- Sailing Croatia tips
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by Ultra Sailing Team
Finally Susak! For a long time, this island was on the “to do” wish list. Maybe because it is isolated, small, distant, sandy, beautiful, distinctive and geologically different from other Croatian islands. He did not disappoint me at all! We explored this island (3,7km2) in calm weather, in late March.
We arrived on the island of Susak at dusk, with catamaran Isla 40 “Island Escape” from the Ultra sailing fleet which we transferred from the charter base Trogir to Pula. Boat was in prefect shape like always all boats from Ultra sailing fleet. It was nice to have heating on boat when night falls we were surprised that there were several sailboats anchored in Susak bay, even it was March. Catamaran has low draft, so we were able to moor inside the breakwater near the boats of the domestic residents.
Where to moor on island Susak?
We do not recommend Susak as a safe haven ( it is directly open to the north wind), but for beautiful and stable summer weather this is great sailing destination.
Source: marinas.com
When you enter, on your right you will notice the breakwater which is reserved in summer for excursion boats, and in winter for catamaran lines from Mali Lošinj, Rijeka, Pula. This daily line keep on island life, even we were able to count all people there with the fingers of one hand.
Inside the breakwater, the Port Authority has built a small marina with electricity and water. As there is a sandy bottom it is not recommended for sailboats with deep keel. The approximate price for berth on Susak for catamaran 11 m long was 500,00 HRK. Water and electricity connection is new, and we were greeted by a kind sailor. Contact number for mooring on Susak is 00385 (0)9993358760. Although there are containers for garbage and waste fuel, it would be nice not to leave your garbage on this clean island. It is not possible to buy fuel or gas on island of Susak. There is a market which is open only in summer time.
The second option is an anchorage for cca 30 boats in a bay (Bay bok), on the left. Release at least 100m from the shore because there is a risk of stranding. The third option is an anchorage in the Bay of Tiesni (SE side of the island). In the middle of the bay is depth of 13m and this is also the rockiest part of the island, but it is still open to different winds. In case you get caught by bura on Susak the safest is small and beautiful bay of Porat in the northwestern part of the island. Note, this bay is not protected from other winds.
What is interesting about Susak?
Sand
Early morning and the change of hours greeted us in the March fog. Therefore, the photos are gray, but you can hint the color that would be visible on sunny days. Yes, you should visit Susak in the summer as well. There is a lot of sand and it reaches the first houses. The main beach in the bay is shallow and large. Next to the beach there is a basketball court. The bay is calm, open, shallow and entices you to jump into it.
Tractors & Bicycles
The only thing you can hear in Susak in the morning are the tractors. Donje Selo (Spjaža) is a promenade of various tractors and bicycles. Even traffic signs are marked for tractors. Later we managed to find the one and only car, Smart, with the registration “Tractor”.
Settlements in Susak
There are two settlements Donje Selo or Spjaža, by the sea, and the older, Gornje selo, on the hill. They are connected by a curved stone staircase. The view from Gornje Selo is beautiful. The houses have been mostly adequately renovated and at the time of our arrival a large number of houses were under restoration.
There are no modern constructions and upgrades, so a walk through the old village is like a walk through the past.
Susak is a protected monumental heritage of Croatia, so fortunately any new construction other than restoration is prohibited.
There are no hotels, unfinished buildings, nothing that indicates mass tourism. Take a walk…
Locals on the island of Susak
Apart from the sailor, the lady who sold us honey, a few builders, a waitress in the Association of Emigrants, we did not meet anyone else. We were surprised by couple of people waiting for the local ferry line at 7 in the fog. At one time, the island of Susak was the most densely populated area in the former Yugoslavia. Mass emigration from this islands began in 1964. With introduction of a tax on wine, this was the main product of Susak. The factory with fish processing closed in 1960s. 1395 people left the island because of political and economic reasons. Anyone who could paddle left to Italy a from there to USA. Today, most of the Susak emigrants live in the United States, most of them in New Jersey, Hoboken.
Emigrants and their descendants return to Susak in the summer, where are traditionally organized weddings, usually in August. It is an opportunity to see the specific folk costumes of the island of Susak which emigrants nurture.
Apart from the folk costume, Susak is characterized by its specific speech. It is an island language mixed with American. We were pleased to hear in one bar(open during the winter time as well) – The Club of Emigrants – “Ala- bye! “
What to do on island Susak?
Walk from Donje Selo to Gornje Selo and continue your walk to the lighthouse. Together with the return it is a total of 5-6 km of pleasant walks along a maintained path through vineyards hidden by reeds.
You will be surprised by the entrances to the vineyards, passing through the sandy cascades, along the edges of which reeds grow. The cascades are not natural formations, they were built by locals to get arable land where they grew vegetables and wines. They also planted reeds alon the edges of these cascades, to stop soil erosion. If you find homemade wine from Susak – we suggest you to buy it !
Autochthonous Vineyards on island of Susak – for wine lovers
Before specializing in finishing and viticulture , the inhabitants of Susak grew beans, cereals on their island and they were engaged in sheep farming. Because of the maritime development on nearby island Lošinj demand for salted fish increased. They turned to sardine hunting more intensively. During the 19th century demand for wine also grew. Sandy, soil has kept the old indigenous varieties of wines so the vineyards expanded to an incredible 96% of the total island area in the early 20th century. In 1950 grew and emerged new more than 1,6 grapevine . The most represented were 3 autochthonous wine varieties – black black grapes, susac and red triplets. Due to the fragmentation of plots under vineyards and uneven terrain everything was done by hand , and winegrowers were both winemakers and merchants. They transported and sold grapes and wine directly on Lošinj, Cres and in Istria, either for money or in exchange for the goods they needed( for 100kg of grapes they could get 5kg of wool, 6kg of sheep cheese, 10l of olive oil or 400kg of firewood). Locals from island of Susac showed similar independence in fishing. Only fishing with large nets was carried out by the joined forces of fishing companies. After division solting, storage, transport and sale was different/ individual. Between the two world wars traditional way of doing business began to step back under the pressure of modern economic trends. All locals on island of Susak joined the wine cooperative in 1935. IN the port they built a large modern wine cellar with a capacity of 6000hl. A few years later, a fish processing factory was built nearby , where up to 450 tons of mostly blue fish could be processed annually. The factory was closed in 1959 and demolished due to the construction for new market. The cellar building ( closed in 1964) still exists as a reminder of the “glorious days” of Susac viticulture.
Today, salted sardines and homemade red wine have become a rarity on island of Susak.
Source: TZ Susak
