- Sailing Croatia tips
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by Ultra Sailing Team
Every year we write about sailing from Dubrovnik. It is the most southern nautical destination in Croatia. The sea is here the saltiest and wisest on the Adriatic. It is close to Montenegro, for which we have very often inquiries in our Ultra sailing booking office. Dubrovnik has a beautiful archipelago in front – Elafiti, a series of islands that stretch from Dubrovnik to the roots of Peljesac(Ston). We will write about them in this Blog , which we freshly explored while sailing on an oldtimer sailboat Carter 37 “Domino”.
Sometimes it seems that it may be better not to point out places that are not overcrowded with, buoys, restaurants and keep it to yourself. But it is nice to see other boaters at sea, especially in this part of the Adriatic that is not so crowded.
Dubrovnik is the pearl of the Adriatic
You must visit Dubrovnik. Built of stone and with a great cultural heritage, this city is certainly the most beautiful and best preserved in Croatian history. You can find out more about what to see in Dubrovnik in our previous blogs. It is best to visit it in the spring or fall when the walls are not glowing from the summer heat and the crowds are less.
Boaters usually come to Dubrovnik already in early mid-April to late October. Sailing is comfortable in this area 6 months a year. Those who like warmer sea, swimming and sunbathing will narrow the term from late May to late September.
The old town of Dubrovnik has its own harbor and is preserved only for small boats of locals and taxi boats. Anchoring in front of the walls and in the harbor is not allowed. Nautical moorings are planned in the new Frapa marina next to the sailing club Orsan or opposite the passenger port of Gruž.
This new marina is open and great for larger yachts although its modern look is debatable and by some people’s thinking is not in line with the old mansions in its background. Another mooring option with all the contents is the ACI marina Dubrovnik, which is located in Rijeka Dubrovačka, which is easily recognizable by the newer and modern bridge of Dr. Franjo Tuđman.
ACI marina is located at the bottom of the bay (canal). The gas station is always crowded and you should watch out for the Ombla’s River current , which flows into the sea not far from the marina. ACI marina Dubrovnik has all modern facilities and you should announce your arrival. The marina is dominated by the beautiful Sorkočević Castle, where is the Ultra Sailing guest office located . Staying in this marina is pleasant, especially in summer when the temperature is slightly lower due to the cold water of the source of the river Ombla.
We would suggest to sleep in the marina and visit the old town of Dubrovnik, which is approximately 8 km away. With regular bus lines 1A and 1B you can quickly get from the marina to the old town.
The price list of berths in the ACI marina Dubrovnik is variable by seasons and can be seen on the marina’s website. Regular Ultra Sailing guests can use the discount cards for day berth boats in any ACI marina.
Marina Dubrovnik 
ACI marina Dubrovnik 
Sorkocevic Castle in the Marina 
Elaphiti – islands in front of Dubrovnik
The attractiveness of the southernmost Adriatic is the mystical blue and treetops of pine forests over the rocky shores. The passages between the islands are narrow, and the small towns in the bays are a mixture of aristocratic summer houses from the time of the Dubrovnik Republic and fishing houses. The largest islands of the Elaphiti are Koločep, Lopud, Šipan, Jakljan and Olipa. You can get lost among them for a few days. The name Elaphiti was given by ancient Greek sailors. Warning for the Elaphiti: in the northeastern part of the Elaphiti, even in good weather, a “stončica” wind blows from the mainland, which is not announced by the weather forecast. On the offshore side of the Elaphiti, the south wind „jugo“ is strong. Through the Harporti passage should be navigated carefully (a sign has been placed).
Lopud
Lopud is only 7NM away from Dubrovnik. At the end of the Republic of Dubrovnik, at 16th century, the most respectable families from Dubrovnik built their summer houses here. Sailing into the bay Lopud is beautiful. The coast is made of sand and pebbles, and right next to the beach, around the whole bay, there are a number of beautiful stone houses. On the southwest side of the bay is a modern multi-storey hotel that fits into the view of this small town. The buoys were set up nearby and at the time of our visit (beginning of August) they belonged to a restaurant that did not charge for them. Lopud is a car-free island which makes it a quiet and peaceful place. In case you do not want to go for a walk on foot, taxi golf cars are available.
What to visit:
• Sutvrač – a fortress on the highest point of Lopud with an excellent view of the island
• Franciscan monastery from 1483, which was also a library, pharmacy, shelter and fortress in times of crisis.
• Lookout at the Fort of Kaštio
The legend of the Lopud girl
Numerous historical and cultural stories and curiosities are connected with Dubrovnik and its surroundings – but there are also special legends about certain places that have been passed down from generation to generation. The well known one is about the Lopud poor girl, who says that once upon a time one lord from Dubrovnik sent his sick only son to Lopud. The son was supposed to recover there and fix his fragile health, but he, as a result, simply fell in love.
