oars in hand, Alison and I rowed back to the boat while Fern reclined like the queen of Sheba! Having not really used a dinghy before to get on and off the boat, Janine was a little clumsy to start with!
With lots of giggles and laughter, we made it safely back to Pollux and a quick cuppa before retiring to bed.
Next Stop Vis Via Tarsce Bay
By now it was Monday morning and we were heading towards the Pakleni Islands for a lunch stop. We dropped anchor in Tarsce Bay where Janine decided to take a quick dip. It was pretty cold water but it had to be done. The day so far had been calm with blue skies and lovely warm weather.
After a leisurely lunch we got underway and managed a great sail to Vis where we took another mooring buoy for €42. Tonight we were eating at Pizzeria Karijola, right at the other end of the bay!
After a good walk, we arrived at the restaurant and installed ourselves. We all ate fantastic pizzas, well worth the walk. On the way back to the boat Alison picked up the obligatory fridge magnet and Janine didn’t get her obligatory ice cream. A trend that continued throughout the holiday!
Davina was exactly where we left her. She hadn’t taken herself off on any shenanigans and so we were able to row the short distance back to the boat. The engine was a lost cause, we didn’t try it again! The cuppa and chat before bed seemed to be the routine, so much for a party boat….Pollux!
Cock and Bells……
Tuesday 05h40 and the first ferry of the day left Vis. That was after the morning call of the cockerel and marginally before the 6h church bells woke us from our slumber!
Today we were heading for Hvar and staying at the town quay in Stari Grad. After heading out of the bay, we stopped at Potkop Parja, a Yugoslav Army underground boat shelter.
It was a little overcast but with a steady breeze we got a good sail. We even put in a newly practiced reef!
We made 7 knots en route to Hvar where on arrival at Stari Grad we moored up stern to and lazy line. After a wander around the lovely town, we decided we would eat at restaurant Nook. Before returning to Pollux, we stopped off at the local supermarket to stock up on salty snacks (Ferns favourite) beer and other essentials.
After a quick shower we headed back out to Nook, an Asian infused very veggie friendly restaurant. Fern and Alison really enjoyed their dinners. Alison ate a Thai green curry and I had some strange floating noodle dish, ahhhh yes, Ramen. Not my thing at all but I’m sure if it’s your bag, it would have been lovely. It also had a floating egg!
Janine actually got her ice cream tonight…still starving, it was insisted upon! Back to Pollux and the routine cuppa, biscuits and chunk of chocolate before a marginally quieter night!
NEXT STOP…MARINKOVAK
Before leaving Stari Grad we suddenly heard a commotion from the boat next door, one of the crew had dropped their phone in the harbour! A gallant husband launched himself in to the water in his undies and quickly retrieved said phone. Whether it worked again we’ll never know, we did suggest covering it with rice….
We decided to take a walk to a local bar for breakfast today. Luke warm chocolate milk and a croissant for Janine and Alison. Not the best but it was nice to go for a last wander before heading to our next destination.
There wasn’t much wind today so we had motored to our lunch stop at Uvala Parja Bay where we stopped for lunch. Egg mayo sandwiches, yummy! After lunch we headed to Marinkovak. A lovely bay with a couple of closed restaurants, where we would be sheltered from the bad weather that had been forecast, strong winds, rain and potential thunderstorms.
After trying to anchor two or three times, Fern decided to take a closed restaurant mooring buoy (free while the restaurant is closed). Now this was the shallowest water we had ever braved but Fern being very experienced, we believed her that we wouldn’t graze the bottom!
We had less than 40cms beneath the keel according to the warning notice on the boat, but Fern was convinced the charter company allow for ‘errors’ and as it was a restaurant buoy, was obviously designed for boats. We panic at 10 meters never mind 2.4 meters!
Tonight Alison prepared a lovely pasta and vegetables dish which went down a treat along with our lacking garlic bread!
After dinner Fern introduced us to a game of dice, great fun to pass an hour before the routine cuppa and bed!
FISH FEEDING AND FUEL
We awoke in the morning and we’re still upright! We hadn’t toppled over or grazed our bottom even though there had been a bit of tide and swell. It wasn’t a particularly bright morning but at 7am, Janine was up feeding the fish off the stern of the boat.
There’s nothing like the still of a morning at anchor before everyone else wakes up. It’s a truly magnificent time. The sea was calm, the world felt peaceful and it was just Janine and the fish! Eventually Alison got up and followed suit feeding the fish before we set off.
Luckily the wind picked up and we had a great sail towards Milna where we picked up fuel (very tight fuel dock, thanks Fern for getting us safely in and out). Fuel for the week only cost us around €35, not bad at all!
After fuelling up, we anchored nearby for lunch before heading to the lovely little town of Stomorska, a place Fern fancied visiting. After mooring up on the town quay, we went for a stroll after a beer and coke on deck.
Bad weather had been forecast but we knew we were safely moored up for the night. We had a look round and decided we’d be going to the town ‘pub’ and burger joint…
Back to the boat and a quick shower in the town facilities. Not that great but ok, before heading to Sweet Pub for fantastic burgers. They also do a vege burger. Huge is an understatement!
After all enjoying our burgers a walk was in order! We had a lovely wander before heading back to Pollux and playing Dice again….no matter the risks Janine took, she couldn’t win!
BIN MEN, BUGS AND BREAKFAST
After a disturbed night of a mosquito in Ali’s cabin and bin men collecting the rubbish early doors, we headed for bread and croissants. After a nice breakfast we set sail off back towards Marina Kastela, it was our last day.
The weather looked gloomy and we had quite a long sail back. Gradually the weather worsened and before we knew it, it was blowing a gale and pouring with rain. Quickly we brought the head sail in but unfortunately it got caught up in itself, blooming self tacking Gibs!
We were soaked to the skin and had to make a decision to go straight back to the marina and risk there being nobody to help us, (it was lunchtime) or head to a bay to wait a couple of hours! The decision was made to head back.
As expected, nobody arrived to help although we called in for assistance and instructions. Up and down we went waiting for someone to tell us where to go. Eventually someone waved for us to go in so in we went. We discovered it was another boat crew rather than staff from Croatia Yachting but by now we didn’t care! We were safely home, boat tied up and soaked from head to toe.
Eventually Croatia Yachting staff arrived, bang on 14h and when the rain had stopped. It didn’t matter. The check out process for the boat was quick and easy. As soon as Alison had showered, she fell asleep! It had been a tiring week, pretty intense ‘training’ sometimes but only the one raised voice from Fern! We can’t have been bad company. Fern invited us to crew with her in the Caribbean in a few weeks time….watch this space!
Tonight we ate at the pizzeria just off the marina, Veseli Mate. It was very good. Luckily we had reserved a table as a lot of people were turned away. Back to the boat to pack and get ready for our taxi back to Split airport in the morning to collect our hire car for the next few days and wave Fern off for her early flight.
It had been a great week and our apprehension around having a whip cracking stranger onboard had eased. We’d all had a great time, if a little more structured than our normal Flotilla holidays. We learnt lots and hopefully met a lifelong friend…..
