The Captain's Log

Thursday, July 31, 2008

A Dubrovnik - Split Holiday

Dinah Hughe’s Diary

What a glorious trip. Our arrival into Dubrovnik was uneventful, but filled with much anticipation. The harbour was as spectacular as we had imagined it would be. And the crew of Atlantia was both welcoming and helpful, ensuring that our boarding was swift and easy. After a welcome-aboard champagne toast, we took advantage of some free time to visit the old town of Dubrovnik. History abounds here, and it was an easy and fulfilling walking tour. The views and sites were spectacular and very rewarding.

Our first day out had us venturing to Sipan. We started with a hearty breakfast, then pulled up anchor and set sail. Before leaving historic Dubrovnik, we took some time to sail around the Old Town area, settling down on the aft deck to take in the sights. The sky was bright and clear, a perfect start as we set sail for island of Lokrum. Arriving at the small island village, we had time for a quick swim before lunch was served. And what a treat it was: delightful local fish, chips, veggies and a wonderful salad.

Our afternoon sail was a relaxing one that took us to the island of Sipan. On the way, there was time to enjoy some reading, to continue our pleasant conversations, and to take in a bit of restful sunbathing, as we soaked in the splendid scenery. Our arrival in Sipan was early enough to allow us time to go ashore and explore this lovely port town.

We chose to eat our meal tonight at one of the lovely restaurants that dot the harbour area. The setting was terrific and the food was delicious. Definitely the perfect spot to enjoy the delightful atmosphere of Sipan and get us replenished for tomorrow’s journey.

Our second full day aboard Atlantia was equally spectacular. Our destination today was Mljet (pronounced MULL-jit … as I recall!) and a relaxing time was had by all. Whether we were communing on the aft deck of our boat, or sunbathing on the foredeck, or swimming in the lovely waters of the Adriatic, it was all in a day’s “work.”

Mljet was a quaint town, but proved to be one of our favorites. It was a photographer’s delight, with its delightful harbour and lovely boutique shops. To top it off, we had a fine dinner at the restaurant immediately adjacent to where we were moored.

Day Three of our charter continued our streak of fine days and lovely sailing. Our trip today took us to Korchula, which proved to be a wonderful destination; perfect for walking and exploring the tiny, narrow roads of this historic village. During our sail, we stopped for a swim and another of our shipboard chef’s amazing lunches. Between our meals on board and those we get in these amazing villages, we’re all destined to gain a stone or two. But who’s counting calories??

Today – what day is this … Day Four, I think – we headed off to one of those places we had heard so much about, we could hardly wait to get there: Hvar Island. Mind you, we had lots to do, as always, today starting with another delightful breakfast and spectacular luncheon, all prepared onboard. (Have I already mentioned food??) Well, today didn’t disappoint. The scenery continued to dazzle us, our swim today was perfect, and Hvar could not have been more spectacular, particularly the walks, the castle views and the setting.

Incidentally, I haven’t mentioned our Captain yet. He was terrific (as was the entire crew), exceedingly helpful, knowledgeable about the Croatian coastline and all its historic sights, places to shop, the best restaurants, etc. Here’s to Captain Domagoj Trgo!! And another shot or two of Hvar Island.

On Day Five we had a magnificent sailing day on our trip to Vis and Brac Island. Not surprisingly, we enjoyed another scrumptious breakfast and luncheon aboard Atlantia (see luncheon photo). Not surprisingly, we’re running out of words to describe how hospitable the crew is, how safety-conscious our Captain is, how incredibly talented our Chef is. Suffice it to say, we are being treated to a wonderful holiday. This is the best!

And tonight is our Captain’s dinner, replete with gourmet Dalmatian dishes – and some folk music. Now this isn’t your huge Cruise Ship rendition of a Captain’s dinner. We’re talking food, fun and plenty of frivolity. What a night.

Today, it was time for a relaxing sail. Time to finish reading our books, take a dip in the warm waters, enjoy the scenery, do some photo editing, write postcards and the like. The scenery, as always, was at times awe-inspiring and at times simply gentle on the eyes. We went to Cetis Gorge and Omis. Smashing day.

Has it really been a week?? Today we left Omis and headed directly for our final destination, the incredible town of Split. It proved to be a spectacular day for both scenic delights and heartfelt good-byes to this wonderful crew, who made this past week such a special one. Kudos to everyone at Aegean Sails and to our new friends aboard Atlantia. We hope to be back again very soon.