The streets of Vis, Croatia

On a recent sailing trip we did in Croatia, we also spent a night and the following morning in the town of Vis on Vis island.


The whole island has almost 4.000 inhabitants and lies the farthest from the coast of all inhabited Croatian islands.
In the time of Yugoslavia it was one of the countries main naval bases and only partly accessible to public.
During World War II it was heavily mined and still in 2008 34 mines were cleared from the island.


Vis is a picturesque Mediterranean little town, offering many opportunities for a good photo or two. So I took the chance and went on a slow stroll through the narrow, stone cobbled streets. These are a few of many nice ones I took in a quarter of an hour.

The first one is taken from the boat moored on the seafront of Vis. A Franciscan monastery looked really nice across the bay but I unfortunately ran out of time to take a closer look.


The other two photos are from one of many narrow streets. I hope you like them.

For those of you in doubt about the object on that last photo. It has obviously seen better days but it is still a door knocker.

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Dolphin encounter in Croatia

Seeing dolphins in nature is not something that happens every day. I consider myself very lucky for encountering them quite a few times.

If you have been reading through my previous posts, I guess you guessed it already - my last encounter with these beautiful animals happened during my last sailing trip in Croatia.


While we were on a course for Jabuka island, they suddenly appeared in the distance on our port (i.e. left) side. Unfortunately a few moments later they were gone. When we already thought that was the end of it, they reappeared just next to the hull of our boat. We were sailing at around 6 knots without the motor. It seemed they liked this fact and swam with us for a while. There were around 10 dolphins in this group - some small and some quite large ones.

After five minutes of playing around and under our boat they decided to get back on their way.
I had just enough time to take a few photos, but none of them came out very impressive. It is quite hard to guess where and when is a dolphin going to come out from under the water. When it does swim to the surface, this happens just for a moment and then it is gone again.
This means luck is quite a factor when trying to take a good photo of a dolphin.

I hope one day I will be lucky enough to actually swim with dolphins in their natural habitat.
This time water was not really all that warm (it was just under 11 degrees Celsius) and I didn't even think about jumping in.
I am not sure doing that out on the high seas is such a good idea anyway. After all, those are wild animals I am talking about and anything can happen.

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Wordless Wednesday: View of Hvar seafront

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Sailing to Jabuka island

One of the goals of our last sailing trip was to sail around Jabuka island. Actually it is not so very special. This rock in the middle of the Adriatic sea can hardly be called an island. It really is small.


Jabuka in Croatian language means Apple. So if Apple corporation will ever be thinking of changing that bitten apple logo of theirs - a silhouette of this Apple island might be a good idea. I should probably put copyright on that one...

We tried to sail there a couple of times before but never made it all the way around.
Well this time I am proud to say we did it.

When we were closing in on the island we noticed an interesting thing... Some of the navigation devices on our boat started to act weird. For instance autopilot kept loosing direction. At first we thought it was some random electronic fault but after a while we realized only compass-based devices were having problems.
It was not a coincidence. Jabuka island was to blame.
As we learned later on, it is a volcanic island and one of its main building materials is magnetite - the most magnetic of all naturally occurring minerals on Earth.
When they hold a sailing regatta in those waters competitors even have to switch between radio channels because some of them simply stop working around the island. I guess this is a bit like what the Bermuda triangle must feel.


As I said all of this didn't stop us and we made it around there and back without much trouble. We had perfect winds and nice sunny weather. Nevertheless this trip took most of the day. When we were looking for a place to spend the night it was dark already.

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The best fish is a fresh fish

Adriatic sea is a perfect place for tasting some good quality, fresh fish. While on a boat, there is a good chance you even catch your own meal. When doing this, you should always keep in mind local rules and regulations (e.g. in Croatia you need to purchase a fishing permit).
I have posted a thing or two about fishing before. Since I am no expert in the field of fishing, don't expect too much.


If catching your own food is not your thing, you can always buy fresh fish from local fishermen, but you can trust me that the one you catch yourself always tastes better then any other.
If you do not come across any fishing boats at sea, you can visit fish markets in early mornings. Almost every coast town in Croatia has one. Prices may vary between seasons (demand is rather high in summer months).


