Summer sailing part 2

Night near Vela skala was really peaceful and there were just two more sailboat around, but not very near. Very stable weather like we were having for couple of days made it possible to anchor in such not very well protected anchorage. Next morning we sailed towards the Kornati islands...

...and through Proversa vela to outer side of Kornati.

On the way we saw a dolphin, but for just a few moments. There was just enough wind for nice sailing SE.

Then we sailed to Murter and anchored in the bay Vršak for the night.  The rest of the crew went to town Murter after dinner and I stayed on the boat, swam and admired the sunset.

Next morning we sailed N again and made first stop for swimming near island Murvenjak. It is a pretty place, but quite popular and there was plenty of motor boats already there. I went snorkelling, of course. It was not too exciting, but I found this empty shell of Helmet shell (grbasti čeladnik or Galeodea echinophora)...

... and a Longstriped blenny (črnoboka babica or Parablennius rouxi).

In early afternoon we sailed to bay Triluke on S side of island Pašman. We were almost alone there and had a nice afternoon swimming and lazying, and a nice BBQ in the evening. But just as we were finishing our dinner, hordes of sailboats started to sail into the bay. It was Saturday and they probably just got their boats from charter companies and they sailed to first suitable bay. After the second one anchored less than 30m from us, I had enough and suggested that we move. Crew was not too happy, but went along and we moved just a mile away to S side of small island of Žižanj. Luckily no one followed and we were alone there. We were lucky that the weather was still so calm that we could literally anchor anywhere where it wasn't too deep.

Next morning, as we were drinking coffee, we watched couple of dolphins performing a real show of synchronous jumping, it was magical. But it was unfortunately too far for taking photos. Alone for this it was worth it that we moved to this anchorage last evening.  

The stable weather and calm nights were slowly ending, wind was turning to SE and there were some storms forecast for next morning. We decided to sail to island Žut and anchor in bay Strunac. There are several buoys there that are owned by restaurant Bain and all were taken. There were two other boats anchored in the bay beside us. 

Afternoon was still sunny and hot, and I went snorkelling again. It was surprisingly nice and I found plenty of interesting and pretty things, like this bright red Encrusting bryozoan (rdeči skorjevec or Schizobrachiella sanguinea)...

... and the Tube anemone (peščena roža or Cerianthus membranaceus) that was almost hidden in its tube.

This was my big find, it is many years since I last saw this beauty - it is a Black-faced Blenny (rumeni sprehajalček or Tripterygion delaisi), close relative to Red-black tripplefin (rdeči sprehajalček or Tripterygion tripteronotus). Unfortunatelly it wasn't patient and quickly hid under the rock and I wasn't able to take better photo.

The deeper part of the bay was sandy and there I found the Golden anemone (zlata vetrnica or Condylactius aurantiaca).

In sand there were also the two Peacock worms  (pahljačasta cevkarja or Sabella pavonia).

Next photos were taken in shallower water where it was mainly rocky, there I found this sad-looking Zvonimir's blenny (jelenoroga babica or Parablennius zvonimiri) with big Parasitic Isopode (ribja uš or Anilocra physodes) at it's back.

I really like this photo, I don't often find the Common prawns (žagaste kozice or Palaemon serratus) posing so patiently.

When one looks down to the bottom from the surface, this often looks like a black sea urchin (morski ježek), but when one gets closer it is obvious that it is a delicate Sand fanworm (peščeni cevkar or Myxicola infundibulum). I am pretty happy when I manage a photo where the small "hair" on the tentacles are visible...

...also as with this Red spotted horseshoe (apnenčasti cevkar or Protula tubularia).

I'm in a bit of the dilemma about this one, it could be Red boring sponge (rdeča vrtalka or Cliona viridis).

This Slender goby (peščeni glavač or Gobius geniporus) greeted me with all his back fins raised.

This is not a two-headed Gilthead sea bream (orada or Sparus aurata), there is a Two-banded sea bream (fratrc or Diplodus vulgaris) just behind it.

In the evening the sky on the West got yellow instead of usual red and this was also the sign of the bad weather that was coming. 

The night was still rather calm, for what we were very grateful, but the wind has already turned and in the morning it was getting stronger and stronger, as forecast. On every boat crews were out on the deck, observing the situation, and several boats on buoys were running their engines. It is a smart move, there is little space between the buoys and if one notices, that the buoy doesn't hold, there is very little time to start the engine and try to get away from other boats and the shore. At around 10 it started to rain and then the really strong West wind came, between 40 and 50 knots. After two minutes we all saw that the buoys were ok, anchors were holding and we just waited for bad weather to move on. 

At one moment we heard a loud noise - even through the storm - of flapping sails, and saw a sailboat that was sailing with full sails, genoa and main, into the bay some 500m away, directly into the wind. I couldn't believe that they had full sails out and that the noise was stronger than storm and I was thinking: get the sails down, get the sails down. Couple of moments later the boat turned more sideways to the wind and wind pushed so that it heeled almost to the water, then it straightened up and turned into the wind again, but still nothing was happening with the sails. And some time later we saw a big tear in main first, and after a while also in genoa. Why would anyone want to sail into the storm with full sails, is beyond my logic. 

