PriorThoughts: Sailing: July 2021

On June 28, our Beneteau dealer, Ultra, replaced the motherboard circuit for the salon table, reinstalled the ice maker they had taken out for repair, and solved a minor sink drain problem in the galley. We spent one more night in our marina, all of us having dinner in Šibenik’s old town at Pelegrini, on their wonderful terrace. The food was flawless, but the highlight of the meal was a 2015 Bire Grk Defora, arguably the best white made in Croatia. Only 1,000 bottles per vintage are produced in Lumbarda on Korčula Island, the grk bijeli grapes transformed into a delightful potion of citrus made more complex by its sur lie fermentation. Magnificent!

So, we were set for our next voyage, this time heading north for the Istria Peninsula. We dropped our lines on June 30 and motored out through St. Anthony’s Channel for a lunch stop at nearby Tijat Island, had a swim and some sun before a light meal at Spirito Summer Place – tempura shrimp with a pleasant chilli sauce. It was then three and a half hours northwest to Žut Island, where we took a buoy. Dinner at Restoran Fešta fell well short of the mark. We had some thunder and lightning overnight, but no rain.

In the morning we motored southeast to Ugljan Island and Uvala Lamljana Mala and took a buoy. On the following day we proceeded to a bay on Molet Island off the small village of Brgulje. It was surrounded by unspoiled hills covered in evergreens with the sea fading into turquoise along the shoreline. Other than the quaint town, it was a panorama of pure nature. The overcast sky cleared in late afternoon, Judith and I got in some swimming and sun. Aboard in the salon, we had steak from an area near Tilen’s home in Slovenia, accompanied by roast potato and vegetables, and a magnum of 2009 Korta Katarina Ruben’s Private Reserve Plavac Mali (bottle 205 of 486).

Our Magnum

The only negative aspect to this very pleasant day was that I banged one of my right toes into a deck fitting, most likely broken. Another injury to add to the list, a bit of medical wrap is all one can really do for toes.

The next day MISSI motored north to the island of Losinj, entering the Northern Adriatic. We took a berth on the public docks of Mali Losinj, the harbormaster and his crew not the most professional we have encountered. Dinner was at the Hotel Alhambra’s Alfred Keller Restaurant and marvelous; one of Judith and my best meals of all time. Our wine selection, a 2015 Santa Elisabetta was a limited production Istrian knock out; a debut wine from the Benvenuti family, one hundred percent Teran. Aged in oak, it was an explosion of savory spice, nuts and dark fruit. Amazing!

Judith, Tilen, Ivana and Me - Alfred Keller Restaurant

We spent another two nights here. Judith and I had pleasant walks along the outer shores of the island and Čikat Bay in particular, where the Alhambra Hotel is located. The well-maintained walkways meander along the water, interspersed with swimming platforms and lined with impressive villas behind walls overflowing with bougainvillea. We were shaded by old growth stone pines laden with rust-colored pinecones and serenaded by a chorus of cicadas. While here, we stopped for a simple lunch at Lanterna Grille on the point of Cape Madona with views to the open Adriatic, and a lunch and another dinner at Alfred Keller Restaurant. In all, Losinj is deserving of a future visit.

Walkway - Čikat Bay

On July 6 we left this lovely island and motored northwest to the Istria Peninsula and the shallow bay of Soline, sheltered by the small island of Veruda. The water was silted, and we spotted some unwelcome jellyfish, so decided not to take our swim. We had stuffed peppers for dinner onboard, and afterward I was also stuffed.

In the morning we continued motoring up Istria’s western coast, about 20 nautical miles, to the ACI marina in Rovinj. The marina, with its adjacent low slung and modern Grand Park Hotel, was just opened in 2021 and had gotten some excellent reviews. Rovinj is a UNESCO protected city with a rich history, first settled in pre-Roman times. Originally an island, it was connected to the mainland in 1763. Rosinj was under the control of the Republic of Venice for more than 500 years, ending just before the 18th century.

Rovinj - St. Euphemia Bell Tower

A warren of cobbled streets seemingly paved to facilitate the breaking of ankles leads to the hilltop church of St. Euphemia, dominating the skyline. This Baroque treasure, completed in 1736, has a bell tower modelled after St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, ostensibly oversized for the scale of its host city. Perhaps a Trump Tower in its day. We spent the afternoon exploring, stopping before returning to MISSI at a local spot, Maestral, for a glass of wine for me. Judith had a cold beer – unusual! Dinner was at one of the hotel’s restaurants, Laurel & Berry, and I am being kind in saying it was disappointing.

We were staying in Rovinj because our service batteries (eight in all) were showing signs of deterioration and Tilen had arranged for them to be replaced here on Thursday, the 8th. During the day of the repair, we walked in the opposite direction of the old town, along Mulini Beach. After dinner at Maestral we all returned for drinks at Mulini Beach Bar to celebrate our final night.

Mulini Beach Bar - Rovinj

While in Rovinj, we had strong northwest winds and we experienced their aftermath with heavy following seas as we left the shelter of the coastal islands. Waves of one and a half to two meters on our starboard quarter made for an uncomfortable ride and a troublesome helm. We had a long day ahead, 51 nautical miles, heading southeast back to Lovinj. Thankfully, the seas calmed a bit as we rounded Cape Kamenjk, but it was still a tiresome seven hours of motoring. Judith and I decided to check into the Alhambra Hotel and take a day off the boat. We availed ourselves of their wonderful sea deck for a full and peaceful day of sun and swimming. Both lunch and dinner were at Alfred Keller – excellent.

We had a final breakfast at on the hotel’s terrace and came back to the boat. MISSI was shortly underway heading for Molat Island, but before reaching this destination we changed course to Duji Island and Uvala Skarum. We took a buoy in a strong westerly breeze and settled in about three, it was too windy and cool to swim. Dinner was onboard and good, shrimp coquettes with vegetables and a pleasant parmesan sauce.

A potentially strong storm was approaching from the southeast, so we opted to motor to Biograd’s Kornati Marina, a long motoring trip of 38 nautical miles. Before arriving, we stopped for a quick swim break off Galesnjak Island. It was a hot and humid evening; we had an alfresco dinner at a simple local eatery, Konoba Kaciol. The next morning, the Jugo (southeast wind) continued to intensify as the day progressed; it remained sweltering and muggy. Dinner was at a uncomplicated spot in town, Restoran Peperino.

The wind and rain overnight were less severe than forecast and veered to the northwest. We departed the marina around 11:00 to an overcast sky, motoring and then sailing downwind with only our jib in a 15-knot breeze as we rounded the north-western tip of Tijat. MISSI was on a buoy by early afternoon, and we had some swimming and sun, even Tilen got in the water. For dinner the four of us were back to Spirito; I had shrimp tempura, a nice steak, and cheesecake! In the morning we were up early and underway, arriving to Šibenik by 09:30, ahead of the forecasted strong west wind for later in the day.