During our last sailing trip we also tried catching our own fish and almost got lucky. We sailed right next to a large school of tuna fish. They were jumping out of the water in feeding frenzy. They were obviously engaged in a group fishing activity, probably chasing sardines or some other kind of tuna food. One of them was obviously fascinated by our bait. It swallowed the bait and went on its way. The line twitched hard and then unfortunately - snapped. It was all over in a couple of seconds and our dinner swam off.
As unfortunate as this might seem, I can't imagine what would we have done if we (by some strange miracle) lifted a 10 kilo tuna onto our boat. I am pretty sure at least the whole deck would be bathing in blood if nothing else.

Since that fish took our only hook with it, that was the end of our fishing.


Luckily after a while we saw some fishermen returning from the sea and bought our lunch from them. We opted for two large tuna-like fish. We got them for a really nice price and they turned out to be extra delicious when taken out of the oven a couple of hours later.

We did not complicate with preparation. We simply cut them opened, cleaned them, chopped them in nice thick pieces, seasoned them with some freshly picked local rosemary and put them on a bed of already half baked potatoes. It was delicious!

All there was left were a pair of heads and a pair of tails.


On the photos above you can see phases those two fish went through. Unfortunately the most important phase - dinner served on a plate accompanied with a glass of excellent white wine is not there.
With food like that around, people tend to forget all about photography...

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What to cook on a sailing trip?

When we go sailing we take care of cooking by ourselves. Actually one of the crew members is usually chosen as Master Chef and the menu is then mostly up to him.


Our sailing crew-list usually consists of friends who know each other pretty well and are not too picky when food is concerned. This means the menu mostly consists of simple dishes, that do not require much preparation. Our scope is on other things... well, mostly it is drinking. This simply means we usually eat a lot of pasta and similar simple dishes.
However, if there is a chance for a gourmet pleasure, we don't think twice to take it.

When at sea there is a good chance you come across some tasty fish. Let us just say we got our hands on some really tasty fish this time, but more about that in my next post.

Well let me get back to those simple dishes... We usually don't have a problem with preparation and cleaning the dishes but I know quite a few that think even little cooking is too much cooking.


I have a two word tip for all the lazy chefs out there: Microwave Owen. Yes, that's right. A microwave oven usually isn't on the standard equipment list for various types of charter sailing boats. I guess that should not be a problem - you can always bring your own.
With a right list of microwave-ready dishes all of you lazy sailing chefs out there will have a bit easier time preparing food and more time for other activities.

Before you get too excited... there is actually a reason why they don't put microwave ovens on sailing boats as standard equipment. When at sea there is only 12V electric current available on board (standard 220V current is available only when plugged-in to an outside source). This can also be easily resolved - simply bring a 12V to 220V converter. Be careful that you do not empty the batteries completely (after the meal you might need to start the engine again).

As far as I am concerned, I vote for the good old-fashioned way. Chicken in creamy sauce, cooked au gratin and seasoned with some fresh picked Mediterranean rosemary looks extra-delicious on those photos, doesn't it?

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Wordless Wednesday: Sunset fishing

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Sailing Checklist

Let me just point out this is a sailing list I use for colder months. This one was used for a sailing trip in southern Adriatic (Croatia) which took place at the end of March. You should probably have that in mind when adjusting it for summer sailing trips.

Sailing Checklist

Item	Quantity	Packed
Passport & Passport copy	1	Y
Passport copy	1	Y
Cash (EUR)	200	Y
Cash (HRK)	1000	Y
Credit cards	2	Y
GSM & charger	1	Y
Digital camera & charger	1	Y
Maps	2	N
MP3 Player	1	N
MP3 Music CDs	20	Y
Sunglasses	1	Y
Swiss army knife	1	Y
Books	1	N
Board & card games	3	N
Pen & paper	1	N
Teva sandals	1	Y
Trekking shoes	1	Y
Rubber boots	1	Y
Diving mask, snorkel & fins	1	N
Sailing suit (jacket & pants)	1	Y
Gloves	1	Y
Towel (bathing)	1	Y
Wind jacket	1	Y
Cap (wollen)	1	Y
Cap (baseball)	1	Y
Underpants	3	Y
T-shirts	3	Y
Socks	3	Y
Sweat shirt	2	Y
Trekking pants	1	Y
Zip-off pants	1	Y
Long sleeve shirt	2	Y
Backpack (30 l)	1	Y
Short pants	1	Y
Toilet set bag (toothbrush, etc.)	1	Y
Sunscreen	1	Y
Lip gloss (protective)	1	Y
Medicine (pills, plasters, etc.)	n	Y
Condoms (pack)	1	Y
Schnapps flask (full)	1	Y
Food & drinks for the road	n	Y
Head lamp	1	Y
Cigarette lighter	1	Y

All of the items listed above are to be taken into consideration. Unfortunately because of lack of space I decided to leave a few (not so essential) items behind.

