Sailing with the Treleavens

The temperatures are rapidly dropping with the Bora wind hitting us, fortunately while we are tied up in Split Marina.

The past week coming back up the coast with Jane and John has been very pleasant with little wind and what there is, has been on the nose. We have now travelled this coast 3 times and 3 times we have had it on the nose, just our luck.

Finding new bays to swim and have lunch never seem to disappoint us, as they are all isolated and beautiful. A bright orange star fish is found, and such a find in these dead waters is rare. Jane and I discover herbs and delicious wild figs ashore while John prepares a gourmet lunch, but the uninvited wasps move us on very quickly.

Our best lunch to date in Croatia was at Hannibal's in Hvar, carpaccio fish, Scampi and grilled squid were delicious. Also very good was Boban in Split, as we sailed into Split John received a SMS message from Sydney to tell us of the restaurant, isn't technology great.

Asking the taxi driver what Split is famous for, he replied spit roast lamb, black wine and someone else's wife. You can change to white wine if you like but can't change the wife.

The old town within the walls of the fortified Roman Dioclerian Palace are a great example of late Roman architecture, about AD 300. Now the main commercial port in Croatia and also the main sailing centre. While we were there, the national optimist class racing was on and it was great to see so many young girls and boys competing even in these conditions. It was also great to catch up with Borut, the Musto agent here who we have known for years.

Jane and John get the ferry to Italy and we intend to only stay one night in Split .It turns into two as the bora wind is here for a few more days. Don't mind the wind but the sudden cold change has taken us by surprise.

Sunday we leave and Ian is in his element in this wind, and sail 35 miles in 4 hours, and I am in my bear suit keeping warm. Finding a sheltered bay on the island of Tijat for the night is beautiful, no swimming, too cold. Next day another great sail, according to Ian, to Biograd. Why is it that everyone around us has only one sail up with a big reef and we are charging along with both sails set and a small reef, but we are first into the marina. (I think Ian is still racing the abandoned races from the Croatia rally).

John Messenger left us with the latest copy of Sydney Afloat and we did have a laugh about the Anchoring Tips. In the Med the safety swing would just not apply. A recent harbour comes to mind at Hvar where you free anchor, put out all fenders and hope you all move at the same time. There are 30 yachts in a small bay at anchor and the night we are here its no wind and you just wait for a bump. Also in the bay stern to, thank goodness, is Independence one of the largest super yachts.
A surprise visitor to the yacht was Josko Grubic and wife from the days of Anaconda 2. Josko was born in Split and this is his first visit back here and was amazed at the great cruising ground. At 80 he would still love to come here and own a boat and probably will.

We are now in Kornati Marina Biograd ,Croatian base for The Croatia Yacht Rally taking the opportunity to prepare Cadiz for wintering over. We have decided not to go to Venice; it can wait till next year. Have decided to explore the islands just north of here and then haul Cadiz out of the water and head home to Sydney in 2 weeks time.

Day 8, Lay Day, is spent in Korcula Marina, and everyone adventures out into this bell shaped walled town and fish bone streets. Our night is spent with Bob's crew along side in a bay over looking a monastery with the mountain range behind. As the sun goes down we have cocktails in the bow and watch a beautiful sunset.

Race 5 to the island of Mljet, is abandoned and we motor across in no wind.

Day 10, Lay Day, and the bikes are out, we are in Pomera. Our crew hire a car and explore the island and we cycle around the lake and lunch in a lake side fish café. A highlight to our day is a very old lady who wants to give us some golden peaches that smell amazing. On asking for her photo she straightened her black scarf and gave me a gummy smile.

Race 6 Ladies skipper day and its not going to be me. Rebecca takes the helm in little wind but its slow and only 7 boats finish, 3rd over the line and 3rd on handicap. Ian learns the pressures of how hard crew work is when he wakes up very sore from all the grinding the next day. With all the boats moored up to one restaurant, its presented very well and a fun evening followed.

Day 12 is spent in the inlet of Ston and visit the old Roman salt pans which are still in use and the high very narrow wall built by the Turks to protect at the time this very valuable commodity. This is the area for oysters and mussels and we have a great lunch with the guidance of Milan the rally race director who has now joined us.

Race 7, the final race to Dubrovnik, and there is high hope of the Bora wind from the North East arriving at last. We start in light winds on port gybe right on the committee boat and do a Chris Dickson gybe on the start line in front of Mark Gray and Fast Eddy, the only yacht to start on starboard. It is well executed, but sorry Mark, getting these caravans to perform; you have to pull out all stops. The wind dies and another race is abandoned with us leading.

Dubrovnik is stunning and the last supper is over looking the lit up walled town from the Hotel Excelsior. We achieve the lowest points for the rally but being the only owner yacht, provision is made for a charter yacht and the next lowest points went to Bill Whisker from Perth on another Beneteau 473.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, making new friends and acquaintances. To quote John Messenger most people had been racing all winter and they came to cruise whilst the only racing we have done is beating charter yachts into the marina.

