Izola, Slovenia to Corfu, Greece
August 1-17, 2002

Travelog # 1 of Fall 2002

This is the last trip of the year and starts with our detouring through North Carolina to visit family. The journey continues through Washington DC, Frankfurt, Venice and finally to Izola, Slovenia where we left Traumerei in May.

The marina had been requested to have the boat in the water by the time we arrived, but no such luck. After a very long flight and a 2 hour train ride from Venice to Trieste and Izola we found Traumerei still on the hard. At 4:55 I went to the marina office, which normally closed at 5 PM, and explained that the launching should have been done. It caused a bit of a twit in that they had the travelift operator come back to the marina and put us in the water at 6:30. If the boat is in the water the chore of loading the boat is so much easier, everything is ground level instead of up a 10 foot ladder. We straightened up a bit and then walked the short distance to the town for a meal and then home. On our way home it began to sprinkle and before we got the 4 blocks or so to the boat it was raining pretty hard. This was the beginning of a torrential downpour that lasted all night. The rain was accompanied by high winds and a lightening storm. It was enough to cause several boaters to get up during the night to monitor the lines. It was great sleeping, if you can ignore the wind and lightening.

At some time during our absence a boat with an iron keel was modified with a grinder. This repair was next to our boat and a lot of the grinding debris ended up on Traumerei. The mess is great and it will take some time to remedy. We had waxed the boat and now we have wax with bits of iron filings as a surface. Today s activities include provisioning for a short trip and getting all of the electronic modifications in working order. It is a very busy day that comes right after a long trip so we are tired very early. We believe we are ready to depart for Venice in the morning.

I have charts of Croatia, Slovenia, Greece and Turkey on board, but none of Italy. The marine supply store here in Izola also has no charts, in fact I can't find any at all. I do have the chart plotter and several good books about entering the lagoon at Venice and we must go, so we will arrive without the detailed instructions. We are off at 8 AM for a 55 nm mile journey. It is rather flat and no wind so we motor and arrive at the Lido entrance channel at 3 PM. I have been watching another sailboat that is arriving from a different direction but will pass through the entry buoys when we do, if I hurry. I decided it would be wise to coordinate our observations and enter with another local sailor. We followed him around the somewhat crooked entry course and as we were approaching a fork in the entry I hailed him and asked if he might recommend a marina where we could find a berth for two days. He motioned that I could follow him. A note about boating in the lagoon. There are many islands with dredged channels that are for navigation. If you wander out of the channel, you will most likely be aground and that could be very embarrassing. The channels are marked with a series of wooden posts that are driven into the silty bottom. The posts are generally in groups of three and almost self-explanatory, but not quite. It is a truly memorable experience to pilot your own boat into the lagoon in Venice. Well back to the story of entering the area. We knew of three marinas, one was at the commercial end of town near the ferries, the second one was on the east end of town in an obscure corner, and the third is the one on Isla San Giorgio Maggiore which is but 400 yards across the Grand Canal from San Marcos Square. This is the prime spot and our sailor guide is a member here and led us to a place adjoining his slip. I am sitting in the cockpit of the boat and the San Marcos Cathedral/San Marcos square et al is just across the water totally unobstructed. The words are not sufficient to explain what we have for a view from our boat. We are tied up adjacent to the San Giorgio Maggiore Cathedral where a Pope Pius was nominated to be Pope. Something was going on in Rome so as to move the procedure to this place. It is very important to the city of Venice and to all Catholics, I presume.

As this is August and Italians take the month of August for vacation, there are several slips available. Our sailor guide, Francisco, has been in Croatia for three weeks and leaves tomorrow for his home in the mountains in the Tyrol region. It is near Bolzano and the Dolomites. The boat on the other side leaves Saturday morning for a three week cruise in Croatia. They invited us to join them for drinks and conversation. The man of the boat, Francis, was excited to find that we were from the west especially Arizona. He knows Arizona, it is the place of John Wayne and Pecos Bill. This reference is repeated several times. This is a rather common occurrence for us; Arizona brings to mind the westerns and John Wayne.

Saturday morning we awake in Venice and have a cup of coffee in the cockpit of our boat, it is truly an indescribable experience. It is great to have read a bit of the history of the place and imagine the activity of years gone by. Venice at one time was the most important city in the world. It was the seat of power over a region that extended to Turkey, Greece and other parts of Europe. The visual presentation is one of grandeur and color. A trip by vaporetto to the local market is in order for the two or three days before we get to Croatia. The morning rides on the vaporetto, waterbus, is different than the afternoon ride in that the morning is with locals doing shopping and the afternoon is almost completely bustling tourists. The campanile of St. George is directly beside our boat and we are able to get to the top where there is an outstanding view of Venice, Grand Canal and all. We left the boat to do a bit of sight seeing in Venice prior to going to the airport to meet Steve & Louise Renneckar who will cruise with us for 2 weeks. Venice is a town wherein you just stroll about with very little direction, it is all so different that the town itself is the interest. The vaporetto has a route that circumnavigates the lagoon and ends with a trip down the Grand Canal. After this journey we begin the stroll toward the bus station and our trip to the airport.

