By way of introduction my husband, Charles, and I are friends of Ken and Lil who sailed together to many destinations for thirteen years, starting 28 years ago.This summer we have rejoined for a ten day voyage from Dubrovnik to Split. We have unfortunately have not been able to sail due to winds coming from the north directly off of Moonbeam's bow. With a schedule of ten days to take in the islands off the coast of Croatia, we do not have the leisurely choice of tacking.

After a visit to Dubrovnik our first destination was Korcula, a medieval town laid out like a fish skeleton with straight streets to the west off the spine to catch the gentle maestro winds juxtaposed with curved streets to the east to slow down the more vigorous north wind. The next island town, Hvar, again provided elegant Venetian architecture. There we visited a 15th century Franciscan monastery where we learned that all the monks save one, a resident sculptor, had fled during the 1991 war and never returned. Thanks to a local young woman who takes tickets for the museum(which houses an immense 26 foot by 8 foot Last Supper painted by the Venetian Renaissance artist, Matteo Ingoli) and her mother who grows vegetables in the medieval gardens, the monastery stays open. While outside international visitors hedonistically sun bathe on the pebble beach, this monastery is an elegant reminder of the selfless dedication of the monks who provided education for this small town.

Interspersed with these towns are hidden bays with anchorages which are not crowded and are a delight to experience. With pine covered hills and vineyards you cannot believe how clear the water is in all these destinations.

Ken and Lil seem to be almost entirely booked out for the rest of their European voyage as after Split they turn south to round the boot of Italy heading for the coasts of France and Spain eventually reaching the Canary Islands wher Ken's ocean going crew will join him for the Atlantic crossing. Our many thanks to them both for their generous hospitality and great companionship on our small part of their epic journey.

We have just docked in Trogir. Here is and a picture of this Unesco protected medieval town.