Time and again descriptions extol the beauty and unspoilt landscape, the countless islands, bays and small taverns lining the eastern shore of the Adriatic. OCEAN Independence would like to introduce you to Croatia, a country that is largely unknown to many of our clients, at least from personal impressions. This time we cannot offer you a report about a cruise on one of our charter yachts, but that is not going to stop us from portraying the exceptional and fascinating Croatian coastline with a few photos and brief reports.

The Kornati archipelago in the evening: The bay of Telascica to the south of Dugi Otok.

In the nineties, as a result of the war events, Croatia, or Dalmatia, as the coastal region is known, practically disappeared from the list of desirable yachting grounds. In the past few years, the country has gone to enormous lengths, not only in the field of water sports, to build up an adequate infrastructure again. Tourism is one of the major sources of income and the Croatians underscore this with their exceptionally warm hospitality.

Croatia is different. Croatia polarises. There are those who relish the unspoilt coastline with its countless, offshore islands and secreted bays, while others miss the glamour of the Côte d’Azur. And yet when it comes down to it, Croatia has quite a lot in common with the Côte d’Azur, at least the way it was forty years ago. In this connection, we might think of the mountains of grilled fish served up at one of the small fishing tavernas, known locally as kanobas.

But more sophisticated marinas, like that of Frapa, with boutiques and a massage parlour, two restaurants and apartments, are also gradually mushrooming and suggest that in future more will be done to cater for the needs of more illustrious visitors. However, for the time being, these marinas are still like carbuncles on the face of such an unspoilt and often rugged region.

One way of avoiding this programme of contrasts is to drop anchor in the delightful Soline Bay and take the tender to “Marco” on Rogoznica. This is just one of hundreds of possibilities this stretch of Adriatic coast has to offer and one of many kanobas in which to enjoy delicious Croatian cuisine. Large yachts are still a rare sight, whereas sailing yachts of around 50 feet sailing under the Austrian flag are more frequently seen cruising among the islands. The Croatians themselves usually use their traditional means of transport and sail on converted fishing boats.

The charts show that with the occasional detour here and there, it is possible to sail a good three hundred miles through the archipelago from Dubrovnik on the southern tip of Croatia, up to Pula on the Italian border. The available chart material is sufficient to meet all needs, a coastal manual for Croatia serves as an additional nautical guidebook. The on-board library for this journey should also include the sailing manual for the Adria, published by the Hydrographical Offices of the Royal and Imperial Navy, Pola 1906, available as a facsimile edition in German. Several centuries ago, under the Treaty of Campo Formia, the Venetian and Dalmatian coastal provinces fell to the Austrian monarchy. In 1869, the Austrians founded a hydrographical institute in Pula, where they collected valuable nautical observations that make highly interesting, and at times amusing reading for the journey.

The medieval Primosten, about halfway between Dubrovnik and Pula and a fitting starting point for an excursion through the Kornati archipelago, was in those days called Capocesto. The rocky headland, densely built up with houses, is one of the many attractions of the Dalmatian coast. The harbour offers moorings for boats of all sizes and is especially sheltered from the Scirocco winds. The ancient town of Split, as well as theoffshore islands of Brac and Hvar, are essential stops on the itinerary of any trip, the latter for the wonderful scent of the lavender fields alone. The marina in Split is in addition very well equipped, also with regards to technical service.

The Croatians have designated the bay of Telascica as a nature park.

Iz, formerly known as Eso, an island in the middle of the Kornati archipelago with three tiny hamlets on the eastern coast, paints a totally different picture. The sailing manual of 1906 writes: “The island of Eso is divided by a backbone of hills that in the north western part of the island (Mount Korinjak), reaches a height of 170 m. The north-east coast is covered with olive groves and vineyards, the south-west coast mainly with scrub.” This is a common sight along the Dalmatian coast, where rocky and barren islands rise out of the water. Nevertheless, it is worth going ashore and climbing at least one of the small hills, at sunset for example, and letting your gaze wander over the Bay of Telascica and the islands scattered before it.

The Bay of Telascica was called Tajer at the time of the Royal and Imperial Navy, is an easy port of call for sailing boats and for the most part offers good protection against the Scirocco. However, the warning from 1906 should still be taken seriously today. “In the Bay of Tajer, the Bora is sometimes known to blow strong with gusty winds from different directions and the sea can get quite rough when the Scirocco gets up, the more north westerly bays of Tajer’s harbour provide safer anchorage.” The geological formation of the island's shores has given rise to four basins, the bays of Tajer, Tripuljak, Fafarikulac and the harbour of Telego.

The Scirocco, also known in the vernacular as Yugo, and the even stronger Bora, are the foul weather winds in Croatia. They both have their specific characteristics and especially when at anchor, are no fun. The Scirocco blows at up to seven Beaufort from a south-south-westerly direction, for up to three days in the summer. The Bora can in summer cause white squalls of up to nine Beaufort quite out of the blue, a gale not to be reckoned with. Fairly reliable storm warnings are broadcast in the summer months on VHF 69.

Until the fairly recent past, the Bora also had an impact with legal consequences. For example, crimes committed while the Bora was raging were generally judged less severely since the perpetrators were accorded the benefit of a certain, so-to-speak natural, diminished responsibility.