Culture South

Rogač is the oldest coastal town on the island of Šolta, a place that welcomes you with its arms open wide. Curious sailors and adventurers come here often in order to relax, enjoy the peace, quiet and the beautiful green scenery. The first place you will sail to from Rogač is Milna on the Brač island. Brač and Šolta were a unique landmass in the past, but today Brač is separated from the mainland by the Brač Channel and from Šolta by the Split Gate.

Milna is situated at the end of a wide bay on the west side of the island. It is a fishing and nautical town built in the 17th century in Brač ivory stone. Two well-protected marinas are settled next to it. You can find a safe harbor in ACI Marina Milna or Marina Vlaška, situated in the Vlaška Bay at the very entrance into the town. While you are waiting for a new day to come, you can stroll down the winding coastal promenade or climb the hill above the town from which you have a grand view of the bay, the town’s red roofs and the baroque church, which dominates the scenery. Restaurants and cafes are an unavoidable part of the offer. In Milna, you can enjoy a wide variety of excellent fish restaurants, grills, pizza places and cafes next to the beach.

If you love nature, Brač has a lot of safe and peaceful bays on its west side in which you can spend the night. Bobovišće and Stipanska bays are both narrow, surrounded by pine trees and adorned with a few traditional houses. The beauty of Bobovišće was an endless source of inspiration to the famous Croatian writer and poet Vladimir Nazor. In the nearby village you can find his family house and a monument built in his honor.

If you don’t catch a favorable wind that can take you to Brač and if a strong bura (a northerly wind) starts to blow, you can look for a peaceful harbor on the south side of Šolta. The Jurja Bay, Tatinja Bay, Senjska Bay and Stračinska Bay make good shelters with the crystal clear sea surrounded by steep rocks.

With a break of a new day, you can start searching for new bays. Sailing along the coastline of Brač towards the south, be sure to stop in the Blaca Bay. In the vicinity of the bay is one of the most unique spots on the island – Blaca Monastery and Hermitage (Blaca desert), a settlement of hermit monks, who built those dwellings on a rock when running away from the Turks in the 15th century. To reach the monastery, you have to climb a steep path through the woods for about an hour. The monastery has a great historic and architectural value, so it is well-worth to stretch your legs and see the view as the one described in the famous novel “The Name of the Rose”. If you decide to visit the monastery, do not forget to berth your sailing yacht and do not leave it unattended.

After a short hiking trip, you sail towards the town of Bol, situated below the largest hill on the island, Vidova gora, which is also the highest island peak in the Adriatic. Bol is full of attractive beaches, the most popular of which is definitely Zlatni rat (the Golden Cape or Horn). It is shaped like a spike that extends almost half a kilometer into the sea. Bol is rich with historical sights. On the east side you can see a Dominican monastery which houses a museum with an archaeological collection of valuable objects and paintings. The town’s center is adorned with many Baroque summer houses and a Renaissance-Baroque palace with an art gallery.

At the end of the day, sail to the island of Hvar and visit the town of Stari Grad, Greek Faros, situated at the northwest part of the island. You can berth at the town’s waterfront and then stroll around the town. The first row of buildings of Stari Grad are filled with houses which were built by successful merchants, shipwrights and captains in the 18th and 19th centuries. Among the town’s Romantic and Renaissance buildings, Tvrdalj Petar Hektorović stands out. It is a fortified summer house with a characteristic fish pond surrounded by arcades and pleasure gardens. Next to the house is the Renaissance Church of St. Rocco (16th century), as well as the Baroque church of St. Stephen (17th/18th century) which has a separate bell tower made of stone blocks from Greece. Many valuable things, dating from the Illyrians and the Greeks up to today, have been stored in the collection of the 15th century Dominican monastery. After the sightseeing, you can find a refreshment in one of the many restaurants and taverns. If a strong mistral (a dry cold northerly wind) or tramontana (a cold wind from the northeast or north) starts to blow, you can berth in the nearby Zavala Bay or in a slightly bigger bay called Tiha.

If you want to find a place to berth or moor in the town of Hvar, you have to leave early from Stari Grad. Hvar is one of the most visited destinations in the Adriatic, a top holiday destination with great evening parties. If you want to have fun, be sure to visit the cocktail bar “Carpe Diem” where the party starts early and lasts until the morning hours. If you don’t find a place to berth in the town, which can happen often during summer months, you can berth in the nearby ACI Marina Palmižana, situated in an attractive bay on Klement, the biggest island in the Paklinski Islands archipelago, that lies just across the town. To reach Hvar, you can use your dinghy or a taxi boat. If you don’t want to spend the night in the marina, you can tie up your boat to a mooring buoy in the Vinogradišće Bay or anchor in one of the bays on the south side.

