On Sunday we got up early and got going out of Korčula in order to try to make it to Dubrovnik. The trip down was incredibly beautiful. The city of Korčula is situated on Korčula island adjacent to the mainland which lies in the shadow of a granite mountain similar to Yosemite's half dome. As we travelled south, to the west was Mljet which is an island that is a national park. Very lush and wooded. To the east was the peninsula of Peljesac from where many of the fine Croatian wines come.
Robert estimated it could be a 10 hour voyage. As it was, it took about 8 hours of motoring since the winds were coming from the south, the direction we needed to travel. It took another hour to decide where to moor for the night. We finally ended up in another expensive ACI marina as the weather report said possible thunder storms and rain.
This particular marina is packed with boats and getting in was very tight with just a foot to spare on either side. Robert, with the assistance of Larry and Marilyn on the starboard side, got us backed into the space that the marina staff ponted out barely missing several boats in the process. It was a real nail biter! Mooring is my least favorite part of sailing. It is 10 minutes of high anxiety and adrenaline rush. For those who know me well, you know I can't even watch a suspenseful movie!
We cooked dinner enroute so by the time we were tied up, we could crack open a well deserved beer and dish up lentil stew. It was too late to go anywhere so stayed in and played cards before and early bedtime.
Got up early and headed into the walled "old city" part of Dubrovnik built in the 10th century. It was awesome. It is constructed on a hill on the edge of the water overlooking the Adriatic. There are cathedrals, museums, lots of shops, restaurants, private residences and rentals, etc.. We went through a history museum and several cathedrals, learned about Adriatic corral, shopped and ate until we nearly dropped. We climbed hundreds of stairs, took an arial gondola to the top of Mt Srd from which you get a view of all of Dubrovnik as well as the islands nearby. It was just an incredible day. The people are all so nice and most speak English.
There were remnants of the 1991-1992 war when Serbia bombed the city. It is unbelievable to me that anyone would try to destroy this historic treasure. And, it is a real credit to the Croatian people that they have restored many of the areas to their original form using the same stones that were used centuries ago.
Tomorrow we set sail for Šipan, which is just up the coast a little distance so not much time on the water tomorrow. The good news is that the rain moved though last night and so we have a forecast of sunny weather for the remainder of the trip!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Mediterranean mooring
I have to jump in here and say something about Mediterranean mooring, which is what we have all had to learn. It can be quite tricky and each marina is a little different, the winds, other boats, etc.
Parking this huge boat is a real challenge. It is called Mediterranean mooring. Im sure there is a you tube on it You have to back into the mooring dock, throw a stern line to the guy on the dock, he threads it through a ring then sends it back to tie to the boat cleat. While this is happening, he is picking up a line in the water that is attached to an anchor at the bow of the boat. Someone on the boat uses a hook to grab the line, follows it all the way to the front of the boat and pulls hard to secure the boat's front end and keep the stern away from the mooring wall. This is repeated on both sides of the boat. Whoever is controlling the boat has to keep it from hitting the dock or pulling away too far. It all happens very fast and we are done in less than 10 min. Today we had to park next to a big yacht with the owner on board making sure we didn't hit his boat. We have fenders out plus a roving fender to place as the need arises. My body is sore from sailing! We've had a few scary moments but are getting much better at it. Got a line caught in the prop one afternoon but it was easily dislodged thanks to Larry going under the boat to untangle it. Whew. I'm having trouble uploading pics to the blog using pics from my phone.
Donna
Parking this huge boat is a real challenge. It is called Mediterranean mooring. Im sure there is a you tube on it You have to back into the mooring dock, throw a stern line to the guy on the dock, he threads it through a ring then sends it back to tie to the boat cleat. While this is happening, he is picking up a line in the water that is attached to an anchor at the bow of the boat. Someone on the boat uses a hook to grab the line, follows it all the way to the front of the boat and pulls hard to secure the boat's front end and keep the stern away from the mooring wall. This is repeated on both sides of the boat. Whoever is controlling the boat has to keep it from hitting the dock or pulling away too far. It all happens very fast and we are done in less than 10 min. Today we had to park next to a big yacht with the owner on board making sure we didn't hit his boat. We have fenders out plus a roving fender to place as the need arises. My body is sore from sailing! We've had a few scary moments but are getting much better at it. Got a line caught in the prop one afternoon but it was easily dislodged thanks to Larry going under the boat to untangle it. Whew. I'm having trouble uploading pics to the blog using pics from my phone.
