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  patija:
Since we picked Opatija at the beginning of the cruise, we ought
not to forget that Opatija is built in a place with a very particular
micro-climate that we must not let fool us. Like most fashionable places,
Opatija was sited to occupy a part of the coast on which the sun shines most,
where there is enough moisture to ensure a vigorous vegetation growth, with
almost no wind at all. The calm that surrounds the region of Opatija must not be
reason enough for the sailors to plan the start of their voyage around the Gulf.
 Four
types of sailor come to Opatija. Boat owners who keep their craft permanently
tied up in one of the Opatija marinas or moorings, sailors who bring their
vessels with them on heterogeneous trailers, and those who hire boats in
Opatija. And of course, Opatija is also visited by sailors who arrive at it from
the sea. We are pretty sure that these latter have already planned their cruise
thoroughly before arriving in Opatija and intend to stay here to enjoy the
facilities of the tourist industry.
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Boat owners confide
their craft to two marinas. The smaller one is owned by the Admiral Hotel (200
moorings) and the larger by ACI Marina
Opatija (400), located a few kilometres from central Opatija in the village of Ičići.
The
city port consists of a pier and a protected pool. The pool is crowded out with
the craft of Opatija’s residents, and one really ought to avoid sailing into
it. On the outer part of the pier of the city harbour is a petrol station at
which boats can take on all kinds of fuel. The depth of sea enables unhindered
access to all sorts of craft (from 4 to 6 m). In the centre of the quay is the
Harbour Master’s Office, where customs and immigration formalities can be seen
to.
 Sailors
who bring their craft by road can run them into the water at all of these
localities.
No matter which group of sailor you belong to, any
planning of the start or the prolongation of a voyage has to take full
cognisance of the weather forecast. But since many users of all kinds of vessels
associate their impending holiday at sea with totally switching off from
everyday life, sometimes this desire to forget the cares of the diurnal also
includes stopping using the TV, radio and newspapers… which do, after all,
convey information of some importance for the success of the trip.
 Seafarers
can get a forecast on their VHF radio. The Opatija area is covered by Radio
Rijeka on Channel 24, and a forecast is broadcast at 7.45, 13.45 and 19.45.
If the meteorological report forecasts a bora, since
this wind reaches its greatest power in the Senj straits, we have plenty of
reason to plan our cruise along the western side of Cres.
 For
those who know how the bora is formed it will be enough to take a look up at
Velebit. According to the size of the cap above the mountain, one can work out
what strength the bora will blow with. For the cap is composed of the bora
clouds, as the locals call them.
One should not forget that the bora calms about noon,
but this weakening should not be interpreted as a sign that it is about to stop.
The oldsters say that the bora goes off for lunch at this time. In the afternoon
it can come back still more fiercely (perhaps the lunch was not to its taste,
though the old folks say nothing of this).
 You
often hear it said that it is enough to look from Opatija in the direction of
Rijeka, above the southern part of which a great chimney pokes out. If the smoke
goes straight up, there is no bora. If it goes parallel with the surface of the
sea, the bora is very strong. But sailors and weathervanes in the shape of
industrial chimneys are somehow incongruous. And what if there is a fault in the
plant one day, and there is no wind? Or if for the sake of the environment the
wind should be sent off in some other, less visible direction?
Let’s
take to the chart with the aim of getting to the western coast of Cres and
keeping out of the way of the bora that has been forecast - and
then let’s think again. Shall we really race off that fast, or after all take
a trip to Lovran, Medveja, Mošćenička Draga or Brseč? By land, because the
quays here don’t offer any protection while the bora is
blowing.
 Mošćenice!
If for any reason we put our cruise off for a single day, from Mošćenice we
can take in the Kvarner with a look, as from some lookout-tower. Or if we have
already put out to sea, let’s take a glance at Mošćenice. From it, and from
the woods that surround this gorgeous little
town, the Old Slav gods Perun, Svantovid and Torun gaze upon us.