We became the medic yacht, spare parts centre and our deck compressor dive gear was well used. George Girdis was so impressed he is going to buy one for Marloo.

Thanks to our crew, Rebecca, Brian, Judy and Natalie for helping us to perform so well. Ian loved catching up on all the New Zealand yachting gossip from Rebecca and almost learnt how to speak New Zealand again.

A special thanks to Bob and Sue Fraser, Bainy and Annie, Andrew and Sandy, for being such great rafting up companions,  and John Messenger and Margo for filling up our yacht with left over grog and food.

Jane Waters another old Christchurch friend of Ian's and John have joined us for a week sailing back up the coast to Split. Moored along side us in Dubrovnik is Mirabella 111, at 40 metres, a bit bigger than us. Our first night out is in Luka on the island of Sipan.We spy an Aussie flag and moor stern too along side, only to be joined by another flying a CYCA flag . It is a Beneteau 50 owned by Helen Lovett and Damien Moloney doing something similar to ourselves.

The English yacht on the other side moans about the Aussie invasion saying he has had to put up with it for the past week.

We are now heading back up the coast and if the weather holds we will get to Venice 250 miles away.

Biograd is where a fleet of 24 charter cruising yachts come together for 7 races over 2 weeks, our destination Dubrovnik 120 miles down the coast. The rally (it soon becomes the Americas Cup ) is run by Trevor Joyce's Mariner
Boating Holidays and has 134 people here from Australia to have the adventure of sailing as a fleet, meeting in the evenings for dinner and on lay day's time to explore on there own the beautiful Islands..

Day 1 is a race to the Kornati Islands, an 18 miler tacking in and out between the baron cone shaped islands, to the ACI Marina on the island of Piskera. The line up of yachts at the start is spectacular against the old town and blue skyline. The fleet comprises the blue yachts, the Grand Soleil's and Comets from 56 foot to 40foot and the white yachts Beneteau's and Jeanneau's from 52.2 foot to 37 foot. We in our Beneteau 473 have 4 other identical yachts to rate ourselves against. On board we have Judy Van Geldren and Natalie Walton from Sydney.

Perfect race conditions and we are 3rd over the line and win on handicap. Cadiz has never raced before and considering we have a lot of stuff on board we are very surprised how well she went. If Ian wrote this he would tell you its skill but I will tell you it's the all girl crew. Cocktails and dinner overlooking the yachts in the marina at sunset, it doesn't get much better.

Day 2, Lay Day and a 30 mile sail to Primosten, our next race start line. Calling into two beautiful bays for a swim we drop anchor with Bob and Sue Fraser and Trevor and Maggie Joyce's yachts rafting along side. Its all great fun till we all start to drift back on to the rocks, but with all that skill on board, we are on our way again. Finally our spinnaker gets an airing, now a little smaller, but it holds together.

Race 2 and not a lot of wind around, we head for Trogir. It's a close shave past a couple of islands, with a bit of rock watching in the bow. We are 7th over the line and 2nd on handicap. After an amazing dinner of cured ham, mussel and squid ink risottos, platters of meats and then fish, its prize giving time again and the cellar is filling up with Croatian wine as prizes.

Day 4, Lay day and walk the narrow stone lanes of Trogir.The view from the old Venetian Fort of this wonderful town covering a small island was spectacular, with all our fleet tied up to the town dock. In the afternoon we find the bay of Krknjas on the island of Veli Drvenik and spend the evening surrounded by crystal clear green water and our buddy party yachts, Trevor and Bob. Rebecca Hayter, editor of Boating New Zealand and Brian Watson join us for the rest of the Rally.

Race 3 and a bigger handicap, its find some wind. A very slow start but we find a breeze near the land and get 1st over the line, 4th on handicap. ACI Marina on the island of Saint Klement is fabulous amongst the pine trees and another great dinner overlooking the bay.

Day 6 Lay day, we cross to Hvar with the Saalfeld family (from RSYS) and Bob Fraser's crew on board. Some climb to the castle and others just need to sit in the sun and watch the passing parade and eat more food and drink more wine. The afternoon is spent in the bay of Soline and we are stern to in the clearest water to date. We can see quite clearly the weed like grass 12 meters below us.

Race 4 is to Korcula and it's on the nose with a 12 mile beat in 12 knots of breeze, the strongest to date. We all have to work hard and Ian is getting very serious now. I am in trouble as I would like some photos but we are in trouble at the start line and there is no one else to take it out on. We recover well and finish 3rd and 1st on handicap. We are having very close racing with Bobs Team on a Grand Soleil 46.3 and Bill Whiskers Team on an identical yacht to ours, a Beneteau 473.

It is great to catch up with so many sailing colleagues from Sydney and drink many a wine at the great functions after each race day and resailing the days event a 100 times.
We need the lay days to recover from both activities.

Stay tuned for the next week of racing.