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

I headed across to Hvar Island yesterday for a Wine Tour with Agnete and Christian, two members of one of Norway’s biggest hard-core bands, Madder Mortem. The plan was to introduce them to as much of the island and its wine and food in 12 hours as possible.

Our friend Mili at Hertz Rentals was kind enough to give us a Jeep Wrangler for the day. Given the warm weather, it was perfect to be able to take the roof off as we cruised the island.

We started with a walk to the small beach of Lučišće Bay. I was unfortunately shocked to see a new road had destroyed the serenity of this once stunning road. Zlatan Plenković, from the winery Zlatan Otok, is responsible for this disaster. He is the ‘big man’ in town and wanted the road to bring more guests to his failing restaurant. I’m not sure how Zlatan can look at himself in the mirror, as he and other like-minded, unthinking or corrupt scoundrels in Croatia seemed determined to destroy its natural beauty. (If anyone reads this and is coming to Croatia please don’t buy Zlatan Plavac or any of the other wines from Zlatan Otok!)

For lunch we drove up along the dirt track that runs along the spine of the island to Konoba Humac. Humac is a traditional, inland village. The abundance limestone on Dalmatian Islands gave the locals an unlimited supply of construction material. In Humac everything is stone; the walls and roofs of the houses, the fences for the animal pens and the shepherd’s huts (which were also used for animal storage). The view from the konoba across the water to Brač Island as you eat lunch is worth the price of admission.

Antun Balić at Uljara Božić in Svirče then showed us his olive oil bottling plant. He explained to us the difference between Extra Virgin and Virgin Oil (the percentage of oxygen in the oil), cold and warm pressing, when the olives should be picked and the different olive varieties. Antun also told us that good oil has a green grass/apple bouquet and an astringent aftertaste at the back of the throat.

The last stop of the day before the evening ferry was the Tomić Winery. Andro Tomić is the man to see about Hvar wine. Not only are his wines top-notch but the overall presentation of everything he does, from his labels to his cellars, is excellent. Marina, his right-hand girl, ran through their 9 products, and we tasted 4 of them - the Opolo Nobile Rosé, the Plavac Mali Barrique, the Prošek Hectorović and the Travarica. Marina was even kind enough to prepare food to accompany each wine.

From Andro’s website:

Opolo Nobile - “Rosé wine Opolo Nobile is enjoyed as a young, a year-old wine. It is produced using a special technology (decantation after only 12 hours) that gives this wine a beautiful pink colour and its distinctive freshness. Opolo Nobile was modelled on young French (Beaujolais) wines, and it is best to drink it until it is 10 months old.”

As this is a light wine Marina served a mozzarella-style cheese with olive oil.

Plavac Mali Barrique - “After the Ancient Greeks and Romans who used amphorae for wine storage and transport, barrels became a widespread means of wine storing, and became crucial for maturing of wine. Barrels have a two-fold function in winemaking; they accelerate wine aging, and add a distinctive wood flavour and bouquet. Fine making and maturing in oak barrels give the wine Plavac Mali Barrique its highly noble bouquet and make a great complement to an already strong flavour of the variety Plavac Mali.”

To compliment the strength of this wine, a strong cheese such as parmesan is recommended.

Prošek Hectorović - “Prošek is an authentic Croatian dessert wine , made using dried grapes of the finest indigenous Dalmatian varieties. Although it often gets mixed up with Prosecco, Italian sparkling wine, Prošek comes from the coastal region of Dalmatia, which is still the only place where it is made. Prošek Hectorović was named after Petar Hektorović, a great poet, hedonist and nobleman who came from the island of Hvar.”

Marina surprised us by having us eat gorgonzola with this dessert wine - a great taste combination.

Travarica - “Travarica is a type of herbal brandy made with the wine distillate from authentic wines of the island Hvar, flavoured with seven Mediterranean herbs, predominantly carob and sage. A part of the herbs is distilled together with the wine, but most of it is left to macerate in the distillate.”

Carob is used as fake-chocolate, and the best way we discovered to enjoy this brandy is poured over chocolate ice-cream.

As we were running late for the ferry we didn’t get a chance to visit Hvar Town, but given what we had done there were no complaints!

The rest of the tour’s pictures can be found here.

