Escapee from Alcatraz

We set the anchor in the centre of a fairly wide channel.  “Fairly wide” is based on a standard of my making, could I comfortably swim to either shore, I felt I could not.  That evening I emptied our well tied and double bagged garbage and recycling into a shopping bag. The bag is reusable and I use it to store, garbage/recycling until we get to land.   The bag prevents unwanted garbage juice leaking into the dinghy or the cockpit locker, plus all garbage is contained in 1 bag.   This evening, in preparation for going ashore in the morning, I put the bag in the dinghy.   The dinghy was hanging beside the boat, level with our rub rail, quite a ways above the water.   I did hesitate to leave the garbage in case our yorkshire terriers might smell the bag and hop into the dinghy.   But decided it was late enough and the dogs likely would not be out on deck alone.   So,  there the bag went for the night.

In the morning Branko lowered the dinghy,  put on the motor, attached the gas tank and spent sometime getting the boat ready to go ashore.   As he moved the garbage bag, out jumped a rat, a smallish rat which I first thought was a mouse.   The rat ran up the dinghy line aiming for the boat, I dropped the line into the water, thereby setting Branko adrift while the rat jumped nimbly onto the rubrail, destination 1 floor up by my feet...eekkk!   So I did the only thing any smart thinking person would do I stamped my feet and screamed.   

Mr. Rat jumped into the sea heading for the snubber line and anchor chain.   Thankfully Branko was still adrift and could give me instructions as to where the rat was.   I continued the stamping and yelling, it worked.  I knew this type of commotion would be successful in warding off any male attention.  As he looked ready to scurry up the line, I could see him cringing from my shrill voice, that was when I knew he was a Mr. and not a Miss.

Not only did he swim away, fast, but most of his swim was underwater.  He headed for shore and we soon lost track of him near the bathers, hehehe, but we heard no screams so obviously they did not see each other.

Where is Branko going?

Are you wondering what our “bred to kill rats” dogs were doing?  Nothing absolutely nothing. They did not see the rat, they did not smell a rat, it is as though they were just, dogs. They were however distressed to see Branko had left without them, all they were capable of was to watch Branko drift away, silently hoping he would return and save them from the shrillness.   

We determined that the rat swam from the uninhabited island; starved from lack of food and saw his chance to live on a boat or make a stop before continuing to the mainland, brave little guy.

Rab and Krk - the circumnavigation

3 Top Cruising Points:

1)  No Concessions
2)  Excellent anchorages; holding, protection & swimming
3)  Fewer boats

We turned the corner from Pag island and saw Rab in the distance, as we neared the 1st church steeple came into view followed by 3 more nestled in between the orange tiled roof tops.   Rab is built on a peninsula that juts out from 2 harbours. One where the town faces and the 2nd is a large bay with a beautiful stone walkway that winds it's way back to the town along the bayfront.   We anchored in the 2nd bay with views of the churches, a monastery and trees.     This bay became our home base.

Rab town

Home base in Rab

Walk from Rab

Rab street

View over Rab rooftops

The local cross-bow champions

Rab  is first heard of under the Illyrians in 360 BC.   Eventually it became part of the Roman empire with Emperor Octavian Augustus ordering the building of the town walls.
In 1358 the island came under the rule of King Louis of Hungary and from 1409 to the end of the 18th century it was ruled by Venice.   Eventually the Habsburgs took over under Austrian rule till 1918.
Since a majority of its residents were Italian-speaking, the locals sought to be annexed to theKingdom of Italy, but Italy eventually decided to cede the island to Yugoslavia in 1921.

We did not stay for their yearly medieval festival held at the end of July but we did participate in the crossbow festival.   The pictures say it all,  people dressed up in period costume, acting out the pageantry of the crossbow competition and old cannons being fired from the castle wall.  It was interesting.  As though we were brought back in time .   There was traditional dancing with the band playing a sheep's bladder, flutes and horns.  The competition was between San Marino in Italy and the Rab town crossbow champions.  I had no idea who won but think it was the Italians. 

We sailed to the north of Rab, supertarska to sit out some south winds, lovely clear water and free internet.   Our plan was to spend Branko's birthday, June 21st in Punat on the island of Krk.   Back many years ago Branko had vacationed in Punat as a child.  His memories were of a beautiful sand beach, swimming in clear water and jumping off a barge/ship anchored off shore.   We found everything but the barge and celebrated his birthday with our new friends Burkhart and Alice, who unexpectedly arrived the same day.  

Krk town walls

Krk wall walk

Street in Krk town

Krk harbour

Krk island has been inhabited since the Neolithic age, remains of inhabitants have been found in caves in the central valley.  Krk came under Roman rule, then the Avars in the 7th century, 1001 Venetians ruled until 1430 when the Frankopan Counts took over.    In 1797 Austria took control,  Italy again and then to Yugoslavia in the 20's.

At some point we decided a circumnavigation of Krk and Rab was just the thing to do,  which included sailing in the Velebit channel.    Umata, our Dutch friends joined us on our escapade.    Our start point was the town of Krk, where we anchored in front of the town.   The next day we left with a good wind that eventually became no wind as we rounded the north coast.   Beautiful sandy anchorages dotted the entire west and north coast,  with only a few that had any boats or buildings.   Our destination was a bay called Klimno on the eastern shore of Krk.   We had to sail past Rijeka and under the huge bridge that joins Krk to the mainland.   Klimno is a mud bottomed bay, fully protected from all winds, that used to be the site of saltworks.  Cows grazing on the shore mooed at us as we sailed into the bay.  The bay was almost empty of boats but many tourists on vacation, sunning themselves on the rocks, wallowing in the 'beauty' mud and swimming. 

Just a few miles south was Vbrink an old town known for it's fine white wine.   Now that was a reason to visit.  

Besides the city of Krk, Vrbnik was one of four castles (Baska, Dobrinj, Omisalj and Vrbnik) which were independently ruled in the time of the Frankopans.    An ancient town, surrounded by stone ramparts with very posh looking homes within from the 6th century.   The narrowest street in the world is said to be in Vrbnik,  as yet no other town has contested; so currently because it is said so shall it be true.

We ended up moored to the town quay for 3 days to wait out yet another bura.   Elly from Umata made a deal with the harbourmaster getting 3 nights for the price of 2.    The town is beautiful, the bay although busy with tourist boats was clean and refreshing for swimming.   Amazingly everyone swam in the harbour; boats coming and going through the narrow entrance ( where people were swimming across) nobody seemed concerned, except me, but then we too jumped in as the boats seemed very conscious of all activities in the water.

The cross-bow band, Rab

Vrbnik town

Vrbnik harbour

Sculptures in Rab

Soon we let go the lines and motored down the Velebit channel, flat calm.   Destination Kampor on Rab thereby completing Krk circumnavigation.   Before another Bura blew up we left Kampor after 1 night, turned right and again motored down the Velebit.   Great anchorages on this north east coast, beautiful secluded spots, but we had no time to visit had to finish up our Rab circumnavigation.   We checked out a few more places to anchor on Rab but none were as protected, calm and lovely as Fumija.   So that is where we settled for the Bura Bura bura.

Maggie