DAYS 62 - 66 - Some People are Storm Chasers - Others Are Chased by the Storm

May 20 - 24 - "Couch Sailing" in Croatia on Zelimir's Sailboat for 6 Nights with 4 Other Surfers

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”     Mark Twain

REMEMBER:  I had dropped my camera so I went on this trip with no camera.  So the photos here are some that Rich took and a few I collected from Zelimir

The life of a sailor....must be so interesting depending on the weather. We definitely found that to be true! We had all kinds of weather in these 5 days. We began our adventure in Rjeka, Croatia.

Meet the "Doga" - a 35 foot (11 meters) Sailboat that we called "home" for 6 nights

Zelimir's boat has a Pirate Flag flying high above it

 Zelimir's boat, named "The Doga" welcomed us with another surfer/sailer, Toby, from Copenhagen, Denmark.  (Hey Toby - my son-  isn't that cool that I got to know another Toby?)

Toby, from Denmark is the "1st Mate"

The Adriatic Sea is not that warm, but neither is Denmark so this kid is in Heaven.

 Toby is 23 years old and had been sailing with Zelimir for about 10 days before we came on board. He had taken over the job of balancing the money situation, organizing cooking and cleaning, and had learned how to sail quite well. We grew to love this young man who was so considerate and kind from the moment we met him. 

Our skipper, Zelimir, was a 63 year old man, who had built his boat 25 years previous. He was Croatian, but knew English well. He had decided to join couch surfing so he could take his surfers on his boat and give them memorable experiences. His wife had some health issues and could no longer go sailing. I think he also enjoys the company of young people, which worked fine because we did NOT act our age!  

Zelimir, our host and experienced Skipper of the "Doga"

I think they are reeling in a big fish - wishful thinking!

Ross, from northern California, was about the same age as Toby and had come on board the day before we had. He, too, was very intellectual and also knew some about sailing. By the end of the week, however, He and Toby  were 'near experts' with sailing.

Ross from California

Ross - you definitely need some sun!

Ross and Toby keep me company up on deck.

Our first meal together - Toby cooked it!

 Each of the couch-sailers paid about $20 a night to cover expenses – food, drinks, port fees, fuel, etc. We all took turns cooking and cleaning up. We had two more coming on Tuesday, so I cleaned everything really well before they arrived shortly after noon.

Our 1st breakfast together in the cabin

Ross wonders if I look like his mother

We started from Rjeka and went on to Omisalj and Malinska, enjoying each stop to eat our meals and enjoy a night at each.  The bath and kitchen were very small, but Rich and I were lucky to have the front of the boat – the bow - for our sleeping quarters.  We had to climb high to get into it and had very little head space, but it was private and big enough for both of us. 

Mia, from Poland, but living in Rhode Island, doing an exchange in Germany for university would now be the youngest at age 20. Her classmate, Matteus from Brazil, but going to the same school, was about 21. We now numbered 7 for the next few days and it was crowded! Meals were the most challenging.

Definitely a challenge to have 7 of us for meals!

Welcome Mia, you don't know what you're in for!

We ate REALLY well, though, as Toby can attest to.

Moving around on the sailboat was also difficult with 7 sailors.  Sleeping quarters were tight, also.  It wouldn't have been so bad, but we did have some stormy weather that brought us all in at the same time.  

We docked at a port for the nights, however, so everyone would go "out on the town" and enjoy the city life.  Well...small towns anyway!

We sailed off to Krk where we stayed for two nights because the second day was just too stormy. It was such a cute little village. We enjoyed cheap gelato at only 7 kunas...$1.20 each whereas Italy had been 2 – 3 euros (about $3.50 – 4.50 each).

I love to explore the old part of each town

 Rich & I took a hike up a mountain and looked down on the town.  What a beautiful view of the island.  Croatia is simply breathtaking in some areas.

Wednesday was the most fun wearing swimsuits and tanks as we sailed and the wind was light.  The boys enjoyed swimming alongside the sailboat or riding in the dingy pulled by the boat.

I went for a walk during a quick lunch stop at a port

Everyone took a dip off the deck and into the water.  Zelimir filmed them and then they tried to capsize the dingy which he was in.  I just watched off the side of the ramp.  No way was I going in - I'm afraid of deep water unless I have a noodle or a waist jacket.

Sorry...I'll watch the jump from here - I don't like to swim!

Zelimir was in the dingy boat catching the JUMP on film.  1 - 2 - 3....J-U-M-P!!!

OK - now guys, let's get Zelimir and capsize him!!

“I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it – but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.”      Oliver Wendel Holmes

Ross & Toby liked to be pulled in the dingy

Mia sunbathes in the front of the boat

Mia is enjoying all the male attention.

Ross is in charge now - watch out!

Some more pictures of some of the towns we visited.

LOVE this kid - he was dubbed Zelimir's Co-Captain and he acted the part!

