Croatia | Sea | Kayaking | Tours | Lifejacket Adventures - Adriatic Expeditions

Spring is here - so there is a rush to finish the winter boat building projects. The picture above is of a model of the research vessel One Eagle. It was completed in the German Neue Jadewerft Shipyard in 1969. When it left, after final fit-out, the Arista Nautica yard here in Split last week it looked a little different (see the pictures below) - and is now known as the Amadeus. Reymond Langton Design delivered a sleek-looking renovation for owner Bernard Arnault of Louis Vuitton.

Last summer Tony Blair and Bono were enjoying sunning themselves on her decks.

The Amadeus is 70m long, with a 11.5m beam and a 4.5m draft. She is pushed along by nearly 3 000hp-worth of Caterpillar diesels. The previous superstructure was removed and replaced with aluminium, plus a new bow was added. She now has luxury rooms for 12 guests and 18 crew have their own berths downstairs.

Murray and Cathrine, whose Zephyrus Apartments are the best in town, have been fixing a 11.2m Classic. She is an Argentinian boat, built in 1967 at the German Frers yard to a Dorado B design and was sailed for 6 months to reach Split from Buenos Aires. Murray has replaced the rigging, stripped and re-varnished the teak decks, repainted the hull and re-wired her.

Progress on the leut continues. The planking and caulking have been completed. Next work will begin on the interior.

Warm spring day; the crack of leather on willow followed by polite applause from the crowd; men dressed-up like modern day white knights in helmets and padded armor; picnic blankets and coolers filled with wine, brie and crackers - yesterday anyone would think we were enjoying watching cricket in the English countryside.

Amazingly the game was being played right here in Split between the local Split Sir Oliver Cricket Club and the Further Friars Cricket Club, a traveling team from England consisting of gents in the wine industry.

Cricket is a game you must grow up with - or the rules will never make sense. We attempted to explain them to the French expats - they just got bored and went home. But there is an historical connection between the French and cricket in this area.

Cricket is not so alien to Dalmatia as could be expected. On Vis Island there is the Sir William Hoste Cricket Club. It is run by Nik Roki and his son Oliver (Oliver was born in Perth before they moved back to the island in the 70’s).

The club’s namesake was an English naval officer stationed on Vis Island for several years at the start of the 19th Century - the English had just kicked the Napoleonic French garrison off the island. (The English called Vis Island the ‘Gibraltar of the Adriatic’ because of its excellent strategic location.)

William decided that the wild Dalmatian island on which he found himself needed a touch of civility - so he started a cricket club. A couple of years back Nik and Oliver re-established it. Oliver usually cooks us an awesome baked lamb ispod peke on their winery whenever we visit Vis with our tour’s guests.

Unfortunately for the visitors yesterday they ended their innings 3 runs shy of the local team. Their next match is to be on Vis this week.

For another perspective on the day’s proceedings visit Jane Cody’s Croatia Online. Jane’s the lovely lady in the picture above, making sure the batsman’s box was properly adjusted!

Ray Fusco has been helping us with promoting our tours and needed a new flier to pass onto Jersey Paddler.

The Croatia Boat Show was on again this week. Its Split’s chance to see the latest bling - and not just that which floats. Here’s Aklie learning what’s important in life!

The Lamborghini was not for sale - it was a sweetener if you bought one of the super-yachts.

Most of the boats were of no particular interest - just a lot of plastic, stainless steel and LED lights.

The boat of the show for me is built by a Slovenian company, Shipman Carbon Yachts. They were showing their 24m version, the Shipman 80, designed and produced in their factory next to Lake Bled. Its almost a Wally Boat - but not quite. The particular boat at the show was recently purchased by a Croatian. The Shipman 50 won European Boat of the Year in 2004.

Leopoldo from Bolici Yachts showed us the Carbon Cube 36 - a racing yacht made completely from carbon-fiber. Its like a Ferrari 430 Scuderia - a stripped-down red racing machine - but with what Bolici saved in weight during the construction of the hull they added some cruising comforts - such as a kitchen and a head and made these out of carbon-fiber as well.

