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30 June 2009 | 43 10.14'N:16 26.37'E, Hvar, Otok Hvar, Croatia
If you're familiar with the Hamble Scramble (where thousands of boats share the Little Hamble River and suffer highway quality traffic jams as they try to get away on Saturday mornings or return Sunday evenings) then imagine the Hvar Hustle. In Hvar harbour, which I'm learning is similar to many of the Croatian yacht charter destinations, they have 'safety officers' in RIBs advising yachtsmen against anchoring in the ferries' paths. Sadly they do not advise charterers on not anchoring with their bow 5m from another boat's bow, or not to anchor close enough to pass the coffee between boats. It was so amazing; we enjoyed the spectacle with a San Francisco couple anchored on their Lagoon close enough to chat from our respective back decks. Really, some charterers are fine but the rest give chartering a bad name and it is incredible to think how these boats survive. We all had fenders around our yachts, which were needed and of course, a RIB tender makes for a good big fender to o. Earlier in the day we had finalised clearance formalities at Vis and paid Euros250 for the annual cruising permit, even though we are only staying a week. En route we stopped at the Pakleni Islands for lunch and a swim. Well, I got my feet wet as it's just too cold to swim up here. Phil won't even put his big toe in! We love these late dusks. Still sitting on deck relaxing at 7pm then going ashore for drinks and dinner at 8pm and still having hours of light - Lovely. Hvar town reminded me somewhat of a film set at first look - just too picturesque, but as we got around the town. the local characters, be they old women all in black or the professional bar flies and gorgeously diverse tourists, made me realise it was all genuine. Hvar was a pretty town and the tourists were still partying as we raised the anchor at 5am. As much as we are revelling in our cruising life there is the reality of boat maintenance as a counterpoint to the day. During the morning's motor from Vis the stern drive played up causing Phil to spend an hour with his head down in the engine room; then at our lunch time anchorage, the anchor winch which had been repaired in Italy gave up the ghost so we pulled up the anchor by hand and to top it off the tender developed a leak after it's close encounter with the rocks as Phil took a line ashore as we anchored. Some days are just like that.
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