- Sailing Croatia tips
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by Ultra Sailing Team
If you are looking for peace and tranquility during your sailing vacation in Croatia, the islands of Lastovo and Susac are something you should not miss to visit.
Both islands are offshore islands far from the mainland, and that makes it hard to visit, which is the reason these are not so crowded, even in the summer. Since 2006, the island of Susac belongs to the protected area of the Lastovo Nature Park or simply called Lastovo archipelago, because the Lastovo Nature Park includes the island of Lastovo and the surrounding islands, the largest of which is the island Susac. In this blog, we mention Susac only in connection with Lastovo, because the island itself is better for a swimming stop than for staying overnight, since there is not much to explore. Maybe in another blog we will take a closer look at the offshore islands like Susac, Palagruza, Brusnik, Jabuka etc.
Island Susac
The island Susac is best recognized by the lighthouse on the southern tip. Once you have rounded the southern side of the island, you get an interesting view of the landscape. The island itself is steep and rugged, and the cliffs are sheer and large. One already gets goose bumps when sailing under the 80 meter cliff where the lighthouse stands. Mooring facilities are poor, there are no utilities on the island and except for the lighthouse crew, there is no human life on the island. Only on the southern side, near the small chapel from the 15th century (St. Mihovil), there is an anchorage where most of the sailors stop for a short swim.
The high sea island Susac serves as a stage destination for the very demanding regatta “Susac for 2” or “Susac 100×2”. The regatta starts in Split and ends in Split. As the name suggests, it is a two-man regatta that takes place in June.
If you want to visit the island of Susac with your boat, be aware that there are no harbors or safe bays, so it is advisable to visit the island only in good weather and wind conditions.
Off to Lastovo
About 12 nm east of Susac is the rugged island of Lastovo. Lastovo is next to Mljet the most forested island in Croatia. The island of Lastovo was largely inaccessible to tourists or boaters until 1989, so the island could not develop touristically until then. Nowadays it is an advantage, because thanks to its great distance from the mainland and other Dalmatian islands, Lastovo has preserved part of its original tranquility, where even in midsummer you can find a berth without too much crowding.
A bit about the history
The island is historically mentioned as a Greek colony called Ladesta, but the name is of Illyrian origin. After the Greeks came the Roman period of rule, during which the island experienced a boom. In this period, country estates were built and Ubli became the main town of the island. After that, rulers changed just like on the neighboring islands of Korcula and Mljet.
From 1252 until the fall of the Republic, it belonged to Dubrovnik. From 1806 to 1813, Napoleon and France took over the rule of the island. Then it was the turn of the British, who ruled over the island for only two years. After the British, the island came under the hundred-year rule of Austria and then from 1920 until the end of the Second World War, Lastovo belonged to the Italians.
After the end of WWII, Lastovo belonged again to Croatia, first within the state of Yugoslavia, which kept the island closed to foreigners and tourists. After the disintegration of Yugoslavia in 1991, it fully belongs to Croatia.
Let’s sail – west side of Lastovo
If you want to sail around the island and explore it, you should cover a little more than 16 nautical miles, and much more if you add all the small islands west and east of Lastovo.
We start from the west at the small island Kopiste, which is about 3 nm from Lastovo. The island is less visited by boaters than by fishermen, because the fishing grounds of the island are considered to be particularly productive. Kopiste itself has many small anchorages, but the most famous is the spacious bay Presma, which is located in the middle on the north side of the island. The shore is rocky and inaccessible. The bay offers excellent protection against southerly winds. If you decide to drop anchor here, you should do it as close to the shore as possible, as the bay bottom has greater depths even at 30m from the shore. This is the case almost everywhere in the waters of Lastovo, because the depths drop immediately after 30-40 meters from the shore to 50 and further to a hundred and more meters.
The other two islands off Lastovo are Mrcara and Prezba. Mrcara is completely covered with dense forest, but the west coast of the island is inaccessible because of the rocks. In the narrow passage “Mali Brod” east of Mrcara there are two small islets, “Mali and Veli Rutvenjak” (the depth between Mrcara and Rutvenjak is between 5-7 meters). The passage does not separate the island of Mrcara from Lastovo, but from the island of Prezba. The island of Prezba is connected to Lastovo (Pasadur village) by a bridge, so it is often forgotten that it is an island itself. On the southern coast of Mrcara there are two beautiful anchorages, “Mrcara” and “Bjelavka”. The “Mrcara bay” offers good protection against north winds like Maestral and Bura. Be careful with the depth in „Mrcara“, already 10 meters from shore, the depth is around 100m.