His chosen one was a poor local girl, which his father did not like at all. The lord tried with all his might to prevent their love – at one point he even asked the Benedictines from the small island of St Andrew to take strict care of his son. It didn’t bother the young ones in love, in fact; on a farewell they swore that they would continue to make an effort to meet and maintain their love. When the young man manages to get out, he will come by the sea and light a fire; his chosen one will wait for the sign on the other side and swim when she sees the fire. Several times such an endeavor succeeded – until one fateful day when the girl’s brothers found out about it. They agreed to light a fire on the ship and sail out to sea. The girl, as before, followed the fire. She swam further and further, until at one point, completely exhausted, she drowned. Not long after, a terrible storm began, overturned the ship and the brothers drowned. The girl’s dead body was dumped by the sea on the shore of St Andrew where she was found by her inconsolable chosen one. He was then ordained and decided to stay on that island forever.
Island Sipan
Our little sailboat went to Suđurađ this year, a little village at the east side of Šipan island, across from Lopud island.
A small mooring space near the ferry breakaway was half empty, and price acceptable (cca 30€ for 31 ft).
We haven’t been back here in a few years so we were pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere there: a couple of nice, little restaurants, old fishing houses, Stjepkovic-Skocibuha castle, lit up bocce ball court and all that without big crowds.
If you would like to talke a walk, there is only 5 km to village Luka, which also hase moorings. It is a safe bay, only not during the wind Stoncica.
Jakljan island
If you started from Suđurađ and you are sailing along the southside of Šipan island, you will pass through a narrow channel Harpoti, between islands Šipan and Jakljan.
On the north side Jakljan has a lot of small islands: Tajan, Crkvina, Goleč, Kosmeči, a bit further away Olipa. During summer, this location is filled with luxurious yachts that are anchoring here. Island itself is uninhabited, but it is the only island in this archipelago that has its own water source.
We tied the boat in Veli Jakljan bay. It is the biggest and the best island shelter with beautiful vineyards on the southside slopes. The bay is sandy, that holds a devastated, old resort. Anchoring is free, and we came acroos only a few sailboats and catamarans who are privately owned. Bay is really deep, and open to Stoncica wind, but gives good shelter from all other winds.
Ston channel
The Ston channel is about 3NM long. It’s worth sailing into it. At the very entrance to the channel on the left side is the popular small town of Kobaš. There are several families living in the village who are fishermens and have their own restaurants.
There are berths in front of the restaurants, but in summer you should book in advance. We sailed further along the channel towards Ston. The channel is very narrow in some parts, and at the time of our entry the new bridge and part of the road were under construction. The waterway is marked with red and green lights, about 25 m wide and near the lights the depth is not less than 2,7 m. In the channel to Ston there is a small place called Broc. From there you can already see the high stone wall that crosses the peninsula from Ston to Mali Ston.
Ston – Peljesac peninsula
At the end of the bay there is a new mooring place with capacity for 20-25 sailboats, which should also be booked in advance during the summer. The berth for the 31ft sailboat was approximately 300 HRK (water and electricity included).
Mentioned berths are right next to this nice place. Even the crater on Mars was named after Ston.
It is a medieval town with a rich treasury of historical and cultural traditions. Ston is known for the saltworks, which brought the Dubrovnik Republic a lot of income because they had a sales monopoly.
The authorities in the Republic sent people to work in the saltworks as punishment. Today’s saltworks is open to visitors – there is a beautiful view on it from the walls. These walls, that in the past defended salt from attack are now a beautiful promenade.
The lookout is 5.5 km long. Since 2008, the STONe Wall Marathon has been held. Participants run along the walls od Ston. It is recommended that you walk with them earlier in the morning or in the afternoon.
At the entrance to the walls we were glad to see a beautiful book of photos of our friend Ljubo Gamulin who spent his days capturing the most beautiful moments of this historic building.
As the entire Mali Ston Bay is known for the cultivation of shellfish, especially oysters, we definitely recommend that you try them with a glass of top quality Pelješac wine (Plavac mali). This is what makes Ston a gourmet place. Ston delighted us, be sure to visit it.
Slano
Slano is a small town located about 30 km north of Dubrovnik, the place of a new ACI marina, the first after 24 years – a big and important thing for residents and boaters. The new marina is modern with all the necessary facilities and can accommodate 200 boats, from 11 to 25 meters.
At first Slano looks like a sleepy little seaside town, but in summer it is filled with tourists and boats are moored or anchored all over the bay. The southern part of the bay called Banje is the most beautiful part of Slano, but keep in mind that there are a lot of shallows here, so you can only anchor the boat and take a dinghy to the shore. This part provides good protection from the south and the north wind but in some places seabed is not the most ideal for anchoring; be careful and find a good and safe place.
Take a walk through the open-air archeological museum next to the church of St Jerome, with exhibits dating from the 1st to the 6th century.
There are several restaurants in Slano; my choice would be “Kolarin” and “Mirakul”, where you can enjoy platter with seafood specialties, grilled meat, but also pizza.
If you find yourself in Slano on August 1st and 2nd, visit the popular local fair “Siđ”, on the occasion of Our Lady of Angels. And of course, you have to try the roast lamb, which can be bought at every corner. Only then you were really part of this celebration.
