The Labud not only adds an extra dimension to our Kayaking and Day Tours, but allows us to escape Split and explore Croatian coast and islands we have yet visited.

In October we set sail to see the Kvarner Gulf region of Croatia.

For the first 2 days – firstly from Split to Primosten, and then the next day from to Skradin via Sibenik – the boat was crewed by Outward Bound staff.

Then due to weather delays they had to return to Split.

Several days later I was joined by Julie and the kids. Each day Julie would drive the mini-van to meet the boat and we would camp out under the stars. The boat has a small galley forward of the mast – so we completely self-sufficient.

Over the next days we visited Murter, Zadar, Pag Island, Rab, Krk Island and Crkvenica. Pag Island is unique – its luna-esque, treeless surface is due to the bitterly cold bura wind which whistles through Velebit Mountain during the winter months. The sheep which run wild on the island only have scrubby salt-brush to eat – which gives their cheese a distinct taste.

Last year for one of our Korcula to Dubrovnik Kayak Expeditions we needed a bigger boat than our leut, Labud.

We had been in email contact with Rebecca and Kresimir, owners of the 57′ Danish ketch the Bente Dorte, built in 1929. Rebecca and Kresimir spent the last7 years renovating her in the cold wilds of Sweden, before sailing her back to Croatia, via Brest 2008.

They did all the work on her – from replacing ribs and planks to rebuilding the anchor winch and engine, installing the rigging and making the sails. The result is a beautiful example of a working boat – not a prissy museum piece.

Working together, Lifejacket Adventures and the Bente Dorte were able to provide the larger group an adventurous kayaking tour combined with some traditional sail training. It was a unique Dalmatian maritime tour.

With the combination of the two traditional boats and the sea-kayaks we can now offer even better tours – perfect for school groups or kayak clubs. As an added bonus on some of our outings guests will be able to gain British Canoe Union (BCU) certification.

For more pictures click here.

It has been a long time between posts here on our Lifejacket Adventures blog. That’s because we started a new blog – Our Croatia Life – which now contains all of the more personal stories, and we will continue to publish our adventure business stories here.

On facebook, Our Croatian Life can be found here, and Lifejacket Adventures here.

]]> http://blog.lifejacketadventures.com/croatia/2010/03/07/new-personal-blog/feed/ 0 http://blog.lifejacketadventures.com/croatia/2009/02/24/grand-adriatic-kayak-tour/ http://blog.lifejacketadventures.com/croatia/2009/02/24/grand-adriatic-kayak-tour/#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:40:04 +0000 Croatian Adventures http://blog.lifejacketadventures.com/?p=692

The combined efforts of Rene Seindal’s Venice Kayak, our Lifejacket Adventures – Croatia, Ray Fusco Inc. and Jen Kleck’s Aqua Adventures have put together the ultimate 12-day sea kayaking adventure for Europe’s Adriatic Sea. The tour combines the history of towns and cities such as Korcula, Dubrovnik and Venice – their maritime roots and the links between them going back hundreds of years – with the wine and foods of the wild Dalmatian Islands. And at the very end guests will participate in the yearly paddle-fest in Venice – the Vogalonga.

The PDF brochure for the tour can be found here. It contains lots of top pictures – so please be patient when downloading.

If you have any questions please email:

info@lifejacketadventures.com

rene@venicekayak.com

rayfusco@optonline.net

info@aqua-adventures.com

The schedule for our 2010 sea-kayaking adventures/expeditions has been added here!

In terms of quality of food, knowledge of local history, places visited, wines tasted and overall enjoyment, we believe our tours to be the best in Croatia!

Except for coffee at cafes and wine at restaurants, all meals and drinks are included. Our tours are not a series of day trips from a base point, but a continuous movement along the Dalmatian Coast.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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.)

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.)

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.)

]]> http://blog.lifejacketadventures.com/croatia/2008/07/17/vis-and-hvar-islands-sea-kayak-adventure-croatia-day-3/feed/ 0 http://blog.lifejacketadventures.com/croatia/2008/07/15/vis-and-hvar-islands-kayak-adventure-croatia-preamble/ http://blog.lifejacketadventures.com/croatia/2008/07/15/vis-and-hvar-islands-kayak-adventure-croatia-preamble/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:21:09 +0000 Croatian Adventures http://blog.lifejacketadventures.com/?p=150

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.)

Some of our pictures.