Korcula to Scedro, Hvar and Palmizana

We left Korcula early on Friday, thinking we would head over to Vela Luka for a nice anchorage. Well nice in every wind except a western Maestral.

Of course, as we are sailing the wind comes in strongly from the west, so we reassess our home for the evening.  777 harbours and anchorages is a book about sailing in Croatia and the Eastern Adriatic.  The authors suggest Scedro Island as a lovely place to hide from a Maestral. We are looking for a nice quiet anchorage and so we select the bay of Carnjeni.  As we approach, we mistake the bay alongside called Borova, which is very small and filled by the large cruiser that inhabited it.  The autopilot guides us to Carnjeni and we find a beautiful anchorage; remote, enticing, a small beach at one end and shrubs and pines filling the shore. So natural, in fact, that we were barely finished anchoring before the boats was gently swarmed by bees and wasps. They weren’t aggressive but it was still disconcerting to have bees walking on the boat and on us.  We think they like salt. Needless to say we ate indoors with screens covering every opening and our friends stayed with us til about 8:30pm, when we could finally venture outside.

The bees were back in the morning.   After a quick swim, we motored out early to Hvar, along the south of the island, looking at the vertical agriculture and viniculture. At St Nedjelja, the winemaker understands the thirst sailing generates and has put in a jetty.  Sailors can moor up, taste his wares and retire to their boats on the dock.

We sailed passed the beautiful city of Hvar, on our way to the ACI Marina at St Klement.  We checked in and then took a water taxi to Hvar.

777 calls Hvar lively; it seems to me a great understatement. Hvar is lovely, crowded and frenetic as soon as the sun sets.  There are dozens of  tour boats, several ferries, many buses and each bring hordes of men and women ready to have fun. During the day they may go to historical sites, climb to fortresses and see the art in Cathedrals. After dark they swarm rather like our bees over the streets near the town quay and around the beach walk.  The energy is palpable.

In fact, James and I managed to have a bit of social life in Hvar, luck would have it that Lauren Knight-Smith was going to be in Hvar and we managed to meet up for dinner.  Lauren has been travelling in Croatia for two weeks so she had great information on places we haven’t reached yet. It was great to catch up and hear about her plans.

We also managed to catch up with Dennis and Bosjana and their daughter Caroline, as Sarayu managed to get a great mooring in Hvar Town Harbour. It is great to reconnect and hear about the ports they had been to and the adventures they had been having.

We opted for a quiet day on St Klements, a walk around the island brings you to  gorgeous Palmizana bay, a rocky beach and several interesting restaurants.

After our energetic walk, we came back to a marina filling up with the party of The Yacht Week, the marina only a third full at lunch time was absolutely overflowing with the boats in this regatta – there are 50 of them crewed with 18 to 30 year olds.  We think it may not be so quiet tonight, but perhaps more lively.