Setting Sail

In the words of the Johnny Cash song: Woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt - no I wasn’t hung over - I had picked up the ‘Flu! It must have been the chill from the freezing boat ride on the Plitvice Lakes earlier in the week. Anyway, there I was - no voice, rasping cough, heavy head and feeling lousy. What a great way to start the cruise!
The transfer from the hotel in Dubrovnik was done via mini-bus and with about 14 people and their luggage on board, it was oh-so-squeezy. We made it to the port and proceeded to board the boat. It is the custom here (and elsewhere, too, I suspect) to moor one boat beside another rather than at the dock side itself (probably saves mooring costs). Imagine our surprise when we were told our boat was not the first, not the second, but the third one out. This meant that we had to drag our multiple bags across 3 boats, leap from one to the other and finally climb the narrow stairs to our cabin level. After much huffing and puffing, we finally made it. To our surprise, the cabins were relatively roomy with excellent en-suite facilities.

Once settled in, the only thing remaining was to while away the hours until departure next morning. The clouds threatened and loud claps of thunder were echoing across the hills - our cruise didn’t look too promising. We managed to fill in time until the official meeting, where we were told the ship’s rules and what to expect over the next few days. Dinner was served in the dining room - soup, followed by fish with chocolate ice cream as a dessert. The ship provides breakfast and lunch each day and we have to eat the evening meal at the restaurants that abound on the islands we are to visit.

The next morning dawned bright and sunny. Gert had been zenning for fine weather and it looked like she had been successful. We set sail after a false alarm - our boat had to move to make way for one of the boats moored closer in, so we did a big loop and ended up back where we started. However, during breakfast, we were under way in earnest.

The first thing that struck each of us was the colour and clarity of the water. A bright royal blue, the water was calm and the boat glided smoothly along. At about 10:30, we pulled into a sheltered bay on one of the 1000+ islands that dot the Dalmatian coast (the spots on the dog breed of the same name represent the islands - true story!) It was swim time. After dipping my big toe into the water and watching it ice up and threaten to fall off, I decided that a swim right there, right then was not a wise choice, Jill, however, brave little soul that she is, took the plunge. All together, about 6 of our total passengers braved the water - for a brief time at least. After a half hour stop, we set sail again. Lunch was served and after much lounging, reading and sun baking, we again pulled up at a sheltered cove. Feeling a little braver (or maybe stupid) I took the plunge this time and swam about for about twenty minutes, as did Jill. The initial shock when hitting the water takes the breath away, but once the numbness sets in, you can’t feel a thing - really! The water is also much more buoyant here - you can almost float vertically!

After the swim, we set off again - this time a short journey to the other side of the island and realised that we were approaching Korcula, our destination for the day. The town and the island take the same name, but the locals have given this place the nickname of Little Dubrovnik because of its fortified walls which give the appearance of a mini version of the much bigger fortifications in Dubrovnik itself.

The plan was to walk a bit and find a restaurant for dinner. After the solid breakfast and large lunch, no-one was really hungry so we found a fish reataurant and made a booking for 7 pm. We wandered the old town for a while, taking advantage of many Kodak moments. I found a pharmacy and bought some cough medicine - hoping that I could clear the fuzziness out of my head and throat. Eventually, my ‘Flu got the better of me so I went back to the boat for a warm shower and warmer clothes. A little before 7 pm, we all met up at the restaurant and a nice meal was enjoyed by all.

On the way back to the boat, Jill, trying to be adventurous and get the best angle for a Kodak moment, climbed a rock wall, slipped and scraped her shins - an expletive or two later, she got the shot she wanted and moved on. We passed a bar where a duo was singing country music - yes, even here in Croatia, good ol’country music lives on! I would have liked to have stayed to listen for a while but Jill’s leg was hurting so we continued back to the boat where the captain gave her personal treatment with an antiseptic wash. After an exhausting day, none of the troops partied on - let’s see what tomorrow brings.