 By the end of the week, everyone was so close that we felt like family. Rich and I didn't drink coffee – only water, so Zelimir would say that we were going to get addicted to water.  He did trick me one cold afternoon however.  He offered me some herb tea and Ross had some, too.  Ross said it was so good, but when I tasted mine, I gagged.  Everyone burst out laughing, especially Zelimir who had put in some "extra" taste...some Rakia, the most popular alcoholic beverage in Croatia.  It's made of fermented fruit and is about 60% alcohol.  YUK!!  He is such a BAD BOY!!

We did have some GREAT meals together - The boys are such good cooks!

Matheus is such a flirt even with a granny like me!

Matheus put some rockin' salsa music on and we danced away under the warm sun!

Toby catches the 3 young 'uns bathing in the sun.

Cheers everyone!  Oops - Where are you, Rich?

Ok...I know you're asking if we took showers and that sort of thing.  Well, I didn't have one for 5 days and was really wanting one.  One rainy afternoon, we went into an internet cafe in one of the towns and sat next to a nice bathroom.  I ended up taking a sponge bath in the sink.  It felt so good.  Does that sound familiar, Carolyn and Norval (my brother and sister)?  We used to do that often on our family vacations when we were younger.

Checking my email after a nice sponge bath in the cafe's sink

It was my turn to cook, so I asked Mat to help out.  It was a disaster, not because of him, but I'm very messy and the kitchen is little, and I tried to hurry and I burned the rice, and then I dropped the soup, and a million other things. (I do think Mat and I just are not the greatest team together because he made a fantastic meal the next night). But it will always be memorable.

Are we really going to eat this?

Doesn't look too good to me!

I can't even turn around in here, much less prepare a good meal!!

One of Toby's scrumptious meals

The last day was the craziest as we were actually checking online to see what time the bus left from the little town of Rab, when Zelimir started up the engines at 7:30 a.m. and we pulled out of the port. “I guess we're going to the next island,” Rich said. I'm glad we did because we wouldn't have had the chance to meet Bura or Jugo, two types of winds on the Adriatic Sea. Bura is a northern to katabatic wind in the Adriatic Sea. It is caused when a polar high-pressure area sits over the snow-covered mountains of the interior plateau behind the coastal mountain range and a calm low-pressure area lies further south over the warmer sea.  Jugo, on the other hand is the name for a hot and humid southerly Mediterranean wind originating in the Sahara Desert as a dry dusty wind but becoming moist as it passes over the Mediterranean.

Problem everyone - the starter on the engine has gone out - you'll all have to take out your oars.

Note the clouds building up

"Doesn't look good, does it Cap?"  I'm on the side trying to stay dry and warm-HA!

You guys are not going to be sitting there for long - you'll be manning the sails - it's life or death!

We started out with a light wind, but for the next 8 hours we encountered everything from sunshine, to lightning and thunder, to hail and rain, and every kind of wind imaginable changing directions every 10 minutes. Zelimir, our skipper, Ross, and Toby handled the sailboat while Rich was sick on deck and Mateus was nauseous down below. I tried to stay dry on deck, underneath a covering over the hatch, as going below made me feel dizzy.

Matheus is down below feeling sick and Toby just woke up!

This is the LAST time you'll see us smiling for 8 hours.

 Mia had left the day before, so I was the only female on board. It was a roller coaster ride most of the time, both up and down and sideways depending on the direction of the waves with the winds. We couldn't use the toilet (well...the boys could do it over the side) and it was difficult to go down and get any food, so we bonded up on deck. I would ask Zelimir how long til we were there. He would say, “2 more hours.” Two hours later, without seeing land very close, I would ask Zelimir if we were close. He would say, “Two more hours.” He did this a third time and I wondered if we were sailing in circles. Everyone was really beginning to get hungry (except Rich), but I didn't dare move. My knuckles were white from clutching so tightly to a pole under the canopy leading to the hatch....and I was freezing cold., although I wore four layers of clothes, a hoodie jacket and my raincoat. My feet were soaked. I looked at Rich, gray and shivering, not speaking to anyone.

The rain is really coming down now and it seems to be coming in every which direction.  (I'm in the blue coat trying to hide.)

Zelimir was so funny...he would say, “Oh sh--! Here comes Jugo – man the sails.! Then a few minutes later - “Oh sh--! Now Bura comes. After a bunch of lightning strikes, he and Toby warned me that I should go below because there was now a storm behind us and the wind was changing. Suddenly the wind whipped us from behind and the rain slapped against the back of me absolutely soaking me through my raincoat. No use going below now. I thought the storm would never end.   It was actually beautiful looking across the water.  there was a mist and the waves looked glassy-like and I'd give anything to have taken a picture of it.  Zelimir describes the waves as "horizontal waterfalls."

