Travel: Awash In The Adriatic

2 July 2014 | 5:28 pm | Staff Writer

You don't have to be a millionaire to live it up big pimpin' style, as Benny Doyle finds out while sailing the Croatian islands.

Our days drift away like a sunstroke-induced dream … we play cards, drink beer and smoke a lot of cheap cigarettes. iPod shuffle pumps an endless number of hits through the boat's stereo speakers, and with calm seas a constant, sunbaking on the deck is practically demanded.sunbaking on the deck is practically demanded.

Here we are, far from young professionals, living it up like we're on the set of Jay Z's new film clip. Or so it seems. The Croatian islands are what the Greek islands used to be like 20 years ago; discovered, but still clutching their own individuality, refusing to get completely redesigned by the spike in tourist dollars.

In close proximity to mainland Croatia's 1777km stretch of Adriatic coastline rests a glorious litter of sizable rocks – 1246 dots of land – that combine to create one of the most divine pockets of this planet you're ever likely to discover. And to think that during the early-to-mid '90s the only thing most foreigners associated with this European country was bloodshed.

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My friends and I are here in Split – a stunning mess of cobblestone streets, bars, cafes, markets and quaint pensions, together masquerading as Croatia's largest passenger port – and we're about to set off for a week at sea, sailing around a few of the choice islands nearby aboard our own private 50ft yacht. Although it seemed extravagant when first pitched by a mate six months ago, the trip was a cinch to book, and with a dozen payers we've shelled out no more than we would have for a similar organised tour.

ISLANDS IN THE SUN

BRAČ
Roughly 15km from Split, Brač is the largest island in Dalmatia, the name given to Croatia's historical region. It's got the tallest point in the Adriatic (Vidova Gora: 778m) and also some premium fresh fish available direct from local boats.

HVAR
With vineyards, lavender fields and thick pine forests, Hvar is earthy and beautiful. Toss an epic castle in the mix, great beaches and the most happening nightlife throughout the islands, and you can be sure of blissed out days and loose, late nights.

VIS
If you're keen to explore some caves then Vis is for you. The quiet island – the furthest away from the mainland – is home to the formidable Green Cave, and provides a close jumping point to Biševo and the Blue Cave.

We've brought with us minimum sailing skills and maximum levels of thirst, making the call to hire a full-time skipper an easy one. Mario is a big, cuddly ball of man, impossibly tanned and pretty much living a dream existence: captaining boats in Croatia during the summer, working as a ski instructor in France through the winter. He's stoked that he's got a party crew ready to sail rather than the standard Russian crusties, and is eager to show us the best of what the islands have to offer.

And does he what. Sailing between Vis, Hvar and Brač, our days drift away like a sunstroke-induced dream. We're out at sea for stretches of no more than a few hours, during which time we play cards, drink beer and smoke a lot of cheap cigarettes. iPod shuffle pumps an endless number of hits through the boat's stereo speakers, and with calm seas a constant, sunbaking on the deck is practically demanded. Water splashes our legs and feet when we hang them over the yacht's edge, and the visibility means that when we look down we're forever seeing large schools of fish playfully moving with the current.

Once we anchor up – a task which involves Mario humouring one of us before inevitably doing the lion's share of the work – we typically fall off the side into the blue and that's it, we're immersed in what feels like cold velvet. You dive below the surface and every problem or thought you're hanging on to simply dissolves. On the one occasion daily that this doesn't occur – when we've docked in port for the night – we're taken to a friend's restaurant, or a friend of friend's cafe, and treated to fresh seafood, juicy olives and generous glasses of local vino. There isn't a night we don't dine under the stars, and we're always sure to give the local stray cats a few scraps before we pay the bill.

We're in Croatia out of season and the choice to travel in September proves a master stroke, with Mario constantly introducing us to a lonely inlet or empty beach where we can snorkel, fish or just float about on lilos. One day, after checking out Croatia's take on Capri's Blue Grotto, found on the tiny island of Biševo, we sail back to Vis and are blown away by an aquatic cavern far more large-scale called Green Cave.

We cut up our hands scaling the rocky outcrop before screeching like mating birds when we throw ourselves off the ten-metre high cliff edge into the water. This goes on from morning until dusk and we see two other boats. Never has isolation been so attractive.

After seven days at sea, dark clouds eventually appear when we're about an hour outside a return to Split. It's suitable. With the amount of sun we've seen this week it's no surprise the heavens are looking for a change. And if you're wondering, no, we did not see Goran Ivanišević dancing in his underwear once. It's as close as we come to being disappointed about anything.