On return from the UK, I (John) immediately paid up the marina, washed Fuga down, filled up with water, and left the marina to anchor in the bay outside the marina, off Sukosan. For not the first time, I found myself chased away from the position about a cable off the marina, where there was more shelter from the marina and the possibility of picking up the marina's wifi. On this occasion I tried arguing from the standpoint of a recently much paid up customer, without success.
There were a few jobs requiring attending to. The most urgent was to replace the charging relay that had failed shortly before we had returned to the UK. I had decided to fit a dual-sensing voltage sensitive relay by BEP Marine (NZ). This unit allows cross-charging when either the engine alternator or 240v. (shore or generator) are available. Two sets of isolating diodes would be required to achieve this otherwise. The Sterling regulator had boosted the charge from the alternator to the point where the original relay had failed. We also had problems because the voltage sensing of the charge regulator was connected to the service batteries, with their attendant additional voltage drops (requiring further investigation). This meant that the engine control unit was giving rise to over voltage alarms. The sensing is now on the engine battery terminal, and therefore always tied to the alternator, which makes more sense to me.
We had also ordered from Maplin a new serial/USB interface device to provide a connection for the NMEA signals from AIS and Seatalk, following the lightning strike's effect on the notebook serial interface. We had also picked up a neat KVM switch by Belkin to enable the wireless keyboard and mouse and video screen (as well as the navigation card reader as it happens), to be switched between computers. These provided a happy interlude, but worked well but for the absence of any AIS signals! This will have to wait until we get out amongst some shipping: Croatian ferries do not appear to have it?
I (John) got my bike out, and was able to manoevre this into the dinghy to get it ashore, and on 31st August made the first trip to Lidl (44.06.2N 15.15.8E), about 4 miles away. Much to my surprise, I found the beneficial effect on my seized up ankle quite remarkable. So gradually the whisky supply is being replaced, although not quite at EU prices. On a subsequent trip, I visited a pleasant shoreside bar just north of U. Bregdeti, on the outskirts of Zadar, before continuing into the town itself.
On September 3rd, I decided that the holding tank would have to be emptied, so set out into the Zadarski Kanal with this in mind. Opposite Sukosan is the Prolaz Mali Zdrelac, the channel between O. Uglijan and O. Pasman, across which there is a road bridge with an airdraft of 16.5m, insufficient for Fuga. There is an anchorage in the approaches, to which I now headed, much to the consternation of a German yacht who was urgently signalling to me about the clearance. This place seemed very quiet (I needed some supplies) and so after a swim I headed for Kukljica on the SE of Uglijan, about a mile away. This is quite a large harbour, with a number of fishing boats, larger ferries, tied up off a boat yard. There was also a large crane barge with pile feet at each corner, with works on-going. It was not practical to attempt mooring on any of the fixed pontoons without shoreside assistance, so I anchored just inside the breakwater to starboard. The pilot is out of date, there being more berths now off the town, and no longer berthing off the breakwater for yachts. Once satisfied that I was indeed anchored and unlikely to swing into the shore, I went ashore. My first quest was for somewhere to lose my rubbish. This gave me an opportunity to walk the back alleys, looking for a bin, in vain. However, many of the gardens had vines, fruit trees, or vegetables. The village was very quiet, and most of the eating places had no customers. I joined four French people at one restaurant, and had a very reasonable mixed grill (with the usual disappointing veg) and beer for not very much money. Thus fed, I returned to Sukosan.
Our friend Sandy had arrived by the Ryanair flight into Zadar that Mo had been booked on. She had planned to take a short break to coincide with Mo's return, but the non-appearance on schedule of Mo's grandson meant that Mo had to delay her return. I had made sure the boat was reasonably well stocked, so it was only necessary to take on fuel and water before setting off. Unfortunately there wasn't any wind, and we motored to Nin, anchoring off just south of the town. We set off in the dinghy to have a look around the town, returning just as the sun had set and it was getting dark.
We breakfasted and set off, rather than go ashore again to see Nin in full daylight. A breeze came up and we set sail and made leisurely progress. As we came up towards the north of Vir, we observed that boats to the north were enjoying a totally different wind from ourselves. We then experienced for a time wind alternating in direction, before it finally set in from the south west, so that we had to beat towards our objective. Originally I had intended re-visiting the anchorage at the north of Dugi Otok near Soline, but we were running out of time and instead selected on on the east coast, Uvula Dobra. The chart showed a rock in the centre of the bay, so we were a little nervous entering, but found plenty of room in the anchorage which was well sheltered. We launched the dinghy and went ashore to explore: this bay showed signs of being well used in the past, and the wall around the bay was still largely intact. Behind it, we found other walls, with olives and figs growing there.
The weather was foul to start with in the morning, so we (Sandy and I) had breakfast and settled down to read. Eventually about midday it cleared, and so we prepared to leave the anchorage, shipping the dinghy. This was as well, because when we left the anchorage we found a short and confused sea that was cutting up in the channel between Dugi Otok and Zverinac, out of all proportion to any wind. The wind now being in the SE, we were again obliged to beat. It was quite late in the day when we anchored off the new marina, and went ashore to explore the village. We found our way up behind the houses, and walked to the ridge overlooking the Zadarski Kanal. People were in their gardens attending to them. We managed to find our way back another way, making our way up to a grand mansion now in some disrepair, and then eventually to the church which was up hill. We deserved a drink in one of the bars after that, before returning to the boat for supper.