Donna
Cinco de Maya in Croatia does Not translate
Left harbor at 0830 with calm seas and a mild depression settling in. Forecast is for patchy fog and visibility down to < 1 km. Our radar is working perfectly and all hands on deck watching we're fine. The hope today is to make it to at least Sobra on Mljet but any safe anchorage will be fine. Ideally, Šipan will be our next anchorage.
We pulled into Korčula Harbor at 1800. Yes we failed miserably in our target destination but still had fun sailing. The wind was right ahead of us and we wound up motoring to mooring for the night. The sight across the harbor is beautiful. ACI Marina? ... Well, it's an ACI Marina. Even if we have to motor there, we're leaving early and headed for Dubrovnik.
We pulled into Korčula Harbor at 1800. Yes we failed miserably in our target destination but still had fun sailing. The wind was right ahead of us and we wound up motoring to mooring for the night. The sight across the harbor is beautiful. ACI Marina? ... Well, it's an ACI Marina. Even if we have to motor there, we're leaving early and headed for Dubrovnik.
Friday, May 4, 2012
May 5, 2012 Vis Harbor to Korčula
Left Vis Harbor after fueling up. Danina drank 107 liters of Euro diesel at a cost of 1081 kuna total. No oil is being consumed by our twin Volvo engines. We're motoring on our way to Korčula late (1200) but we fixed dingy oars and put length flags on our anchor rode. We only have 52 meters of rode which seems anemic.
Soon as we clear the light Stončica, we'll be on a course of 110 to Zaljev Vela Luka. Should take about 5 hrs.
1430 Securité weather alert for the north, central and southern Adriatic; Depression settling in; fog tonight and early morning; visibility < 1 km.
Soon as we clear the light Stončica, we'll be on a course of 110 to Zaljev Vela Luka. Should take about 5 hrs.
1430 Securité weather alert for the north, central and southern Adriatic; Depression settling in; fog tonight and early morning; visibility < 1 km.
May 4, 2012 Beševo and back to Vis Harbor
Blue cave was all it was cracked up to be. Getting there not a piece of cake. We sailed a great deal to get there with winds over 20 knots. We found the entrance to the cave but, being the lemmings that we were, we waited for some Aussies to try it first. We had to anchor Danina and take the dingy by row into the cave entrance. Larry stayed on board having been seasick most of the day and we were unsure of the hook's grab on what was typically an unknown seabed. Good thing. The boat started to drift.
On board our dingy, it was quite tough to paddle against what seemed to be a developing Bora. Marilyn as usual seemed most adept at paddling but the oars were attached incorrectly and we had diminished leverage on the oars. The solution was to disconnect and reattach the oars in their correct position. The knurled nob on one oar was missing. What a cluster. When you checkout a charter boat it is hard to find all the issues that might lurk below the surface till it comes time to need or use something.
We took a bunch of pix and R's Minolta finally ran out of memory in the cave. We did not bring Liz's camera into this less that seemingly, totally safe environment. D and M got a bunch of pix to follow. Out friends the Aussies, who, BTW, motored their dingy out to Danina thinking she was adrift with no one at the helm, grabbed on to our dingy and pulled us back to our boat. What a day. But it was not over.
Our plan was to harbor in Komiža on Vis for the night. R thought that since we did not need food or supplies we could save mooring fees and just drop anchor at a cove off the southern coast such as Rukavac. It was then, on our way that the wind began to shift northerly and over 30 knots. R's greatest concern before even leaving on this trip was the dreaded Bora. And here we were half way between the two major harbors and one unknown. Rukavac. The harbor was not where it showed on the chart but when we found it it provided no shelter from the wind. Our anchor seems undersized and will not hold in whatever the sea bottom is composed of. It does not feel safe to stay and does not feel safe to leave. We leave and head east to Vis harbor.
