26 April 2023 - Vela Luca

The wind had whistled away during the night, but we were very relaxed, probably too much so. In the morning one of the stern lines had got caught on a rock on the seabed and consequently, we had swung round uncomfortably close to the shore. Fortunately all was well, there being enough depth of water below the keel and the rudder, that we were still floating nicely. I therefore had a swim before breakfast, to go and untie the line, free it from the rock and get us in a better position. All went well, until I released the second line, when the boat then swing out into the middle of the bay and required a much longer swim. Fortunately the wetsuit is quite buoyant, but half way back, I realised I was getting very tired. That’s not something I’ve experienced before; I’ve always been a good swimmer. I’m sure this was caused by the water being so cold. How do these people who go cold water swimming do it? For sure it’s not my cup of tea. However it was lots of hot tea that revived me along with breakfast in the sunshine. Out of the wind, when we are not on the move it can feel warm.


Out of the bay, there was a horrible swell, created by the wind during the night. Getting the main sail up was not an option, because we would have been quartering or rolling badly in the waves; not a very safe way to travel. So we motored across to Vela Luka, on the west side of the island of Korcula. We just had to avoid the large ferry coming out and park in rather difficult wind, but then we were in and safe from the next lot of high winds coming in during the late afternoon and evening. It’s panning out to be a week of alternate days of no wind, then too much wind.

We were knackered and just a little revived by a very late lunch at 4.00pm.

It’s a brand new marina, only built last year and we like it a lot. The marinaros were great at taking our lines and we feel very welcome. We were the second boat to arrive and later joined by half a dozen others. The later they arrived the more wasted the crews looked, such is the way of sailing in high winds.

 


The little town of Vela Lula is lovely. It’s still very clearly out of season, but some of the restaurants and pavement cafes are open. As with other towns on these islands, it is spotlessly clean.

 



Otuk Korcula has been inhabited since neolithic times and, along with a lot of the places along this coast, has been inhabited by many races and nationalities. Who says migration is new? Korcula was first settled by the Greeks, then was part of the Roman Empire, seized by the Ostrogoths, controlled by the Venetians for several centuries. The latter period was when it became fortified because of attacks from the Turks. After Venice lost possession in 1797, varies countries controlled it, including Britain, from 1813 to 1815. From then it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until the end of the First World War.

The most important settlement on the island is Korcula Town, but we are not planning to visit there this year. We have been before, and, much as though it is delightful, it’s also a small harbour and very busy.

Miles today         19

Miles in 2023    295

Tricia (& Steve)

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