On the water

We arrived at a town called Marina, coincidentally also a marina, were we took possession of Rudis, a Leopard 46 sailing catamaran. The checkout did not take long, and Ron was off to take his sailing license exam. The rest of the crew busied themselves shopping at the village market while Ron was conveyed to the site of the exam. It takes 6 uniformed Croatian officials to conduct the exam. A rather fierce looking individual sat across the table from him with a nautical chart spread out before him. Also present were two wooden boat models used to set up various sailing scenarios and various navigation tools. A rapid fire cross examination then takes place, both word problems, chart reading, and problems using the model boats. A particularly distinquished looking official sat at one end of the table taking notes. The remaining four officials were in an alcove, observing the proceedings, perhaps to ensure compliance with the Geneva Conventions. A crisis arose when the passport sized photographs I had brought were not the right size for the Croatian license. Major discussion ensued and resloution was acheived only when a young women, affiliated with one of the charter companies, called our company who agreed to take photos and forward them to the port officials. Handshakes all around and Ron's temporary license was issued. The cruise was saved.

As a result of the excitement at the licensing exam we spent the night at the Marina marina. The boat is airconditioned and after a fine meal prepared by the crew, especially Ken, we turned in. We set sail the next morning for Vis, an island about 28 nautical miles from Marina marina. We sailed a bit but motored mostly as the winds were light. The crew performed excellantly. We arrived at the town of Komza at about 3:00 and performed a modified med mooring. This involves something called a slime line. For those interested in this process please contact one of the crew who will boor you with the process.

We are now sitting on the waterfront having a drink and planning the evening. The water is as blue and clean as the Caribbean, the scenery is gorgious, and a wonderful time is being had by all.

Pictures to follow.

The Crew

Photos from Split, Croatia

Split, Croatia

Here we are in Split Croatia. Ron and I and the Hoods took a 14 hour train ride from Vienna two days ago. It was a long time but provided time to see the beautiful scenery. We arrived at Split and checked into the Villa Ana Hotel and Patti and RT were waiting for us having flown in... The small hotel is wonderful-5 rooms in a stone building. We are on the third floor, nice room with 3 windows and ac. The breakfast in the basement was great. Maybe the biggest plus was the clerk Branka. She spoke wonderful English and was full of suggestions and information. One night we called Debbie on Skype. We tried to contact Jerry but he did not answer his phone. We miss them and this is the part of the trip when we were to meet up with them. If you are not familiar with Skype it is a great program that makes telephone calls through the computer. Cheap and great connections.

Split is a lovely old town with Roman ruins. We took a city tour and saw the ruins inside the old Diocletian Palace. The Caesar Diocletian built it in the third century AD, and later retired to it. He died here as did the last of the Roman Caesar’s. Many people still live within these walls. A maze of narrow alleys has shops, restaurants and private homes. Ken and Diane hiked outside the city center and reported ugly suburban sprawl. Split is a tourist town, full of Europeans on holiday arriving by bus, ferry, plane and train. Sitting in the Café’s drinking a coffee or beer and people watching is a treat. Between the Old Town and the Dalmatian Coast is the Riva (waterfront promenade lined with benches and palm trees).

Last night we are seafood in a waterfront restaurant and watched the sea and the sun set. On the way back to the hotel we ate ice cream. Earlier in the day we had visited the fish market situated close to a sulfur spa as the sulfur keeps down the flies.

In less than an hour we leave the Villa Ana for the sailboat. We have a Mooring’s 4600-a 46 foot catamaran with 4 queen sized staterooms, 2 additional berths, and wonderful salon and cockpit spaces. We have sailed a similar, earlier iteration of this boat in the southern Caribbean some years ago. Ron has to get a Croatian sailing license and has been cramming for his exam. Cramming in Croatia always involves beer. We are not sure of the availability of internet connections once we set sail so this may be out last post for a while.

The Crew.

The Famous Opera Toilet

More of Vienna

Shots of Vienna