Dubrovnik to Split
by Susan Alexander

It was very special to have family, Karlee, Adrian plus our grandchildren, Owen and Simon, join us in Dubrovnik. We all felt some regret, as we departed the magnificent medieval walled town of Dubrovnik but also excited to be exploring the Croatian islands along the Dalmatian coast.

Our first stop was the small island of Sipan. This island has a number of small villages and our destination was the largest, Sipanska Luka. The village is located in a lovely long inlet surrounded by green pine trees and we were pleased to easily pick up a buoy for safe mooring. As soon as Trilogy was secured to the bouy, Karlee began cooking dinner, while I enjoyed a swim. As I approached the shore, a waiter greeted me with the question, "When would you like to make a reservation at the restaurent?" It became immediately apparent that he owned the bouy which was freely available to yachts if they dined at his water front cafe! Needless to say, Karlee stopped cooking, we lowered the dinghy and went ashore for some local cuisine. It was a lovely calm evening and we very much appreciated the tranquil setting of the small hamlet with renaissance buildings that were superbly lit, except for the most prominent old building (which had out of character blue lights) that was once an olive oil factory, but now a refurbished hotel.

The folllowing morning Rick noticed on his weather app, that we were soon to experience gale force winds and he decided it would be best if Trilogy was safely berthed in the marina on the island of Korcula. The historic town of Korcula with its narrow steep streets, old buildings, walls and towers had a wonderful atmosphere. Korcula is located close to the mainland of Croatia and was well fortified to protect it from the Turks, who often raided the town.

After a few days the winds dropped and we could continue our Adriatic sailing cruise. Our next destination was the Island of Mljet. It is a beautiful green wooded island and it's special qualities have made one third of the island a National Park. It has been inhabited by the Illyrrians, the Romans, Byzantians and later the Slavs. Due to frequent attacks from Turks and Pirates, most of the settlements were inland. We tied up to a wharf in Luka Polace and had a restaurant 2m from Trilogy's passarelle (gangway). At the restaurant we enjoyed a traditional peka, slow cooked goat and octopus with vegetables, plus wild mulberry pancakes followed by whiskey brewed from carib seed pods. We were told that everything we ate was either made, raised or caught by the owner of the restaurant (including the wine and whiskey). The following day the crew caught a bus to an inland lake, where we took a small watercraft to a tiny island with a Benedictine monastery and returned to the yacht, via the remains of a 2nd century Roman Palace and 4th century Christian Bsilica. The island of Mljet was an ideal location to unpack the two fold up bikes stored in Trilogy's forward locker and enjoy a cycle.

The following day Trilogy returned to the island of Korcula and berthed at the opposite end of the island at Vela Luka. The high cliffs above the port housed an ancient cave, which is one of the most significent prehistoric archaeological sites in the Mediterranean region. The cave had continuous habitation from the last ice age (18,000 B.C.) to the middle Bonze Age (2,000 B.C.) and every now and then to modern times. Inside the cave measured 1500 square metres and because of its exceptional acoustic properties, it is occasionally used as a concert venue. It was well worth the steep climb to the cave especially when we saw the amazing view over the surrounding islands.

Susan Alexander