The plane is 2 hours late so our ride back to Venice is in the twilight. Once at the lagoon we board the vaporetto for a ride down the Grand Canal to San Marcos Square. We have been on the Grand Canal in the daytime but never after dark. It is really different in that there is a lot of activity and life in the buildings along the canal. At night one can see the activity in the buildings with the lighting from the chandeliers. In the daytime the buildings fronting the canal seem to be a facade but has added interest with activity. This must truly be a feast for the eyes of the Renneckars in that it their first time to Venice. We only stay in the square long enough to get on the vaporetto to Isla San Giorgio and our boat for the night. Sunday morning finds us sleeping late and not going to the city until lunchtime. There has been a lot of activity to watch but we were not part of it. We spent the whole day in Venice and Isla Murano. We were going to eat at Harry’s Bar but when I went in to make sure that Steve could get in the bar while in his chair, the waiter said I could not stay unless I was wearing long pants, that ended that. We had a pizza later somewhere else. So much for fancy Italian meals. The day is long and we are really glad to see our boat about 10:30 PM. We will be up and out of here as soon as it is light. I know I will not be able to find my way out of the lagoon to open water without daylight.

Monday morning finds us slowly exiting the Venice lagoon via the northern most of the three entrances. It is a 5 mile very crooked trip in a narrow canal that is shared with opposing traffic consisting of large ferries and the like. Once clear of the obstructions we head to the open water and for Pula, Croatia. This trip is about 80 miles and re-crosses the Adriatic. It is about 3:30 in the afternoon when we arrive and are welcomed by the sight of the Roman Coliseum. This is another grand sight, the sixth largest ancient coliseum in existence. As soon as we are secured at the marina, Steve, Louise, and I are off for the coliseum. The entrance to the coliseum is up some very step steps so Steve is shown an alternate way to enter. He is escorted by a fellow who is dressed in full gladiator costume. The costume is for tourist pictures, so we have one of Steve in his chariot and the gladiator in attendance. We tour the complete grounds and return to the boat to pick up Kathy for a trip to dinner at Ogladala. We are now getting in the old habit of having a gelato after eating almost any meal. They are better than the Baskin Robbins 31 flavors.

Tuesday morning and we are gone with some very gloomy skies and dark clouds, but we need to move and it is just looking bad. After we are gone for about 3 hours the wind begins to blow about 7 to 8 kts and in a hour or so it is now up to 24 kts. We are clearly safe but it is now raining and I have turned on the radar. There seem to be several squalls around us and we think we might get even wetter, also there is a bit of lightening. Shortly and very rapidly the wind increases to a maximum of 48.7 kts with the wind blown rain actually going horizontal. Steve and I are in foul weather gear with our harnesses on, Kathy and Louise are inside trying to stay dry. It is a fierce wind rain and lightening storm that only lasts about 15 or 20 minutes but it seemed a lot longer. Then the clouds and rain move on to be followed by a gentler rain. When we came within sight of Ilovic we saw, through the binoculars, what looked to be a starting line for the Newport race. It appeared that there were 100 boats in Ilovic, and upon arriving we found that this number was very close to accurate. The last time we were here there was about 6 Austrian race boats and us. There was no room at the mooring for us. We anchored for the night and had a lot of difficulty hooking to the bottom Again we had a night of rain and thunder and lightening. I had to take anchor watch from 3 AM till we left at 6:30. We are now going to Marina Hramina on Otok Murter. It is rather common to see people of any age/sex in the buff, clearly the Italians go for it and so do many of the Croatians and other Europeans. As we were entering Marina Hramina we passed a small boat load of family fishermen, pop, mom, uncle, children, etc., and one of the adult males was standing in the boat in his birthday suit and fishing toward the shore. Louise wanted to stop and get his picture, but we could not get it framed just right or whatever.

Wednesday morning and it is still spitting rain as we travel southeast. It was this way most of the way to Marina Hramina. We found a place to tie up and go to town. We have been here before and commented upon it being a small out of the way village. Tonight it is a roaring town with a county fair atmosphere. We have really noticed an increase in the numbers of tourists or visitors. Everywhere we go it seems that the streets are full. Kathy and I walked to town and listened to a group of 7 men with 1 bass, and 3 other stringed instruments. The instruments looked to be the size of a mandolin and had 8 strings. It was very good music. We are traveling fast but it is necessary in that we have a deadline for arriving in Corfu and who knows what lurks ahead regarding weather. Truly it would be easy to spend a few years enjoying this area. It is magnificent for a fact. There are as many as 100 sailing boats visible at any one time. These boats are chartered boats with the sailors moving from one small town to the next and trying to be in the next town in time to get a place to stay or anchor. The waters are protected by a string of outer islands and there are many places to anchor. I do believe that it surpasses the Ionian for raw beauty. But one must look at this trip like one looks upon the senior prom, enjoy it and move on, there are many things to come.

