Croatia · Seven days at sea
Marina Kornati to Novalja and back — the route, the crew, and everything in between.
Seven days · Zadar archipelago & Pag
A loop out of Marina Kornati through Dugi Otok, Molat, Pag and Rab, with a swim stop at a Cold War submarine bunker, a night out in Novalja, and our favourite bay in the world to finish.
We get on the boat around 1pm, run to the supermarket for a stupid amount of booze and food, then we're off by 3pm. First night is Otok Žutska aba – W, a quiet bay south of the marina — just enough to shake the boat down before things get going.
We head up to Dugi Otok and stop for lunch at Dragove, where there's an old Cold War submarine bunker cut into the cliff — worth a swim or a dinghy ride in to explore. Then we push on to Brgulje on Molat for the night. We'll pick up a buoy, with a couple of bars and restaurants a short dinghy ride away if anyone wants to go ashore.
We stop mid-morning at Wreck Michelle for a snorkel around the wreck, then it's a longer sail north toward Pag. We're mooring that night at Jadrišćica / Alta Marea in Pogana — a proper marina, so power, water, showers and a restaurant right there.
An easier day — a short hop further north to Rab, where we'll anchor for the night in a bay called Uvala Kristofo. Nothing planned, just a chill one before Wednesday.
We're heading into Novalja on Pag. This is the big night — genuinely my favourite night out anywhere, so come rested. We'll be in the marina right in town, so no dinghy faff, just off the boat and into it.
We sail south to Ugljan, to my favourite bay in the world: Uvala Permanje. No agenda that day — just recovering and enjoying being there.
We make our way back down to Marina Kornati, aiming to be in by 6pm. We'll sleep on the boat that night, and I want us off the dock by 9am Saturday — so don't plan anything for Friday night that'll wreck that.
Who's aboard
Skipper
About
Despite sailing for over 20 years, my dinghy racing performance still makes me a family disappointment. I've found I'm much better at making a yacht go forwards than I am at sailing a Firefly.
Strengths
First Mate
About
The only crew member whose sailing experience is actually backed up by their LinkedIn profile. Skills include building her own charts instead of using Navionics.
Strengths
First Mate
About
Our very own RYA representative. With a coastal racing pedigree that leaves everyone unmatched, you're in safe hands if he's in charge (subject to the autopilot not being activated).
Strengths
The boat
The boat
Living aboard
On deck & systems
Packing
Literally nothing. In most cases all you need is a backpack filled with the essentials — if not a backpack, a softshell bag. A hard case bag is a pain in the arse. 90% of your time is in swim kit.
But good to bring
Power
Work on the assumption you'll only have access to plugs every 48 hours. That means you need power banks to be self-sufficient for 48 hours — potentially 72, if things don't go to plan.
Other things
You can never have too many speakers and disposable cameras. Swimming goggles can come in handy.
Any questions, drop me a message.