On Wednesday, to begin our short sojourn on Vis and Biševo Islands, Tracey, Marisa, Andreas, Bob, Tim and I boarded the Jadrolinija ferry, followed by the local bus to Komiža. Due to the heat and Tracey being 5 months pregnant with Bob, we decided against an afternoon hike and instead went for a swim in Stončica Bay. The season has been a little slow on the islands this year, but this week the crowds finally arrived, crowding the beach.

For the evening meal Oliver Roki transported us from the beach to his family vineyard, where we dined on lamb and fish cooked ispod peke - under the cast iron dome. The food and hospitality on the Roki’s terrace is always first rate. I am a little concerned, though, that their plavac mali (local red wine) always has a fennel aftertaste.

The weather was perfect the next day for a paddle across to visit our friends Davor and Lili in Salbunara Bay on Biševo Island. Its always a joy to arrive in Salbunara Bay; a deep, sandy bay that Davor and Lili have gone to great lengths to keep clean.

For lunch they had prepared a traditional sardine dish, where fried sardines are marinated in onions, garlic, white wine, wine vinegar, olive oil, rosemary, bay leaves and lemon. This recipe was used to preserve fish for several days before electricity and refrigerators, and now fish prepared this way can stay in the ‘fridge for up to 3 weeks. When the weather is hot, it is a refreshing alternative to a cooked meal.

After gorging ourselves we kayaked around to the Blue Cave, where Marisa transformed into Kim Vanderbilt Madonna impersonator and gave us a performance.

Dinner was octopus slow baked under Davor’s dome, washed down by local grappas and plenty of domestic wine.

On Friday, after a night in the bungalows, we attempted to cross back to Vis Island. Unfortunately the jugo was building and we weren’t able to make it. Instead, Pino had to come with his boat to ferry us back to Komiža. From there it was back to Split and civilization!

For all the pictures from tour click here.

Joško Božanić plus his friends and the boats they took to France arrived safely home. They unloaded everything at the Kaštela Marina. It was a very successful trip to the International Maritime Festival for Croatia. Joško is now planning his next events.

Monday, 7th July

End of the Tour in Hvar Town

For our last day together the plan was to sail the southern coast of Hvar Island. But the jugo (southern wind) had blown in during the night, meaning it would be impossible to anchor in the small exposed bays. Instead we enjoyed (well some of us!) a good sail before returning to the Pakleni Islands and finding yet another beach-side konoba.

For the evening we found space in Hvar Town harbour. Hvar has become a jet-set hangout. All the hotels have been renovated by Sunćani Hvar and numerous bars crowd the waterfront - including the infamous Carpe Diem.

The nobility that controlled all the vineyards and olive groves on the surrounding islands lived in Hvar. They built several grand houses and Europe’s first public theatre inside its old walls. Other highlights of Hvar are Dalmatia’s largest piazza and the Arsenal , which was used during the Venetian occupation to repair the commune’s war galley.

After a sunset walk to the Spanish Fort, which crouches above the town, we settled down to our last meal together before trying out several of the bars.

Post-Mortem - With several days of winds on the nose, the kayaking was strenuous, but even with all the exercise, due to the gourmet food and wine imbibed, everyone will need to go on a diet!

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

Sunday, 6th July

Sailing Across to Hvar Island - Exploring the Pakleni

Tove unfortunately had to leave us early, so she caught the ferry back from Vis Island to Split. The rest of us enjoyed an early morning coffee or three on Vis Town’s riva - waterfront. Then it was time to cross the channel to Hvar Island.

With not much wind and the sun beating down a swim and a rope swing was taken in the middle of the 12km crossing.

The day was to be spent on the Pakleni Islands, a small group just off Hvar Town. Pakleni means hell in Croatian. Boat builders used the islands in the past for making pine tar, a sticky material produced by the high temperature distillation of pine wood. The tar was used to preserve boats’ wood and rigging. The many fires used to make the tar gave the islands a hellish appearance.

Anchoring in a small cove, we swam ashore and walked to a hidden restaurant, Dionis. Our hosts had prepared us an eggplant pie and octopus salad for starters and gregada for main course. Gregada is another fishermen’s stew, but unlike brudet, it is made with white wine, potatoes and garlic. All this food was consumed whilst sitting on Dionis’ huge terrace, which over their vineyard towards Vis Island, from where we had just sailed.

The sandy bottom bay of Palmižana was our port-of-call for the night. For those looking for a romantic week, see the Meneghello Family website. Over the last 100 years they have built beautiful bungalows amongst their gardens. We enjoyed cocktails into the wee small hours at a beach-side bar.