We got up early, and set off straightaway, so that we could get back to Sukosan in good time. When we had anchored, we had breakfast, and Sandy packed. We caught a bus into Zadar from the stop opposite the marina entrance: it was a bit tatty but only cost 10 kuna. Sandy and I spent the day exploring Zadar, before returning to the bus station so she could catch the bus to the airport in time for her Ryanair flight home. My journey took a little longer, as the advertised bus did not run, and I had to wait a while. Meanwhile Nicole had been busy in the UK, and had presented Mo with another grandchild.
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Sandy and I had met a Scots couple, Lisa and Robert, at the bus stop, and they were also wanting to travel back on the bus that did not run. They accepted my invitation to come for a sail, and accordingly we sailed up to Zadar, and across to Uglijan where we anchored off Poljana for lunch, a swim, and a walk ashore. Having enjoyed a beer before returning on board, we then motored back to Sukosan.
Mo had been booked on the evening's Ryanair, but because her new grandson Harry developed an infection, she had postponed her return for another week so that she could continue to be available to look after Ella. Rather than get all depressed and sad, I decided on an excursion, and settled on Pirovac, a village on the mainland inside Murter as a possible destination. The weather and wind looked upon me kindly, and after an enjoyable sail and negotiating the passage between Arta and the headland opposite, I dropped anchor in the sheltered bight behind the church. I launched the dinghy and went ashore to pick up some supplies, and enjoyed a beer as the sun went down behind the islands.
After another trip ashore, this time with the camera, and picking up some fresh fruit in a market stall, I set out for the bay where we had stopped in June with Peter and Debbie and kids on board. Its a lovely bay with clear waters, albeit surrounded by camper vans, caravans, and tents with a fair population of nudists. I was accordingly rather embarassed to be hailed by one of the few British boats as I was attempting to anchor without any uniform on, and almost ran myself aground. Afterwards I swam over and talked to them: members of the REYC, they trailer sail their boat from Plymouth and have been coming to Croatia for 18 years. I noticed that Fuga's propeller had quite a population of coral worm, and managed to get the bulk of this off with the paint scraper over a number of dives.
Having picked up a forecast of some stronger southerly winds, I decided that Kosirina was not the place to be, and so set off for Vrgada where I knew the anchorage would be fine. It was a pleasant sail with jib only, and I found a spot inside a large smart yacht from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The weather was dogging me. It did not look particularly pleasant, and the forecast was for a NE wind overnight. The anchorages on Vrgada would all be open to this quarter, which is the dreaded Bora. Accordingly, I set off under jib alone again, in a Force 6 wind, and made for an anchorage at the southern end of Pasman, where I would obtain shelter from Otok Zizanj. When I got there, I found that there was a large fish farm off the island. There may have been room inside it, but I did not fancy having to make an exit at night. Accordingly I changed plan, and made for U. Soline, advertised in the pilot as the best anchorage on Pasman. I can believe it, but as the pilot intimated, it is now populated with buoys. With the wind at the time, I did not see how I would be able to capture one of these as they had no rings, and most of the available buoys were partially submerged. Most of the buoys were occupied by yachts, predominantly German and Austrian registered. As I made to anchor, some people who had been hovering in a motor boat came over and told me that anchoring was not allowed, but they did consent to help me on to a mooring before charging me a not unreasonable 92 Kuna for the privilege. Although the water temperature was dropping alarmingly, I managed a swim.
The wind had gone into the NE and blown quite hard overnight, so I was pleased to be in the security of U. Soline. When it had died a bit, I set off for a bay on the SW of Ugljan. This proved to be easy to get into, although populated with several fish farm installations. There was nothing in the main part of the bay, and I went up to the head where the depths began to tail off before anchoring. It was pleasant and sheltered, but I did not go ashore.
The following morning I decided to get back so that I could make sure Fuga was in good order for Mo's return. The wind had now turned NW, so I had to beat up the channel between Ugljan and Iz. First of all, I had a close encounter with another fish farm! I don't know why I did not spot it sooner, but was busy getting set up. When I did see it I had to bear away around a yellow buoy and then sail up the channel left between it and the island, which was steep to. They were working on the farm at the time, so it would have been a bit embarrassing to sail into the low black floats. There was more beating up the narrow channel between Ugljan and Rivanj, enlivened by a charter fleet that set off from U. Muline at about the same time, and a large vessel with its bow high from lack of cargo or ballast that followed me around Rt Sv Petar at the north extreme of Ugljan. Some of the charter fleet now joined in a race, free on the wind, down the Zadarski Kanal, in which Fuga with one reef and her jib aquitted herself well against the others, including a Bavaria 44, all with full sail. It was a bit of a pity when they were called off by their minder. An hour or so later I anchored in the usual spot off Sukosan.