For those that already have a Porsche Carrera in the garage, Fearless Yachts have teamed with the Porsche Design Studio and are making a 8.5m speedboat with 600hp and a top speed of almost 75 knots inspired by the car, for the boat shed.

After the sun went down, the parties began.

Azimut Yachts was kind enough to be offering music and free Moet. Tim seemed to also appreciate the girls which were serving it.

The European Cities Marketing Association has released figures which shows Split is #1 on a list of European holiday destinations for growth in visitors between 2001 and 2006.

“Split saw an annual growth of around 17% in tourists, to top their survey of 93 locations across Europe.

In 2006, some 200 000 holiday makers crowded into city of some 250 000 inhabitants, a 400% rise in the number of holiday makers from 1999. Their average stay was 2.2 days.

The trend continued in 2007, but according to Split-based daily, Slobodna Dalmacija, tourist numbers decreased slightly by 5 000 due to a lack of accommodation as old hotels underwent renovation. (It may have been something to do with the terrible job that was done on renovating the waterfront or the fact Split suffers from a lack of a coherent tourism plan!)

The 2001-2006 survey shows that U.S. visitors and tourists topped the list and were followed by French and Spanish visitors.

A transit point for a number of Croatian islands, Split and its famous old town dominated by the Roman Emperor’s Diocletian Palace dating from the end of the 3rd Century, has become a key tourist attraction in Croatia, challenging the status of the legendary town of Dubrovnik, some 200kms to the southeast.

The tourism boom has seen real estate prices skyrocketing with properties in the old towns going for as much as 6 000 € /square metre. (This is just nonsense made-up by the local real-estate agents!)”

Some of what is written above is true - we have seen a constant growth in our laundrette business - but I wouldn’t trust the figures supplied by the local tourism board here in Split. Personally I think Dubrovnik tourism would have had far more (and better quality) growth. The opportunity is here in Split - it will just take hard work by everyone.

As a follow up to the last post about Croatia’s bid to join NATO -

“NATO leaders have agreed to invite Croatia and Albania to join the alliance.

The agreement was reached at an informal dinner of the NATO heads of state and government on Wednesday night.

For the third aspirant country, Macedonia, the leaders hoped that it can be invited as soon as possible given the fact that Greece, a NATO ally, has made clear that it will veto the invitation unless Macedonia changes its official name.

The Greek delegation made very clear on Tuesday night that Macedonia’s accession to NATO would be impossible before the settlement of the name dispute.

Greece fears that the former Yugoslav republic’s constitutional name — Republic of Macedonia — implies territorial ambition for the neighboring northern Greek province of Macedonia. But Skopje has refused to exchange its official name for NATO membership.

On Ukraine and Georgia’s application for NATO’s Membership Action Plan (MAP), chances are small for them to be given this status at the summit.

The leaders reaffirmed NATO’s “open door” policy and were of the view that MAP for the two countries is a matter not of whether, but of when.

The leaders also reiterated that there is no veto by third parties, apparently in reference to opposition by Russia.

Russia has warned that NATO membership for the two former Soviet republics would bring instability in the region.”

It always bodes well when ‘instability’ and ‘Balkans’ are used in the same sentence!

Today’s picture comes from the set of Bella Biondina. The movie, based a true story of a young Split girl who falls in love with an Italian Fascist soldier at the end of the Second World War, is being shot on the streets of Split at the moment. It is being directed Danijela Marušić, who also made the locally famous mini-series Malo Misto. It was interesting to see the reactions of the locals to actors in Partisan uniforms. Many were indifferent, but some reacted with strong negative feelings.

Whilst I was in Trogir the other day I saw the replica of the 16th Century galleon Tirena, a typical trading vessel of the period from Ragusa (i.e. the Dubrovnik Republic), which is used for excursions outside the walls of Dubrovnik in the summer. Its 30m long and 7.7m wide. The drawings for the replica, completed according to old plans from the Dubrovnik Maritime museum, were done by Velimir Salamon, the man responsible for the falkuša.

