GLOBESAILOR / EXPÉRIENCE La grotte Bleue for creating special moments. Living together and sharing an abundance of à Bisevo experiences means you develop close relationships and real bonds on board. The Blue Cave on The French couple joined us on most o our stp-offs or ulural visits onf o :fct the island of Bisevo land, to enjoy wine tasting, to test out a restaurant or simply to relax on the terrace of a coffee shop. The Spanish couple preferred to explore the islands alone, but we were delighted to be able to share thoughts and opinions of the islands when we all returned aboard the catamaran. Another advantage was the time of our stay: June is indeed the dream month to make the most of beautiful days on the islands, sun bathing on deck and on the beaches without the summer crowds. We could visit all the sites and places that we had set our heart on, without pressure or stress! UNFORGETTABLE STOP-OFFS Among the most amazing stops unquestionably includes the town of Hvar. A little Croatian Saint-Tropez, each aspect of this city is fascinating: its history, its cultural heritage and its irresistible festive mood that gives it a unique charm. By a simple fluke of timing, we found ourselves in Croatia in the middle of the World Cup. Needless to say, the country’s excitement was seething in each corner of the street! After an interesting guided visit of the town, we continued our discovery of this stop with a local wine tasting with our French friends. Our evening in the centre of Havr placed us right at the heart of the buzz and excitement in the city streets: Croatia had won its match against Iceland earning thema place in the quarter finals of the Word Cup… and whatl an unforgettable atmosphere! Leaving behind these sights and sounds, we then headed towards Brac, one of the most beautiful islands in Dalmatia. Enfin, si les îles dalmates comptent un grand nombre de grottes Our stop in the town of Bol lead us to the famous beach of Zlatni Rat (‘The insolites et impressionnantes, le joyau de ces « cavernes » natu- Golden Horn’), which as its name suggests, is shaped like a golden horn. Its relles est la surprenante grotte Bleue de Biševo, la plus célèbre de unique shape has since become one of the symbols of the country, consist- Croatie. Sa couleur intense, presque phosphorescente, créée par ently bagging it a place each year as one of the countries with some of the les rayons du soleil qui s’infiltrent sous la roche, confère à ce lieu most beautiful beaches inthe world. Our stop-off at Stari Grad, a calm and une atmosphère surnaturelle. authentic little town in the north of Havr Island, was another highlight. We bumped into a young French couple who had had the idea of opening a deli- PLAISIRS EN MER catessen where they sold all sorts of local produce. We couldn’t resist buying Les loisirs à bord proposés par le skipper au cours de notre périple, the candied orange peel, a Croatian speciality, which made the journey home with us! Finally, if the Dalmatian islands are made up of a great number of ont permis des moments de franche rigolade. En effet, si mon mari hidden and stunning caves, the gem of these “natural caverns” is without et moi sommes des adeptes du snorkeling, le paddle a été en doubt the blue cave of Biševo, the most famous in Croatia. Its intense, nearly revanche, une découverte totale. Notre initiation à cette pratique phosphorescent bluecolour created by the rays of the sun which infiltrate fut mémorable, tout comme pour nos amis parisiens. Tandis que beneath the rock give this place a supernatural feeling. certains ont eu la chance de trouver rapidement leur équilibre, d'autres ont dû faire preuve d’une grande persévérance. Les moins DELIGHT AT SEA adroits d’entre nous ont finalement conclu que le paddle à genoux, The activities on board proposed by the skipper during our journey entailed tout en étant physique, permet d'éviter de nombreuses chutes some good laughs. In fact, although my husband and I are keen snorkellers, dans l'eau ! paddle boarding was a total discovery. Our introduction to this sport was one À la question : si c’était à refaire ? La réponse est oui, nous comptons for the books, and it was the same for our Parisian friends. Although some bien renouveler l’expérience d'un séjour à la voile. C’est une façon of us were lucky enoughto quickly find our balance, others had to display de voyager qui permet d’appréhender autrement la découverte great patience. The less skilled among us concluded that paddle boarding d’un pays et qui invite à partager des expériences fortes avec les on our knees, while still being demanding, allowed us to avoid keep falling in autres passagers. Même inconnus. the water! The golden question: would we do it again? The answer is yes, we Par ailleurs, j’ai vraiment apprécié cette première en catamaran are intending to do a sailing holiday again. It’s a way of travelling that allows pour l'aventure et la proximité avec l’élément marin… Toucher l'eau, you to learn about and discover a country in a unique way and that invites you accoster à terre, voir le littoral depuis le pont du bateau, sentir le to share magical moments with the other passengers. Even strangers. I also vent sur son visage lors des navigations, sont autant de sensations really enjoyed this first time being in a catamaran because of the adventure element and the proximity to the sea and nature… Touching the water, berthing inoubliables… at land, seeing the coastline from the deck of the boat, and feeling the wind on Quant aux îles dalmates, étonnantes par leur nombre et par leur your face while you sail are just some unforgettable sailing sensations… As for diversité, elles sont loin de nous avoir livré tous leurs secrets.... Il nousthe Dalmatian islands, astonished how many of them and how diverse they all reste encore de nombreuses routes à tracer et bien des quais où are, we were far from unearthing all their secrets. We still have many routes to accoster ! map out and many quays to berth at! 12