Our next stop in Croatia would be a special archipelago in the Adriatic Sea: the Kornati National Park.
We sailed from the coast of Croatia to this island group. And because the wind was on the back of our boat, we used a sailor’s technique that is called ‘milk girl’ where you place 2 sails (the jib and the code zero) in their most outer position to get the catch most of the wind from the back of the ship. The name ‘milkmaid’ originates from the famous paining of Vermeer ‘The Milkmaid’, because when she walks in the wind, the flaps of her cap blow out wide and that looks similar to the position of the sails below! To me it’s also a symbol for our lifestyle now: ‘spread your wings’ and fly😉!
After anchoring, we approached the first of the 89 islands, islets and reefs the Kornati National Park consists off. It is quite a surreal sight, the park’s landscape is dominated by barren, windswept islands with rocky cliffs and crystal-clear waters. The unique karst terrain, with its cracks, caves, and grottoes, creates a dramatic backdrop for sailing. The landscape is often referred to a lunar landscape.
You need a permit to sail into the park with the islands. And 1 harbor offers a permit for 2 days including the harbor fee, so we went to that harbor, which was located in a beautiful spot in between 2 islands. We put our drone in the air and filmed the surroundings:
The Kornati islands are uninhabited, and the harbor has built only a harbor office, small shop for sailors and a restaurant. This restaurant is really beautiful, situated on the top of the island, so I sat in one of their nice chairs and watched other ships sail in.
The next day we did a walking tour around the island and there you can spot the rugged landscape of this area.
When we got back to our ship, we noticed a goat walking on the beach in front of our ship, busy grazing while his bell was ringing!
We really enjoyed the afternoon in the little harbor, the temperature was nice, so we sat in the sun and looked around us to the other islands.
We went to the restaurant for dinner and we tried for the first time the famous traditional dish in Croatia called “Peka” or “Ispod Peke”. It is prepared by placing meat (often lamb, veal or octopus), potatoes and vegetables in a pot, which is then covered with a metal or ceramic dome-shaped lid called a “peka”. This is then covered with hot coals and the ingredients are slowly simmered for a few hours. So we had to announce a couple of hours before we went to the restaurant, that we wanted to try this dish, because they have to start preparing it already in the afternoon. It was delicious!
At night we saw the sun going down in this tranquil environment. It’s really a special place, the Kornati National Park, I was happy that we were able to sail this island group!