The ship was constructed in Omiš, at a cost of about 1 000 000€.

Speaking of old boats, work continues on the leut. Mate, the Dalmatian carpenter, is replacing a certain number of planks. Roger, the English mechanic, will start work soon on renovating the motor. The crew will be an Aussie and a Frenchman - its becoming a true UN project.

Looking across the leut’s shed, for the last week the USS Mount Whitney has been tied up. The Whitney is the flagship of the United States Navy’s 6th Fleet (the Mediterranean Fleet) - it flies the pennant of Vice Admiral James A. Winnefeld.

It is considered to be the most sophisticated Command, Control, Communications, Computer, and Intelligence ship ever commissioned. It can receive and transmit large amounts of secure data from any point on earth through the multitude of HF, UHF, VHF, SHF and EHF antennae on its decks.

The Sixth Fleet has both US and NATO responsibilities, and is based in Naples.

So why is it in Split?

President Bush is on his way to Eastern Europe. He will stop in Ukraine before going to Bucharest, Romania, for the opening of NATO’s largest summit ever on Wednesday.

NATO leaders will meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon as well as officials from the European Union and World Bank. They will also vote on expanding the alliance to include Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia, as well as vote on accepting applications from Georgia and Ukraine to join the alliance, a move that is opposed by Russia. On Friday Bush will then come to visit us in Croatia.

President Bush will wrap up his trip in the Black Sea resort of Sochi for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing the U.S. missile defense system.

Joining the EU (hopefully by 2011) and NATO are the biggest issues in Croatia at the moment. Some people are against the moves - a new organisation has been formed in Croatia called the Anti-Imperialist Coalition, which has announced protests against President Bush at Franjo Tudjman Square in Zagreb on Friday at 5pm.

Though we are not happy with Americans at the moment - one competitor, American-owned Adriatic Kayak Tours, has been stealing our photographs to use on their website and we are fighting to have them taken down as well as copying our Vis Tour- we see definite benefits in Croatia being an EU and NATO member. For instance we could take AKT to the European Court and not have to wait for the slow Croatian courts to deal with their infringement of our copyright.

So, things are heating up here and in the rest of Eastern Europe, with the West moving East. On top of all these meetings there have been the problems in Kosovo for the last month. That’s why the most important American ship in the Mediterranean is docked in Split.

Today was an example of that though Dubrovnik is definitely a beautiful town, it is quite superficial - Split has a tougher, yet richer, life.

As can be seen from the last posts we have been catching up on our newspaper reading. Old lefties who read The Guardian in the UK may have seen a recent article about the best places to take your loved one. Under the title Glamorous Romantic Getaways, our friend Goran and his restaurant Vila Kaliopa are given an excellent review, “Hidden behind the 16th-century Garibaldi Palace walls on the island of Vis, Villa Kaliopa is a secret garden of palms, sculpture and candlelit tables each out of earshot so you don’t have to whisper your sweet nothings where smiley waiters present the days catch.” (And Jules says I never take her anywhere special!)

Sounds like the perfect end to a day of arguing with that special person in a double kayak!

Felix Oppenheim, an excellent outdoor photographer, snapped us eating at a less salubrious (yet just as charming) eatery. Several photographs on our website were taken by him.

The Guardian also recently put Istria in its 100 Underated Foodie Breaks, and even mentions Motovun, “A cone-shaped peninsula, Istria is where the Balkans meet the Adriatic. Lushly forested and decidedly hilly, Istria is also where some of the world’s best (and biggest) truffles are dug. A lengthy meander around the inland walled hill-towns of Trst, Hum (the world’s smallest, so it boasts), Lupoglav, Buzet, Motovun - and many more - rewards you with enchanting eagle’s eye views, sleepy villages, and delightfully affordable restaurants with truffle-centred menus. Add fresh, young Croatian wines and a mere scattering of tourists and you’re in gourmet heaven.”

