Lastovo is the most southerly and westerly island in the Croatian archipelago. In this regard, it is the most expedient jumping-off point for the crossing to Italy. Our weather is quite windy so we anticipate being here for a few days until we get favorable conditions for the 10-hour crossing to Italy. Another advantage of this comparatively short crossing is that we can comfortably cover the 60 miles in daylight.
First, to be clear, Lastovo is not a Jimmy Buffet kind of island. Far from it. Lastovo has only opened up to visitors in the last twenty years or so. Prior to that, it was a military island that did not allow non-nationals ashore. But its remoteness means that it still feels a bit cut off from the other islands. It is a three-hour ferry ride to the mainland and ferries capable of carrying cars rather thanjust foot passengers are pretty infrequent.
The population of Lastovo is about 700 but this number is increased by tourists during the summer months. Talking to the staff at our marina, one of them says that he stays here all year and in the winter he can go for days without seeing anyone to talk to. (I wonder how many volleyballs called "Wilson" are on the island). It is also hard for the younger children; there is a primary school on the island but beyond that the kids have to spend five days a week in Split (3 hours away) and can only come home at the weekends during the school year. People here worry that the young are not developing roots on the island and will be less likely to stay in the future. Infrastructure development is equally problematic - building materials and construction workers have to be ferried to the island if you want to build or renovate anything - very expensive.
Zaklopatica
There are two really good places to park our boat on Lastovo - Zaklopatica to the north and Skrivena Luka to the south. This time we have chosen Skrivena Luka because the winds are coming from the north so we will get more shelter on the south side of the island. The restaurant and other facilities here are pretty good, so we will be comfortable throughout our stay.
Skrivena Luka
The little bay is remote from the main settlements on Lastovo but is a wonderful place to go for walks in the morning. We get a few walks in and enjoy listening to the cicadas and take in the local flora. We pick some wild fennel (at least we think it is fennel - if it looks like fennel and smells like fennel then it must be fennel) and use it in our salads for the next few days. Lovely! We eat at the restaurant one night and Lori orders lamb shank (still prudently avoiding goat) and what comes is huge. It must have come from a lamb that could happily double as a woolly pony.
We call this place "Big Chair" for some reason .....
Tp prepare for our departure, we have to provision and also check out with the harbormaster. We gat a taxi ride across the island to the “main port”, Ubli (population 220). Getting the food is easy - fruit and vegetables fro a local stand and staples from a tiny supermarket. The Harbormaster is, as always, a little more challenging. We go the the office during opening hours but it is closed. We call the number on the door - no answer. We call the “urgent” number on the door and get the Harbormaster in Dubrovnik (presumably the local harbormaster’s boss) who can offer no assistance but a recommendation to wait. We do and eventually the guy turns up and explains the process - we should come again on the evening before we leave and get our paperwork stamped.
The winemaker trying to avoid being in the picture
On the way back, we stop off at a tiny local winery (actually the basement of their house) and sample the basic red and white wines of the island. We buy some and it is poured from the barrels into plastic containers for us to take away. You get the feeling that this is how it has always been done and that you don’t get much closer to the traditional approach than this.
Prior to our departure we move our boat closer to the customs post in preparation for an early start the next day. We walk to the Harbormaster’s office about two miles away. It is closed and it is supposed to be open. We sit in a little cafe and wait. Everyone is watching the World Cup including a guy in uniform eating ice cream. Lori says, “Is that the Harbormaster?” I say that it is not the guy I met the day before so probably not, he’s more likely the captain of the large ferry parked on the quay.
The game ends and we are still waiting outside the office. The guy in uniform turns up and opens the office saying “I was sitting in the cafe”. We know! We know!! Still, what else did we have to do? The process is quick, friendly and does not involve us getting any piece of paper stamped - a first in all our travels.
And, "Yes, dear, you were right!"
We notify the customs that we would like to check out at 6:00 am the next morning. They say, “Fine”. We arrive just before six but no border police are to be seen. We wait a polite amount of time and then call. “No problem - we’ll be there in ten minutes”. They arrive; everyone again is friendly and happy; the process is quick and we are on our way before 6:30.
"Standing on a quay in Ubli, Croatia" doesn't sound right. You can see why the Eagles changed the lyrics ...
Our time here has been quite different that our previous two visits. We have found the places we like in Croatia and know the places to avoid. The people in the outer islands are much more friendly and relaxed than those who are close to the tourist invasion on the mainland and the inner islands. Better still, it’s not even been very hot.
On to Italy!