With an excellent breeze behind us, we hoisted the sails and set off once more. How could this day trump yesterday? In this paradise, each day brings ever increasing delights and pleasure.

All on board were keen to be part of the sailing and Jack was no longer given exclusive rights. Skipper Garth is very patient with us all and we felt the exhilaration of fine tuning Trilogy so that she purred and hummed her way along the passage plan heading for the island of Solta. The prevailing wind had whipped up the sea and we all relished our turn at the helm on the beam reach. We planned to overnight in Sesula but to our amazement there was standing room only in the bay. The water was choppy at the entrance and it seemed every charter yacht in the Adriatic had converged into this protected bay, with a large storm threatening.

There was no indecision, we would not join the throng and in fact you would have to have rocks in your head to attempt it. We headed further south and joined a few yachts in a delightful cove of Poganica, which offered good protection, although we stayed well out for swing room and rode the gentle swell most of the night. There were two little summer dwellings on the rocks above the water and next morning a family arrived at one and opened up the vivid green shutters. We swam, snorkelled and explored in the dinghy to satisfy our curiosity. Imbibing cocktails, nibbling on local delicacies of soft cheeses, sweet sweet tomatoes, artisan breads and spicy pickles, not to mention local olive oil for dipping, followed by mushroom risotto par excellence ended our day.

Another peaceful night in the bay and we set sail for the island of Hvar. By mid-afternoon we approached Hvar Town, a popular port accessible by ferry from both Split and Dubrovnik. It was Friday, but it seems like a Sunday, as the place was pumping. Large motor cruisers jostled for a small section of the quay and yachts lined up on the other side on a series of buoys. Trilogy nudged her way through the crowd and to our great delight, the buoy in pole position was free for us to pick up. There was no doubt we were in for an entertaining night with music, bars and people filling the scene.

Jack and Kat took off to rendezvous with Jenna, her mother Helen and sister Ellie. It was Jack's last night and we all wanted to make it a grand finale. Jenna's family joined us on board for drinks and much later we all dined at Dalmatino, a very popular spot for a good food. The meat lovers went for steak with a wine truffle sauce and the fish lovers chose all manner of seafood, including massive lobster. The night slipping away, the young ones departed to partake of the party scene and while the bigger people crawled off to bed they were to hear the music scene for many hours to come.

Next morning we headed ashore to farewell Jack on the ferry to Split and welcome Jenna and Helen on board for a couple of nights. The harbour master's office had identified that the paperwork wasn't in order, so the skipper was kept entertained sorting out the confusion. John shopped for his loved ones while Helen and Ros found a fresh fruit and veg market and other goodies that appealed in the nearby supermarket. We all relaxed at a quayside cafe, consuming several coffees that met with our approval. Coffee is taken seriously in Croatia but we have not often thought it was up to our expectations. They understand cappuccino and espresso but most other variants familiar in Australia cause confusion. And while we are talking food (again), we also think that cooked Aussie cafe breakfasts are still the best.

Don't forget to look in the Photo Gallery at the album "Garth and Ros in Croatia" for more photos.