Sailing to Brač was almost no sailing at all. There was hardly any wind so we pretty much motor sailed our way from Trogir to Supertar, the northern town of Brač. Brač is the third largest island in the Adriatic sea and the largest island in all of Dalmatia. We threw our anchor in the bay outside the city, as always.

We spent two days in the anchorage so Jelle could work while Elena and I explored the city. Supertar was unusually familiar, with its stone buildings, purple flowers on the balconies, and many bars on the promenade. Having visited multiple islands in Croatia by now, you get this familiar feeling of Déjà vu. Moreover, this island reminded me of Chalkidiki and made me longing for my home country. Not far away now!

On the third day, we moored in the town quay so we could rent a car and explore the island. We visited the tallest mountain on the island and the tallest peak of all Adriatic islands, the Vidova Gora at 780m. I know, it does not sound too impressive, but it actually proved some impressive views of Brač island, the Zlatni Rat, probably the most famous sandy beach but also the neighboring islands. We drove through the asphalt roads of the island, briefly visited Bol, and also swam in the beautiful sandy (!) Lorensica bay. We finished our road trip by tasting delicious lamb in spit at Konoba Kopačina.

It would have been the best day if only upon our return to the harbor we did not have to witness Libra violently moving up and down in the dock while the swell pushed water all over the promenade and the threatening storm did not loom over us. Jelle quickly jumped on board and re-arranged our mooring lines, placing stronger ones and also tying one extra line to the boulder. Meanwhile, hard rain started pouring down on us, and Elena and I had to take shelter in one of the neighboring cafes. The rain was pouring hard, Jelle was onboard, collecting all things on deck and, crazy as he is, actually taking advantage of the rain and cleaning the deck with a broom, and I was stuck under a tent in a cafe, with a stroller full of stuff and Elena wanted to play out in the rain. And amidst this panic, not one single person did not offer us an extra seat ( there were many!) at their table. Never have I ever felt more unwelcome somewhere. Luckily, after a while, the thunderstorm stopped and the swell calmed down enough for us to jump onboard. This was probably the highlight of the whole ordeal, as our jumping to the boat was loudly applauded by our neighboring boat of Germans and English who were extremely helpful to begin with. We were fine, Libra was fine and after a bit, we managed to get a shut eye but not before promising to each other to never let the boat unattended for so long before double checking the Navtex warnings.

The next day, Thursday 28th July, we were supposed to take the ferry to Split. However, the port was not safe and having a little scare from the night before we decided to split , with Jelle spending the day onboard while Elena and I visited Split by ferry.

Split is a magnificent city, full of history and contradictions. The whole center is filled with ancient churches, castles, and other buildings, and meanwhile, modern cafes, restaurants and clothing stores are situated among them. It was such a peculiar thing to see, walking through the Diocletian’s Palace, a spectacular 4th century AD fortress covering half of the old city of Split and on one hand observing ancient pillars and on the other hand, fancy restaurants offering refreshments and seafood or open-air markets selling souvenirs. Such a weird combination! Nonetheless, Elena and I enjoyed a lot our city break, strolled around the historic town, savored our standard ice cream and Elena even gave me a tour of the Diocletian palace! We came back early afternoon and Jelle joined us for the last walk around Supertar where we tasted the local draft beer and a burger. The next day we would sail to the next island, Hvar!