Small Ship Cruising on the Adriatic.

May 4 - 11, 2014

It was in 1951 when I was a passenger on a boat to Hong Kong. A tune, very popular at that time, named “On a Slow Boat to China” was played time and time again and it is still in my head today.  And now we are on another Slow Boat, but sailing along the beautiful Dalmatian Coast. But the tune persists.

To fully enjoy the Dalmatian Coast one should visit the islands in addition to just staying on the mainland itself. Most people don’t. And what better way than taking a small vessel to visit the quaint and stunningly picturesque little villages, where one would expect life to be slower and more romantic. And different. Where you can imagine yourself sitting in a little shoreline cafe watching with your beloved the sunsets flaring up the skies in magenta-red hues, and where you don’t really care how the stock market is doing.  Maybe so, but there are still enough tourists visiting the islands that there is no dearth of restaurants, cafés, hotels, apartments and rooms for rent. If you want solitude you have to come in the winter, when it is cold, and most of the cafés and restaurants are closed. The population of some of these islands can increase by a factor ten in the summer.

The main attraction is still the shallow seas around the islands, where the azure waters are protected from the wind and where the mega cruise boats cannot enter because of their larger draft. Here the little villages are sheltered from these uncouth behemoths, which can disgorge a few thousands passengers at a time. Not that these villages are not already jam-packed, especially in the summer. Ferries and tour boats from Split, Zadar, Dubrovnik dump hundreds of tourists, many of them just for the day, on these islands.

Between the islands you will see graceful sailing boats plying the waters. A closer look shows that many of these boats look very much alike. They are actually rental vessels, and unless you own your own luxury cruiser, there are lots of boats for hire, almost all of them not more than a few years old. Sleek, well-appointed, and expensive-looking, these vessels have masts and sails, but they also have motors in case the wind does not cooperate. But unless you know how to sail, renting these vessels is an expensive proposition, especially if you also need to hire a captain cum cook to ensure you don't get stuck in a shallow cove with no fast food restaurant close by. Still, with some friends, a capable captain, and a willing cook/dishwasher, it would be an unforgettable experience.

right: The beautiful harbor of Hvar. The second boat on the left of the 4 boats moored next to each other was our ship, the Kapitan Bota II. To the right is another small cruise ship. In the middle of the picture is the Jadrolinia car ferry connecting most of the large islands on the Adriatic coast. To the left of the cruise ships

are the yachts, many of them rental.

    The most expedient approach appears to be what we decided to do, which is to book a cabin in a small vessel cruise ship, which will take you effortlessly to various ports of call and where you will be able to enjoy copious breakfasts and lunches without having to do any preparation and without having to do the dishes after each meal.

    The program usually calls for the vessel to sail in the morning and then to drop anchor around noon in one of the places on our itinerary. This leaves the passengers the whole afternoon, evening, and night, if so desired, to explore the island, have dinner in one of the restaurants on shore, and go find a nightclub or two to while the night away to nurse your Campari Bitters and listen to the Music of the Night. Well, some of the places we visited are so small they don’t have nightclubs yet but, with the current pace of developments, they will assuredly be there soon.

    As an aside, we have actually just returned from a cruise on the "Emerald Princess", which had a capacity of 3000+ passengers with a crew of 1100+, and whose draft was 8,5 meters. A humongous monster at sea, in which you keep getting lost in the maze of hallways. And where it is actually easier to be by yourself and stay nameless. Not so if you join the passengers of a small cruise boat, as the one we were in last year in the Galapagos and a couple years ago coming down the Nile. These small ships are much more friendlier and also more memorable. Unless, there is a superbore on board, who wants to monopolize everything. Throw him/her overboard.