Nature South

From Rogač, the oldest coastal town on the island of Šolta, we will sail towards the neighboring island of Brač. 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.

On the west coast of Brač, which is not barren like the north coast, but forested with thick pine wood, choose the Stipanska Bay to spend your night in. It is sheltered from all winds. You can berth in the middle of the bay, which has a depth of 9 meters. There is no need to come closer to the west side of the coast because of the cliffs and shallows. South of Milna, all the way up to the Blaca Bay, are many beautiful and safe shelters. One of them is the Osibova Bay, with a sandy bottom and rocky beaches. Next to it is the Lučice Bay, which branches into five parts. You can find an excellent shelter in each of them, depending on the wind. In the part which is the furthest to the west, there are about 20 buoys for mooring.

If you do not 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 bays of Jurja, Tatinja, Senjska and Stračinska 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) in Bol. 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 holds 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.

Towards the end of the day sail to the island of Hvar. You can find a safe harbor in the Žukova Bay. When you sail to the west part of this bay, surrounded by high cliffs, you will get a feeling that you have actually sailed into a lake. In the southwest part of the bay, which is forested all the way up to the rocky shore, there is a wonderful beach next to which is a beautiful old house made of stone. A nearby bigger bay, Tiha, also provides an excellent shelter. It consists of seven smaller bays, all of which are about 10 meters deep and are quite close to the coast.

Not far from the Tiha Bay, there is an antique town of Faros, today known as Stari Grad. Close-built houses and squares witness of its antiquity. 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. If you get hungry, you can visit one of the many restaurants and taverns.

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, but lasts until the early morning hours. The town also has a lot of cultural sights. Be sure to visit Fortica (Španjola), a fortress built in the middle of the 16th century on a hill above the old part of the town. There is also Hvar’s cathedral, Hvar’s theater (one of the oldest in Europe), a Franciscan 15th century monastery with a museum inside…

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.

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 Komiža. The streets of the town are known as kalas, and on each side they have narrow stone houses that go up to five stories high. On the hill above the town you can see the remains of the 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. If the forecast announces a strong wind from the south or southwest during the night, sail out from the Komiža harbor and look for the safety of the Rukavac Bay or the town of Vis.

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 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.

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.

Another cave in the Vis maritime zone that will amaze you with its game of light and shadows is the Green Cave (Zelena špilja) on the Ravnik islet. The neighboring island of Budikovac will astonish you with the beauty of its lagoon you can even take a swim in, but be sure to watch out for the shallows while sailing into the lagoon. The Rukavac Bay is the safest bay on the south part of the island. You can berth there during the night if the weather turns for the worse.

In the evening, sail into the town of Vis. From afar you will be able to see two town fortresses on the hills: Velintun on the east side and Fortica on the west. Stroll down the narrow streets of Vis, visit the Renaissance palaces and churches and take a peek into the past – the antique Issa has left traces of its existence everywhere.

On the 6th day, return to the island of Šolta. Sail into the Šešula Bay in front of which there are six smaller islands. The bay is surrounded by green vegetation and provides a good shelter during a strong mistral (a dry cold northerly wind) and tramontana (a cold wind from the northeast or north). The sea is deep here (40 m), so you should be careful and drop your anchor chain deep enough.

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 wood. 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.