If
the weather is settled, sailing towards Cres one ought not to miss the chance to
take a dip on one of the marvellous little bays with their white beaches that
have nestled between Mošćenička Draga and Brseč. Most of them are
inaccessible from the land, and this is bound to please privacy-lovers.
If a strongly gusting bora happens to catch us half
way to Cres, or if we have to take cover for some other reason, giving up on our
plan to reach Cres, a safe haven is certainly Rabac, and its wide harbour. The
eastern part of it during the bora, the western part during the sirocco.
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Cres, inspecting the northwestern part of it, closest to the mainland, we will
spot Porozina as a possible sheltered spot. Porozina is a car ferry port, very
busy indeed in summer, and so we do not recommend it to sailors. In summer,
ferries link Cres and the mainland (Brestova - Porozina), sailing non-stop. In
the southern part of the bay there is a fine beach for taking a dip. Ships of
ten metres in length will anchor here without a problem - but we cannot
recommend overnighting here.
After the light on
Prestenec Point, our course will take us by Pecenj Point. In the immediate
vicinity of this there is a wreck on the seabed (a circumstance it very likely
has something to do with), the frequent haunt of divers. So keep a sharp lookout
for underwater swimmers, especially if you have a powerful speedboat. The name
of the wreck is Lina.
Alongside Cres one can sail very
close to the shore. The sea is extremely deep here. From the sea you can see the
road that goes all along the island from Porozina. But if something should
happen, some breakdown or similar mishap, and we think of anchoring in the
vicinity of one of the marvellous and numerous little beaches, and getting from
them to the road to go in search of help… Forget it! The dwarf vegetation,
however low in stature it might be, is so tangled and overgrown as to make the
area impassable to humankind. It is sharp and thorny, without a single branch to
help you on your way up. A quite incredible jungle, and none of it out-topping a
man. There is no reason to be surprised, in fact, because the whole of
Tramontana, the northern part of the island, that is, constitutes a far-famed
chase. The game here includes boar and deer.
Only a
mile to the south of Pecenj Point, the inhabitants of Dragozetić keep up a
landing in the bay of the same name. Here there is a long quay at which tripper
boats often tie up. The
road from the quay leads to the village itself, two kilometres distant from the
sea.
Sv. Blaž (St Blaise), which according to the
chart ought to have a jetty, does not in fact possess one.
South
of Sv. Blaž Point,
the coast is steep, and suitable only for halts during the day. The first bay
you can stay the whole night in is Gavza Bay. Of course, by now we are quite
close to Cres town, the biggest in the island. With all the advantages and
drawbacks of civilisation. If the safety of crew and craft is on top of our
minds, we will spend the night in the well-protected Cres Bay. And anyway, why
not treat ourselves to Cres’s renowned prawns, and lamb?
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While
we are sailing into Cres Harbour, the way will take
us through a long, almost four hundred metre wide, channel. The entry into the
channel is marked by a green and white lighthouse. On Kovačina Point there is a
white light, and on Križice Point a green lighthouse. The channel is deeper in
the section starting
at Križice. After you have got into the channel, the lighthouse on Melin Point
will show itself. In the immediate neighbourhood of this light there are shoals
and a submerged reef, so it is worthwhile giving it a wide berth. Having rounded
the point, eastwards one sees the municipal jetty, and the
shipyard right alongside it.
In the southern part of Cres Bay lies the Cres ACI
Marina. This has 450 moorings, each one of them with water and electricity laid
on. As well as the usual services provided by marinas (reception, money changer,
restaurant, sanitation facilities, grocer’s, ship’s chandler, service
workshop, a 10 ton crane, a thirty ton travelling crane, facilities to take off
masts, yacht chartering), the services in this marina are complemented by
fully-appointed flatlets. The petrol station is in the northern part of the
marina, and, which is not very usual, there is a dentist’s too. Communication
with the marina can be made via VHF channel 17.
In town
there is the Cres branch of Rijeka Harbour Master’s Office. The Harbour Master
can be contacted on channel 10.
After a rest in Cres
and a look round the many features of cultural interest, we might feel like
making a boat trip to Valun.