Another magazine, another poll and the Dalmatian Islands are again ranked very highly. Travel + Leisure Magazine put them at #7 in their Top 10 World’s Best Islands. Follow the link and you arrive at a 2005 article about many of the islands we often visit.

Of Dubrovnik - “Dalmatia’s most famous city is touted as an unspoiled gem, though this is really a matter of degree. While it’s not yet as overrun as, say, Prague or Positano (the two unlikely places that Dubrovnik most resembles), it’s well within the crosshairs of mass tourism. Dubrovnik’s Old Town maintains a precarious equilibrium between Then and Now, Here and Elsewhere. Menus in Italian, English, and German hang outside every traditional wooden-beamed konoba, or tavern. Benetton and Diesel boutiques line the medieval lanes. And pushcart vendors proffer not just handmade olive soaps but also Old Town mouse pads.”

On Korčula - “The sharp scent of pine resin mingles with salt air on Korcula, three hours by ferry from Dubrovnik. Forests of Aleppo pine, cypress, and holm oak make this one of the Adriatic’s most verdant isles. It’s known for top-notch wines and for being one of several alleged birthplaces of Marco Polo.”

About Hvar - “By far the most glamorous of the Adriatic islands, Hvar is heir to that noble lineage running from Cannes and Capri through St. Bart’s and South Beach: the latest of the famous international playgrounds. At the height of summer, Hvar Town is so relentlessly gorgeous it makes your eyes ache. Everything screams, Ogle me: the harbor edged with bougainvillea, the perfectly aged Renaissance façades, the absurdly huge yachts and sailboats, and a nonstop parade of caramelized torsos. As if the cast and setting didn’t already suggest a perfume ad, Hvar’s entire waterfront is redolent of lavender, which proliferates on the island and is sold in satchels by sidewalk vendors.”

And Vis - “From the sea, Vis seems an unforgiving hunk of rock, dotted with parched scrub and brush. Despite its desolate appearance, Vis holds remarkable natural bounty. More than 500 varieties of herbs flourish on the island (consider that the whole of England has only around 300). Climbing those scrabbly hillsides, you can grow dizzy from the scent of rosemary and sage. Asparagus, garlic, and arugula all grow wild here, alongside the mandarin-orange and carob trees—carob infuses the local grappa. There are also some passable island wines, such as the dry white Vugava and the ruby-red Plavac, which, for some reason, Viskis often dilute with ice cubes.”

We could have posted a picture of the islands surrounded by blue seas and sky, but instead its a dark interior shot - of another of Dalmatia’s draws - Modra Špilja (the ‘Blue Cave’) - a blue grotto on Biševo Island.

Above is one of the hardest working and most generous expats in Split, our friend Nigel Turnball.

Several years ago he set up Sailing School Croatia. Its the only RYA approved sailing school in these parts, offering a range of courses for yachties in a beautiful location - the Dalmatian Islands.

Together we enjoy the occasional recreational sail or we call him whenever we are off on a new adventure - he was kind enough to follow when the authorities forced us to take a support boat on our attempt to kayak across the Adriatic Sea.

These last weeks we have been learning about wood in relation to traditional boats. For the leut, oak (hrast in Croatian) will be used below the water-line. But not just any oak - it must be either from Slavonia (the north-east rump of Croatia) or Lika (the area around Plitvice Lakes) - i.e. hrast lužnjak (in Latin - Quercus robur or in English - common oak). Bosnian oak (hrast kitnjak - Quercus petraea - sessile oak) just won’t do - its not as strong.

Its best to let the oak dry for a year; we were lucky to find first-class oak which had been stored for 3 years. The boards are currently about 5m long, 30cm wide and 3cm thick. They will be cut to replace those on the boat which may have rotted, etc. and will end up being 2.5cm thick.

Above the water-line, local pine is used. It only has to be kiln-dried for 72 days.

The above drawing was done by naval architect Velimir Salamon when he and Joško Božanić were preparing to rebuild the gajeta falkuša - the indigenous boat of Komiža, on Vis Island. The terms are the parts of the boat in Komižan dialect.

