Well, not necessarily off the beaten track, but along the lesser known one. Having explored Central and Southern Dalmatian islands, Split and Dubrovnik, we decided to try something different so we headed to Sibenik.
Our well established group of six, flew into Split again. This is the most convenient access point to Sibenik, if you you have to fly. It would have been nice to have had a little bit of time to have a browse (and inadvertently get lost) within the old city walls, but we hopped into a taxi to make our 5pm check-in. It took less than an hour to get to Marina Mandalina and given that there were six of us, taxi was relatively cost efficient means of transport.
Marina itself wasn't a huge surprise - we are well used to high standards in Croatian marinas but the proximity to Sibenik city centre was a very pleasant bonus.
After checking in, we decided to venture some 2km to the medieval centre of Sibenik. Selection of restaurants serving fresh Mediterranean cuisine was excellent so we were off to a great start.
On our first day, our very comfortable Hanse 385 took us to Skradin, as very helpful base staff suggested. It is a town located rather deep in the mainland, sailing up the river Krka for approximately 11nM.
Skradin is a small but lively town at the entrance of Krka river National Park. It only made sense to check out the National Park and then settle in Skradin for the night. Most interesting part of the National Park were numerous waterfalls, each more fascinating than the previous one. Visovac island, which is a home to a Franciscan Monks who have been inhabiting the island since 15th century.
The next day we decided to head back to sea until we reached Prvic island. In Prvic Luka, we found about ten moorings and around twenty buoys. This proved to be an excellent spot for a seafood dinner in one of the local restaurants and a quiet night on board.
The following morning, north-westerly breeze took us south and around the island of Tijat on our way towards the island of Kaprije. We found a safe berth in the harbor on the western coast of the island. Kaprije is the largest island in the Sibenik archipelago, despite being quite small with population of less than 200.
After an afternoon of swimming in pristine waters and an exquisite dinner in a local taverna, we settled for a quiet night on board our yacht.
The next day we decided in favor of a longer leg of sailing all the way to Smokvica Island, at the south entrance to Kornati National Park. There we found some very safe moorings belonging to the local restaurants in a cove called Lojena. It was another day of sailing, swimming and excellent local cuisine.
Our next destination was approximately 11 miles of sailing southeast to the island of Zirje. Vela Stupica bay is a safe anchorage that offers you a peaceful and calm night.
For our last night, we chose Tijascica Bay on the island of Tijat. There are around twenty buoys close to Neno’s bar on the northeastern shore of the bay. We have enjoyed more fresh, locally sourced food here before we headed back to base and then home.
It is a general consensus that this has been one of the most relaxing sailing holidays any of us have ever been on. Wondering around uninhabited islands and avoiding crowds was exactly what we were looking for. Our charter yacht was extremely well appointed and comfortable, we couldn't have asked for more.
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