We are now in Trogir after a short 40 mile day. We had to weave in and out of the string of islands that are in the waterways. We counted 85 sailboats in a single counting of 3 minutes. They were going to Rogoznica and Sibinek. Sibinek is a grand national park and most likely the most popular destination for the sailing group. When we got to Trogir we had to go to the marina because the town quay was full. This is a neat town as I reported in a Travelog last spring. The big difference between this trip and the other trips in this area is the greatly increased number of tourists, especially Italians. The Italians are almost never spoken of in a good manner; they are disliked for their bad manners and rudeness. They are part of the necessary evil that comes with a tourist based economy near Italy. Most Italians take the month of August as their vacation month.

Friday, August 9 and we are leaving early to get fuel and go to Korchula. Well, we got about 5 feet from the dock when we became entangled in an unused mooring line. This is the first time we have wrapped the line about the propeller. Steve tries several times to keep the engine running, and each time the wrap gets tighter, before we decide to see why the engine will not run. Steve and I dive and cut the mooring line from the boat and we are off for the fuel dock. There is one pump and we are fifth in line floating about waiting for our turn. We are off for Korchula at 10:30 and during the day we encounter some strong winds and seas. It is an eventful day that ends with us side tied to the quay in Prigradica, Korchula. It is a quiet village on the north end of the island and we are one of three sailboats that spend the night there. Again we have a great lightening storm for the evening show. This is a night for strolling the village and getting some land time. The town is not accustomed to having visiting boats and we are some what of an oddity, especially flying the American flag.

Kathy and I wake early and know this is to be a pretty long day with the weather prospects being somewhat as they have been. We depart at about 5:30 and enjoy a trip down the eastern coast if the Island of Korchula. The distance from the tip of Korchula to Dubrovnik is about 20 miles and open to the south, from whence the wind is blowing. Thus we sail on the eastern side of the channel between Korchula and the mainland and dodge behind some smaller islands ESE of Korchula. It is a protected last 18 miles and welcome. We arrived in Dubrovnik at 3:30 and found a space on the town quay. The main street of town is just off of our stern about 20 feet away. Here again we are surrounded by Italians but also luck out and have a family of 4 from France on our starboard side. There is a flower market and vegetable market about 100 feet away, also a bakery and a butcher across the street so we are well placed. Shortly after arriving we are settled enough to go to the old town. Again I am in awe of the beauty of old town Dubrovnik. There are no motor vehicles, no hotel rooms and no McDonalds. This is a walled city, which has a drawbridge that can still be operated. The streets are clean and wide with much side streets, which are filled with small restaurants. The passageways are but eight feet wide in the small side streets and there are linear restaurants that are 1 table wide and 40 feet long. I prefer Dubrovnik to Venice for beauty and a sense of antiquity and cleanliness. We spend two days in Dubrovnik and enjoy the old town, the river marina, and shopping. Now we must go to Corfu.

Monday, August 12, 2002. We are on our way by 9AM and had initial thoughts of going by Brindisi, but changed our minds and will sail directly for Corfu, 220 miles, which will take 30 hours. There is a bit of traffic during the night as we are off of the coast of Albania. We are especially aware of Albania and traffic in the area. Clearly nothing happens and we spend a great night traveling and watching the Perseid meteor showers. We are within sight of the outlying Greek Islands early in the day but it is 3 PM before we arrive in Gouvia. The attendant comes out in the dinghy and welcomes us and asks “ How long will you stay this time?” It is sort of nice to be back where we are so familiar with the surroundings.

We mess around the boat and get a fresh water clean up including the washing of our laundry. We are in familiar territory with respect to shopping and restaurants. A local merchant said that the month would be over soon and the Italians would go home, thus the noisy ones would be gone and the island would return to its more natural quiet status. The Italians are not appreciated except that they are necessary for commerce.

We hired a taxi for a three hour tour of the central part of Corfu Island. The trip made several stops so Steve and Louise could see parts of Corfu other than the marina. We stopped at the monastery, Paleokastritsas, and the summer palace of "Sissy" who was the empress of Austria and held grand social affairs, wherein the royalty of Europe would be her guests. It is a three story structure that has a fabulous overlook of the straits between Corfu Island and the mainland. The palace was dedicated to Achilles. While Steve and Louise were here we ate at the local stops, "Chicken Georges", "Navigators" and other less prominent places. We never had any baklava and only remembered it after they left. I will have a piece for Steve, surely Louise would not eat any, as it is too sweet with honey. The Renneckars left us on Saturday en route to Phoenix via Athens and London. They are home by now and we have completed all of our chores and are now prepared to leave for points south. We will leave here with the next deadline to meet Leroy Kochert in Aigina, an island near Athens.

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