The hype of Hvar Town left behind, we motored towards the Pakleni Island group, a picturesque group of wooded isles, with the inevitable 'naturist' islands of Jerolim and Stipanska proving popular with those who think swimwear is too expensive to waste money on!

Our choice was Palmizana Island and Tarsce offered the right protection for an overnight anchorage. We prefer to seek out the tranquility of fewer boats and people if we can, especially after a lively port and by evening only a few yachts remained. After sharing a fruit platter, swim and relax on the foredeck, the 'girls' set off for an exploratory expedition in the dinghy. Although dinner was planned to be on board, we followed signage to Dionis Konobe, 400 metres across the island and discovered a rustic taverna overlooking a flourishing vineyard. Back on board, as the sun set we enjoyed exotic fruity cocktails courtesy of Genna and Helen and Kat spoilt us with another delicious pasta creation. The sky was clear which meant star gazing was on offer and noted a number of small fishing boats working the waters late into the night.

Next morning, we all swam around the wide bay and enjoyed some of our best snorkelling, with large rocky overhangs creating interest beneath the surface. Sea urchins are prolific all through the Adriatic waters and we have been totally amused by the urchins habit of piling 'collectable' shells and rocks on top of themselves. They make us smile and appear to have neighbourly competitions for the best selections. The downside of sea urchins is that they can give nasty stings if their spikes are tampered with, so wearing soft soled shoes is wise and so far we have been spared. A delightful savoury egg breakfast was prepared and then we were on our way.

We set the sails and headed for Vis Island, which is claimed in Lonely Planet to be the most mysterious of all the Croatian Islands, and this is mostly because it is the furtherest of the main Dalmation islands from the coast, but more of that in the next posting. By lunchtime we had arrived at Ravnik Island, where the lure of a 'green cave' had got our attention. We anchored off on a rocky bottom, but in spite of our Rocna anchor and ample chain out, skipper was not feeling too confident that we would hold for long. We piled into the dinghy equipped with our snorkelling gear and headed inside the cave that had two points of entry . One small shaft of light from above penetrated the 10 metre deep clear water, but it was not until we swam to the back of the cave and looked back to the cave entrance that the truly turquoise green water was revealed. All very satisfied with our special experience, we headed back to Trilogy for a tasty belated lunch. Food flavours seem enhanced in this part of the world, probably the combination of fresh air, lots of exercise and fresh full flavoured produce.

Moving right along, our anchorage for the night was a little further west in Mala Travna, anticipating that there would be a wind change from the east by morning. Another picturesque coastal settlement awaited us, with only a handful of cottages and one small restaurant open in summer. Our information advised that the Konobe owner is Zenko Karuza, a Croatian writer and it warned that the restaurant was not for impatient guests! We were intrigued and decided to go ashore after our refreshing swim and diving competition to check out whether we would be welcome for dinner. Access was up a steepish rock face and to our amazement Zenko was a very 'zen character', warm hearted and definitely welcoming. We negotiated our meal of carpaccio of local fish (sardines and anchovies) followed by Lamb Peka, a traditional dish cooked in a large flat covered dish, with fire coals piled up around the pan, for several hours. There are always vegetables cooked with the chosen protein (octopus, fish, meat) and delicious juices to enjoy. Zenko with a smile said we needed to be 'disinfected' before we departed, and skipper was madly apologising when Zenko offered us each a glass (or two) of schnapps, to share with us before we left! Zenko also asked us to dress up, as Genna had told him that she was in the fashion industry, so we did our best to oblige. Zenko's great grandfather had built the original cottage and Zenko came back 20 years ago when the locals were able to return after Tito's reign on the island finished. Zenko lives in Zagreb in the winter months and enjoys the timelessness of this tiny community in summer. Later that night when the Peka was served, Zenko said, 'I have prepared goat Peka for you', which we gathered was meant to be an even greater treat than lamb! We feasted on the Peka, something we had been dreaming of trying since Susan and Rick had mentioned it at handover. The wine was from Zenko's vineyard and was full bodied in flavour. Needless to say, we very very carefully clambered down the rock face to our waiting dinghy and went to sleep dreaming of a wonderful evening with Zenko. Next morning we swam and dived before a cook up of eggs, proscuitto, tomatoes and basil.....yes, Basil is back on board!!

We had a wonderful time sharing the journey with Genna and her mum Helen, but as they needed to catch up with Ellie in Dubrovnik, we needed to motor to Vis Town, for them to catch the noon ferry. Having moored against the sea wall while Kat played taxi service for Genna and Helen in the dinghy, we waved farewell to our happy companions on the deck of the ferry as it departed for Split.