Instead of being built the traditional way, as a carvel planked boat, such as our old leut, the falkuša used 3 layers of thinner pine with West epoxy between. This means that the falkuša doesn’t have to be concerned about drying out and the planks shrinking. Kayaking around Dalmatia sunken wooden boats are often seen. This is done if the boat has been stored out of the water and the planks have opened up. After a couple of days under water the boat is retrieved and in the sun it all shrinks back together.

The last picture of me rolling over a boat was taken by Peter McBride when he came to Croatia with adventure journalist Jon Bowermaster on an Oceans 8 kayak expedition.

For those that can read Croatian, the Istrian Voice newspaper published today an article describing the findings of a commission regarding a proposed golf-course in the valley below Motovun (click here). The commission sided with local residents and demanded that the developer reduce the number of beds by half to 250. Given that the economics of the project are now marginal the project probably won’t go ahead.

Its a bit of a lose-lose situation for Motovun. A well-managed course with an appropriate development would stimulate the valley’s economy, but what the developer proposed would have simply overwhelmed what is special about it.

During a drive around Istria this weekend we stumbled upon Draguć. Its just another small, picturesque, hill-top Istrian town, with a main street, square, water fountain, dirt streets and church - a dime-a-dozen around the region.

But after speaking to the owner of Buffet Zora (shown above), we discovered the town has even more to offer.

Of artistic value are the frescoes within the town’s small churches - Sveti Elizej and Sveti Rok. Sveti Elizej dates from the 12th Century, being Romanesque in style. During the 13th Century the church interior was decorated with frescoes depicting the life of Jesus.

Sveti Rok, a votive chapel, is of later origin, belonging to the Late Gothic Period (the first half of the 16th century). During that period the plague had killed many in Istria. The vaulted interior was painted by Master Anton of Padua.

But for us of the television generation more interesting is that Draguć is known by the locals as the Istrian Hollywood. Several films have been made there; whenever a small medieval village exterior is required by a studio the cameras and crew arrive in town. Look at La Femme Musketeer with Michael York and Nastassja Kinski, or Twilight Time with Karl Malden (whose real name was Mladen Sekulovich - his father was Serbian).

Credit has to be given Igor Popović for the picture at the top of the post.

Ranko introduced us to a local Motovan resident, Igor; a small olive oil producer. Igor told us many things - olive trees are best planted on the sunny-side of hill, between 150 - 350m above sea-level and in white soil with a neutral pH (not red soil, which has too much bauxite). On 5 hectares about 1 500 trees can be grown; in 10 years each tree will yield 20 - 30kg of olives which in turn will produce 2 - 3kg of oil. Oil sells for more than 10€ per liter. When Croatia joins the EU it is probable that no further trees will be allowed to be planted - so a rush is on at the moment to put more in. Igor said that Klaudio Ipša from Ipši is the best man around Motovun to ask further advice. The Istrian Tourism Board provides a map of olive producers.

Spring is wild asparagus season in Istria. Wild Asparagus looks like the cultivated variety but much longer and thinner. Julie found this recipe for using it:

Frittata with Wild Asparagus
500g wild asparagus
150g onions
8 eggs
50ml oil
10g salt
1g pepper

Rinse the wild asparagus and break their soft part into small pieces (about 3cm long) by hand. Fry with finely chopped onion until asparagus soften. Then add egg mixture, stirring lightly. When eggs stiffen, remove pan from heat and serve hot.

The New York Times recently published a list of the must-see places in the world for 2008. Included in this list, at an impressive #11, is the town of Hvar (on Hvar Island).

The NY Times describes Hvar thus:

“As Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast has become a new Riviera, Hvar has become its St. Tropez: a tiny village that fills with yachts and international partyers over the summer. While the waterfront Carpe Diem remains the island’s night-life center, narrow stone alleys are lined with chic cocktail lounges and hotel terraces, including the rooftop pool at the new Adriana Hotel, Croatia’s first Leading Small Hotels of the World member.”

Now personally I can only take the ‘jet-set’ in small doses. But when you combine the high-life with a little adventure its excellent. Many of those who visit Hvar Town only see its bars and nearby beaches, but there is a lot more to explore on the whole island.