 Valun
is three miles to the south of the entrance into Cres harbour. It stretches out
along the coast, surrounded by thickly wooded hills. A narrow coastal road leads
to a pebble beach behind which there is a camp. The inhabitants of Valun are
well-known fishermen, and offer their catch to yachtsmen in the handful of
restaurants and bars that can truly be said to have their terraces and the
tables on them in the sea.
In St Mary’s Church they
keep the Valun Tablet, an important item in the cultural history of the Croats.
The inscription on it is carved in Glagolitic letters. A copy of the writing, by
way of decoration, is to be found in front of the Juna Tavern. This is located
in a house where olives were once pressed, and the stone press is still in
existence. The hosts also keep the traditional vessels in which food was whilom
prepared.
St Mary’s is not a visible enough mark to
serve as a guide when you are sailing into Valun. It’s best to head the prow a
few degrees to the east of the little jetty that sticks out into the sea and
ends with scattered stone material. At right angles to this little pier, to the
east, is a wider jetty. Sailors can tie up to the outer side of it, for the
little harbour guarded by this pier is most usually filled with the vessels of
the local people. The sea is deepest at the eastern end. It is best to tie up
from the bows, throwing the anchor out at the stern. If there is not enough room
at the main pier, it is possible to drop anchor in Dovica Bay. An iron buoy is
anchored there, and you have to watch out for it if you come in at night. Valun
has no lighthouse. Water and electricity are to be had on the pier.
If there is a strong bora, it is better not to stay
in Valun, rather seek shelter in Cres Town Bay.
Irrespective
of whether we continue our cruise from Valun or from Cres, we will point our
prow towards Pernat Point. On this point there are several nice bays. It would
be a shame not to take a swim in this very clear sea, and dropping anchor is
simplicity itself as long as there is no wind to speak of.
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two miles to the south we will come upon a most interesting complex of points
and bays and their appertaining beaches. Zaglav Point and Miračine Point give
shape to three bays. Though Zaglav Bay is fairly safe even during a strong bora,
the same wind will create a powerful spiral of wind almost
like a twister in Miračine Bay. So be warned
Zaglav Islet, on which there is a lighthouse of the
same name, is not interesting enough to warrant going there and anchoring or
mooring. It is enough to take a snap for the memory.
 Sailing
on towards Brkljač Point, our attention will be taken by Lubenice. During
cloud, the place gives the impression of being suspended between heaven and
earth. The vertical cliffs make it seem still higher. Measured in metres, it
is 378 m a.s.l. And really, just above the very sea.
Close
to Lubenice the griffon vulture can often be seen flying. The bird’s vast
wings somehow add to the surreal feeling of the scene. It is protected, because,
judging from everything, this colony on Cres is one of the last groups of the
species. Both the birds and Lubenice seem to belong to some other age. Whether
future or past, hardly seems relevant.
 As
if taking its cue from the beauties in the heights, the Zanja bay has decked
itself with a lovely cavern, or as the Cres people call it, the Blue Grotto.
During low tide, one can go through some dozen metres of the long, low tunnel.
If we want to visit it at high tide, however, we have to dive. The vault of the
grotto is some fifteen metres high, and through a hole at the top the play of
light bestows on visitors something of the marvels of nature.
But at this part of the voyage round the coast of
Cres, it is as if someone wanted to play with our settled understanding of the
way nature works. Because what can one say about Vransko Lake, located in the
very centre of Cres, at the foot of Helm Hill? Although the view of it is
concealed from the sea, it announces its presence with a powerful underwater
spring in Vrutek Bay. The surface of Vransko Lake is some 13 metres above the
level of the sea, and the bottom, which is remarkable indeed, plunges 61 metres
below it. This large fresh water lake is suspended in the sea, hanging there in
some inexplicable way.
