Old Town Hvar
11 September 2009 | Croatia's Dalmatian Coast
Hvar, one of the most popular and beautiful Croatian islands, is our destination for an all day sail from Vodice. The Sangaris crew (Kath, Craig and Jennifer) were delighted with ideal off-wind conditions and busily set and trimmed three and then four sails to maximize our speed. The Pakleni island chain, just a bit west of the old town of Hvar, welcomed us by 6pm for a comfortable night-time anchorage.
After a swim the next morning, we set off to anchor in the main harbor in order to meet up with friends Nancy & Jann who were arriving on a 465 foot square rigged modern clipper ship (more on that in a separate blog!). The seaside view of the old town was bewitching ~ a scatter of grainy-white and brown stone buildings with red tile roofs ringed the yacht-filled harbor and the hillside was lush with splashes of green palms and pines. Once ashore, Hvar revealed itself as a medieval town full of narrow lanes, pedestrian alleys, a large rectangular main square, balustraded inner harbor and "main street" that was more like a flight of stairs. The striking roofless palace, Benedictine convent and numerous cafes and shops (see above photos) proved good rest stops as we climbed to the top the steep "Matije Ivanica" and then trekked the paths leading to the hilltop fortress. The view was a wonderful reward with Sangaris on a buoy, the Royal Clipper at the harbor mouth and the Pakleni islands in the distance.