On Thursday, First Mate is finally arriving to Split and I met her at the airport. To celebrate the fact that boat and crew are all ready and in holiday mood we went out for a dinner of grilled fish and calamari.
On the next morning we finally are casting off. The weather is on the usual summer pattern around here. Hot sunny, weak winds in the morning, completely dying in the middle of the day before the maestrale, the moderate, westerly, thermal wind starts.
At first we were beating into the weak southwesterly in busy traffic and took a while to get away from Split. At last the wind picked-up a bit and we sailed close-hauled towards the Splitska Vrata, the channel between the islands of Brač and Šolta.
Remembering the wind pattern of our previous times in these waters, we were expecting it when in the Splitska Vrata the wind went from moderate to nothing in less than a second. So we motored through to find that south of the Vrata there was a nice southwesterly. A few rolls in the genoa and off we go to the most delightful sailing in a long time, in a straight course to Rat Pelegrin, with the hills of Hvar to port.
In the Paklenski Kanal the wind was a bit weaker and progress was a bit slow, not least because of the wake of the many ferries and speed-boats. But eventually we entered the bay of Hvar. Here we are at our magic island.
After the expected trouble finding a place among the local boats we unloaded and settled at home. Again we have reasons to celebrate: we are in Hvar and it is our wedding anniversary.
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| Entering Hvar harbour and sighting our beautiful, little pink house. |