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

Saturday, 5th July

Completing the Circumnavigation of Vis Island - Stončica Bay

A serve of fried eggs and a cup of coffee gave us all the energy to begin our last day on Vis Island.

A short kayak had us at the first stop; the sandy beach (not typical for Dalmatia) of Stončica Bay. While some of us soaked up the sun, others combined two favourite pastimes - drinking beer and playing soccer.

Lunch came from the grill - squid, veal and vegetables were all thrown on it, and as usual too much was ordered - no one lost weight on this tour! The simple food was drizzled with olive oil and garlic - excellent!

The short paddle to complete the circumnavigation of Vis Island was again into a stiff sea breeze, and we were happy to complete it.

Dinner was at the best pizzeria in Vis overlooking the harbour.

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

Friday, 4th July

Kayaking along Vis Island’s Southern Coast - Stiniva Bay and Mala Travna

Because of geological reasons, the southern sides of the Dalmatian Islands are the most interesting - towering cliffs with narrow pebble beaches slicing into them. The day’s paddling was the most enjoyable with many nooks and crannies to be explored. The wind gods were against us again with a slight head wind, which almost doubled the excursion time.

Just before lunch we visited the most photographed beach on Vis, Stiniva Bay. From the mouth of the bay there is no evidence of the hidden cove at the end - its an incredible little space.

On a per capita basis, Vis Island is the poet capital of the world - everyone describes themselves as a one. Our favourite is Senko. He operates a small restaurant on his terrace above Mala Travna Bay. Senko is one of a few chefs to push the boundaries of Dalmatian cooking. He is not happy to serve the standard fare, but is always experimenting with local herbs and the preparation of fish. We happily sat as Senko placed course after course of small dishes in front of us. Of course there was his domestic wine with which to wash it all down. Senko only cooks if you call him in advance.

To get to the campsite we had a short sunset paddle to a small island off the town of Rukavac. In celebration of the 4th July, we had a big BBQ on the beach - plenty of steaks and salads!

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

Thursday, 3rd July

Kayaking around Biševo Island - the Monk Seal and Blue Caves

After rising relatively early, we cruised across to Biševo Island. Its name is derived from the local word for the worm-holes found in wood because of the numerous above and under water caves that run through its limestone.

Our first stop was the Monk Seal Cave - the scene of the last sightings of the Adriatic Monk Seal. Unfortunately due to a reduction in fish stocks and attacks by fishermen the seals have disappeared. The cave that they used to inhabit is large, with a high initial chamber and a low passage leading 60 metres away into the dark. It is possible to paddle almost to the back - with headlamps of course.

For lunch we kayaked to our friends’ (Davor and Lili) house on Salbunara Bay.

Several years ago Davor and Lili decided to escape Zagreb to almost the most remote island in Croatia. They have built several bungalows for guests hidden amongst the oil trees - its real get-a-from-it-all stuff. No television or telephones or even mains water and electricity. Dismayed with the amount of trash on their small beach, they started an organization for its renovation - Bisevo.Org. That have held several clean-up events and have managed to improve the local environment - all without the help of local government.

They made us an excellent risotto from freshly harvested molluscs (much to Gabe’s chagrin) and we drank several litres of red wine produced from grapes directly out their front door.

Davor showed us his dog’s (Bura) puppies. She is a tornjak - a Bosnian Sheep Guarding Dog. Similar to other sheep guarding dogs, these large breeds would live amongst the flock and protect it from wolf or bear attacks. Because of this protective pack instinct tornjaks make excellent family pets - if you have a large enough yard. They were never bred for herding.

Davor and Lili joined us for the journey to the Blue Cave (Modra Špilja). We kayaked and swam in to what was one of Dalmatia’s first tourist attractions. Eventhough it was late in the afternoon plenty of light was reflecting from the cave floor to cast a turquoise glow around the room. A local artist had installed some of her sculptures - wire human forms hanging from buoys - in the space, making for a surreal scene.

Due to the over consumption of food and wine at lunch, we opted for the tow-back method for the return to Komiža.

For dinner we were invited to Mateja’s house. Mateja is the sister of Joško Božanić. She made us a large pot of brudetto (brudet) - a typical fisherman’s stew of eel, red wine and tomatoes. It was again washed down by large carafes of domestic wine. Joško also dropped in for a quick chat before leaving for the Brest International Maritime Festival.

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

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.)

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.)

