JACQUES COUSTEAU described the Adriatic as one of the cleanest seas on earth. It is flanked mostly on one side by scythe-shaped Republic of Croatia and Italy on the other. Part of former Yugoslavia, the country gained independence in 1995 after a bitter war during which the term ethnic cleansing became common in the English lexicon.
The Dalmatian coast, which stretches south to the Gulf of Kotor in Montenegro, is held by many to be the best and one of the least discovered cruising areas in Europe. With more than 1,800 islands, one could sail for decades and still discover new anchorages in this birthplace of Marco Polo. Navigationally, there are no tides of any significance, which makes for simple planning.
We were a crew of five whose ages stretched from seven to 72 – me, my parents, my husband and our daughter. Our mission – find a reasonably priced boat within an hour or so of Zadar airport and explore the Dalmatian islands. There is no recession when it comes to yacht charter in the Adriatic, so our only last- minute budget option was a 42ft very narrow beamed motor boat named Gangaro.
The number of berths listed was 6+2, which was probably fine if the two extra persons were insomniac midgets. Two of the double berths resembled matchboxes and, in the hottest weather Croatia had witnessed in more than 40 years, we found the dead air at night stifling. Fearing my parents would die of suffocation one night at 4am, I spent an hour or so flapping their bedroom door to try to recycle the air while they slept soundly.
We chartered our boat from Murter, a delightful island with many coves, three large marinas and lots of stunning anchorages. The secret to this island is the small village of Betina, a small local harbour with a few lazy lines and a tiny boat building industry. A little road train connects the village with Murter town, which delighted both my parents and their granddaughter.
