According to Croatian legend, the Greek hero Odysseus was shipwrecked and imprisoned on the Croatian island of Mljet, a legend that I and six other sailors believed when the engine of our 54-foot yacht broke down during a visit to the island in May.
“Remember, Odysseus spent seven years on the island of Mljet,” said the captain, Ivan Ljubović, “and we can stay two nights.”
In the scheme of things, the clogged fuel filter that stalled our boat during a seven-night island-hopping cruise from Split to Dubrovnik in a yacht that a passenger helped steer was a minor detail. An engine is essential to keeping a boat, even a yacht, anchored and on schedule on calm days, but most of my crew agreed that being shipwrecked in a Roman village on a turquoise bay was an acceptable fate.
I knew I'd be prepared for more inconveniences when I signed up for this trip last November. The travel company G Adventures was offering several trips at discounted prices over Black Friday weekend. The best deals were in the off-season, when it might be cold and restaurants and attractions are closed. But a seven-night island-hopping trip departing in late April for 30 percent off, for about $1,300, was too good to pass up.
My cousin Kim agreed, and we made plans to pack our rain gear, meet in Split, and try our budget.
“Everything in between is an adventure.”
Little was announced about the itinerary before departure, and none of it was set in stone.
“Split and Dubrovnik are a given,” said the captain, who was solo piloting the boat and serving as our guide on our first day. “Everything in between is an adventure.”
It started on the Sawterns, a beautiful Kuchner yacht with four cozy guest cabins, four economical bathrooms with retractable taps that double as shower taps, and a spacious galley. Our “crew” was a mix of Australians and Americans, ranging in age from 18 to 75, all of whom had jumped on the promotional price. We spent most of our time on the boat, where foam mattresses invited sunbathing and the cockpit awning provided shade.
The weather was sunny, cool and pleasant, but that wasn't our biggest concern. The G Adventures website showed some well-known islands, such as beach-filled Brac and Vis, which are a realistic recreation of the Greek idyllic scenery seen in the movie Mamma Mia 2. However, many places are closed in the off-season, so our captain said we would proceed depending on the weather and the conditions on land.
Meals weren't included, so finding a restaurant that was open was key. For breakfast and lunch on board, we each contributed 50 euros (about $54) for communal groceries purchased at a local market. In the evenings, we ate in restaurants. G Adventures advised us to budget between $250 and $325 for the week, which was accurate, although we often splurged on Croatian wine (a carafe of house wine averaged $15).
Small port
After a flurry of grocery shopping and moving into the bunk cabin Kim and I shared, we experienced nautical zen on a clear, sunny morning as the ship set sail for the 43-mile-long island of Hvar, said to be Croatia’s longest and sunniest island.
The wind rippled and swelled the ocean as nearby islands swept past and flocks of shearwaters soared at eye level.
Within hours, the rugged ridge of Hvar came into view, followed by terraced fields of lavender and olive groves, and we drove down a long, narrow cove to reach Stari Grad, a village of stone houses with terracotta roof tiles that have been inhabited by travelers since Greek sailors from Paros settled here in 384 BC.
Our anchorage gave us a front-row view of the bustling fishing boats and cafes on the waterfront, and while it was still early season to explore Stari Grad's highlights, like the Greek ruins of Pharos and the 17th-century Venetian Cathedral, we enjoyed wandering the narrow alleys and deserted squares of the old town.
From the waterfront, a 20-minute aerobic climb up a steep hill topped by a giant white cross offers panoramic views of Stari Grad and the plains beyond, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of 4th-century farmland of vines and olive groves surrounded by stone walls.
That evening we visited them and headed to Konoba Cocotte, a farm restaurant specializing in “peka,” a type of barbecue where meat is grilled under a lid loaded with charcoal. The family who runs the restaurant opened early for the season and welcomed us with a refreshing glass of rakija, a local herbal liquor. At a long table under a gazebo, we ate our fill of homemade goat cheese, wild boar pate, and fire-roasted lamb, veal, and octopus, all accompanied by unlimited mugs of red and white wine. The cost was 35 euros per person.
Starry Night
Although small ships are not well-suited to dock in small ports, yachting is also a bit like camping, and most mornings start with homemade instant coffee, and the marina has a free bathhouse with showers.
Cool temperatures seemed to deter the big celebrity-filled yachts known to dock in the town of Hvar on the island's southern coast, which the captain described as “the Mykonos of Croatia” as we passed a harbor packed with tourists carrying shopping bags and munching on gelato.
