264 lines
8.4 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
264 lines
8.4 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
travel
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destinations
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europe
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croatia
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5088438
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# Sailing in Croatia: 1001 Dalmatians
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## Clare Mann goes sailing in the Dalmatian Islands off the Croatian coast
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and finds something for each family member.
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![Boat in the Dalmatian Islands][1]
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Image 1 of 2
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There are around 1000 Dalmatian islands off the Adriatic coast of Croatia
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![Hvar, Dalmatian Island][2]
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Image 1 of 2
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The island of Hvar has something of a reputation as a party venue Photo: GETTY
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IMAGES
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By Clare Mann 12:08PM BST 01 Apr 2009
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[Comments][3]
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I could not believe I was doing this again. Our sixth year sailing and this
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time not even in the safe embrace of a flotilla. Instead, we were bare-
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boating. The thought of two weeks on a 39ft yacht made me long for a villa in
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Provence that didn't sway, a decent cupboard where I could hang a freshly
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ironed linen dress and a proper loo where you don't have to put the paper in a
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scented nappy sack. But the truth is, I couldn't imagine a "normal" holiday -
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I'd go stir crazy.
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This was my first visit to Croatia and I was excited. There are a thousand or
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so islands along the Dalmatian coast, and as our plane made its descent to
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Split they were tantalisingly spread out beneath us in a wide ribbon. There
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can be no better way, I convinced myself from several thousand feet, than to
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explore them by boat - better still, as your own master and commander.
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My three teenage children had grown several feet between them since the last
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time we sailed and squabbled over cabins. The pre-ordered provisions had
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barely been crammed into the tiny fridge, let alone our overstuffed suitcases
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decanted into the rationed locker space when Toni, our "friendly skipper",
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appeared. This is a service offered to bare-boaters who feel a little rusty
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and Toni whipped us out to sea and had us seaworthy in a couple of hours.
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"You must go here and here," he scribbled enthusiastically all over my road
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map of the Dalmatian coast, the names of his favourite konobas (traditional
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tavernas) and places for snorkelling.
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## Related Articles
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* [Dalmatian Islands: where to eat and drink][4]
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07 Apr 2009
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* [Dubrovnik city guide][5]
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27 Mar 2009
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* [Historic match for remote cricket outpost][6]
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11 Apr 2009
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* [Canoeing with teenagers][7]
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19 Jan 2009
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* [Mediterranean island guide: Croatia][8]
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07 Apr 2009
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August is the busiest time in Croatia, and as we consisted of five families on
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five boats we were advised to find a berth or a safe anchorage early afternoon
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each day. For the dedicated sailor this was frustrating as the mornings were
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invariably calm while the wind got up early afternoon just as we were heading
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in. More importantly, it meant we had to forgo long lunches in tranquil bays,
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something we had enjoyed in Turkey and Greece. Nevertheless, we still managed
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to visit 16 islands and cover more than 300 miles.
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Initially, we struck north for the Krka National Park, heading for the
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picturesque port of Skradin. The port was our first taste of Croatian glamour:
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on the quayside several super yachts gleamed. Their liveried crews were
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stationed at the gangplanks armed with walkie-talkies. Late into the night,
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thumping music systems rocked the quayside. The likes of Roman Abramovich and
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Princess Caroline of Monaco cruise these waters, we were told.
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North of Skradin, the once-isolated Kornati islands broke water like a school
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of whales, dove grey and yellow ochre, striped with ancient dry stonewalls.
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The sparse vegetation is only good for grazing sheep and beekeeping but
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tourism has breathed new life into the archipelago, and sleek yachts anchor in
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its bays. Vrulje is the largest habitation in the islands, an enchanting inlet
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with clear water and a cluster of stone houses. We walked up a steep rocky
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hillside in the early morning, pushing aside donkeys for a stupendous view
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over the islands. Family-run konabas spring up in the summer: the patron is
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usually the chef, the wife brews the homemade grappa with local herbs, a son
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catches the fish and a granddaughter waits at the table.
