Rick Steeves describes Trogir as a "made for tourists village" and "nothing to jump ship for". Stuff and nonsense, I say! This little town was founded by Greeks over 2000 years ago. It was an important port in Roman times. It was held by the Venetians for over 350 years (and believe me, any place where the Venetians left their mark is generally well worth a visit). Throw in beautiful scenery, an incredible cathedral and an old town that brims with history and architecture...it all adds up to make Trogir a great spot for some shore leave.

Obviously, some important people agree with me, since Trogir is a Unesco World Heritage site. Our cousin Peter Rogers loved spending time in Trogir when he was stationed in Bosnia. And if you happen to have a copy of the Imray Guide to the Adriatic, Trogir is the town pictured on the cover. It was obvious that we should pay a visit.

We're up at dawn, and it takes us less than four hours to sail (or, to tell the truth, motor) from Hvar to Trogir. We anchor in the cove to the west of the town, keeping north of the main channel. With a busy shipyard just across the way, we'll be lacking the pristine water and beautiful view we had in Hvar, but we've chosen this anchorage for its proximity to the town.

We're into the dinghy within half an hour, and Rick decides to do a "circumnavigation" of the small canal around the islet that houses Trogir's historic centre. One of the bridges is so low that we have to duck our heads almost to our knees to avoid decapitation. We're a bit horrified by the sulfuric smell of the canal and tying the dinghy to the wall beside the market requires a strong stomach. The touristy bric-a-brac in the market doesn't impress us much either, but things look up when we cross the bridge and go through the Land Gate.

Even Rick Steeves has to admit that the cathedral of St. Lawrence is magnificent, so we make it our first stop. The construction of the cathedral began in 1213 and continued for centuries. The cathedral's spire, which was built between the 14th and 16th centuries, is said to reflect the changing styles during this period (Gothic at the bottom, Renaissance at the top). The intricately carved portal (by the sculptor Radovan) is flanked by nude statues of Adam and Eve, with strategically-placed fig leaves. Underneath Adam is a male lion, the protector and underneath Eve is a lioness, the provider. Inside, the cathedral is glorious, and the Renaissance chapel of St. Ivan is a masterpiece.





Our ticket allows us access to the campanile, which has a sign at the entrance telling us that "You are climbing the tower at your own risk". We're fine with that, until we realize just how risky the journey really is. For the first 40 or so steps, we climb a circular stone staircase with no handrail and treads barely big enough for my small feet. Then we reach a landing, and see that the top of the tower is accessed by an open staircase of rusty-looking metal. Rick takes one look, and takes a stand. He's not going up there. Two teenaged girls are stalled part way up and a British woman is cowering on the landing, looking terrified. Her husband comes cheerfully down the staircase and says "Oh, you really should go up; it's well worth the climb for the view at the top." This may very well be the worst piece of advice I've received in years.

At least there is a handrail. I start the climb, trying not to look down. Part way up, I can hear Rick calling "Bon! Bon!" He wants me to lean over the railing so he can take a picture. Easy for him. I give a quick glance over the railing and feel my stomach hit my toes. Eventually, I reach the top, and pull myself to the landing using a stainless-steel grab bar. Dear God, how am I ever going to get back down? The view is nice, but definitely not worth the agony of the climb. The downward journey is even worse. By the time I reach the bottom, my legs feel like jelly.

Meanwhile, Rick has been having a lovely time, having managed to get himself invited to join a group of Japanese tourists who are being given a guided tour of the cathedral. The guide points to St. Ivan's chapel and, like a schoolteacher asks "Can you tell me what style this chapel is?" and like good students the tourists respond "Renaissance!" "And how can you tell?" "The light!" The guide is a wealth of information, telling us, among other things, that the ornate pulpit is identical to the one in the cathedral in Split. The next day, we see for ourselves that this is true.

Leaving the cathedral, we walk through the square and the streets of the charming old town, emerging on the waterfront. We find a little café and share an order of calamari and french fries while we watch the comings and goings in the harbour. The calamari is delicious, and I have to remind myself that this is how I gained five pounds in Turkey and Greece. By the time we get back to our rocky anchorage, we're ready for a nap, but we're just dozing off when the harbourmaster's boat comes along to collect our 180 kuna anchoring fee (15 kunas per meter). We were expecting this sort of thing to happen more regularly, but in fact this is only the second anchoring fee we have paid since arriving in Croatia. And at least the boat collects our garbage- a nice touch. Over dinner in the cockpit, we decide stay in the anchorage for one more day and catch the bus to Split.

Five years ago, if you'd asked me where Split is, I wouldn't have had the foggiest notion. So in case you're wondering, it is the second-largest city in Croatia, and the site of the palace of Diocletian (Roman Emperor and ruthless persecutor of early Christians). Our day in Split was so action-packed that there's too much to write about here, so we'll tell you about it in a separate posting.

When we arrive back from Split at around 5 o'clock on Sunday evening, we don't relish the thought of another night with a view of the shipyard. So we motor around the corner to Uvala Razetinovac, where the local boats are just packing up to go home. By 7 p.m., we almost have the place to ourselves. What a lovely spot! We stay for three nights, swimming in the clear water, catching up on a few jobs and enjoying the lovely sunsets and moonrises on deck in the evenings. Why don't we do this more often? Croatia really does seem to be a cruiser's paradise!

Cruiser's Notes:

Trogir has an an anchorage on the edge of the channel west of town. Although the bridge to the east of the channel looks like it will open, it didn't while we were there. I'd suggest you approach Trogir from the west as we did. The fee/day for anchoring was 180 Kuna (15 kuna/meter). You must stay clear of the channel and anchor inside the 16' contour. We anchored in 14' of water with mud bottom and excellent holding. The wind pipes up here each afternoon with welcome breezes so you need to be well set. The anchorage is a bit rolly from all the wash of passing boats and ferries and there is a bit of an unpleasant aroma. It was a 3 minute dinghy ride to town. We tied the dinghy in the channel north of the town next to the market. The large grocery store, local veggie market and the fish market are there as well by the road bridge as is the bus station. There are now 2 marinas in Trogir, ACI in the channel south of the town and a new marina west of town in Seget. Fuel is available with 9' depths alongside on the south channel next to the marina. There is water available at the fuel dock for 5 kuna/ 100+ liters. Chandler next to the ACI marina. T-Mobile and VIP stores are on the south side of the channel, near the road bridge.

We moved on the second day to the "delightful anchorage" called Uvala Razetinovac. There are no services or buildings there. Head west out of the channel and when you reach the southern point turn almost due south for 1 nm. We anchored here in 25' of sand and mud. Holding was great. Come early in the day to get a spot as it is popular with the locals and other cruisers and there is not a lot of room for boats inside. Outside the depths can be from 50-80'. At 1.3 miles to town it was a 5 minute dingy ride for us. We avoided the anchoring fee, the smell and rolly anchorage outside town. We stayed for 3 nights here just because it was so pleasant and we could swim off the boat.