- Sailing Croatia tips
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by Ultra Sailing Team
From Split you can see the islands of Brac and Solta which are separated by a channel called Splitska vrata, the closest way to reach the islands of Hvar, Korcula, Vis and others by ferry or catamaran.
The island of Solta, 16 km long, is only 9 NM from Split; they are connected by a regular catamaran line which enables students and residents to reach Split in the morning and go back to the island in the afternoon.
The biggest and the oldest settlements on Solta are: Gornje Selo, Grohote, Srednje Selo and Donje Selo. The settlements at the sea developed as their ports and in the last 50 years have also become nautical and tourist destinations.
Sailing from Trogir charter base, the closest place is Maslinica on the western side of the island. This quiet, central fishing village is hidden behind 6 islands. In the very village there is the renovated Marchi castle from the 18th century, today a luxury hotel and restaurant. In front of it there is a modern mooring with 20-30 berths equipped with water and electricity hook-ups. The mooring is safe but exposed to the winds of maestral and tramontana which cause waves in the bay.
Half a mile south of Maslinica you will find Sesula bay which has buoys for guests of Sismis bar open from the beginning of May till the end of October. During calm weather you can drop anchor and Sesula is exposed to a stronger tramontana wind.
There are several bays along the southern coast of Solta: Poganica, Zaglav, Tatinja, Senska , Stracinska , Travna and Livka. Each of them is exposed to southern winds but during calm weather these are the places where you should go swimming for the last time before returning to Split or Trogir charter base.
Livka is a favourite short stop spot for boaters coming from Split because it’s located at the exit of Splitska vrata but Split is not visible from there. It is important to say that in these uninhabited bays or bays with several houses, hungry wasps search for food in sailing boat cockpits so do not leave food in the cockpit or trick them by leaving some marmalade or something sweet on some of the rocks a little bit further from the ship.
Sailing from Livka accross the channel, you will see Split. That passage is quite crowded in the summer and it has always been a question if the small island of Mrduja which is located there belongs to Solta or Brac. Therefore, in the summer, the people from Solta and Brac organize Mrduja rope pulling. In the evening, a party is usually organized either in Stomorska on Solta or in Milna on Brac with organized boat transfer. This event is usually at the end of July, biggining of August.
On the northern part of Solta there is a beautiful place called Stomorska, the oldest island port which is also obvious when you see its old stone houses. There is not much space for mooring; only at the beginning of the 200 m waterfront where sometimes even ferries dock and the depth is 2 – 4.5 m. The mooring has water and electricity and about 20 berths.
A mile or two from Stomorska you will find a much bigger bay, Necujam, the best shelter of Solta which during weekends is often full of sailing boats because this bay is usually where boaters go swimming for the first time. The bay is beautiful, it has four inlets and in the past several years it has somewhat lost its previous charm due to mass construction of tourist facilities. However, it is still clean and good for swimming. Anchoring is allowed here.
Rogac is the main island port and the port of the old village of Grohote which can be reached by foot, if you are in a good shape, or by bus which mainly drives according to ferry schedule. Grohote has a post office, bank, police station, several shops, bakeries and during summer there is a dentist. A walk in this village will certainly be interesting for nature lovers. We recommend that you buy what local people offer because it is seasonal and home made (olive oil, wine, grapes, carob, honey…)