The weather was forecast to be clear, so we anchored in an undeveloped cove east of town. The anchorage was owned by the owners of Mori Onte restaurant, who took us ashore in a small motorized boat, giving us plenty of time to visit the fortress above Hvar and have an Oziusko beer at St. Stephen's Square, the largest in Dalmatia, before dinner.
Back on board, with no artificial lights obscuring the night sky, we decided to do some stargazing on the upper deck. While my crewmates lay in beds, I pulled on a blanket and beanie and fell asleep under the stars, waking occasionally to watch the dramatic moon rise and be reflected on the still water.
Little Dubrovnik
As we set off for the neighbouring island of Korcula, fingers of grey rock stretched out into sloping vineyards along the southern coast of Hvar, and for the longest five hours of the voyage, I welcomed the opportunity to play first mate, manipulating the ropes of the jib sail.
To break the journey, Captain Ljubović headed to a quiet cove off the coast of the Pelješac Peninsula, where the blue Caribbean waters, cloudless skies and sandy bottom invited us to dive in despite the freezing ocean temperatures.
Fifteenth-century city walls encircle Korcula's historic center, earning it the nickname “Little Dubrovnik.” Past a stone gate carved with a winged lion to represent the Venetian Empire, which ruled much of the Adriatic from the 13th century onwards, narrow alleys lead to ornate churches and villas. There's no better journey through history than getting lost in a web of pedestrianised streets, we told ourselves as we passed the purported residence of Marco Polo, which is still closed for the season.
Along the seaside wall, pizza and seafood restaurants line the area beneath electric lights strung between pine trees, and we watched the sunset from an old turret that's now been converted into Massimo cocktail bar, though patrons must climb a ladder to the roof and are warned not to have a second drink.
The most romantic port of the trip was also the noisiest—at least at the marina where the Polish sailing regatta was being held. When I headed for a shower at 6am the next morning, I found a group still dancing merrily on the yacht, which was strewn with empty liquor bottles and crushed potato chips.
Isolated on the island of Mljet
We set off from Korcula in a strong 20 knot “Yugo” or southerly wind and Captain Ljubović unfurled the sails saying “You paid for a sailing holiday, not a motorboat.”
As we turned the boat back and forth towards the island of Mljet, the boat tilted at an uncomfortable angle and we shot ocean spray into our faces.
On Mljet, home to Mljet National Park at its western end, we rented bikes (10 euros) and rode a breathless route over the park's mountain spine. On the other side, we cycled around two inland lakes and took a boat to a 12th-century monastery built on an island in one of them (park entrance fee, 15 euros).
We anchored in the still-quiet town of Polace and heard tales of high season: as many as 100 yachts were moored in the bay, members of the band U2 were seen riding their bikes in the park, and after a brief rain, the town sparkled in the sunset as restaurant Stella Maris welcomed us with grilled sea bass (25 euros) and shrimp (20 euros).
“I'm really glad we chose this time as I don't like crowds,” said passenger Nova Hay, 46, from Sydney, who was travelling with her 18-year-old daughter.
In the morning, I had the trail to myself to the top of Montcook Mountain, a roughly three-mile round trip hike that brought me to one of the highest points on the island, a rock formation with a spectacular panorama overlooked by a family of wild goats.
Shortly afterwards, the Sauterne's engines would not start, leaving us stranded in a remote island national park with no mechanics.
Bustling Dubrovnik
The next morning, Captain Ljubović managed to make repairs, but it didn't last long, as the engine stalled again, this time directly opposite the cave on the island of Mljet, which some joked was Odysseus' hiding place.
After a light morning sailing, a mechanic arrived in a speedboat from the mainland and within an hour we were sailing towards Franjo Tudjman Bridge, spanning the inlet to Dubrovnik's marina, where a hot shower awaited.
“Dubrovnik is the most expensive city in Croatia,” Captain Ljubović told us as we used the last of our savings, 70 euros, to hire a taxi van to take us to and from the ancient city's walled center, about 15 minutes away.
With two large cruise ships docked in the port, Dubrovnik was swarming with tourists, and the fee to climb the stone walls surrounding the city was a shockingly expensive 35 euros (Kim and I spent two days in the city after the cruise and bought a more comprehensive Dubrovnik Pass for 35 euros that included admission to the walls as well as several museums and the public buses).
On our last night, we weighed the advantages of smaller crowds vs. closed museums, perfect hiking weather vs. swimming water, and ample pier space vs. dining options, and decided that sailing during bargain season would be a better deal.
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