Mrcara and Prezba were used as military bases in the former Yugoslavia. On Prezba there are still tunnel bunkers for torpedo boats, which you can visit.
The large bay of Veli Lago
South of the passage of Mrcara and Prezba, there are two small islets, “Vlasnik” and “Bratin”. These two serve as protection of the largest bay of Lastovo named “Veli Lago”. Veli Lago means “Big Lake”. The entrance to the bay of Veli Lago is oriented to the west, but then the bay stretches to the north and is divided into 4 bays: Jurjeva Luka, Pasadur, Ubli and Kremena. No matter from which direction the wind blows, there is always a well-protected bay in the large bay of Veli Lago. The first one, “Kremena” is right next to the lighthouse, which stands on the north side at the entrance to Veli Lago. Kremena offers good protection in all wind conditions except Bura (NE). Due to the depth of 30 meters, most boaters anchor by attaching a stern line to shore.
A little further to the north of Kremena is one of the safest anchorage on Lastovo “Jurjeva Luka”. The bay got its name after the small chapel of St. Juraj, which is located near the pier. The depth in the bay is from 5 to 10m.
In the northern part is a bay called “Pasadur”, which is narrow and shallow by nature and divided by a bridge connecting the island of Prezba with Lastovo. On the Riva, in front of the hotel, there are about 30 berths with mooring lines, all berths are equipped with electricity and water.
In the southeastern part of “Veli Lago” is a ferry port called Ubli. In the narrow bay of Ubli, you will find a gas station, a small shop, two restaurants at the ferry dock and a boat repair shop. Otherwise, Ubli is not a particularly attractive bay. As an overnight stay, we would rather recommend one of the previously mentioned bays of Kremena, Pasadur or Jurjeva Luka.
South side of Lastovo
From Veli Lago, we head south in the direction of the famous bay “Skrivena Luka”. Before we reach “Skrivena Luka” bay, there are a few smaller bays that are also suitable and good for anchoring. The first two are Duboka and Perna. Between cape Rt Veljeg Mora and cape Struga there is a spacious bay with several branches. Those who seek protection from Bura can anchor in the 300-meter-long and narrow “Uska” Bay. When anchoring here, you can mostly enjoy solitude, as most boaters moor in the eastern branch of the bay – Skrivena Luka.
Skrivena Luka – Hidden Harbor
The bay “Skrivena Luka” is one of the most famous southern Dalmatian anchor bays. As the name suggests, “Skrivena Luka” (translated “hidden harbor”) the bay is hardly recognizable from the sea. It would be difficult to find it without the Struga lighthouse, which rises over a hundred meters on the southern cliffs, and the light at Strazic Point on the north side of the narrow entrance passage.
The 150-meter-wide passage does not give any idea that behind it is a beautiful bay that stretches inland for more than 300 meters, fully justifying its name. The bay is well protected from all winds, particularly further in. At the entrance to the bay, the depth is about 8-9 meters, in the middle, it is between 12 and 15 meters. In the bay, there is a 50-meter-long jetty with electricity and water connection and some mooring buoys. Small jetties were built in front of many houses on the west and north-east shores. In the bay, there are also 3 taverns “Porto Roso”, “Nautica” and “Pod Maslinu” which also offer berths at the jetty or mooring buoy. We recommend a walk to the lighthouse; from the top, you have a fantastic view over the whole bay and the south coast of Lastovo.
Lastovci archipelago
East of the island of Lastovo are the Lastovci, which are divided into two groups of islands, closer to the island are so-called “Lastovnjaci” or “Donji Skoji”, which line up in a north-east direction. While the group of islands further from Lastovo towards Mljet are called “Vrhovnjaci”. In this case, we are referring to the well-known bays of the Lastovnjaci archipelago, which are closer to Lastovo itself.