The next item of interest en
route is Velika Slatina Bay. Having sailed along the desolate steep shores of
Cres, we will be caught unawares by the scenes of bustle and the gladness of
summer fun as soon as the view of the interior of the bay is seen. Here is the
nicely laid-out camp called
Martinšćica, with a largish beach, the northern part being meant for
naturists, and the southern part left to your own choice. Sailors at the helm
will have to be careful that the scenes don’t make them forget to look at the
chart. In the centre of the entrance into the bay is a
reef. If it is our intention to sail in to the bay, then we really have to stick
close to the northern side. And if there is a place to be found, the bay offers
good anchorage for the night.
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problem of free space to tie
up will dog us when we have sailed into Martinšćica. If we want to tie
up in the village of Martinšćica itself, we can do so at either side of the
jetty. It is a bit less than forty metres long, heading out towards the south.
At the top of the pier the depth is in the region of 2 or
2.5 metres, becoming increasingly shallow in the direction of the settlement.
When the pier is fully occupied, you can anchor in the centre of the bay, where
the depth of sea is between 4 and 6 metres. But the bottom is pebbled, and the
anchor does not hold all that well.
There are several
reasons to call in at Martinšćica. A nice beach, lots of home-grown products
coming from Martinšćica and the neighbouring hamlets Miholašćica and Štivan.
Particularly highly prized are
the local sheep’s cheese, honey and local wine.
If
the crush forces us further on, or if we have already planned it that way, our
look will be drawn by Zeča Island. There is nothing interesting on it for
sailors, save the lighthouse. Visoki, an islet between Zeča and Cres is marked,
like Zeča, by a light, and is dotted with a mass of rocks on the eastern side.
To avoid them one has to sail between Zeča and Visoki, or, if we have the
ambition to bathe off one more of the many lonely beaches, to sail closer
to Cres.
Sailing along the shore, we are bound to
notice a little jetty in Marašica Bay. After Marašica, the first safe haven is
behind Ustrine Point. Žal Bay. Sometimes its peace is disturbed by the sirocco,
bursting in with minor gusts. However, if the crowd has stopped us halting
earlier, in Martinšćica, we will be grateful for the secure haven of this bay.
From
this bay all the way to Bijar anyone can find a good bay for swimming in during
the day, but staying overnight is to be avoided. But then Bijar Bay itself is
very suitable for this. It is out of the way of all the winds. In the northeast
part of the bay there is a small pier with several bollards built in. The
entrance to the bay is signalled by the red lighthouse on the northern point.
Larger vessels can anchor to the west of the light. Here the bottom is sandy,
which has not so far been the case sailing along Cres.
From Bijar to Osor there is just a short way.
Those who would like to do sightseeing in Osor, one of the oldest of the
settlements in the Kvarner, can tie up to the northern shore of the canal that
was dug through between Cres and Lošinj as early as Roman times, making an
appreciable abridgement of the voyage from the northern Adriatic to Dalmatia.
The canal is bridged with a swing bridge that opens each day at 9 and 17. But
since we intend to sail on along the western coast of Lošinj, we will merely
say that those who stop in Osor will have to watch out for the currents. In this
man-made channel they are extremely powerful (up to 4 knots).
Although
the bora is said to blow from the northeast, actually each large bay or change
in the relief along the western coast of Cres will affect the direction it blows
in. These shifts and swings come perhaps most to the fore in the part of the
journey that awaits us now.
The reason must be the
highest mountain on Lošinj, called Osorčica. It rises close by Osor to a
height of 589 metres. But if the direction of the bora
has messed us about in our voyage to date, turning Osor Point, we will feel the
wind helping us more and more. It will blow more and more from aft, and push us
through the Unije straits. This is a real treat for those under canvas, although
one has to be careful about gusting, while those using the motor will find the
journey more pleasant here because the bora is not creating any waves.
 Aiming
at the straits between Male Srakane and Kurila Point on Lošinj and sailing
along the shore we will notice a pretty bay behind Tomaozin Point. If we have
time, we won’t regret stopping here a while.
Two
miles before the straits, one has to take care of the shoals that rise above the
surface of the sea into the islet called Karbarus. And Kurila Point should be
bypassed at a respectful distance.
Turning Kurila
Point, pointing the bow towards the entrance into Mali Lošinj, we will feel the
power of the bora dropping off. If there is a sirocco, we have to be aware that
now we are actually coming out into the open sea, and should not be taken
unawares by the large waves.
