We are moving a little faster through Croatia this year, having explored much of this coastline last summer and eager to spend more time farther south in the Med in places still new to us.
May 27 was spent tucked into a quiet cove in the Pakleni Islands, followed by May 28 anchored near Lastovo Nature Park. Two peaceful nights onboard with little agenda beyond relaxing, enjoying the scenery, and slowly settling back into life aboard Kora.
Of course, “boat projects” somehow always appear. We unpacked the last few storage lockers, reorganized the fishing gear, and optimistically declared that perhaps this will finally be the summer we become self sufficient fishermen. Time will tell.
We also cruised back through the Pakleni Islands reminiscing about last year’s adventures with Khali, Cam, Kaitlyn, and our friend Rebin – jetski rides through the bays, beachside spritzers and charcuterie boards, and the now legendary moment when Cam turned superhero and untangled our anchor chain from another boat’s chain.
One unexpected highlight came when a local woman dinghied over offering homemade wine and olive oil for sale. Several nearby boats politely declined, but naturally, always up for new experiences, we said yes. Opening the wine the following evening near Lastovo, we discovered it was actually excellent – crisp, citrusy, and somewhere between a Sauvignon Blanc and a Croatian Pošip. One of the best parts of travel is saying yes to the unexpected. Sometimes it arrives by dinghy!
Not every surprise onboard was quite so enjoyable though…
While retrieving meat for dinner, we made the unfortunate discovery that someone had apparently bumped the freezer breaker switch while carrying deck cushions up from the port side hull earlier in the week. Unfortunately, the freezer had not actually been running… and ten days worth of meat had been quietly conducting a science experiment. Thankfully the smell was somewhat contained. The meat was swiftly disposed of overboard before entering the national park, followed by what can only be described as an industrial level cleaning operation led by Karen, whose dislike for raw chicken is well known by many.
Dinner plans quickly shifted from butter chicken to guac, cheese & crackers, grapes, and chocolate. Honestly? Still living the dream!
Karen also tackled repairs on one of the paddle boards damaged last year while attempting to anchor ashore on Croatia’s rocky coastline. Missing most proper repair tools, she improvised brilliantly using an engine brush to spread glue and – in perhaps the strongest argument yet for always carrying wine onboard – a wine bottle as a roller for the repair patch. Mission accomplished!
Meanwhile, Doug spent the night in the Pakleni Islands keeping a close eye on distant thunderstorms lighting up the hills beyond our anchorage while testing out the Vortex range finder the girls gave him for Christmas. Knowing exactly how close we were to the rocky shoreline definitely helped everyone sleep a little easier. Huge shout out to Kaitlyn & Emily for possibly the most practical boat gift ever!