Lastovnjaci – Stomorina, Cesvinica and Saplun
There are numerous beautiful bays for anchoring on the Lastovnjaci archipelago, we recommend the bay between the islands of Stomorina and Cesvinica. This anchorage is for the sailor with refined taste. We cannot say that it is completely safe. It is exposed to the north winds, and in strong Maestral (NW) or Jugo (SE), the islands protecting it proved too small to be of much use. But in normal summer conditions or in September, when the season ends, anchoring in the eastern section of the passage between Stomorina and Cesvinica is a real experience.
Despite being just over a mile from Lastovo, it feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere, lost at sea. On the north side of the small island of Salpun, between Mali Arzenjak and Veli Arzenjak, there is another good anchorage. The waters of the Lastovci archipelago are rich in fishing grounds. Note that this is a nature park, if you intend to fish here, you must obtain a fishing license from the nature park administration. Only bottom fishing, long lines and throw lines are permitted.
North side of Lastovo island
From the island of Salpun, we go to the most famous bay on the north side of Lastovo, Zaklopatica Bay. Before we reach Zaklopatica, there are villages “Lucica” and “Sv. Mihovil”, both places are suitable for mooring only when the weather is nice, as they are exposed to all winds except the south. In Lucica and Sv. Mihovil there is a road leading to the village of the same name, Lastovo, but we recommend visiting Lastovo from the much safer Zaklopatica bay, which is less than 1 mile to the west.
Zaklopatica
The small islet encloses the bay and offers Zaklopatica very good protection in all wind conditions, except strong Bura. The best way to get into the bay is through the eastern passage, which is 8 meters deep. This one is both wider and deeper than the one on the western side, where the depth is only 1.4 meters. In the center of the bay, where there are also some mooring buoys, the depth is around 13 meters, and closer to the islet, the depth is between 7 and 10 meters. In the bay there are two restaurants, “Triton” and “Augusta Insula” in both restaurants there is the possibility for a berth with mooring lines as well as electricity and water connections. The best way to get to Lastovo from Zaklopatica Bay is by taking a 2.5 km long road.
Main town Lastovo
If you are already on the island of Lastovo, you should definitely visit the town of the same name. As already mentioned, the easiest and fastest way to reach it is from Zaklopatica Bay. The main town of Lastovo was built on a steep slope about 1 kilometer from the coast. From here, you have a beautiful view over the island and the sea. A special eye-catcher are the many different chimneys (called Fumari).
In the summer, Lastovo is a lively place with restaurants, bars, a supermarket, a post office, a tourist office and a fish market. We recommend visiting The Kascel fortress on the Glavica hill above the village. The fortress was built by the French in the early 19th century. The 16th-century Church of St. Mary is also a highlight of Lastovo. In the winter, a big and traditional carnival celebration called “Poklad” takes place on Lastovo. This tradition dates back to the 14th century, and almost all residents gather to take part in the celebration. The main ritual is to lower a straw doll from the hill “Pokladareva Grza” on a rope that goes to the village and then burn it on the main square. A lot of noise is made with firecrackers.
Mali Lago
Just beyond the western tip of Zaklopatica Bay lies the 400-meter-long bay called “Korita”. This bay offers good shelter in all wind directions except Bura and Tramontana. The bottom of the cove is sandy and holds well, the depth is around 10m. The situation is similar in “Krucica Bay”, half a mile west of “Korita”. When anchoring in Krucica Bay, be careful because of the power cable that runs under water.
After the Krucica bay, there is the Mali Lago Bay, which is connected to Veli Lago Bay (Pasadur, at the beginning of this blog). At the entrance to the Mali Lago Bay is a small islet, Velji Maslovnjak. Just after the entrance to the bay is Borova Bay, which actually is located on Prezba island. The depth in the center of the bay is around 20m. Just like the other bays on the north side of Lastovo, Borova Bay can be anchored in any wind except Bura (NE). Directly opposite, in the eastern arm of the bay (on the Lastovo side), there is the “Prehodisce” bay, whose depth is around 8m. Like Borova Bay, Prehodisce Bay is also not safe at Bura wind (NE). It is better to sail further in, closer to Pasadur, where you are best protected.
At the end, Lastovo is really, really worth a visit, and we highly recommend sailing to this beautiful island of peace and tranquility.