Our passage thru the southeast part of the island is a mind field of rocks and shoals. D's at the helm, M and L are at the lookout and R's glued to the Nav table as we attempt to navigate these treacherous shoals that we cannot breakout of into open sea. The good news is that the monster wind is blowing from the north and we're on the lee side of the island. The bad news is that the wind is still steady over 20 with gusts to about 28 knots and it's getting late in the day.
We finally round the east side and see the light at Rt Stončica. We're almost home free. There's still the 4 point mooring with winds blowing. The day before the crew had a discussion about the elements of good team dynamics. Today we put them into practice. And, without a word from anyone, everyone just doing their own job and not worrying about anyone else, our landing was perfect. We secured our lines, had some great local 2006 red wine and another great dinner by M and D of salad and spaghetti. No cards tonight. Everyone was in bed by 2100. Tomorrow: Korčula.
On board our dingy, it was quite tough to paddle against what seemed to be a developing Bora. Marilyn as usual seemed most adept at paddling but the oars were attached incorrectly and we had diminished leverage on the oars. The solution was to disconnect and reattach the oars in their correct position. The knurled nob on one oar was missing. What a cluster. When you checkout a charter boat it is hard to find all the issues that might lurk below the surface till it comes time to need or use something.
We took a bunch of pix and R's Minolta finally ran out of memory in the cave. We did not bring Liz's camera into this less that seemingly, totally safe environment. D and M got a bunch of pix to follow. Out friends the Aussies, who, BTW, motored their dingy out to Danina thinking she was adrift with no one at the helm, grabbed on to our dingy and pulled us back to our boat. What a day. But it was not over.
Our plan was to harbor in Komiža on Vis for the night. R thought that since we did not need food or supplies we could save mooring fees and just drop anchor at a cove off the southern coast such as Rukavac. It was then, on our way that the wind began to shift northerly and over 30 knots. R's greatest concern before even leaving on this trip was the dreaded Bora. And here we were half way between the two major harbors and one unknown. Rukavac. The harbor was not where it showed on the chart but when we found it it provided no shelter from the wind. Our anchor seems undersized and will not hold in whatever the sea bottom is composed of. It does not feel safe to stay and does not feel safe to leave. We leave and head east to Vis harbor.
Our passage thru the southeast part of the island is a mind field of rocks and shoals. D's at the helm, M and L are at the lookout and R's glued to the Nav table as we attempt to navigate these treacherous shoals that we cannot breakout of into open sea. The good news is that the monster wind is blowing from the north and we're on the lee side of the island. The bad news is that the wind is still steady over 20 with gusts to about 28 knots and it's getting late in the day.
We finally round the east side and see the light at Rt Stončica. We're almost home free. There's still the 4 point mooring with winds blowing. The day before the crew had a discussion about the elements of good team dynamics. Today we put them into practice. And, without a word from anyone, everyone just doing their own job and not worrying about anyone else, our landing was perfect. We secured our lines, had some great local 2006 red wine and another great dinner by M and D of salad and spaghetti. No cards tonight. Everyone was in bed by 2100. Tomorrow: Korčula.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Hvar to Vis
Wednesday, May 2:
As great as Stari Grad was, mooring fee was exorbitant: 564 kuna. Two nights earlier was 165.
Our plan was to go to Korčula today but we decided we are at this point closest to Vis and Biševo. The attraction here aside from putting us the farthest out into the Adriatic, is the cave on Beševo. This island is situated just SSW of Vis. Ideally, we will enter the cave by non motorized dingy at about noon. The following day. We will not make it there by that time today which is the time of day when the light and colors are most spectacular.
We made it to Vis at about 1600, way ahead of schedule. We had a nice breeze in the beginning and end of the trip. We had about 20 + knots of westerly wind (Lebic). We hadn't planned on it but we did another 4 point landing in Vis Harbor. This was still not perfect with the starboard stern line got fouled in the starboard propeller. Larry to the rescue: while R ran off to take a some kind of tranquilizer, Larry uncoiled the mooring line. We need more practice but the gods were with us on this attempt too.; no one got hurt and the boat is still In one piece.