In an hour the storm moved on. We stayed for a while longer and had a big late breakfast, and in the middle of the day sailed on. There was similar weather forecast for the next night and morning, so we sailed to Murter again and anchored in bay behind Arta Vela, where we were protected from all sides where the strong wind and waves could come. It was really pretty and we enjoyed the sunny afternoon and evening.

Next morning we had some rain and a bit of wind but nothing like the day before.

We decided to sail to marina that day, there was lots of rain forecast for next night and then very strong NE wind, Burja. On the way we stopped on NE side of island Prvič for swimming and then sailed into Skradin.

Next morning the rain was already over, it was quite windy and colder, so it was a perfect weather for a stroll through the town and up to the fortress...

...with it's lovely view over marina.

After a delicious Skradin cake and a coffee we returned to the boat, packed up and I returned home with our friends and Captain stayed on the boat.

Summer sailing

After the cold May sailing we were again on the boat at the beginning of June. While the weather was getting really summery with temperatures of air of over 30 degrees, the water was still rather cold. And I decided to postpone the snorkelling to real Summer.

This time we didn't have as many projects to finish as in May, but there are always so many small chores one has to do on the boat, that we were never bored.

First night we spent on Prokljan lake, at the very NW part of it where the small creek Guduča is flowing into the lake.

We did a small trip with the dinghy next morning into the creek estuary ...

and into the creek itself - between the trees on the right and the tall reeds, where you think it is impossible to sail through. The area is a bird sanctuary, and while we heard lots of chirping and even saw many dragonflies, all the creatures were either too far or too fast to photograph.

The temperatures were really high already in late morning so we shortened our trip and sailed out to sea, where there is always some breeze. 

We spent two nights on the S side of Čiovo in a very nice bay behind small island of Sveta Fumija, it is very well protected especially from SE wind we were having for a couple of days. Unfortunately the area is very popular with party boats and party flotillas and the noise was really hard to bear. I'm really sad that so many people just want to party with deafeningly loud music, it has nothing to do with sailing and listening to waves and wind.

We also spent two days in bay Mirina where the "Chinese wall" is.

One morning we were watching a small drama in the water - small Mediterranean sand smelts (veliki gavuni or Atherina hepsetus) were hunted by Sea needles (igle or Belone belone), you can see them in right lower corner of the school.

And here are the hunters.

I drove back home for two weeks and we were back on the boat in the beginning of July with our friends. 

First night we anchored in bay Zaražanj on Zmajan. Next morning, after a short stop for swimming near small island of Ravan, we sailed to island Žirje to bay Kabal.

It was still very hot and the water also warmer, so it was a good opportunity for snorkelling. The bay is open to SE and gets lots of fresh sea water and there was lots of life under water.

This pretty fish could be a Ocellated wrasse (pavlinka or Symphodus ocellatus), although it doesn't look completely as one. But it doesn't look lika any other fish in my books either. 

This one is no mystery, it is a Damselfish or Mediterranean chromis (črnik or Chromis chromis), this one looks like it is going to have babies soon.

There were plenty of colourful algae there, the orange one is read algae (topovejnata lavrencija or Laurencia obtusa), I don't know the name of the white one.

 These are the Sea grapes (grozdasta kavlerpa or Caulerpa recemosa), they are even edible.

There were many Hope's elysias  (pisanček  or Thuridilla hopei) on the rocks, these two are in company of white Peacock's tail algae (lijakasta padina or Padina pavonica).

I'm not sure which algae the yellow ball in the middle is, but I find it pretty. Beside Laurencia and Sea grapes there is also a brown algae (ploščata razcepljenka or Dictyota dichotoma) in left lower corner of the photo. 

 This is a Red-black tripplefin (rdeči sprehajalček or Tripterygion tripteronotus).

Next night we spent near island of Kotula vela and we were quite surprised that it was not very crowded.

Next morning I went snorkelling and found this huge ball of Murex shell eggs.

And here is a Spiny-die murex (bodičasti volek or Bolinus brandaris).

This is a Painted comber  (pirka or Serranus scriba) with it's pretty blue belly.

This is a Bucchich's goby (pikasti glavač or Gobius bucchichii).

I guess this is an empty crab carapace (oklep), I larter saw another one. Crabs have to regularly change their "coat" while growing, when the old one gets too tight they shed it and grow a bigger one, and while it is hardening, they are very vulnerable.

This glowing creature is a Beadlet anemone (rdeča morska vetrnica or konjska vetrnica or Actinia equina).

 This is a pretty red algae also named Pink dragon's breath (lepa halimenija or Halymenia floresia).

This is a beautiful Tube anemone (peščena roža or Cerianthus membranaceus).

 These bubbles are made by brown Cyanobacterium (mikrokoleus or Microcoleus vaginatus).

We planned to sail through Kornati islands and wanted to anchor as near as possible the evening before. Our first choice was Kurba mala with donkeys on it, but the best anchor place was already taken, donkeys came to say very loud hello, and we sailed on to the next island...

...Skala vela, that is maybe even prettier, but is inhabited with goats instead donkeys.

  In the afternoon we had a proper air show - two airplanes Air tractor were flying over us...

...then were taking water very near...

...and were trying to dump the water onto a small rocky island, even when the sailboats were relatively near.

And the next morning the air show continued, this time with Canadair, again flying over the boat, taking water...

...and dumping it onto the same island as the Air tractors the day before.