Exploits of Captain Ginger (May 2018) After a spell of cold miserable weather in London, when it seemed winter would never end, the sun suddenly appeared and it became quite summery. So it was when we left to rejoin Captain Ginger in northern Italy, which was quite frustrating, much more satisfying to be leaving bad weather behind. The boat was on shore in Monfalcone having coppercoat applied to the hull and there followed a succession of busy days preparing the boat and stocking up provisions before launching on 10 th May only three days behind schedule which is pretty good for Italy. Captain Ginger in the Travel Hoist prior to launching We, Joycie, Malcolm and myself, left Monfalcone on Saturday 12 th May on a cruise that would last until the end of July and finish in Ragusa, Sicily but our first port of call was to be Trieste. I last visited there in 2016 with Sally, pinned down for three days with bad weather, so it was interesting to visit old haunts. We moored in San Giusto, a modern marina close to the heart of the city, mingled with tourists and climbed the hill to visit the cathedral and castle, completed in 1630 and now a museum. The museum was interesting and well presented, and the views over the city rooftops splendid. Returning to sea level we had a beer and watched the world go by. The following day we bade farewell to Italy and sailed to Piran in Slovenia, a favourite port of call. Ashore it was quiet as it is still early in the season and we had no trouble booking a place in a local restaurant where we met an Australian couple who regularly holidayed in Europe as it was cheaper than Australia!
Our other reason for visiting Piran was to check out of the Schengen area, as the Border Control Police are right there in the harbour it is more convenient. So, the next day we duly completed the formalities and continued our journey south to check into Croatia at Umag, not the most exciting of places. We had a fairly rough passage with grey skies and a cool breeze se we were quite glad of the shelter when we entered the large protected harbour. We cleared in, then picked up a mooring buoy and had lunch before having a well earned siesta! Later we inflated the dinghy and went ashore to find the old town, described in the Lonely Planet Guide as a hidden gem but despite our efforts it remained hidden! We returned onboard for dinner and what turned out to be a rather stormy night. The next day the weather improved and we had a good sail to Porec, which is a little gem. Sheltered behind a small island the town lies on a peninsula and was once a walled city. Even though I have visited before we still managed to find new places of interest and this time it was the Basilica and Bishops Palace, well preserved and now a museum. Croatia has increased the Sojourn Tax by 800% this year payable by all boats and equivalent to a tourist tax. The annual tax I paid last year was due to expire in a week s time so I went along to the Harbour Masters office to extend it for a further thirty days, paying more than I paid last year for twelve months! Little wonder cruising boats are leaving Croatia! There was little wind forecast so before leaving we did our laundry in the marina and once clear of the harbour hung it out to dry!
The wind got up later and we managed to sail, taking the inshore passage between the Brioni Islands and the mainland, passing close to President Tito s former residence. We finally berthed at Pula Marina in the early evening and went ashore to explore the amphitheatre and old town, now very much a tourist area. Pula has a wonderful market which opens at 7.00am so the next morning Joycie and Malcolm went ashore to stock up provisions whilst I got on with boat domestics. That evening, at anchor for the first time this trip, we had hand cut tuna steaks on the BBQ. We had sailed most of the way and only five other boats were in the bay so we had plenty of space. In the evening we took the dinghy to the shore walked the trails in the National Park, admired the views from the lookout point and had drinks in the Safari Bar. A truly funky place built on the slopes of the peninsular with a number of different trails leading to it and no signposts, so by the time you find it you are ready for a drink! Needless to say, one of our group who shall remain nameless got lost! The sea temperature is now 22c and the following morning the setting was so perfect we all went in for a swim and provided your heart didn t stop with the initial shock it was quite invigorating. Joycie cheated and wore a wet suit, claiming on grounds of modesty the water was so cold anything could drop off! At anchor Portic Bay, Istrian Peninsular After a late breakfast we left for Osor, a small town on Cres where it is connected to Losynj by a swing bridge. Here we berthed on the town quay, ate ashore in a local restaurant and spent a disturbed night with the wind astern and water slapping on the hull! At 9am the swing bridge opened and we were able to make our way to calmer waters on the other side, secured to a buoy for breakfast then made our way south to Jadriscica a bay on the south of Cres. We moored initially on a pontoon opposite Pogana but later moved to
a mooring buoy in the little harbour and went ashore to explore. A pretty unspoilt hamlet with just one restaurant and few people about. We had hoped to go to the island of Krk but found ourselves with the wind on the nose and uncomfortable sea into which we were slamming. So bore away for a great sail on a beam reach to Rab and an anchorage in the long bay to the west of the town. It is still early in the season and the town was quiet but we had a walk along the promenade to the old town and visited the four churches before returning onboard for a BBQ. The next day the wind was still not in our favour to go to Krk so we headed south to Pag, a long narrow island largely uninhabited but famous for its cheeses and lamb. We spent a night in the harbour at Jakisnica at anchor with lines to a new jetty, had a long walk and later a meal in the only restaurant open! A night at Navalja which is very much a young persons party town, fortunately the season has not yet started and we had a peaceful night. So far we had been lucky and not paid for our moorings but here, even though we were at anchor we were charged. The weather was now unsettled with heavy rain and thunder storms so we headed for the Marina at Simunj in order to visit the town of Pag some twenty-five kilometres inland. The town is a tourist resort but nicely done. Walked about two kilometers to the site of the old town of Pag where there are signs of where the town once stood and the ruins of the monastery and restored church. On our way back we saw the salt pans which had once made the town a rich commercial centre. Had dinner of Pag lamb in a local restaurant which was interesting but not to be repeated! There is an inland sea between the island of Pag and the mainland and the following day we anchored off the town of Nin. The old part of town is built on an island connected by three bridges. Once a walled city it is now a tourist centre with the added attraction of a beach resort on the peninsular. We had to anchor a long way off as the water was very shallow so it was a long dinghy trip to get ashore. We walked to the first bridge which we found had been breached by floods last autumn so had to walk half way round the island to the next one which was now spanned by a scaffolding bridge. It boasts the smallest cathedral in the world. It is an attractive town invaded by coach loads of tourists during the day and I suspect quiet at night. It has the remains of a Roman Temple, Archaeological Museum, Salt Museum and boasts the smallest Cathedral in the world. Later that day we left to anchor at the head of the adjacent bay for a night away from civilisation. We rose early in the morning to go ashore to walk to the nearest village about 5km away but didn t quite make it (navigator got lost) ending up doing a circular walk returning cross country and stopping to eat our sandwiches with a stunning view overlooking the bay. Once back onboard we weighed anchor and were soon under sail to the island of Vir where we anchored in a large bay along with one other boat, had a BBQ and played Rumikub. In the morning we went ashore to explore the town, didn t take long! Did a bit of shopping and had coffee in a bar overlooking the bay. This a holiday island with a resort area on the north east coast and a development around Vir town, where we were, with very little else. This leg of the cruise was drawing to a close and our last night was spent in a small deserted cove on the island of Ugljan at anchor with a shore line tied to a rock. The next day we motored the short distance to the marina at Preko to refuel, clean the boat, catch up on laundry and say farewell to Malcom. Distance logged 250 nautical miles Map of our trip below.
Monfalcone to Preko (Ugljan)