This is another beautiful village. It was also once a military base for Tito of Yugoslavia's army. Tomorrow the Blue Cave of Beševo.
As great as Stari Grad was, mooring fee was exorbitant: 564 kuna. Two nights earlier was 165.
Our plan was to go to Korčula today but we decided we are at this point closest to Vis and Biševo. The attraction here aside from putting us the farthest out into the Adriatic, is the cave on Beševo. This island is situated just SSW of Vis. Ideally, we will enter the cave by non motorized dingy at about noon. The following day. We will not make it there by that time today which is the time of day when the light and colors are most spectacular.
We made it to Vis at about 1600, way ahead of schedule. We had a nice breeze in the beginning and end of the trip. We had about 20 + knots of westerly wind (Lebic). We hadn't planned on it but we did another 4 point landing in Vis Harbor. This was still not perfect with the starboard stern line got fouled in the starboard propeller. Larry to the rescue: while R ran off to take a some kind of tranquilizer, Larry uncoiled the mooring line. We need more practice but the gods were with us on this attempt too.; no one got hurt and the boat is still In one piece.
This is another beautiful village. It was also once a military base for Tito of Yugoslavia's army. Tomorrow the Blue Cave of Beševo.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Spent Saturday morning touring the town of Split. visited the Diocletian Palace and green market. Could have spent entire day in the palace but had to pu Danina. Finally met Inga who I dealt with in email along with Marija and lijiana for many months. Also met Melita going to the boat and Hrvoysê. Toni helped mostly with checkin. Went out to dinner and spent a good deal of night awake listening to a concert in the marina. Croats are total party animals.
MLD went shopping for provisions. R finished prep to shove off which finally happened at 1240. Wind was too light to sail; we motored most of the day on a course ESE around the east end of Brac to the harbor/town of Sumartin. We tied up at the pier across from the ferry stop, paid 165 kn for the night with water and electricity. M and D made a great meal of local baby asparagus and garbanzo bean casserole. Tomorrow we go to island of Hvar.
Monday left Brac about 1045 and "motored" most of the way along the northern coast of Hvar to its NE end and into the entrance to Stari Grad. D and M made another great dinners this time garbanzo bean casserole. Winds were light particularly in the morning. Westerly picked up mid afternoon but wrong direction to help us much toward our destination. Pulled into a small cove named Tiha and will spend the night till tomorrow and go into town. Barometric @ 76.3 and dropping. Forecast for tomorrow is sunny but expecting after that sun with temps starting to cool down.
We haven't seen many other boats. A lot like sailing on Puget Sound. There aren't many navigational aids either. Using GPS but still mostly paper charts and pencil. Nav table too small for using parallel rulers so using protractors with small charts and liking it a lot. Just not much detail like NOAA charts and where b = white and c = red and z = green. It's taking some getting used to.
The sails were delivered the day before we got there and they were not completely rigged properly but Larry and I figured it out and corrected it. Winch handle broke today and we need to get it replaced tomorrow. Mostly we need to get Larry's phone working tomorrow. We also need to get a weather update. Watching the skies and barometer is great but this area can be a bit scary with the winds, cyclones and water spouts that can develop.
May Day 2012, Tuesday
Sitting down to lunch of salad and Veggie Risotto. Beer was Ožujsko and maybe not as good as Pan but good. Rented a little car to go touring of Hvar Town and Stari Grad environs.
MLD went shopping for provisions. R finished prep to shove off which finally happened at 1240. Wind was too light to sail; we motored most of the day on a course ESE around the east end of Brac to the harbor/town of Sumartin. We tied up at the pier across from the ferry stop, paid 165 kn for the night with water and electricity. M and D made a great meal of local baby asparagus and garbanzo bean casserole. Tomorrow we go to island of Hvar.
