The birth of the non synchronised, non diving team…..

Yes, you read it correctly Dear Reader …I haven’t gone mad ( well perhaps a little crazy !) and to boot, I was part of this amazing team! Remember how I signed off last week…..Aging gracefully is an art . Aging disgracefully is an absolute blast. Indeed it is ; hence the birth of the above team!

Now let me go back to leaving Split. Next stop Hvar , a port and resort town on the Croatian island of Hvar. Highlights include its thirteenth century walls and a hilltop fortress….and fields of lavender……

The port of Hvar is not able to accommodate our yacht so we are anchored just outside the port in a simply stunning spot.

This beautiful calm ocean means one thing …….the marina is open. The marina is on the back of the yacht and enables guests to swim in the sea, use kayaks, paddle boards , sea bobs …..and

Here is where the fun started …..the aging disgracefully, and the birth of the non synchronised non diving team! Isn’t it funny how we think we have capabilities that mysteriously disappear just when we need them ! Now it may have something to do with the glass of champagne we all drank whilst sitting there ( and by the way , don’t ask how I got on there, that is most definitely not for general viewing 🥴🥴🥴….though as it turns out possibly better than my dismount 😂😂😂) …….but suddenly the four of us decided to dive off at the same time, holding hands. I know…crazy ….but not at the time ! We were infallible…ok so I was infallible….but we omitted to do the most important thing , and that is, to employ the 7 P’s ( I know, it’s 7 now, not 6, following consultation with our Australian friend ,Karen.) The 7 P’s are as follows….Prior Perfect Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance ……So full of enthusiasm and without due care and attention, we ventured to the edge of this large water trampoline…..

No synchronisation, and only one of us , Marty, diving…….disaster. The astute of you will observe that the two of us at the back were heading for the pontoon from which you climb onto the aqua glide. See I told you ….we omitted to employ the 7 P’s! Chris was on the outside next to me and she hit the outside of the pontoon first, and then was pivoted into the sea by me landing full onto the pontoon, then bouncing off, and landing on top of her ! Disaster ……or was it ? No, well it was , but we howled with laughter and of course the non synchronised non diving team was born ! Oh,that that was the end …but you know me, we have to prepare better ….and yes, repeat the performance at our next anchor stop . More on that in the next blog …….

We had decided to use the marina in the morning because conditions were perfect for swimming and enjoying the sea. The afternoon was set aside for a trip via the tender boat, into the port itself. However, it’s lunch first ….

No , we weren’t invited to sit at the Captain’s table – on the contrary, Captain Julian asked to sit at our table! Imagine that, Dear Reader! He was such an approachable man , and ate lunch from the buffet with the guests, choosing different tables each meal time, thus allowing him to get to know his guests……

After lunch we … (and I should now introduce you to the “we” – Chris and Marty are two of the “ you know what”team, Karen ( she of the 7 P’s) and Len , her husband ) mounted the tender boat , and set off into Hvar.

We all agreed to do our own thing, and meet up at an agreed time and place . So the DB and I set off to explore the small streets of the town and the DB started up a street of wide steps . I felt sure we would be turning off at some point – the DB is not known for his hiking ability, particularly up hills….anyway we were soon joined by Chris and Marty who had caught up with us and Marty and the DB headed on upwards. We reached the top of the steps ….

Surely now , time for a beer, and then down….. Not a bit of it ! We were on the way up to the fort …yes , the fort can you believe it …..

We walk along to the fort , only to discover there is an entry fee of 10€each ! You’ve guessed it Dear Reader, the DB ( who is Yorkshire born and bread ! ) wasn’t having any of that!

We all agreed not to pay the fee ….the view from the top was pretty spectacular without needing to go any further up …

So down we went to catch the tender boat back to the yacht…….

Back on the yacht …….and back to the marina ! No, you’re all right – just a swim this time to cool down …

I should point out , floating was very easy – the sea here certainly has a denser salt content ( verified by Captain Julian at lunch!) . Also, as someone who likes to have her feet on the ocean floor and not go out of my depth – this was quite a challenge for me , but I absolutely loved the whole experience!

Enough now ….we have to get on with our journey and the next stop is Šibenik ……and can you believe it , the weather has changed! It’s not cold but rain is threatened. Šibenik is a city on the Adriatic coast of Croatia and is known as the gateway to the Kornati Islands. However, rather than walk round the city , we, along with our four buddies , had opted to pay extra ( yes I know, even the DB …) and visit the Krka National Park. This park comprises 109 km2 of the Krka River and its basin – land that was proclaimed a National Park in 1985.

We set off by bus on the short journey to the park – Emerald umbrella at the ready . On arrival, it was decided ( a tactful way of saying, the DB decided..😉) to leave said umbrella on the bus! Typically, I had omitted to pack any sort of suitable rain proof jacket so there we were , open to the elements!

We followed a trail through the park ……and the following photos show it’s beauty ….

It would be no exaggeration to say, that by this time the DB and I resembled drowned rats…..we were to catch a boat back down the river where our coach was waiting for us . We were duly returned to our yacht where we dried out and warmed up …just in time for lunch !!!

Food on this ship was spectacular ……the head chef was Glaswegian!!! How he and his team managed to prepare the variety of food in their galley kitchen, I don’t know , but they appeared to manage effortlessly! We enjoyed a buffet breakfast and lunch with an a la carte dinner ……lunch and dinner were served with bottomless wine / beer or other alcoholic beverages. Apparently, Mimosa cocktails were on offer at breakfast …but somehow I missed those 😉

So after dinner …

………we set sail for Zadar , a city on the Croatian coast and known for the Roman and Venetian ruins of it’s peninsular old town.

Now as we approached every port, the pilot met us and boarded the ship to guide the Captain in . The morning we reached Zadar, I happened to be ready with my phone ….

Welcome to Zadar….

We had decided to do our own walking tour of Zadar ( the one on offer had a price attached – say no more!!!) The first monument we came to was totally modern and amazing to boot ….The Sea Organ ! No I’m not joking – it is an amazing feat of architecture.

As the waves lap onto the steps …the pipes play haunting music …phenomenally beautiful! Anyway onto our walking tour…..

After this we continued on our way back to the ship….

Then soon enough we were back on board…and …..it’s time for lunch !!!! It’s here I’m leaving you to digest these three days ….. writing these blogs gives me chance for reflection on such a lovely happy time so I thought the following was totally relevant!