On Sunday Nicolas Sarkozy launched the Mediterranean Union, saying, “Our common Sea should bring us closer together, not separate us.”

Sarkozy’s idea for the union is of a community similar but looser to the European Union, made-up of 43 EU-member states and non-EU countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. He hopes the MU will become a vehicle through which peace between Israel and its Arab neighbours can be achieved. It is hoped that an institutional core will be established by the end of the French presidency of the European Union in 2008.

Member states would form a regular council under a rotating presidency similar to the current EU model. The Mediterranean and European Unions would also work together and share some institutions, including a common judicial area to fight corruption, terrorism, organized crime and people smuggling.

Sarkozy’s quote is very similar to a local Dalmatian saying, “Staviš prst u more i osetiš svet,” which is roughly translated as, “Put your finger in the sea and you are connected to the world.” The sea has always been a great bridge between cultures.

The working classes across the Mediterranean even had their own language - the original Lingua Franca. It was a mixed language composed mostly of Italian with a vocabulary drawn from Persian, French, Greek and Arabic. Lingua Franca literally means “Frankish language”, which came from the Arabic custom of referring to all Europeans as Franks. This language was used for communication around the medieval and early modern Mediterranean as a trade language.

Lingua Franca is the mother of all pidgin languages. As it was known by the Mediterranean sailors, when they started exploring the seas of Africa, America, Asia and Oceania, they tried to communicate with the natives by mixing a Portuguese-influenced version of Lingua Franca with the local languages.

The language was used until the 19th Century, when it disappeared, probably under the onslaught of the triumphant French language. It was never written. There was never any poetry, folktales, or translation of the Bible created using it. It was just a way to sell the merchandise you had to offer, or haggle for a better price on its purchase.

Komiski dialect (the unique language of those from Komiža) still contains many words from Lingua Franca. When Joško took the falkuša to Expo 98 in Portugal he was able to communicate his boat-handling commands to the local fishermen.

It is a paradox that the world isolated is derived from the Latin insula meaning island. Yet islanders have always been more open than those from the continent.

Split suffers even today from the conflict between these two mentalities - the world view of seafarers and the tribal view of land-lubbers. The Spličani (people born in Split) and the bodol (islanders) regularly clash with the vlaj (people from the continental-side of the Dinaric Alps). Split has gone from a population at the end of WW2 of 40 000 to today’s population of 250 000. The biggest influx has been from ‘behind-the-hills’. The vlaj suffered from 500 years of the fear of Turkish raiders cutting their throats as they slept. Their extended families (or tribes) were the only ones that could be trusted. This idea seems now to have been grafted onto their genes. Since moving to Split they still don’t trust strangers and act very much within their ‘tribal groups’.

Growing up around water definitely seems to make people more relaxed - maybe the Mediterranean can help finally solve the Israeli/Arab problem.

Yesterday Frank, Ceila, Bill and Cary enjoyed a day with us on Brač Island.

After the 45-minute ferry ride from Split, we drove to the trailhead above Pustinja Blaca.

Blaca was a monastery found in 1551 by Glagoltic monks from Poljica Republic. This small Republic, behind Omiš, was wedged between the Venetian and Ottoman Empires. The monks, fearing Turkish raids, fled to Brač in the 15th Century and later received permission to build their monastery in its current, well-hidden location. Setting to work in the harsh landscape (blaca means desert), they created a vibrant community - the richest on the island. They were self-sufficient in food, and exported honey, olive oil, wine and cheese to Venice and Vienna. They owned 3 trading boats, large estates in other villages and had up to 120 workers laboring for them.

The last monk, Don Nikola Milicevič, was a true Renaissance man. His favorite hobby was astronomy and we saw what was once the largest telescope in south-east Europe. He reported his findings to the world authorities and his work led to the naming of 2 asteroids as well as a comet.

All this work took place in the middle of nowhere. We got just a taste of its isolation - after a long drive down a dirt track, we still had a 2km hike into the canyon in which the monastery is tucked away. Yesterday, as the temperature soared, the sun beat down and reflected onto us from the white limestone - not an environment conducive to refined pursuits.

To recover we headed to Murvica, just outside of Bol. The terrace of the restaurant at which we ate lunch looked out across the water to Hvar Island. After an excellent seafood meal, the water was too inviting so we had to have a swim. The beaches along the south coast of Brač are some of my favorites in Dalmatia.

The highlight of the return ferry ride was sailing through an afternoon electrical storm.