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

Wednesday, 2nd July

Ferry to Vis Island and Kayak to Komiža

Wednesday was the day we started paddling! After a 2 hour ferry crossing to Vis Island and a healthy meal (the last not to involve wine for the whole trip), we organized kayaks and, following a quick explanation of a wet exit, headed out.

Immediately from the boats it was possible to see evidence of Vis’ historically important role in controlling the Adriatic Sea. The Adriatic gets its name from a colony, Adria, on the Po River Delta in Italy, founded by Illyrian King Adrias. Adrias’ throne was on Vis. His son, Ionius, then gave his name to the Ionian Sea. Until relatively recently the border between the two seas was Vis Island.

Behind the present tennis courts is a Greek necropolis. Dionisius the Elder, the tyrant of Syracuse in 397 BC established a colony, Issa, on Vis. Later, it became an independent city-state, minted its own coins and founded other colonies elsewhere on the Dalmatian coast and its islands.

In the 3rd Century BC, the Roman Empire saw an opportunity to conquer all of Dalmatia after an argument developed between the Greek colonists and the Illyrians. The foundations of the Roman baths are still visible across the road from the INA petrol station.

As we reached the mouth of the harbour on the left are the ruins of the English Fort St. George. In 1805 the Napoleon had taken the island from the Austrians. But the English weren’t too happy having the French in control of the ‘Gibraltar of the Adriatic’, so in March 1811, they attacked and occupied the island until 1814. This gave them enough time though to do what the English do best - setup a cricket club.

Just around the corner we kayaked into the next fragment of military history on the island - a Yugoslav Navy patrol-boat shelter. After WW2, Tito upset both the Russians and NATO, so not knowing who to trust he turned Vis into a massive fortress - riddled with tunnels, gun emplacements and this large, concrete, watery cave. Civilians (except those with a special allowance) were not allowed on the island until 1989.

Leaving the shelter behind we began an up-hill slog into the sea breeze (or maestral). I tried to explain, but the wind just carried my words away, that before us lay the site of the world’s last battle fought under sail between the Austrians and the Italians in 1866.

The head wind exhausted us all, so once we reached Zukamice Bay it was decided to pile onto the falkuša for the last 3kms into Komiža. There were more important things on the agenda, such as dinner at Roki’s Winery!

Komiža is a small town on Vis Island’s northwest. It is home to the falkuša and was the only place in Croatia to make its living purely from fishing. Gabe, as the tour’s resident beef-eater, was happy to hear that sea-life was going to provide most of the meals for the next few days.

Nik Roki shuttled us up to his winery where we enjoyed octopus and lamb cooked under the dome, and several bottles of his plavac mali (red wine) and bugava (white wine).

(For all the pictures of the kayak tour - click here.)

Tuesday, 1st July

Arrival in Split

The Vis and Hvar Islands Kayak Adventure starts in the evening of the first day - not with getting into the boats but a stroll through the 1 700 year old ruins of Roman Emperor Diocletian’s retirement palace. Eventhough Deanna, Gabe, Tove, May-Lill, Jodie, Warwick (call me ‘Waz’) and Fred were all coming from different directions at different times, and with Tim and me still on Vis Island organizing the falkuša and kayaks, Jules was somehow able to get everyone in the correct place for a walk with Maja, our knowledgeable guide.

Diocletian was known for several things - as reformer (of the Roman legal, financial, administrative and military systems), as a persecutor (of Christians) and as a constructor. The biggest baths in Rome (over 30 000 sqm) were built by him - though he never visited them - and he built of 20 000sqm of palace just for himself on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. It only took 10 years to build (completed in 305), but anything is possible when you have 20 000 slaves working for you. And only 2 000 were killed during construction! Its good to be the king! The palace forms the centre of Split old town and locals still live amongst its ancient stones.

The irony is that when the Christians inhabited the palace after 640, they turfed Diocletian’s bones out of his mausoleum and turned it into the Cathedral of Sveti Duje (Saint Dominus).

After the tour, dinner was taken at Konoba Maslina - a good-value, hidden-away restaurant.

(Thanks to Deanna and Gabe for these pictures. For all the pictures of the kayak tour - click here.)

As mentioned previously, the usual support boat for our sea-kayaking tours has been in Brest for the last 10 days. So we needed another for last week’s adventure around Vis and Hvar Islands. Tim and I headed north to Murter to borrow the only other replica falkuša, the Mikula, from my friend Tomislav. Murter is home to one of the last fleets of traditional lanteen-rigged boats.

The boat needed to be in Vis Town for the start of the tour. To start, we motored down to the town of Primošten for the night.

In the past Primošten was situated on an islet close to the mainland. During the Turkish invasions of 1542 the islet was protected by walls and towers, and a drawbridge connected it to the mainland. When the Turks retreated, the bridge was replaced by the causeway and in 1564 the settlement was named Primošten after the Croatian verb primostiti (to span).

Whilst there we discovered the best steak I have had in Dalmatia at the restaurant Torkul.

(For all the pictures of the kayak tour - click here.)

Leuts are one of several boat designs coastal Croatians developed. Others types include small dingies such as batanas, pasaras and gucs; gajetas, which are sister ships of leuts; and larger merchant mariners such as braceras, trabakuls, and peligs. The boats were used for fishing, trading and tranportation.

Currently we are renovating the Conte (see below), a 11.5m long leut with a 130hp diesel motor, built in the 1940’s. The idea is to return her to a sailing vessel to act in support of our kayaking expeditions along the Dalmatian coast.

Initially, down at the Arista Nautica boat-yard, the fiberglass cabin has been removed and then we will move her inside the warehouse to begin the renovation.