Friends join
We had the pleasure of hosting our friends, Ian and Francis for a few days. It was great to see familiar faces and share a few moments from this chapter of our lives.
The wind was forecast to be very strong so we decided to stay put in Split for two nights. The marina is centrally located so we were able to enjoy the old town of Split. The old town is a bit of a jumble of history all mashed together. You are likely to see bits of Greek, Roman, and later history all interspersed as you go through narrow streets and navigate the crowds.
There are many highlights. The primary structure of the old town is the Dioklecijanove palace which dates from around 305 AD. There are several gates one can pass through and once in, you can see several impressive sites. WE took in The Cathedral and its catecombs, the Temple of Jupiter which seems a bit wedged in among several buildings but impressive nonetheless, the substructions (basement and foundation) of the Palace where you can see the various halls that were underneath the main palace for storage and to ensure a flat surface for the structure above. We also went to the “live Museum” where for a small fee Theo was able to dress in period warrior armour. They were quite delighted to have him there and he tried on many different eras. While he was learning about the details as he dressed up, we were able to try archery. It was fun to shoot some arrows and a couple even hit the target!
The live museum is a project run by university students intended to educate about soldiers through ancient times. To draw attention to the place, male students are dressed in Roman armour and positioned about the city. They pose for photos (for tips) and encourage people to go to the live museum. I’m not sure how well the advertising works since we were the only ones we saw at the actual place but it added a nice flavor to the old city and I’m sure the tips were welcome by the students. Theo bonded with the man teaching him about armour so got a very good demonstration.
Food in Split was expensive but we did eat at one vegetarian restaurant where we sat around a tiny table and enjoyed sumptuous food. Theo was very keen on sushi so everyone patiently went for drinks and sushi appetizers in the afternoon. Sushi is astronomically expensive in many places we’ve been. I think we’ll eat tonnes of it back in Canada in sheer appreciation of the relative affordability.
On a side note, we once again were having holding tank issues – smelly and inconvenient especially when you have guests. I had tried to arrange a pump-out while in Split but it is a relatively unknown service. When I did manage to track down the service, they quoted me 200 Euro which is extraordinarily expensive. The last time I had it done was in Cyprus and it was 60 Euro. I declined the pump out and resolved to find a solution.
Ian and Francis were troopers through this problem. Ian and I developed 3 approaches to resolve the problem and went in search of parts at a local hardware store. After an uber ride there and back and we were ready to try our solutions the next day.
While we were at the hardware store we had a close look at the fires which were on the hills just outside of Split. It was very windy and the fire was spreading quickly. Canadair planes were dropping water and filling up in the bay nearby. That evening the cloud of smoke had spread across the entire sky of Split. It was erie grey/green.
Margaret was getting ready to head to Denmark so we left her in Split and took off for the islands. We decided to head to Hvar and ended up visiting a couple different towns on the island. While we stayed primarily in the towns overnight we had a chance to swim in a bay as well. We visited shops and found a great shop selling all the things we love – Olives, olive oil, coffee beans, wine, cheese, speciality sauces, cookies…the list goes on. We picked up many things to enhance our life aboard and consumed them over the coming hours and days.
A truly magical spot in Hvar was the Fortress of poet Petar Hektorovic in Stari Grad. Petar is a father of Croatian Literature who lived in the 1500s. He built a fortress home over 40 years which is quite rustic and has a number of stones inscribed with the philosophy of his life. The Fish pond and garden were fabulous. “Alas, the days flow by like waves and do not return.” As we pursue this sabbatical, that saying spoke to me.
We enjoyed dinner at a local slow food tavern and briefly took in an art exhibit by Emil Robert Tanay, a well known Croatian artist and professor of art.
The next day we made our way back to Split. We tried several mechanisms to address the holding tank. We did manage to get it drained using a siphon Ian created using some garden hose (not one of our original 3 solutions) and with a plan to enter an access point and attempt to clear the blockage. We had tried pushing the blockage through, snaking a coiled wire through, air pressure….nothing had worked.
We went to a different Marina closer to the airport and said goodbye to our friends. It had been a special time.