Monday left Brac about 1045 and "motored" most of the way along the northern coast of Hvar to its NE end and into the entrance to Stari Grad. D and M made another great dinners this time garbanzo bean casserole. Winds were light particularly in the morning. Westerly picked up mid afternoon but wrong direction to help us much toward our destination. Pulled into a small cove named Tiha and will spend the night till tomorrow and go into town. Barometric @ 76.3 and dropping. Forecast for tomorrow is sunny but expecting after that sun with temps starting to cool down.
We haven't seen many other boats. A lot like sailing on Puget Sound. There aren't many navigational aids either. Using GPS but still mostly paper charts and pencil. Nav table too small for using parallel rulers so using protractors with small charts and liking it a lot. Just not much detail like NOAA charts and where b = white and c = red and z = green. It's taking some getting used to.
The sails were delivered the day before we got there and they were not completely rigged properly but Larry and I figured it out and corrected it. Winch handle broke today and we need to get it replaced tomorrow. Mostly we need to get Larry's phone working tomorrow. We also need to get a weather update. Watching the skies and barometer is great but this area can be a bit scary with the winds, cyclones and water spouts that can develop.
May Day 2012, Tuesday
Sitting down to lunch of salad and Veggie Risotto. Beer was Ožujsko and maybe not as good as Pan but good. Rented a little car to go touring of Hvar Town and Stari Grad environs.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Zagreb to Split
This morning as we were still gettin
g our jet lagged body clocks re-adjusted and after what seemed like a sleepless night, we had coffee with creame. It was espresso with sweetened whipped cream on top and it was just what we all needed. Thanks go to L & R for going out and bringing it back for Marilyn and me. I made an exception to my no coffee regimine and was glad I did.
After that delicious treat it was time to get ready to head to the train station. The owner of the apartment, Eliana, came by to pick up the keys and kindly called us a cab because we just couldn't fathom walking to the train station toting all our luggage. Robert went with the luggage in the cab and M, L, and D made the 10 minute walk minus the bags. Once at the train station, we grabbed a sandwich to take with us on the train as it is a 6.5 hour ride to the southern coastal town of Split.
The train was all non-smoking which was a big relief. The seats were comfortable and ours faced each other with a table in the middle. There were many young people on board, we think heading home from school to the various towns along the way. The train quickly filled up and we were glad to have prepurchased our tickets the day we arrived in Zagreb.
The topography varied greatly along the way. Parts were flat with mountains in the distance that we eventually crossed, mostly farmland with the soil freshly plowed in garden preparations. Mostly deciduous trees but in some areas there were more evergreens. Nearly all the houses have red tiled roofs. We crossed over or went around two mountain ranges before reaching the Adriatic Sea. The landscape was speckled all over with granite rocks throughout, which were collected to make stone structures and walls. As we got further south, we kept hoping we'd see our first Adriatic sunset but didn't make it in time tonight.
Upon arrival in Split our apartment host picked us up and delivered us to our lodging. A nice place within 5-10 min walk of the waterfront where we eventually had dinner. By the time we got back to our rooms it was close to midnight. We are ready to "get horizontal" and see the sights in Split with fresh eyes in the morning.
Our internet connection will be spotty after we set sail tomorrow, and most likely only available on nights when we pull into a marina with services every 3 or 4 days. We will see. More to come!
g our jet lagged body clocks re-adjusted and after what seemed like a sleepless night, we had coffee with creame. It was espresso with sweetened whipped cream on top and it was just what we all needed. Thanks go to L & R for going out and bringing it back for Marilyn and me. I made an exception to my no coffee regimine and was glad I did.
After that delicious treat it was time to get ready to head to the train station. The owner of the apartment, Eliana, came by to pick up the keys and kindly called us a cab because we just couldn't fathom walking to the train station toting all our luggage. Robert went with the luggage in the cab and M, L, and D made the 10 minute walk minus the bags. Once at the train station, we grabbed a sandwich to take with us on the train as it is a 6.5 hour ride to the southern coastal town of Split.
The train was all non-smoking which was a big relief. The seats were comfortable and ours faced each other with a table in the middle. There were many young people on board, we think heading home from school to the various towns along the way. The train quickly filled up and we were glad to have prepurchased our tickets the day we arrived in Zagreb.
