WORLD This month we hear from Ryan Foland, who shares memorable moments aboard the 'Mooch' during a Croatian charter adventure.
Cyn, Lara, and Daniele enjoying the good life in Vis Harbor.
Dinner in Paradise We sailed along the south coast of Šolta Island, and after checking out the Google reviews of a small restaurant called Lonely Paradise on an otherwise untouched bay, we settled on anchoring there for our second night. Tatinja Bay is shaped like two ears, and we stayed in the western ear, away from the moorings near the restaurant. We emailed the restaurant to see if they had a mooring for us, but they were full. We learned that many restaurants around the Dalmatian Islands offer a free mooring or dock tie overnight, but we never took advantage of this on our trip. We set a bow anchor and tied our stern line to a rock on the shore. Once again, we found ourselves in postcard-worthy waters swimming, snorkeling, and cliff jumping. We had a dinner reservation for 7:30 p.m. and all six of us
Spread: 'Moocher' in Tatinja Bay, Šolta, with Ryan, Cyn, Dave, Daniele and Lara aboard. Inset The gang snags a selfie after hiking to Vela Spila on Korcula Island.
SPREAD GRAYSON FISHER; INSET RYAN FOLAND
Meeting the Moocher Chartering with Sunsail out of Marina Agana, we taxied from Split to take ownership of Moocher, our floating home for the week. We completed our orientation of the North and South Dalmatian Island chains and did a full boat checkout with Franco from Sunsail. Learning that most small towns we
would visit had markets, we kept our provisions light. Franco explained that Moocher was a true reflection of its name since it was a boat that is "a giver." We looked at each other, knowing the definition of the word "moocher." Then he told us the owner named it after his ex-wife. We all laughed and shared the definition of "moocher" with him, and instantly fell in love with Moocher, dubbed "the Mooch." She was a Jeanneau 47, equipped with a fridge, freezer, solar panels, sound system, Wi-Fi, AC (that we never used), and three staterooms. We left the dock around 6:30 p.m. on Friday and sailed to Krknjaš Veli, a small island near Marina Agana, for our first night's anchorage. We approached from the east, entering Blue Lagoon from the south, and anchored among 20 or so boats. We swam a bit before turning in. We woke on our first day at sea, swam and had breakfast, and then set sail for Maslinica. We motored up in the dinghy and went ashore for our first excursion. The town was very quaint, the water impossibly clear. We decided to have lunch on the boat, so we walked the horseshoe shoreline, had a quick swim, and bought some food, including our first jar of truffles.
RYAN FOLAND
Invited on the Trip of a Lifetime My wife Cyn and I sat anchored at Big Geiger Cove, Catalina Island, off Southern California's coast. We were in the cockpit of Bingo, our 1977 Cal 34, visiting with our good friends Dave Binder and Daniele Newerth, whom we were sponsoring to be members of the Blue Water Cruising Club. Dave asked, "Do you guys have any plans in July?" With a smile, I said, "It depends." Dave told us that he and Daniele were joining another couple on a bareboat charter in Croatia, and they needed a third couple to fill out the boat. Cyn and I looked at each other and instantly had the same thought. We had always wanted to charter in international waters, and here was our chance to do it. "We are in!" I said. We flew into Split and met up with Grayson, Lara, Dave, and Daniele at a small, swanky hotel. We oriented ourselves with the Roman ruins of Diocletian's Palace and the hotel rooftop pool and bar, as we prepared for our bareboat adventure. From the pool, I marveled at the megayachts dotting the panoramic views of the Adriatic Sea and anticipated sailing to a handful of the 718 Croatian islands over the coming week.
piled into the dinghy, which we named the Mini Mooch. We were fixated on the cove's coastline looking for evidence of Lonely Paradise, and first found the dock. As I left the dinghy, I saw the sun set over the far side of the cove, the rich orange and red blended together. As I blinked hard, I could still see the brightness of the sun burnt into my eyes. I pointed to the horizon and everyone turned to look. We all had a moment, then headed up the hill for one of the most memorable nights and meals. Boaters flocked to the restaurant and the energy was high. We took shots with a group of Austrians, ate, drank, and were merry. After dinner, we went back to the boat for nightcaps and swimming. A Devastating Lesson Learned The next morning, a little hungover from the house-made wine, Cyn and I decided that we would go for a snorkel