Sheila and I had enjoyed Hvar and had a few days before Margaret was to return with her friend from Denmark. We decided to hoof it to the bay we had enjoyed, moor overnight and head to the town of Stari Grad the next day. We enjoyed some swimming and had a marvelous time spending a bit more time in Stari Grad to see an exhibit of venomous snakes with Theo and hit the best shops for more decadent provisions. Based on the recommendation of a shop owner, we decided to head to Vis.
Vis is a remarkably quiet spot and is only 90km from Italy – it is the westernmost island in Crotia. Being in that spot, it had a history of military importance with fortifications still in place from when Napoleon had set his sights on world domination. The british built a fort atop a hill which now houses a nightclub. Elsewhere on the Island we were able to visit a submarine pen built into the hillside, an underground tunnel system, as well as gun turrets that had been carved into the hillside to defend the island. The cold war made an impression.
Being moored in the harbor we ran about in our dingy to get to and from shore. By now, Theo is very experienced in running the dingy and while he rarely enjoys going in a single straight line, he does steer us successfully to and from shore. He is learning to start the engine on his own so he can have full independence. Right now the starting cord is still a bit tough for him but he does manage to start it often.
On our tour of the various military installations on the island we also observed the stone walls and paths all over the island. To grow anything, the land had to be cleared rather like the farmer’s fields in Ontario and there are vertical and horizontal rows of stones separating growing plots. The number of hours of moving stones around the islands in Crotatia make the clearing of land one of the major infrastructure projects of the age.
In Vis we were able to buy a wooden broom handle. Taking advice from another cruiser, we screwed some screws into the end and built a narrow macerator to fit in the waste pipe. This hand held device vigorously applied finally freed the blockage in the pipe and we had a functioning holding tank once again. It is inevitable that I have to clean if not replace the hose going from the tank to the seacock and I do not look forward to that day.
From Vis we went to Milna on Brac and spent a relaxing night in the Marina there parked in front of the church. We thought we’d go to the town dock but the whole thing is now an ACI marina so we once again paid the marina fees. When we do this full time in the future, we’ll have more anchoring and fewer marinas as it is the marina fees that really dent the budget.
The next day, back toward Split and the marina, Margaret and her friend “Denmark” showed up not long after we docked. Once again hot showers were much appreciated.
We held in Split due to high winds in the forecast so M and D went clubbing and we definitely did not. It was well after 3am when the two returned. We figured we’d head off for an overnight at an island and give Denmark a taste of cruising life. We planned on an anchorage and overnight in a nearby town. Problem #1 was when we anchored, Theo was stung by a wasp. For most kids this is a nuisance but for Theo very dangerous as he is highly allergic. He has been taking shots for the past 3 years to build his immunity to the venom but we knew from testing that he would still react. The wasp was a yellow jacket but it wasn’t clear if there are differences in Europe and Canada. This was his second sting ever which can sometimes be worse. We tried not to show our stress levels as we watched him closely – swelling, breathing, disposition, you name it. Theo reacted fairly normally thankfully and with a bit of Advil was soon over the worst of the sting. No epipen required thankfully. Both Sheila and I were trying to determine if we were going to be doing an emergency call for an airlift. Where we were, there were no hospitals nearby.
Having the pleasure sucked out of swimming, we looked for a place to stay overnight. Nearby we couldn’t get into the town so we went back to Milna and stayed there. Aside from an 80s rock tribute band which went till 2 or 3 in the morning, we survived it. You have to understand that when there is an outdoor concert, they start late (11pm or so) and go into the wee hours. There are no noise bylaws and the bass can be felt in the boat. Believe it or not, you can get used or at least immune to it but I don’t like it.
The next day we were back to the marina but changed to Trogir for a new experience. We
Margaret was to fly soon from Rome and we had debated how to get her there for the flight. Since we had all wanted to see Venice for some time, we decided to sail there as quickly as reasonable and then building on the idea, go as a family by train to Rome and see the sights before Margaret returned home – kind of a mini vacation if you can have such a thing while on sabbatical.
This goal meant long sailing days of 8-12 hours which is never as fun as it might sound. You don’t get much time to explore and can get quite drained from sun, wind, and attention to your environment (think driving on a road trip). Nevertheless we had a goal and set to achieve it.
More to come on Rome and Venice in the next blog post
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