The topography varied greatly along the way. Parts were flat with mountains in the distance that we eventually crossed, mostly farmland with the soil freshly plowed in garden preparations. Mostly deciduous trees but in some areas there were more evergreens. Nearly all the houses have red tiled roofs. We crossed over or went around two mountain ranges before reaching the Adriatic Sea. The landscape was speckled all over with granite rocks throughout, which were collected to make stone structures and walls. As we got further south, we kept hoping we'd see our first Adriatic sunset but didn't make it in time tonight.
Upon arrival in Split our apartment host picked us up and delivered us to our lodging. A nice place within 5-10 min walk of the waterfront where we eventually had dinner. By the time we got back to our rooms it was close to midnight. We are ready to "get horizontal" and see the sights in Split with fresh eyes in the morning.
Our internet connection will be spotty after we set sail tomorrow, and most likely only available on nights when we pull into a marina with services every 3 or 4 days. We will see. More to come!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Thursday in Zagreb
Zagreb is probably typical European and most assuredly eastern European. People are friendly; few speak English so far but somehow we do fine. Prices are reasonable everything is paid in the Kuna. MLDR ate tonight at Vinodol restaurant and it was fabulous. Wine was Istra Cabernet Sauvignon and it was perfect with the Wild Asparagus and Greens soup and Gnocchi with Gorgonzola. While bread was not on a par with everything else, the olive oil and balsamic vinegar more than made up for it. We all had something like gelato for desert and it was the perfect finish.
R stayed at base camp still preparing for shoving off on Saturday. MLD went touring and we'll leave D to tell about that. 2130 time for R to get horizontal.
Addendum: Typing on a Croatian keyboard and the keys are laid out differently as well as contain interesting characters like č ć č0ž ß which makes writing 3 strokes back up two to correct! :-)
As R said above, Larry (L), Marilyn (M) and I (Donna or D) went out this morning for about 3 hours and we walked all over. The main square is where all the trams converge and then head out to different parts of the city. Where we went did not require taking a tram, but maybe if we knew better, we could have saved some walking. As it was, the weather is warm and it was a beautiful day, so walking was just fine.
We first saw Zagreb Cathedral, which is very ornate in neo-gothic style. There were several tours going through but none in English, so we were unable to listen in and understand, but most areas of the cathedral were accessible and I took quite a few pictures. There was a glass tomb with what looked like a bishop or some important person lying in it. Working around the glass tomb was a nun who was arranging flowers and greenery around the outside.
From there we walked to the venicular, a counterweight tram that takes passengers up to the 'old' part of the citz. As it was, it was closed for rennovation and so we walked up the several flights of stairs to get to the top. The old city used to have gates that closed every evening. To warn residents that they needed to get back, a canon was fired from the lookout tower. So, we found a sidewalk cafe to get a beverage and wait for the canon to fire - which it does each day at noon. Even though we were expecting it, it still made M and me jump! It was really loud!
Ended up coming back to the apartment as we are still feeling a bit jet lagged and needed to take a nap. The apartment is clean, basic, with comfortable beds and a computer with internet so no complaints.
Tomorrow we train from Zagreb to Split in the afternoon, getting into Split at 8PM. Then Saturday we pick up our boat! The weather and winds look to be perfect, so stay tuned.
R stayed at base camp still preparing for shoving off on Saturday. MLD went touring and we'll leave D to tell about that. 2130 time for R to get horizontal.
Addendum: Typing on a Croatian keyboard and the keys are laid out differently as well as contain interesting characters like č ć č0ž ß which makes writing 3 strokes back up two to correct! :-)
As R said above, Larry (L), Marilyn (M) and I (Donna or D) went out this morning for about 3 hours and we walked all over. The main square is where all the trams converge and then head out to different parts of the city. Where we went did not require taking a tram, but maybe if we knew better, we could have saved some walking. As it was, the weather is warm and it was a beautiful day, so walking was just fine.