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From this point we headed south again and each island brought us something
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special. Toni had told us to seek out Vouani and his tiny restaurant, tucked
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away up a back street. A rusty bicycle hung above the sink, and cooking
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utensils adorned a tree by the outdoor oven. Vouani cooked us peka, a
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traditional dish of lamb (or fish) stew cooked under clay for several hours.
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Vis was a highlight, a place enriched by invaders over the centuries: Greeks,
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Ottomans, Venetians and the British who introduced cricket to the island in
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the 19th century. Vis was closed to foreigners until 1989, and it remains
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surprisingly unspoilt. We moored on the quayside in Kut, a charming fishing
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village which merges into Vis Town, where more gin palaces were roped to the
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quayside.
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We were heading for Roki's konoba, vineyard and a cricket ground, a mile or so
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inland (he will come and collect guests - call 00385 21 714004;
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[www.viscricket.com][9]). He founded the Vis Cricket Club 10 years ago and our
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cricket-mad boys couldn't believe their luck as they found themselves playing
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a seven-a-side match before supper. After the match, we ate under a giant
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mulberry tree and a starry sky, drinking white Vugava from the family's vines.
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Roki, cigarette clamped between his teeth, grilled sea bass on a barbecue and
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then produced a chocolate cake for my son's birthday.
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Our next stops were the party islands Hvar and Korcula, which lived up to our
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teenagers' expectations. In Korcula they found a cool club playing Seventies
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music, while in Hvar they returned at 6.30am looking pleased with themselves
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after a night mingling with Croatia's finest at the Carpe Diem Club VIP
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tables. The older party members found that the time to visit this exquisite
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town was early in the morning, when only the locals are awake; we dropped
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anchor in the harbour, took the tender ashore and sat in the empty piazza
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drinking creamy cappuccinos.
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On lush green Mljet (a favourite of Prince Charles and Stephen Spielberg,
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apparently) we hired bicycles and cycled round a beautiful inland lagoon and
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monastery. Then we stumbled on the tiny island of Scedro and the idyllic
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Konoba Lovisce.
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"We should press on if we want to get into St Klement marina," someone
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murmured as we ate freshly baked bread, prosciutto and local cheese under a
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pergola.
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Nobody stirred. There was nothing for it - so we simply ordered more wine.
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### Getting there
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**The Moorings **(0844 4636375; [www.moorings.co.uk][10]) offers bare-boating
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for seven nights from £1,330; this price is for a 39.1 Club Line Moorings
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(Beneteau) yacht, which sleeps six, and includes fuel, dinghy, chart briefing
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and linen.
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Moorings will advise on necessary sailing qualifications for each destination
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and will arrange sailing licences.
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**EasyJet **(0905 821 0905; [www.easyjet.com][11]) flies daily from London
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Gatwick to Split. Check website for current offers.
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### Five ways to survive
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* Sleeping can be a problem so pack homeopathic sleeping pills.
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* There can only be one skipper on board. Decide who it is and stick to it.
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* Prevent anyone becoming a galley slave by enforcing a strict galley rota.
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* Take a couple of Tupperware containers for food storage.
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* Don't pack clothing that creases: there won't be anywhere to hang it.
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**Visit [Dubrovnik, the Dalmatian Coast & Montenegro][12] with [Telegraph
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Riviera Travel][13] [![][14]][12]**
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* Share: [Share][15] [ ][17] [ ][18]
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[Tweet][19]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/croatia/5088438/Sailing-
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in-Croatia-1001-Dalmatians.html
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Telegraph
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## [Croatia][20]
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* ### [Travel »][21]
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* ### [Activity and adventure »][22]
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Related Partners
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* [Cheap holidays to Croatia][23]
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![][24]
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][25] [blog
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[Europe »][27]
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[France][29]
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[Spain][30]
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[Turkey][31]
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[Greece][32]
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[Portugal][33]
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## [Telegraph Cottages »][36]
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