Sailing Croatia - Dubrovnik and Nearby Islands | Ep. 50

Come sail with us around the splendid islands and coastline of Croatia. This is the first in a multi-part series as we cruise with friends for eight weeks through this treasure of the Med. In this first episode, we start at the island of Mljet, then cruise through the Elafati’s, Cavtat and Dubrovnik. Other episodes cover the central and northern coastlines and island groups of Croatia.
Be sure to check out our blog site as well - www.lifefourpoi.... We periodically post written stories and pictures of our sailing adventures on our blog.
You'll also find us on Instagram at: / lifefourpointzero
And Twitter at: / life4point0
Music from Epidemic Sound. Tracks used:
- Acoustic Rythm 11 - by Stefan Mothander
- You Do That Something - by Loving Caliber feat. Johanna Dahl
- Amber Pull - by Trevor Kowalski
- Never Lived by the Highway - by Isobelle Walton
- Wind Storm Cold 4
- Broken Water (Instrumental Version) - by Craig Reever

[@bitngeo]

How you scored one of those Pixar animators I'll never know. ;) Great story telling and a great lesson for this new sailor. One has to be ever vigilante and don't give up. It ain't over 'til it's over.

[@LifeFourPointZero]

Thanks bitngeo! Yes, no matter how much you think you know, you can find out quickly on the water how much there is still to learn!

[@clausmygind3319]

Great video

[@LifeFourPointZero]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching.

[@endlesssummer426]

That is indeed a hair raising experience and I know how it feels to have that feeling of wondering if you can save your boat. It is a horrible experience and drains you mentally. Glad you were able to get out of it. Must say that was a great illustration you were able to make, very curious how you did that, explained perfectly what happened. 👍
As for the other mooring fields. I have no problem if we need to pay an entrance fee for a national park, that is all fine by me. But I do have a problem with people dumping a block of concrete in the water, attaching a buoy to it and telling you that you cannot anchor, so demanding you pay them. Within the city limits the city can indeed demand that, but outside the city limits and without a permit from the state .........all those mooring fields are illegal.
Luckily my wife is from Croatia, knows the laws, speaks the language and is able to send all those charlatans to hell real fast. We still report every illegal buoy and luckily so have many others. The government has now started cleaning up those illegal mooring buoys, so it should become easier to anchor and moor the boat.
As a reminder for next time, nobody can claim to own the sea or the shore line, only villages and cities have the right to charge money within city limits. According to the law in Croatia the sea belongs to everyone and only if you have a permit (for which you need to pay) are you allowed to drop a buoy in the water and start charging money for it.
I know it still happens and I know people still charge money for illegal buoys, sometimes taking a whole bay into possession, but it is illegal if they cannot present the permit. And of course they have to present an official invoice, called R1. The tax office has a field day when they don't issue R1, because it means the money is black and that leads to hefty fines. And we have no problem reporting them to the tax office and the police😀

[@LifeFourPointZero]

Ah - thanks for the great information! We will keep that in mind if/when we are able to return.
I agree - I never mind paying fees for national parks and in cities.

[@cojoloco2002]

Really scary story! Good that you managed well and with no damage.

[@matty00w1]

What time of year was this please?

[@LifeFourPointZero]

Hi Matty, that was in mid June. Enjoy!

[@thecatinthehat1863]

Are there free moorings in Croatia

[@LifeFourPointZero]

Unfortunately, no, none that we found. It is one of the more expensive places to sail, and using your own anchor will keep the costs down somewhat.

[@playb4work447]

Wow, never thought anchoring could bring such drama. Hope you didn't injure your self falling out of the dingy. Does this mean you've lost faith in your "Bulwaga" anchor. 🤔

[@LifeFourPointZero]

Hi playb4work. No, we still love our Bulwagga anchor. We just learned that hoping to get by with a shorter scope when high winds approach is a recipe for trouble! Due to the depth of the harbor, we couldn't put out our normal amount of scope, which meant that we shouldn't have anchored there in the first place.

[@petersmith8134]

@@LifeFourPointZero The power of hindsight.