My sailing holiday in Croatia saga continues, with possibly the most beautiful stop along the route, Brac.
Having left the commotion and party atmosphere of Hvar and Pakleni Islands behind, we got treated to some ice cold cider by our delightful skipper (he really knows how to set the mood) and set sail for the next swimming stop, Zlatny Rat.
A few short hours of cruising to the terrific club mix on board, we approached the tiny peninsula of this natural attraction on the Dalmatian coast. Appropriately named the ‘Golden Horn’, the strip of land is protruding into the azure waters of Hvar Channel and is framed with beautiful greenery, as far as the eye can see. Interesting fact: the actual landmass changes, depending on the currents in the area, which can be quite strong. The summer months see the sides of Zlatny Rat, lined with eager sun worshipers that bask in the heat between the intermittent dips into the crystal clear waters. The beach itself is made up of pebbles, which makes for absolutely hilarious trips in and out of the water.
We dropped anchor on our private yacht and took to the shore, eager to join the beach crowd. Having made our own awkward descend into the water, we discovered it to be very refreshing but the cool water was a welcome treat after the boozy cruise from Hvar and did nothing to curb our enthusiasm. Having tackled the exodus out of the water with no semblance of grace, we were so knackered with the exertion that the entire party proceeded to take a quick nap right there. A few pebbles were not going to stand in the way of the ”Serial Nappers” (this is a patent-protected name for our regatta team, naturally)!
Having been suitably refreshed, we set course on our Croatian cruise to our next stop for the night, Brac itself.
The island is as pretty, as they come, with the clearest aqua green waters, beautiful foliage of varying shades of mossy green and quaint little houses, peppering its shores. We picked a bay and moored at the pontoon right by the Barba Luka restaurant. The pontoon gives way to a beautiful bridge that takes you under the canopy of the restaurant and is a perfect spot for terrific photographs.
We made our way to the Konoba later (that’s “restaurant” for me and you) and were treated to a delightful dinner. Except for terrific food, including grilled squid, lobster risotto and steak, the restaurant treats you to the most delightful service. Our waitress greeted us with compliments, made us crack up with laughter and provided great recommendations for food and drink. We proceeded to enjoy said food and drink a little too much and cackled our way through dinner at volumes that were sure to wake the dead.
Next morning we sailed our private yacht around the lovely bay, searching for a good swimming spot. Having dropped anchor, we were hailed over by one of the Barba Luka’s employees, who graciously offered to do some grocery shopping for us. He pulled up in a dinghy boat and inquired whether we would be interested in some fresh farm eggs that he would pick up for us, as part of his own shopping run in town. If that is not great service, I really don’t know what is! It helped turn an ordinary sailing holiday into a luxury sailing holiday in Croatia.
We proceeded to find all sorts of creative ways to fling ourselves off the Sea Princess (you can book your own private charter on the beautiful boat right here) into the deep blue sea for the next few hours. I also tried snorkeling for the very first time, to mixed success. My breathing tube refused to stay intact, no matter what I tried to do. But that did not prevent me from marveling at the clarity of the water in the bay that allowed me to see all the way to the sea floor, which could not have been close, given the length of our anchor at that point. Sea urchins a-plenty and school of exotic looking fish are some of the things you can feast your eyes on underwater during your Croatian sailing holiday.
All good things must come to an end and so must our Croatian sailing holiday, so we packed the snorkeling gear eventually and set sail on our private yacht charter towards our last stop, Split.
Bella Sovmiz
