Kornati Sailing Journal by Kali, Nautilus Yachting

In recent years, the number of Nautilus clients who are choosing to sail in the Kornati has soared and as the saying goes, "if you can't beat them, join them"! 

So as a man on a mission, I went onto the Nautilus Yachting website and searched for bareboat charters in the Kornati via the "Search & Book" page and ten minutes later I was lured in by a brand new Lagoon 40 catamaran sailing from Biograd, at just £1600 for the week.

30 WhatsApp messages later, I had a crew organised and 24 hours later we had flights to Croatia booked!

Day 1 - Marina na Moru, Biograd

Split Airport is now a familiar destination for me and whilst leaving the airport to search for the hire car, it crosses my mind that this airport may well be blessed with one of the best views from the arrivals lounge...open water and islands dot the horizon and yachts sail in the distance, not a bad view for the start of your holiday!

This time around however, we are not sailing from Split, it is merely the arrival airport and so we head off to pick up our hire car for the 65 mile drive to our starting point in Biograd. 

Since we arrived into Biograd after dark, our boat was left open for us to board and we soon settled in. Two more crew members arrived who were joining us from Dubai and together we sought out the nearest Taverna for a long overdue catch up, a delicious meal and a celebratory glass of fizz.

Day 2 - Biograd to Murter

On our first morning on board, we awoke to the sound of rain on the coachroof. However, by the time we had completed the boat orientation and the crew had readied themselves for the day, blue skies had taken over and the dread of sailing 15nm in the rain had completely vanished. 

Tentatively we set off out of the marina, testing the catamaran for the first time. At 40' long, the cat wasn't very big and the twin engines made the boat easy to shuffle and maneuver in the marina. Once we were out into open water the sailing was very much familiar territory and the three newbies onboard declared that the cat was a lot less "tippy" than they expected.

A few hours later, we arrived at Murter Hramina. It seemed we timed things perfectly and arrived just as a 40-yacht regatta was leaving. With all the time in the world, we came to a stop, rang the marina to check for mooring spaces and happily watched boat after boat race past. 

Arriving into Murter without any prior knowledge, we were impressed by how pretty town the town was with winding streets and a central square lined with restaurants and bars. Our crew took it upon themselves to explore every one of said bars and en route bumped into the sailing club that organised the regatta. Cue a night filled with stories of the regatta and a 3am return to our boat!

Day 3 - Murter to Biograd (via Pakostane)

Today's itinerary suggested a sail back to Pakostane for our first official wine tasting. With 25 °C, bright sunshine, and winds of 5-9 kts, the bulk of the journey to the marina was spent motoring up the coast under glorious blue skies. We pootled up to Pakostane at 1300 rpm and some of the crew prepped a stunning lunch, while others took advantage of the sunbathing spots around the boat. 

Arriving at Pakostane we could see the marina was very small and very shallow, which put a bit of a spanner in the works. We checked 'Windy' and it seemed that we would need a secure marina with lots of protection since the winds were due to get up. As skipper, I made the executive decision to head home to Biograd for 24 hours. Not only did that mean free mooring but with tomorrow's strong winds we could also receive the security and support of the base and support staff.

Once we were moored safely in Biograd we took a taxi to Karaba Vineyard where Antonio, our superb sommelier for the afternoon guided us through several red and white wines. After a very enjoyable afternoon, we returned to the boat for a light bite, games of UNO, and a chance to test a 'few' additional samples of the wines purchased earlier.

Day 4 - Biograd

We had no set plans for today but were very happy knowing that we made the right decision in returning to base. There were 30-40 kts of wind during the day and the remnants of Storm Kirk in the morning meant that today was a shore-based day.

Exploring the town, Biograd seemed to have an amazing bakery on every corner and the day was spent exploring the winding streets that surrounded the Venetian tower before enjoying a meal on the small back streets of Biograd Old Town.

Day 5 - Biograd to Sutomiscica

Following yesterday's time as a landlubber we were keen to get out into open water. The inclement weather had long gone and the October Croatian weather that we know and love had returned.  26 °C and 10 kts of wind meant we could sail north towards Kali, my namesake town. 

Following another stunning lunch, we spotted a small sheltered bay on the way to Kali where we could drop anchor and spend some time in the water (Kostanj Pjescana). The afternoon was spent with the dinghy out, jumping off the boat and swimming to shore.  Minutes turned to hours and the next thing we knew it was almost 4pm and we had run out of time. We needed to replenish the "fridge" and get to our anchor point for the night. Unfortunately, this meant we had to forgo a stop at Kali but for the day we had and memories we made, it was certainly a day well spent.

After a quick pit-stop in Poljana for "food", we sped onto Sutomiscica and arrived just at sunset into a well-protected bay with only one other cat moored next door. Sutomiscica provided a stunning backdrop for the evening's alfresco Shepherds Pie, enjoyed alongside a few bottles of Peljesac red wine.

Day 6 - Suromiscica to Zadar

We awoke bright and early ready for our second vineyard on our "Bacchic" tour of Croatia. In terms of peace and tranquility, not a lot of things can beat a night on anchor and we all woke up feeling well rested and keen to get under sail.

'Windy' highlighted some strong winds today and a chance to REALLY sail. Zadar was only an hour or so away but bolstered by 20-30 kts of wind we just popped up the foresail and cruised to Zadar on a beam reach. For the three sailors on board this was a fantastic morning nipping across to Zadar but in the words of our non-sailors "Is it okay if we don't do that again?".

We radioed Marina Zadar and they confirmed a space for us. Arriving into Zadar we felt very much under dressed in our little cat moored next to our Superyacht neighbours!

We took the sensible option and headed for a hearty lunch before our vineyard visit. Degarra vineyard seemed to match the clientele of Zadar Marina and was a marked step up from our first vineyard. Of course it would have been rude to visit and not sample the wares so we ordered a glass or two in the vineyard and organised some take-home boxes for the boat.

Back in Zadar for our penultimate night out we dressed for the occasion and explored Zadar's stunning old town at night and returned to the boat in the wee hours of the morning.

Day 7 - Zadar to Biograd

With Zadar certainly ringing in our heads and our ears, we started the long journey home. Sailing south east back down to Biograd, we experienced 10 knots of headwind so after an hour of tacking and virtually going nowhere we popped on the engine to motor back to Biograd instead.

En route, the crew demanded another anchor stop for some fun and we found a gorgeous wide open anchorage between Muntana and Mali Duzac. With the life jackets as floats and beer holders, we spent another afternoon lazing around, pinging around in the dinghy, and loving life on the water. All too soon, time caught up with us and we set off to refuel and head back to base.

Another week on the water completed and it is safe to say that our three crew members who were new to sailing have been well and truly converted and will no doubt be signing up again next year!