We are protected from the
bora only until Beli Point, where new waves will pound us. Luckily, the bora
does not have the fetch here to create any very large waves. Zabodaski Islet (a
red lighthouse) can be sailed around from any side, while the actual entrance
into the bay, at the southern end of which lies the town of Mali Lošinj, is
marked by a red light on Torunza Point, and a green lighthouse on the other
shore of the channel.
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the passage between the two lighthouses, and a turn towards the south, Mali Lošinj
becomes visible. Although its name says that it is little, this is a large town
and interesting for the things in it. Sailors ought to know that before the
beginning of the town, immediately after the lifting bridge that joins or
separates Lošinj. They can make use of the safety of the marina near to the
bridge. The bridge is day, at 0900 and at 1700. The marina provides the usual
services for ships (reception, toilets and so on, water and electricity, a
restaurant and ships’ chandler). It also has a customs quay, where all customs
and immigrations formalities can be undergone.
Right
next to the marina is a large shipyard in which mariners can seek all kinds of
assistance. And after the yard we will sail into the town’s port.
Rijeka Harbour Master’s Office, Lošinj branch, can
be raised on VHF channel… The municipal quay is mostly jammed with fishing and
tour boats, and in the very head of the port the Lošinjians tie up their own
craft. On the western part of the bay several floating pontoons have been built,
but one has to be quite careful when tying up to them. When the wind blows along
the bay towards Mali Lošinj rather nasty waves are formed that rock the
pontoons and the boats tied up to them in an unpleasant way. After the pontoons,
one comes to the petrol station, where in summer there can quite often be a big
crowd. While waiting in the queue, you have to watch out for the big boats that
quite often put into the harbour and create large waves. In the crush, they can
surprise impatient and heedless sailors and damage their vessels.
The
peninsula that closes off the western part of the bay is wooded with a dense
pine forest, and has long been known as a health resort. Most of the Lošinj
hotels and camps are located here.
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the route to Ilovik, coming out of the bay by the same course that we used to
get in to Mali Lošinj, the whole complex of hotels, camps and stony beaches
will be visible from the sea. There are no more than ten miles to Ilovik. The
cruise plan certainly ought
to envisage staying in one of the marvellous deep bays fringed by dense
pinewoods. The best known are Ćikat and Krivica. Sailors will have to share Ćikat
with hotel guests, while Krivica, accessible only with difficulty by land, is
the privilege of the mariner.
At
the entrance into the channel between Ilovik and Sv. Petar, an islet off Ilovik,
one has to sail cautiously, constantly paying attention to the chart. The coasts
of both islands are very shallow, and the centre of the straits is between 4 and
7 metres deep. The Ilovik channel is a frequent haven for mariners, and during
bad weather craft often stay in the channel for several days hoping for better
conditions. The many buoys put in the eastern part of the channel and the
several restaurants all add to the sense of security.
Ilovik pier, at the head of which is a red lighthouse, is a place where
passenger ships tie up. If we find at spot here, we will have to be ready to
shift out of the way of a ship if her captain asks us (most often rather testily
since he doesn’t find it too easy to manoeuvre in the middle of so many
boats). All the other shores of the channel, although there are several small
jetties, are not deep enough for a secure mooring. If you don’t have a dinghy,
use the foghorn a few times, and the hosts will come for you in their own.
Naturally, they do expect you to have lunch in their restaurants. Among the many
fish treats that you can enjoy, don’t miss out on the local squid. They have a
particular flavour here.
Ilovik is famous for another thing. They say it is the only island that has
its cemetery on another island. On St Peter’s.
For sailors: a safe and pleasant anchorage, but in summer jam-packed with
vessels. If it is true that patience is the sailor’s blessing, then we should
enjoy a stay on Ilovik.
Leaving Ilovik, we will soon cross the invisible boundaries of the Kvarner.
The good spirit of Perun will see you off to the fragrance of pine trees,
patiently awaiting your return.
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