The picture in the NY Times article is actually of a beach in Komiža, which happens to be on Vis Island - only 25 kilometers away - so much for the fact-checkers!

But both Vis and Hvar Islands are combined in our Vis and Hvar Islands Kayak Adventure - how’s that for a segue!? (And, yes, our picture at the top of this post is of a beach on Hvar!)

Ray Fusco, who I had fun with in early 2006, attempting to cross the Adriatic Sea, has been a busy man lately. Not only has he survived cancer - during our crossing, unbeknown to him, he had a fist-size tumor on his kidney - but he founded and organizes the New York Mayor’s Cup, a circumnavigation of Manhattan Island paddle race; consults to other events through Ray Fusco Inc.; and now teaches local NY high-school kids, who otherwise wouldn’t get a chance to experience it, kayaking.

Ray hopes to be back in Croatia on June 23rd with friends to help guide one of our Korčula to Dubrovnik Kayak Expeditions.

The skiing in Bosnia Hercegovina has not been very good this year. The closest ski resort to Split, Kupres, has suffered from poor snow falls and has been closed for most of the season.

Finally, last weekend weather cold enough to throw a white blanket across the region blew through and most of Split headed to the mountains across the border. Believing that Kupres would be too crowded, we headed a little further into Hercegovina, to the town of Blidinje. Blidinje is more remote than Kupres and takes a little effort to get there, but because it is higher the snow is consistently better.

The road between Blidinje and Tomislavgrad was closed due to snow meaning that we had to take the long way around. For about 15kms towards the end of the drive the road it is not yet finished - it is gravel (or makadam as the locals say). The resort is only 5 years old after all. It took us 3.5 hours to get there - an hour longer than what is usual.

We found the Motel Risovac on the internet. It was small and basic, but the staff were friendly and it was only 17€/person/night - a little more for half-board.

The ski resort is also small and basic. It only had a quad-chairlift to the top of the mountain and a children’s t-bar operating. But once again it is cheap. The day lift tickets are 10€ for adults and 5€ for kids and ski hire is 10€.

Balkan skiing is very rural - amazed local farmers stood at the bottom of the runs smoking and watching the crazy strangers struggling down the hills in their colourful outfits.

Many of cars in the car-park had Dubrovnik registrations - Blidinje is a similar distance to there as Split.

Dalmacija Ski is a good website (if you can understand Croatian) for all information on skiing in Bosnia Hercegovina.

We had two excellent days and hope to go back next weekend as more snow is forecast.

The dreaded ‘flu has meant we haven’t had many adventures recently.

For all our German friends (Hi An!), you can read about a day spent with the Smalbys on the Gajeta Falkuša last summer on the Alles Kroatien website. The Falkuša is one of the boats we use on our Kayak Tours.

We had a beautiful, sunny day today in Split. So we went for a walk around Diocletian’s Palace. Aklie rode his bike for the first time without training-wheels! In the video he is going great - a second after recording stopped he ran straight into the back of an unsuspecting lady! Photographs are posted here.

We were back up in Motovun again this weekend as our builder, Gino, prepared for demolition in the house we are renovating.

From a gastronomic POV, Motovun is known for its truffles. In fact the world’s largest was found in 1999 in the nearby forests - it weighed 1.30 kgs. Given Black truffle sells for about 700€/kg and the white variety about 2 000€/kg - thats not bad reward for an afternoon stroll. They were first found in the area in 1929.

Four weeks ago David and Vanda’s dog, Bonnie, had 8 puppies. Bonnie is a failed truffle hunting dog that they saved. David and Vanda are responsible for Timeout Croatia magazines and guidebooks. Dogs are used to sniff out the underground fungi - but if the dog is found not to make the grade it is usually put to sleep.

The best place in town for a truffle-sprinkled dinner is the Barbacan Restaurant. Its owner, Ronald Geul, is Dutch. As the older generation in Motovun moves on, the town is becoming popular for interesting people from all over the world in which to live. The town’s new resident grumpy old man is Ranko Bon - architect, economist, painter and poet.