Food and drinks are to be provided separately. This also includes bottled drinking water which is usually not available on-board.

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Wordless Wednesday: Ready to set sail

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Sailing the Adriatic

I am finally going sailing again! It was a long pause, during which I was invited to join a group of friends for more then a few times but there was always another priority to take care of.

Now I have decided I have had enough of it. Everything will have to wait for 5 days. It will not be a long trip, but I am sure we will have a great time.


End of March is still quite early in the season for a sailing trip, but this means we are not going to spend a fortune on boat rental.
I am hoping for some sun, but I guess it is all up to weather gods and their generosity.

We are starting at Rogoznica (Croatia) and will probably be sailing in the direction of islands Vis and Jabuka. Precise sailing plan will be based on actual weather conditions at the time of departure.

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The Nubian Nile experience (Day 6)

The first part of our day on the Nile (described in my previous post) continued with some more relaxing and soaking up the positive atmosphere.

Crew members constantly kept doing something I didn't dare. When they were thirsty, they simply reached over the edge of our boat for a fresh glass of Nile.
If I did that, I guess I would still have diarrhea today. Thanks, but no thanks!


After we finished with our lunch (for more details you can check out the previous post) it was time for a swim in the Nile. The water was surprisingly clear and we enjoyed every part of it!
I did it despite reading in a couple of years old guidebook that if someone happens to fall into the river Nile, he should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Even one of my readers here shared a story about an aching finger after dipping it in the Nile (you can read about that in comments to this post).


Before the night crept upon us we tied our feluka to the river bank and watched some local boys playing soccer. They were quite good and were obviously having fun.


I went on a short walk through the nearby fields and took a few nice photos. One of them was with this local, doing some field work. Of course afterwards he wouldn't go away without some baksheesh.

After a beautiful sunset the Nubians built a fire and grabbed their drums. People say they are born with a musical ear. I had to agree.
We danced around the fire and tried to sing along. Music lasted long into the night and died out hours later together with the fire.



After some time sitting in the dark by the river, watching millions of stars, we went to our feluka to catch some sleep. I went to sleep thinking of the excitement a new morning might bring us.

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Curse of the Pharaohs (Day 6)

First thing in the morning we boarded a feluka in Aswan. The plan was to get down the Nile with an occasional stop.

Our first stop was in a Nubian village. It was much needed, because the effects of the Curse of the Pharaohs were just kicking in.

It was a simple village, with colorful walls around the houses. We were invited into one of those to have tea. It is a habit in Egypt to offer a glass of tea to a guest. Usually one can choose among a few different ones: karkade, mint, black or black with fresh mint. Low quality black tea blend is the most common. They all come with a load of sugar.
I usually have my tea without sugar, so I had to adapt to the Egyptian way.

The Nubian house we were visiting also had a large yard enclosed inside a wall. On the sandy floor there was a half made feluka sail.
In one of the yard's corners stood a toilet. I am not exaggerating when I say that our party of 13 visited it more then 15 times in half an hour. I think you can figure it out yourself.
No, it wasn't that pretty and yes, it was the good old Pharaoh's curse. The tea after our camel ride the day before was definitely the thing to blame. Oh well, what could we do - when it's there you just have to live with it for a few days. It just meant we had to start taking anti diarrhea pills and everywhere we went, toilet paper went with us. I didn't go so far to try to use the local water hose way of cleaning myself.


This didn't stop us from tasting more interesting local dishes and drinks. On one of our next stops it was time for some freshly prepared local food by our Nubian crew. We had aish (local flat bread), vegetables (cucumbers and tomatoes), feta-like salty cheese and bean kofta (fried green-bean balls).


I took a few photos of those dishes - you should have no trouble guessing which is which.

