After a peaceful night in Scradin, we cleaned Trilogy inside and out, to make full use of the shore power and water. John is an experienced bosun from Vanuatu cruising, and he made sure we all completed our tasks with due diligence. The washing machine also whirred away and in no time the washing was dry. We topped up on a few supermarket items and departed Scradin around 1pm for the journey down the river to the sea at Sibinek.

We paused en route to get a glimpse of Zaton, a pretty little port with a dominating church, but kept motoring as we had a few hours to motor to our destination of Smokvica Island and the village of Lojena.

A passing storm had whipped the wind up in the bay we thought would be protected, so after a rather difficult mooring exercise, we settled in for a quiet night on board, as the dinghy ride ashore for dinner would have been too tricky.The wind abated late that evening and next morning the skies were clear blue again. We enjoyed a swim in the quite chilly water and after brekki Jack, Kat and Ros headed into Lojena.

There are only two permanent families living in this settlement and they survive by fishing, selling hand made pottery and feeding the summer visitors. Piccolo Konoba had lobster on the menu and we noticed huge lobsters sitting in cages in the sea water close by, no doubt awaiting their turn for the pot! We walked to the top of the saddle behind the houses to survey the Kornati island archipelago, which was well worth the climb. Along the trail we got close enough to the incredible dry rock walls that divide this landscape, wildflowers in bloom, wild fig and pear trees bearing fruit, a glen filled with the sound of summer cicadas and a small low stone built shepherd's hut.

There are 147 islands, islets and reefs in the archipelago, mostly uninhabited, and 89 form the Kornati National Park, which protects both land and sea. Kornat Island is the largest, around 25 kms long and at the narrowest point 2.5 kms wide. Those islands that are positioned to seaward have the most interesting and dramatic furrowed coastlines. The islands to the north-west end of the group, outside the National Park are privately owned by two ancestral families, who only visit in summer time to cultivate the land and enjoy the relaxation such remoteness offers.

By late morning we were ready to make our passage to Vrulje, on the western coast of Kornati island. We stopped for lunch on board on the island of Lunga and enjoyed the wonderful scenery all around us. It is quite hard to describe the beauty of the archipelago; the islands are bare of trees and quite stark in appearance. The interplay of light works its magic on the limestone contours with bold striations creating fascinating patterns. In days long gone, property was divided by stone walls and we were in awe of the large number of walls painstakingly constructed running vertically from below the water line to over the crest of the ridge line.

By late afternoon we had moored at Vrulje, Kornat Island. Kat and Jack wasted no time in getting the dinghy to shore and before long we were all relaxing at Ante Konoba with beer, wine and schnapps aplenty. The sun set and a chilly wind kept us a bit uncomfortable, but that didn't stop our pleasure