Sailing adventures

Lumbarda, Korchula Island, Mljet Channel, Adratic Sea, Croatia:
Today we had blindfolded dingy races. Our navigator was situated in another dingy and needed to shout instructions to the paddlers in his own dingy. This meant that Joe and I were straining our ears to hear Dunes voice above all there rest of the shouting. It also meant that the third person in our boat, navigating for another team, was trying to sabatoge us as we paddled! In fact, he soaked us, hung tight to another larger boat's mooring lines so we could not move, and then ran us into other obstacles. We pulled ahead in the beginning took a large lead and then sat struggling at a mooring line for almost the rest of the race until Dunes wrestled the other navigator off it. Hilarious!

Sailing has been a new challange; lots of fun events like our races above, some great sailing in beautiful country and nice winds, but then also some very choppy seas with irregular gusts, very hot weather and intense sun. Today was the best so far. We covered 15 nautical miles on almost 1 tack and averaged between 4 and 5 knots. Yesterday we had to motor a large distance from Shipan Is. to the far west side of Mljet Is. because of light winds and the greater distance we need to achieve (25nm). I also spent much of the evening diving for my sunglasses which managed to throw themselves overboard as we made a sudden change of direction... :) No luck though. Finding a new pair (polarized) that does not look like it was made in the 80s is going to be difficult!

Right now, I look out into a pleasant bay full of white washed houses with red tile roofs. The sun is setting beneath the mix of pine and palm trees and the sweet, tantalizing aroma of...cigarette smoke...wafts into my nostrils. Ok, so really, the stence inundates everything, everywhere. Aside from it, the scenes could be perfect. (Oh, and I haven't heard so much bad American music in a long time. Not much Croatian on the radio...some Italian though. Every once in a while we are in one place that has Crotian music on, but it is not as common.) Since we are on the Dalmation coast, tourism is the number one industry here. The major season has not yet started, and I can not imagine being here then. Already everything is catored to tourists, both in the prices and the restaurants and bars everywhere, even in at the monastary we visted in the Mljet National Park!

We have also unexpectedly and uncomfortably discovered how much the other tourists, primarily the Germans, like to shed their clothes. Even in the non-nudist beaches (also everywhere!), they cannot seem to keep their clothes on. We have, therefore, coined a new term, "full-German", to describe their enthusiasm for nakedness.

My trip to the rest of the Balkans is soon approaching. Already my plans have changed as a friend in Beograd has had some major health emergencies. I may just head to Bg first and then go to Serbia and Macedonia as a side excursion rather than hitting them on my way to BG. First, I need to figure out how I am going to get there!

Ok, off to find some dinner.