Our very first sailing trip for 2022 was between Koper, Slovenia, and Umag, Croatia. During this 4,5- hour trip, we crossed countries and sailed 20NM. It was not a lot, but it was so great to be in the water again, to feel the sea breeze in your hair and the taste of salt on the tip of your tongue. Libra did better than ever, equipped with our brand new main and front sails! The bimini is a life-saver too, especially if one considers the massive heat we have been experiencing the last few days..32 degrees daily!!! Elena did also great on the trip, she enjoys being in the boat and seeing the water and the big white sails full of wind.

Umag is the first port in Croatia coming from Slovenia. It belongs to the Istria peninsula and it is the most western part of Croatia. Despite being a coastal town, it is not very interesting and we just spent two days here to fill up on groceries and undergo all the necessary paperwork entering the country by boat- who does not love bureaucracy?

Not soon enough for me, but Jelle had to work (somehow this trip needs to be financed!) so after 2 days in this town, once again, we released our lines and set sail for the next destination: Rovinj. And what a destination that was! The trip was great once again, but we encountered more wind than predicted so we had to set our first reef and at the same time, test our new reefing system- good news, it works great! The sea got a bit wavy and Libra was slightly heeling but despite all that, Elena managed to sleep a good 2 hours under these conditions! So no worries there, she got her sea legs faster than anyone would expect!

We did not enter the Rovinj marina, but instead, we decided to throw anchor in the bay outside the town. We have our trusted Zodiac so we can easily reach the marina or the beach and it was a good refreshing of our anchoring skills (s.s. that means mine skills cause Jelle is like a born sailor). Since it was already afternoon, we chose not to visit the town but to visit the nearby beach to splash around and have ice cream (yes, Elena is the boss of this family). The best part of this little excursion was that Elena gladly wore her life vest on the Zodiac, something we are always struggling to convince her to do on the boat..I guess ice cream is a great motivator!

The next day, Jelle stayed on the boat to work but not before he dropped Elena and me to the Rovinj marina to explore the city. Rovinj is breathtakingly beautiful, with colorful houses, boutique cafes and narrow, cobblestone roads to get lost in. We walked a LOT in those tiny little pathways and enjoyed the sunny weather and the summer breeze while exploring one of the Croatian gems. Definitely worth a visit, if you ever pass by!

We spent two nights in total in the Rovinj bay anchoring and it was really nice, although the first night there was quite some swell flooding in the bay and causing quite a rocky Libra. Luckily that lasted only two hours and the rest of the night was quiet so we could rest up. On Saturday, 9th July, we pulled up our anchor and set sail to the tip of Istria, close to Medulin. Do not miss the next blog about our visit to Mali Lošinj!