We first saw Zagreb Cathedral, which is very ornate in neo-gothic style. There were several tours going through but none in English, so we were unable to listen in and understand, but most areas of the cathedral were accessible and I took quite a few pictures. There was a glass tomb with what looked like a bishop or some important person lying in it. Working around the glass tomb was a nun who was arranging flowers and greenery around the outside.
From there we walked to the venicular, a counterweight tram that takes passengers up to the 'old' part of the citz. As it was, it was closed for rennovation and so we walked up the several flights of stairs to get to the top. The old city used to have gates that closed every evening. To warn residents that they needed to get back, a canon was fired from the lookout tower. So, we found a sidewalk cafe to get a beverage and wait for the canon to fire - which it does each day at noon. Even though we were expecting it, it still made M and me jump! It was really loud!
Ended up coming back to the apartment as we are still feeling a bit jet lagged and needed to take a nap. The apartment is clean, basic, with comfortable beds and a computer with internet so no complaints.
Tomorrow we train from Zagreb to Split in the afternoon, getting into Split at 8PM. Then Saturday we pick up our boat! The weather and winds look to be perfect, so stay tuned.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
SeaTac to Frankfurt, Germany
Seattle, Washington to Frankfurt, Germany:
Left SeaTac on-time (1340) flew north toward Kelowna, WA and Calgary, Canada. Estimated flight-time into Frankfurt is 9 hrs about 0700 local time.
1520 PDT 35000 ft; ground speed: 622 mph 7.5 hr to dest. Halfway between Saskatton and Edmonton, Regina and Winnipeg on a course of ENE.
At 1545 closing on eastern Hudson Bay at 575 mph. It's 0045 in Frankfurt.
1707 PDT awakened from turbulence. Directly north of Montreal near Hudson Strait headed toward Godthab and Ungava Bay. It's getting dark.
1830 over southern tip of Greenland and beginning to finally turn south in the Great Circle route. 650 mph and 38k feet looks like we're headed right at Dublin. Time to Frankfurt 4:19.
2015 looks about half way between Greenland and Frankfurt. 863 kph, 1250 mi and 2:30 hrs to go.
2215 PDT / 0715 local time Wed over Rhine at 39000 ft. 322 km to Frankfurt was a nice flight. Not perfect. Got little sleep last night or night before. Food was great. Service was perfect. More professional than seen in a long time. Touch down 0745 temperature 7 deg C and cloudy.
We're in Frankfurt 2 hrs then off to Zagreb 1.5 hr flight.
FRANKFURT:
Robert slept about an hour on a few seats in Frankfurt Airport waiting for the delayed flight to Zagreb, Croatia. We will still have to make it to Split, Croatia to pickup our catamaran "Danina" on Saturday.
Well, the flight to Zagreb was delayed do to weather in Zagreb. Somehow I think weather is going to be the operative word on this trip.
Frankfurt, Germany to Zagreb, Croatia:
Short and sweet trip with just more of the impeccable European service. Flight over the Alps was breathtaking.
WE MADE IT. ALL INTACT except for Robert's suitcase alittle smashed.
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Left SeaTac on-time (1340) flew north toward Kelowna, WA and Calgary, Canada. Estimated flight-time into Frankfurt is 9 hrs about 0700 local time.
1520 PDT 35000 ft; ground speed: 622 mph 7.5 hr to dest. Halfway between Saskatton and Edmonton, Regina and Winnipeg on a course of ENE.
At 1545 closing on eastern Hudson Bay at 575 mph. It's 0045 in Frankfurt.
1707 PDT awakened from turbulence. Directly north of Montreal near Hudson Strait headed toward Godthab and Ungava Bay. It's getting dark.
1830 over southern tip of Greenland and beginning to finally turn south in the Great Circle route. 650 mph and 38k feet looks like we're headed right at Dublin. Time to Frankfurt 4:19.
2015 looks about half way between Greenland and Frankfurt. 863 kph, 1250 mi and 2:30 hrs to go.
2215 PDT / 0715 local time Wed over Rhine at 39000 ft. 322 km to Frankfurt was a nice flight. Not perfect. Got little sleep last night or night before. Food was great. Service was perfect. More professional than seen in a long time. Touch down 0745 temperature 7 deg C and cloudy.