After what seemed like a couple of more hours, we finally arrived at Rab, the island we would catch the next bus “out of Dodge.” (after spending the night). The sun came out as if to say, “What were you all worried about?  Didn't you know that after the storm comes the light?” We draped clotheslines up and down and over the boat, hung up our clothes to dry, and began to think about what to cook for dinner. Trouble was that our quarters where we slept in the bow of the boat had some leaking onto our packs and extra clothes, so we really didn't have anything to wear. Rich went through the little port town to try and find someone who might have a clothes dryer. Finally, a little lady offered to dry our clothes in her private dryer for about $5. Our shoes were soaked, so we had to wear our sandals...brrrr!

As Rich went a-hunting for the dryer, I wanted to tour the town while we had a break in the weather. There is a lot of history in the town of Rab.  But...no camera to show you pictures, so take my word for it.

Here is where I bought a new camera – a Nikon to the tune of about $140. But...I had gone crazy not being able to take pictures for a week, especially of our adventurous “couch-sailing” experiences.

All cleaned up after a crazy ordeal!  (Still no showers, however)

Except for Matheus who is crazy to take one in the cold evening on the boat with COLD water.  We put the "Gasolina" CD on and he really rocked at as he showered.  HA!

Thanks Matheus for a yummy pasta dinner.

 Rich and I taught the boys how to play "Oh Hell" or "99" as Rich's Dad call it.  We had a lot of fun...I think Toby and and Mat were the winners - is that right?

 Note where the boys sleep - one bed is on top of the other bed...very small quarters I would say.

Zelimir - you look either tired or drunk!

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Ross has his rendition of our storm episode.  It follows:

Krk to Rab (and 5 thunderstorms)
 We had an exciting trip from Krk to Rab today.  Želimir woke up early to make sure Mia caught her bus to Zagreb, and seeing that the weather looked good, he decided to sail for Rab.  I awake to the sound of Rich and Želimir starting the motor by hand because the battery isn’t working, and we are on our way.
After being tossed around in my bed for a few minutes, I decide to climb on deck and see what is going on.  We are somewhere between Krk, Cres, Losinj, and Rab, sailing with the Bura, a wind that comes down from the mountains and onto the sea.  It creates short choppy waves because it drops directly onto the sea from the mountains, but when it blows right, it makes for perfect sailing.
Rich, Shari, and Želimir are on deck, our skipper at the helm.  Mat joins us on deck for a few minutes for a light breakfast, but starts feeling seasick and decides to lie down and get some rest. Rich is also under the weather too and Toby is sleeping, so we are down to three able-bodied people on deck.  The sea is the roughest I have seen since I joined the boat a week ago, but Želimir assures me that this is still relatively calm.  In any case, as we sail on, the clouds that I awoke to have continued to build, and we can see several small thunderstorms surrounding us.
Now we enter our first storm of the day.  The rain is light at first, but quickly builds into a real rainstorm and Želimir gives me the helm, but before long, he calls me down into the cabin.  We emerge a couple of minutes later the two of us looking like canarinos blancos. Now we are ready for the rain.

"You smile now...look at those dark clouds behind you."

We have a small reprieve after our first rainstorm, pass through a strait, and the waves and winds suddenly change. We are now sailing into the wind, motoring toward the leeward side of Rab Island where the waves are smaller.  We enter another storm and slowly make our way toward the last big point of Rab.
As we round the point, the big storm that has been following us for a half hour finally catches up to us and we ready ourselves for another shower.  This storm is the largest and strongest of the day, thoroughly soaking us and completely changing the character of the sea.  What was a roller coaster of long, tall waves has become lots of short storm waves that cover larger, deeper swells.  Želimir describes the sea as being “like a horizontal waterfall.” The wind and the rain are ferocious, but we are sailing with the storm and it is surfing us into Rab.
We arrive in Rab as the storm lightens up and stops, and we have a wonderful lunch and swim in the post-storm sunshine.  Želimir says that this phenomenon of many small thunderstorms is not typical for the Adriatic and that this season is the first time he has seen it here.  It is similar the tropics because repeated rainstorms are part of a cycle where new storms develop from the rain of a previous storm, and the only way to break this pattern is to wait for a more global wind to blow through and dry out the land.
The geography of winds and waves fascinates me and it is clear that the Adriatic coast is a complicated place to sail.  The winds here can change in an instant and because they are generally local in origin, it is hard to predict how they will change over the course of a single day.  The movement of just one big cloud could totally change the wind in just one little part of the sea, or the interaction of two local winds could make dead spots, “whirlpools” of wind, and all sorts of other unusual patterns.
We will bid farewell to Toby, Rich, and Shari tomorrow, so Želimir, Mat, and I hope that the weather changes soon so we can sail for Mali Lošinj on Sunday.
 

The Amazing, Magnificent, Fabulous 7 Couch-Sailers

 We made friendships to last a lifetime, though, from different corners of the world, different ways of life, different languages, but unified with the knowledge that life is full of experiences. You just need to capture the moment, hang onto your hat, and go for the ride. Zelimir had amazing insights to life with his stories, jokes, and little sayings. I wish I could remember all that he taught us, but he has a blog, also, and I'm putting together, with the help of the other sailors some of his knowledge so we won't ever forget our “week of couch-sailing in Croatia.”