We followed our guide's example and stuffed the bread with different combinations of those dishes. It was a simple yet very delicious lunch.


There was even a large amount of watermelon for desert. I flushed it all down with a cold beer. Ahhhh... it felt good. It is not always easy to get hold of a beer in Islamic countries, so we took every opportunity we could.

Later in the afternoon we were about to meet the Nile from up close and personal. But more about that in my next post.

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Sailing day at work

At a firm I work for we had a Sports day the other day. Above all it's a team-building thing and we do it two or three times a year.

In Winter we usually go skiing and in the Summer there are many options. This time we went sailing for a day.

Our day together started in Izola, Slovenia, where for starters we listened to some sailing theory. Soon after that we went on board.


After some more briefing (this was a first time sailing for some of my coworkers) we set sail. The weather and also the winds were ideal.

We even tried a short regatta. Our boat finished last, but we had a great time in the process.


In the evening we gathered for a delicious dinner. Afterwards it was time for some nightclubbing. I went to bed at half past five in the morning in a surprisingly good state.

And another day at work was over. It was a good day. I hope we do something like that again.

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A fishing story

Once upon a time on a sailing boat not so far away, seven eager Sunday sailors were getting bored due to a lack of wind. They have dropped anchor in a lonely bay on island of Vis, Croatia and were relaxing in the sun.

One of them finally decided to put an end to that and grabbed his fishing stick. He dipped various bates into the water, but with no success whatsoever. One of his mates decided to go take a look if there are any fish swimming around. He put on his diving gear and jumped in. It was not long before he came to the surface and announced that there are fish below, but aren't even remotely interested in his hook.
After that he slowly swam to the other side of the bay.

After a while loud cursing interrupted the peaceful atmosphere. It was our fisherman ranting about his hook, which apparently got stuck on the bottom. Luckily for him there had to be a diver somewhere nearby. We signaled him to swim over and soon he went bellow to save the hook. In a couple of seconds he was back on the surface again, shouting "Quick! Fetch a strainer or a pot of some kind!"

For a couple of moments we just stood still and looked at him. Then I ran inside to get a strainer and passed it to him. He dove back into the water and soon came back up again – holding a strainer with an octopus inside, attached to the fishing line. The poor thing accidentally got caught on the hook and couldn't get away.


This catch was clearly more a product of luck then fishing skills and sadly the only one on that trip. Nevertheless it made a great octopus salad. Yummy!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot...
And they sailed happily ever after.

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Going fishing

I finally made plans for a short vacation starting at the end of this week. I have decided to go on a five day fishing trip together with my girlfriend. We will be joining a friend of mine on an island of Pašman (Croatia). Probably there will be nine of us. I don't know most of other guys, but I am pretty sure it is going to be a blast.

I have never been on a fishing trip before, so I don't know what exactly to expect. If nothing else, I am counting on at least one seafood meal a day. Regarding that I love fish and other seafood dishes this surely is something to look forward to.

Some of my other friends are going sailing at the same time and there is a strong possibility that they will be sailing just by our rented house on Pašman island.

Last time I went with them we also tried to catch some fish from the sailing boat. We tried various kinds of bait but nothing worked. Then one of my mates thought of a new approach – he kneaded some dough and put it on his fishing hook. I don't know what it was, but the fish went wild. This was followed by a delicious dinner.

Next day we tried the same thing in another bay. Strangely none of the fish seemed interested in our dinner plans.

Both of the photos were taken on that sailing trip.

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Spring sailing in Kornati, Croatia

I decided to post a photo from the last year's sailing trip to Croatia. Our rented Bavaria 37 is anchored in an idyllic island bay in the Kornati region.


For the last few years I went sailing twice a year with a group of friends. It has become more or less a traditional event.

There is only one general rule to this event - no mater how nice they beg - we have all agreed not to take our girlfriends/wives with us. There are other occasions when they are very welcome to come sailing along, but this is a none negotiable one.

Every year we have chosen an early spring and a late autumn date. That means that the first one this year is approaching fast.

Unfortunately a couple of days ago I was informed, that we are looking at a few extremely busy weeks at work.
Sadly this means no spring vacation for me just yet. I hope it is going to be a bit sweeter when it eventually comes to it.

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