Very favorable climate, a spa dating back to 1868, rich culture and a great position have made Hvar one of the most elite and most visited destinations in the Adriatic. Hvar is one of the cultural centers of the Croatian Renaissance literature, and its long history is written in its architecture. Fortica (Španjola) fortress was built on a hill above the old part of the town in the middle of the 16th century. Hvar’s cathedral, together with the Bishop’s Palace, closes the east side of the biggest Dalmatian square, the so-called Pjaca. The theater in Hvar, established in 1612, is one of the first municipal theaters in Europe. The Franciscan monastery from 1461 houses a museum with a collection of paintings from the old masters.

From Hvar, the island of heather, sunshine and crickets, lavender sage and wine, you sail towards the island of Vis. Sailing to Vis for the first time is considered a great accomplishment for most sailors. Although it is around 8 NM away from the neighboring islands (the Paklinski Islands), its steep and high shores, wild beauty and rich cultural and historical heritage make Vis a unique phenomenon among more than a thousand Adriatic islands. The first stop on the island is the town of Vis. From afar you will be able to see two town fortresses on the hills: Velintun is on the east side and Fortica is on the west. Stroll down the narrow streets of Vis (called kale), visit Renaissance palaces and churches and take a peek into the past – the antique Issa has left traces of its existence everywhere.

On the other side of the island is Komiža town. On your way there, stop on the islet of Budikovac for a swim break, but be careful when sailing into the lagoon and watch out for the shallows. Next to the islet is the Rukavac Bay, the safest harbor on the south part of the island in which you can berth during the night should the weather get worse.

Next to Budikovac, there is also the Ravnik islet famous for its Green Cave (Zelena spilja). Visitors to the Green Cave are charged an entrance fee and they will be taken into the cave by official boats. Visit the cave in the afternoon hours and you will be enchanted by the game of light, which creates green shades on the rocky walls and the water. The most attractive bay on the entire Vis is the Stiniva Bay, surrounded by inaccessible stone cliffs up to 100 m high. By boat, you can sail only up to the gorge. The bay is uninhabited and is a protected nature reserve. The sea bed is exceptionally attractive for divers. After a day full of excitement, you can sail into the harbor of Komiža, but only if the weather is favorable and the winds are still.

Komiža is one of the most picturesque and beautiful places in the Adriatic. Strolling through Komiža is a unique experience. This tiny fishing town has kalas with narrow stone houses that go up to five stories high. On the hill above the town you can see the remains of St. Nicola’s 12th century Benedictine monastery. In the town, there is a 16th century church of “Gospa Gusarica” (“Our Lady of the Pirates”), and on the very town quay you can see a Venetian castle with the largest fishing museum in the world. Komiža is famous for its delicious food. Among many specialties we can single out komiška pogača (a pastry-topped flan of salted sardines, onion and tomatoes), and lobster, which is the choice of many guests. In front of the Komiža Bay, there are a few islands belonging to the Vis archipelago: Biševo, with its famous Modra špilja (the Blue Cave), Svetac (a former habitat of the Mediterranean monk seal), volcanic islands of Jabuka and Brusnik and a lot of islets.

Sail to Biševo and visit the magnificent Blue Cave. Visitors to the Blue Cave are charged an entrance fee and they will be taken into the cave by official boats from Biševo, which are the only boats allowed to enter. On sunny days, the rays of sun entering the cave create blue magic and objects submerged under the water take up a silverish glow. When you leave Biševo, steer your yacht to Vis where you will spend the night.

On the 6th day, return to the island of Šolta and sail into Maslinica. The entrance into the harbor is hidden behind six islets. The biggest islet is also the most remote one. The furthest to the west, 70 m high Stipanska is covered with thick macchia which conceals the remains of an Early Christian 5th century basilica and Benedictine abbey. Maslinica is full of traditional buildings as well as new summer houses. On the wooded, south beach, there is a Baroque castle, newly restored and turned into a hotel. Beneath the castle, there is a newly built Martinis Marchi Marina.

Next to Maslinica is the Šešula Bay, which provides a good shelter from the mistral (a dry cold northerly wind) and tramontana (a cold wind from the northeast or north). If the winds are unfavorable you can berth in Šešula, but be careful and drop your anchor chain deep enough because the depth of the bay is considerable (40 m).

On your last day, sail around Mali and Veli Drvenik. The north side of Mali Drvenik is barren and inaccessible, but the south side is forested with macchia and pine woods. Although small (3.3 km2), this islet has five hamlets, so you are always able to see some houses from the sea. Veli Drvenik has several bays in which you can berth.

We recommend you to berth in the Krknjaši Bay between the east coast of Veli Drvenik and the islet of Krknjaš. There, you can go for a swim, and then sail out towards Rogač, where you will spend the night.