From June 3 to 10, Patrick and his friends sailed to Croatia for a week aboard a 2017 Elan 45 impression from Izola in Slovenia.
In this article, discover their itinerary and the highlights of their navigation!
- Sailing with friends between Slovenia and Croatia
- Itinerary for a week's sailing from Izola
- Sailing highlights and memories
Sailing with friends between Slovenia and Croatia
After sailing in Greece, Italy, France and Croatia, Patrick and his 7 friends set sail from Slovenia this year! Situated between Italy to the north and Croatia to the south, Slovenia enjoys a small access to the sea, enabling yachtsmen to sail the Adriatic Sea and explore Croatia in particular.
"There are no formalities or authorizations required to sail between Slovenia and Croatia other than to put up the Croatian courtesy flag!" explains Patrick.
After several years' experience, Patrick was the boat's skipper. With his crew, they opted for a yacht charter in Slovenia, then headed down to the Gulf of Kvarner in Croatia to discover some of the region's islands and anchorages.
Over the course of the week, they explored numerous anchorages, day and night, and sailed a total of almost 125 nautical miles, or 15 to 45 miles a day.
Please note that this is a sporty itinerary with long passages. We do not recommend this itinerary if you are looking for a relaxing cruise with a few hours of sailing each day.
Overall, sailing conditions were quite satisfactory, with moderate winds. Patrick also explains that they were lucky about the weather: "despite a bad weather forecast, we only had one morning of rain over the 6 days of sailing!"
The Elan 45 impression
For their sailing, Patrick and the rest of the crew spent the week aboard a 2017 Elan 45 impression, equipped with 10 berths. Overall, the crew appreciated the boat's performance, but would have appreciated more space, especially in the saloon.
Itinerary for a week's sailing from Izola
Boarding at Izola at 4 p.m.
DAY 1 : Izola → Piranski Zaliv (7 nautical miles, 1 hour 30 minutes)
DAY 2 : Piranski Zaliv → Uvala Posoj → Pula (46 nautical miles, 10 hours)
DAY 3 : Pula → Uvala Luka Valmizeja (16 nautical miles, 3 hours 30 minutes)
DAY 4 : Luka Valmizeja → île de Zeca → Uvala Maracol (35 nautical miles, 6 hours 30 minutes)
DAY 5 : Uvala Maracol → Uvala Plieski (22 nautical miles, 6 hours)
DAY 6 : Uvala Plieski →Rovinj (55 nautical miles, 8 hours 30 minutes)
DAY 7 : Rovinj → Izola (33 nautical miles, 7 hours)
Landing at Izola
DAY 1 : Izola → Piranski Zaliv (7 nautical miles, 1 hour 30 minutes)
On Saturday, after collecting their boat at 4pm from the marina in Izola, Slovenia, Patrick and his crew set off to anchor in Piran Bay at Piranski Zaliv, just 7 nautical miles from Izola.
DAY 2 : Piranski Zaliv → Uvala Posoj → Pula (46 nautical miles, 10 hours)
On the second day, the crew set sail for Pula, located in the Gulf of Kvarner. This little-touristy area is reputed to be very green and still wild. Before reaching Pula marina, they stop at the Uvala Posoj anchorage, just a few nautical miles from Piran Bay. After lunch, they head back to Pula and spend the night in port. "I'm always impressed by the cleanliness and quality of marinas in Croatia," says Patrick. Indeed, Croatia boasts some twenty Marina ACI (Adriatic Croația International Club), known as the best marinas in which to anchor. Generally speaking, a 40-foot monohull costs €80 per night.
DAY 3 : Pula → Uvala Luka Valmizeja (16 nautical miles, 3 hours 30 minutes)
On Monday morning, after breakfast, the crew set sail for the Luka Valmizeja anchorage. This small bay is well sheltered from the wind and remains untamed. The crew spent the night here.
DAY 4 : Luka Valmizeja → île de Zeca → Uvala Maracol (35 nautical miles, 6 hours 30 minutes)
On the morning of the 4th day, the crew set sail at around 9 o'clock for the island of Zeča, a small island close to Cres. They stop for lunch and take the opportunity to tour the island.
After this stop, they set off again for the island of Unije, the third-largest island in the Cres-Losinj archipelago, where they started the engine to visit the various coves there. They decide to spend the night at the Uvala Maracol anchorage.
DAY 5 : Uvala Maracol → Uvala Plieski (22 nautical miles, 6 hours)
The next morning, they motor out of the anchorage to the other side of the island, to the village of Unije, where they do some shopping. After this stop, they head south to the island of Losinj, where they spend the night at Uvala Plieski. This anchorage offers crystal-clear, clean water with plenty of small fish.
DAY 6 : Uvala Plieski → Rovinj (55 nautical miles, 8 hours 30 minutes)
On Thursday, the crew set sail for Izola. They head for the port of Rovinj. Patrick describes the sea as oily when they weigh anchor at 7:45 am. As a result, they set off under engine, alternating between sail and engine throughout the day, as the wind picked up and then dropped off again.
They then spend the night in Rovinj's ACI marina, which has 196 berths. Despite excellent service, prices for a berth are still quite high. Expect to pay between €130 and €180 for a 40-foot monohull.
DAY 7 : Rovinj → Izola (33 nautical miles, 7 hours)
On their last day at sea, Patrick and his crew sailed almost 7 hours to reach Izola.
Highlights and memories of sailing
All in all, the crew had a great week's sailing between Slovenia and Croatia. They were able to explore numerous anchorages and ports, and enjoy the paddles they had brought back on their monohull.
For Patrick, "the island of Unije is well worth a visit, and the walk to the little village is highly recommended. There are one or two restaurants overlooking the bay!"
"Pula is not a very picturesque port, however it is ideal for shopping or filling up with water!"
Acknowledgements
My warmest thanks to Patrick for his feedback! To all the crew, thank you for sending us your photos, allowing us to share some of your sailing memories!