On the 27th May, 2017 I was lucky enough to go on a sailing tour of central Dalmatia. You can see a million photos on instagram and facebook of sailing in Croatia and honestly, it all starts to look the same; but after a week of sailing, eating, drinking, laughing, swimming... I can tell you - the photos don't do it justice.
So, our week-long sailing adventure reached its end - after visiting Stari Grad and Jelsa, it was time to head towards our last stops - Makarska and Omiš.
Day six - Makarska
I have to say that I was slightly sceptical about Makarska because my friend has a house there. I often spend some time there during summer, and, let me tell you, it is TOO crowded. Besides, it's a party destination and I'm secretly 89 years old and hate clubbing, so it was really not my cup of tea. You can’t walk around without bumping into someone, there’s no place to put down your towel at the beach, it’s just one huge crowd moving slowly.
Turns out - beginning of June isn't that bad, so we wandered around and it was quite refreshing without the usual crowds. The only issue I have with Makarska now that I've sailed there is that there are no showers or free bathrooms at the marina.
We had dinner at Lanterna, a restaurant near the church at Andrija Kačić Miošić Square. Seafood was really good - green pasta with prawns and black risotto, and we also got pork medallions with prosciutto, and finished things with a complimentary cocktail.
Everyone was really sad that they were leaving and said they definitely planned to come back to Croatia as soon as possible.
We drank some wine at the boat and then some of us went clubbing to Deep, one of the most popular clubs in Makarska.
Day seven – Omiš
The last day of our trip was the most exhausting – rafting down the Cetina River. Two hours of gorgeous scenery, a lot of rowing and an occasional waterfall – were mostly spent in quiet, some of us tired from clubbing, others reflecting on the trip. Our guide commented multiple times that we were one of the quietest groups he’d had, but we didn’t take it too personally because we were really tired. Even though it seemed like forever (and it was actually 2 hours), rafting was amazing! We paddled, had swimming stops, drank water from a waterfall, and overall had a lot of fun.
We got back to Omiš around 3 p.m. and we got soaking wet when we got to our boats because the wind was blowing like crazy! That was actually the only day the weather was less than perfect – other passengers and our skipper told me that this was the only trip so far with no rain or storms. Beginner’s luck I guess.
We got to Split around 5:30, I jumped off the boat, waved at everyone and headed to the bus stop to catch the first bus to Zagreb, full of great memories and grateful to my editors and Sail Croatia for giving me the opportunity to see just how great sailing is for the first, and hopefully not the last time in my life.
I got to know a very interesting and diverse, but also, in a way, very similar crowd of people, felt the peace at sea that I’d only read about before, and visited some of the most charming little towns that I’d ever seen.
I think one of my favourite quotes of all times, from Invictus, by William Ernest Henley, is only appropriate to end this adventure with:
"I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul."
Go and sail, for what better place is there to become captains of your souls than our gorgeous Adriatic Sea?