Risotto with Leek, Mushrooms and Truffle

Ingredients
Leeks:
2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved, thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup whipping cream

Mushrooms:
500g Shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, cut into 7mm thick slices
1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon white truffle oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Risotto:
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 cups (or more) hot vegetable broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons shaved or chopped black truffle
Chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
For Leeks:
Bring leeks and cream to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until leeks are tender and cream is thick, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before continuing.

For Mushrooms:
Preheat oven to 180°C. Toss all ingredients on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until mushrooms are tender and light brown around edges, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

For Risotto:
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and stir until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup hot broth. Simmer until broth is almost absorbed, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add more broth, 1 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next and stirring often, until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes longer. Stir in leek mixture, mushroom mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cheese, and truffle. Transfer to large bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Malvasia
Istria has two wines of note - a red, teran, and a white, malvasia. For malvasia we choose to drink that from the Kozlović Family.

Wine Maker – Kozlović Vina
Colour – Golden yellow colour with a slight green tinge.
Bouquet – Aroma of fruit and berries
Palate – Fresh, medium-bodied, and balanced, with an almond aftertaste.

Croatia is a nation of contradictions.

On Sunday we went to Skradin, a small town on the Krka River, just behind Šibenik, to visit Vina Bibich, run by Alen, a local wine producer and chef about whom we had heard great things. We wanted to try the local red wine, debit. Unfortunately everything is still closed this early in the year.

Skradin has a long history; originally it was a Roman trading town. Today it’s the best place to catch a boat to the Krka National Park, and the Krka Waterfalls, up river.

After a quick coffee in Skradin’s sunny square, we drove into the Park.

The Park’s authorities have, over recent years, renovated the old mill buildings surrounding the falls into an ethno-village. In the summer guests can see the flour being made, chat with the donkeys or have a trout lunch. The rivers around Split provide several places for very fresh trout. Other favorites of ours are in the town of Trilj and at another renovated mill; Radmanove Mlinice.

To walk amongst the falls wooden duck boards and bridges are provided, similar to Plitvice Lakes but on a smaller scale. Its possible to swim below the final waterfall.

The Croatian contradiction became evident when we came upon some further old buildings with a plaque. The text said before us was the ruins of the world’s second hydro-electric generator - the first opened in Buffalo, up-state New York a few days before; both were completed in 1895. Even more amazingly, the Croatian dam was the first in the world to provide electricity - it powered Šibenik’s streetlights about a year before those in Buffalo. Nikola Tesla was responsible for the design of the plant. Born an ethnic Serb in what is now the Lika Region of Croatia, he is claimed by both Croatia and Serbia.

At the at end of the 19th Century this remote part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was on the cutting edge of technology - beating Germany, France and England to hydro-electricity - yet my grandmother’s village nearby has never received electricity or had modern plumbing. And driving to the Park you see the still-ruined houses of the barbaric ethnic conflict from 15 years ago. Primitivism and Modernism side by side.

Its been a long wait but finally our leut is in the shed. Our previous attempts failed - but finally brute force prevailed. Only six guys, two fork lifts, twenty steel pipes and eight hours of continuous hard work were required to complete the task.

The knowledge of those involved made the whole task a lot easier - there must have been nearly 100 years of maritime industry experience working together.

The previous trailer was re-used sans the wheels. The fore and aft of the boat were raised and a section of the trailer were slid under each on top of pipes. Then, using a forklift at each end, the 5000kg boat was pushed, prodded, turned and dragged into the shed.

Many thanks to John, Nigel, Marcel, Tim, Morton, Jan, Lene and Jules.

Except for the odd day when the bura howls down from the mountains, the Adriatic Sea is relatively calm. This makes the Dalmatian Coast a perfect location for ship-borne activities which may not be possible elsewhere. One idea that we have been asked to help on is a restaurant/bar catamaran. This work is part of our plan to learn everything possible about boat construction and renovation.