We're in Frankfurt 2 hrs then off to Zagreb 1.5 hr flight.
FRANKFURT:
Robert slept about an hour on a few seats in Frankfurt Airport waiting for the delayed flight to Zagreb, Croatia. We will still have to make it to Split, Croatia to pickup our catamaran "Danina" on Saturday.
Well, the flight to Zagreb was delayed do to weather in Zagreb. Somehow I think weather is going to be the operative word on this trip.
Frankfurt, Germany to Zagreb, Croatia:
Short and sweet trip with just more of the impeccable European service. Flight over the Alps was breathtaking.
WE MADE IT. ALL INTACT except for Robert's suitcase alittle smashed.
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Almost there...
We made it to Frankfurt! The flight was excellent with less than an hour of turbulence over Hudson Bay and then again a little later. Gotta run. Our flight info is being announced and this internet connection is a pay by the minute in the airport. Next stop, Zagreb!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Departure day!
Well, we survived the packing stage and initial departure. Got thru PDX check in and security with no issues, even tho we were concerned that we would be 
over weight. But, I should back up to Saturday when we were frantically trying to determine if two skipper licences were required to charter our boat! Thankfully, that stipulation was only if we were planning to sail to Montenegro (which we are not.)
The United Express shuttle to Seattle was a two propeller commuter plane. It's been a long time since I flew in one of those!
This is the first time I've tried posting to the blog using my phone, so we will see how it goes. I have a couple of pics too if i can figure out how to upload them.
More when we land in Zagreb. Stay tuned!
over weight. But, I should back up to Saturday when we were frantically trying to determine if two skipper licences were required to charter our boat! Thankfully, that stipulation was only if we were planning to sail to Montenegro (which we are not.)
The United Express shuttle to Seattle was a two propeller commuter plane. It's been a long time since I flew in one of those!
This is the first time I've tried posting to the blog using my phone, so we will see how it goes. I have a couple of pics too if i can figure out how to upload them.
More when we land in Zagreb. Stay tuned!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Getting ready
We are officially one month out from our departure for Croatia. Who would have thought we would go there for an international adventure! There must be a reason and so we are going to find out!
Larry, Marilyn, Robert & I fly from Portland to Seattle on Tuesday morning, April 24th. We have a couple hours at SeaTac which is great. No stress. From SeaTac we fly direct to Frankfurt - about 10 hours. We have less than 2 hours lay over in Frankfurt, so any significant delay could impact our trip. Luckily, we have trip insurance.
From Frankfurt to Zagreb, Croatia is only a 90 minute flight. We get into Zagreb (the capital) at 11 AM. We have a 2-bedroom apartment rented for two nights near the center of Zagreb. From what we've researched, the center is conveniently located for sightseeing and there is a free zone for the transit there. We don't have any set plans to see specific sights as yet. Each of us probably has their own preferences so maybe we'll each pick one.
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On Friday afternoon, we take the hi-speed train from Zagreb to Split, 6 hours to the south in the middle of the coast. It is in Split where we are picking up our boat from Ultra Sailing. We get into Split about 8 pm so have another rental reserved for that evening. We'll have Saturday to explore Split as well as purchase provisions while Robert is getting checked out on skippering the boat. At this point we plan to cast off Saturday evening and head to the closest island off the coast. Probably Brac. This will give us a chance to get used to the boat, get our sea legs and make sure everything is working properly before we get too far away.
From here we have yet to determine where we will go. Robert has given us some float plan options so we need to start weighing our options! Stay tuned!
From Frankfurt to Zagreb, Croatia is only a 90 minute flight. We get into Zagreb (the capital) at 11 AM. We have a 2-bedroom apartment rented for two nights near the center of Zagreb. From what we've researched, the center is conveniently located for sightseeing and there is a free zone for the transit there. We don't have any set plans to see specific sights as yet. Each of us probably has their own preferences so maybe we'll each pick one.
.jpg)
From here we have yet to determine where we will go. Robert has given us some float plan options so we need to start weighing our options! Stay tuned!
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