6-day Sailing Itinerary from Kastela
We've pulled together a 6-day itinerary which gets around all the highlights of the cruising ground - from the natural phenomenon that is the blue cave in Bisevo, to the very different but equally impressive castle overlooking the medieval town of Hvar, plus the carnival atmosphere at Paklinski Otoci, and pretty islands and fishing villages galore.
It’s only a 6-day itinerary because you're unlikely to do any meaningful sailing on a Saturday - at the start of the week, you'll likely only check-in and have chance to nip to the shops for provisions before the sun sets, and you'll need to return the boat to Kastela on the Friday night at the end of your trip (but you can still sleep on it overnight), so you won't do any sailing on that saturday either, as you'll need to be off the boat at 9am.
Over the week, it covers 113 nM. That's an average of about 19nM a day, which, in a boat doing a fairly conservative 4-5 knots, will mean you'll be sailing for something like 4-6 hours a day - which means you should have plenty of time to nip into bays for a break or a swim, find somewhere extraordinary for lunch, or to explore the land around your boat in a little more depth.
Day 1.Kastela to Milna – 14 nM
Make sure the crew are on-board and that everything is stowed, then its time to take a deep breath, fire up the engines, and see how this baby moves!
Work your way out of the marina, whip out the sails, and then it's a fairly straightforward sail to the first port of call. It's pretty much due south, only 14 nautical miles, and it should be the first patch of land that you can spot on the horizon. Assuming it's a normal prevailing wind, you should be beating up into it for the duration of this short hop, which means you should be able to teach any crewmembers who are new to sailing how to tack, and to get them licked into shape. You should also take the time to do a man overboard drill, just in case.
Milna is a small fishing village on Brac island which was once a key strategic port for the Venetian empire - hence the grand buildings you'll find around the harbour which date back to the 16th century. It has a good range of bars and eateries.
Day 2. Milna to Paklinski Otoci – 15 nM
From Milna, we're heading in pretty much the same Southerly direction to our next resting place, a bay of Paklinksi Otoci which you can only reach by boat, but is also home to an amazing number of bars, restaurants and cocktail bars (and a bit of a party atmosphere). It's one of my favourite places to stay in the whole of the Med, and is a real sailor's paradise.
As with yesterday, you should be beating pretty much close-hauled and tacking your way up the prevailing wind. Our route takes you past the island of Hvar (don't worry, we'll be back to see Hvar in a few days), before nudging round to the bay on the south of the island, nudging East and then weaving through the islands to get to one of our favourite places to stay in the whole of the Med.
If you don't get there early enough to grab a mooring buoy in the bay itself (it fills pretty quick in peak season), then you could berth at the nearby ACI Palmezana and walk across the island (it's a ten minute up-and-down walk, but it’s not quite the same, and you won't feel as much of a part of the action).
Day 3. Paklinski Otoki to Vis – 37 or 10 nM
There's two options for the sailing today - either waking early to do a long days of 37 nM to take in the natural phenomena that is the blue cave of Bisevo - where you'll be able to bathe in mind-blowing neon-blue luminescent water - before heading round to Vis town, or having a lie-in and just making a simple and short traverse directly to Vis town.
From Paklinski Otoci, you’ll need to head South-west towards the island of Vis (which should be just about visible on the horizon), likely having to reach across the prevailing wind. This is decision time - where you can head into Vis town, or onwards to the Bisevo.
If you opt for the cave, you're in for a treat! There's nowhere to moor nearby, so it's easiest to split the crew in two, and one half take to the dinghy to explore the cave whilst the other mans your own boat, before switching over. You need to buy a ticket from the main kiosk, and wait your turn in the restaurant as entry is only possible on the official Tour boats. Don't forget to take your camera to get some crazy looking shots.
Once everyone has had a look, you should bear North-east and work your way along the South coast of Vis island. The nearest marina is back in Vis town, which is such an historic port that it has been part of everything from the Roman, Ottomans, and even the British empire! If time gets the better of you, there are options to anchor in bays (most notably Rukovac bay) on the South of Vis.
Day 4. Vis to Hvar – 13 nM
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If you opted for the longer journey via Bisevo yesterday, you'll be pleased that our next destination, the medieval town of Hvar, is only a 13 nM passage, which should give you plenty of time to have a good look around Vis in the morning, and Hvar in the afternoon. Heading back in the direction we came from means that the prevailing wind should likely be filling your sails from behind, and you'll be running with the wind.
Hvar is an old town which is notable for two things - one is that it used to be an Ibiza-type party capital (things have toned down since it was one of the coolest places to go in the mid 1990's, and many of the wildest bars have now been transformed into fancy restaurants), and second is the beautiful medieval castle on the hilltop above it, or, better, the incredible panoramic views you get over the surrounding islands from up there. It’s a bit of a slog up the hillside, but you will be glad you made the effort when you get there.
If you can't find a berth in Hvar, then you could moor up in ACI Palmezana (across the channel) and grab a water taxi from there to Hvar.
Day 5. Hvar to Maslinica – 18 nM
From the town of Hvar, we're heading to the village of Maslinica - famous for having the best honey in Croatia, and for making the best schnapps and the fruitiest wine. It has also won awards for being the best tourist spot in the Med with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants!
Maslinica was originally a holiday retreat for a super rich family - they were so rich that they built their own castle and church in their grounds?! Tourists flock here for the slow and tranquil pace of life, and the picturesque-ness of the unspoilt beaches surrounded by forests of the greenest pine trees.
From Hvar, it's a North-western traverse to reach across the prevailing winds. After rounding the top of Hvar island, it's possible to do it all on a single tack, so today is a good day to get stuff done - like reading, sun-bathing or preparing a fabulous five-course 'last night at sea' meal.
Day 6. Maslinica to Kastela – 16 nM
Oh no. It's the last day, already? How did that happen? That means you'll need to get the boat back to Kastela by 5pm tonight. But don't let it get you down - there's still a whole day of fun to be had, and it's always better to go out with a bang than a whimper.
It'll only take you about 2-3 hours to sail from Maslinica to Kastela, which means you've got time to chill out a bit and bimble around the bays and beaches of the area before setting course for home. From here, you'll need to reach across the prevailing wind in a North-easterly direction, heading straight towards Split. A quick chicane or a couple of tacks and you’ll have Kastela on your bow and you’ll get a better sense of how Kastela is less a town and more a coastal sprawl covering 17 km and including seven castles (bonus marks if you can spot them all).
You'll need to get the boat refuelled at the fuel berth (just inside the marina, where there will likely be a bit of a queue on a Friday afternoon), and someone will be along to inspect the hull to make sure it's all in one piece. You’ll still be on the boat for one last night, and, if you’ve already been out in Kastela on the first night, it might be worth grabbing a 20 minute taxi to the pretty medieval island-town of Trogir, where you'll find a strip of bars along the riva, plus plenty of places to eat, and there's even a nightclub to dance the night away. The whole town should be choc-full of other sailors on the last night of their charter, so you could even share some of your favourite stories from the week.
And then it's time to check out, leaving your skippering responsibilities on the water as you return to your other life on land. Hopefully you will've had an absolute blast of a week with your yacht or catamaran, and you'll be returning home with more friends than you arrived with. It will take some time to come to terms with not being out at sea, but. when you’re ready, you can head to PlainSailing.com to start planning your next big adventure!
In summer, its weather is pretty much perfect - hot and sunny, but not so hot and sunny that the weather feels stifling, or that you can only exist by dodging from one patch of shade to another. Even in winter, the weather is mild and pleasant - though there are occasional cold winds which spill down from the nearby alpine mountains.
