Jim and Tracey have settled smoothly into the cruising groove.
Lori and Tracey, after many protestations, slipped into the (apparently cold) water of the bay and had a quick swim before our departure. It is a lovely spot but we should have chosen the other restaurant. Ah well …. we’ll know next time.
The weather is being a little awkward. It’s not that there’s any really bad weather. It’s just that where the weather is cuts down our options. I eventually decide that we will shoot for the northern direction and see what develops. Primosten is a possible destination with Marina Frapa as a good backup.
In the morning we have periods of wind up to 18 knots largely on our beam. It makes a good refresher for Jim and Tracey who take turns helming and look perfectly comfortable. The wind dies a bit in the middle of the day and then picks right back up again to about the same level,. Again it’s a beam reach and we make 8 knots under sail for over two hours.
Primosten is not going to work. We were advised to call ahead and, when we do, there is not a mooring open. So Marina Frapa it is and we arrive shortly after 2:00. . We stayed here before and this time we get a little more time to enjoy it. We walk round the bay to the old town with its limestone buildings and drink a glass of wine in one of the little bars on the quay. Tracey buys a hat.
We eat dinner in one of the restaurants in the marina and have a much more satisfactory (and appropriately priced) experience with the tuna, squid and octopus all being excellent.
After a quiet night, we set off early to see how far we can get in the direction of the Kornati islands and the national park. The wind is not exactly favorable but we are making more than 6.5 knots under the engine so we decide to go to our farthest option - Luka Telascica. We spent a night here last week and I, in particular, liked it a lot.
As we are approaching the Kornati islands, there is a pod of dolphins swimming lazily in the still water. Its stillness makes the dolphins appear even more languid than usual. We hang around and watch then for about 20 minutes and get some good photos and videos.
It is windy as we pass through the Kornati National Park but the 12 knots are pretty much on our nose. It makes for a choppy ride through channels that are busier than last time. We pass a pod of super yachts just outside the north end of the park. The largest is 115 meters long, needs a crew of up to 46, and was purchased for $300m. Their jet-skis have AIS - helps you know where the kids are, I suppose.
We arrive at our mooring by about 3:30. Our patented buoy lassoing technique isn’t quite so smooth this time. We manage to snag the buoy quickly enough but getting a line through the ring on the top is frustrating and not helped by the wind. Our freeboard at the bow is quite a challenge when trying to reach down to the ring. We need to refine this approach. or use an alternative that Jim has proposed.
This is the place with the mini-market boat and the ice-cream boat. The ice-cream guy’s timing is perfect and we can’t resist.
We eat on board, watch the moon rise, chat and play music until late. It's a little odd streaming music on TIDAL in the middle of one of the remotest bays in all Croatia. The summer wind has died and the water is so calm that the line from ourbow to the mooring buoy is hanging limply and the buoy itself is resting peacefully against the boat. It stays like that all night.