Chesapeake Flotillas

COMPLETE TRIP INFORMATION

There is something very singular and exciting about arriving in a new country.that is...a place yet to be visited.  I recall very fondly my arrivals at Dusseldorf airport, Utrecht Central Station, and the harbor in Portsmouth, Dominica.  As much as unresolved interests and curiosities draw me back to those favored destinations, planning to explore a new destination is even more energizing.

The starting point will be the marina at Kremik along the Dalmatian Coast.  The choices of destinations are nearly too many from which to choose.  And as one itinerary is organized comes the realization of some stunningly visual or historical destination that could be missed.  However, let me proceed nonetheless^[1].

Twenty-three miles from the charter base at Kremik lies the town of Maslinica on the northwest corner of the island of Solta.  The town's name refers to the olive groves formerly associated with the area.  Today, the town is known more for its tourism and recreational fishing.  It is said to present a good opportunity to escape from the city traffic and fill one's lungs with the healthy Mediterranean air.

The island of Hvar is a mere 17 miles southeast of Maslinica.   There are a number of towns that tempt one to explore them in detail.  There is supposed to be a quiet, remote anchorage at Luka Tiha.  Starigrad offers an opportunity to rewater and plug in to shore power.  Hvar Town is well worth visiting.  There are supermarkets where one can resupply.  There are many bars, shops, and restaurant including the Carpe Diem where it is said bikini clad women from the nearby beach dance on the tables at Happy Hour.

Nearby is the island of Vis.  One author states that the town of Komiza is the prettiest in all Croatia.  There are fascinating, ancient, multistory structures right at the water's edge.  It is a small but attractive town with a fishing museum and an old castle.  If one can find space at the bulkhead, there are dock services available here.  However, anchoring out and taking the dinghy to town is suggested.  In Vis Town, you will find WWII history and centuries old evidence of Greek and Roman influence.  There is information that one can sample wines with Mrs. Roki at the east end of the quay road.

From Vis, one MUST visit Bisevo.  As a minimum, we should take the few hours to visit the Blue Grotto.  This is the one place I have read about more than any other in the travel logs and the photos.as you can see here.are simply stunning.  Midday is the best time to go to experience the most striking scenery.  From there it can be a short sail to the next destination.

Heading north back to the mainland, we might land in the town of Rogoznica.  It is a delightful fishing village where one can find fresh fish for sale right off the boats or good restaurants if one is disinclined to cook.  One feature not to be overlooked is that Rogoznica is only 6 miles from the charter base.

We can return our boat and spend one last night on the delightful Adriatic before flying back home.  However, maybe you will want to stay longer and do some land tours.  The choices is yours.

Here is a map of Croatia and the Adriatic Sea.

Depending on the skippers' choices and on availability, you could be on one of three types of boats.  All are monohulls.

Sunsail 44i

Sunsail 473

Sunsail 50

The cost will be about $1500 per person. This price assumes double occupancy in the cabins and includes the charter yacht, provisioning^[2], an experienced captain, damage waiver insurance, prepaid fuel charges, and limited travel insurance from the charter company. It is based on 8 people per yacht.   The exact figure will depend on the type of boat on which you will sail and whether the skipper chooses to collect provisioning money in advance and how many crew s/he chooses to carry.  The final price could be more or less.   The most expensive situation would being one of five crew aboard a Sunsail 50 with a prepay option for provisioning.

This plan assumes that we identify one or more volunteers from the crew to act as galley/supply officer to oversee the provisioning once we arrive in Kremik and to manage supplies during the trip. There is an incentive that could be shared among the volunteers.  Each crew should develop its own meal plan for the week.  The cost of provisioning is added into the trip price.  Please contact us for details if you are interested.

The price does not include airfare, airport transfers, customs fees, meals eaten ashore, alcoholic beverages, land-based lodging, or other incidentals.

Including the initial deposit of $250, there will be a total of six (6) payments spaced approximately 3 months apart. Please make your checks payable to Robert Chichester.  Before sending your deposit, please read and understand the cancellation policy. It is understood that receipt of your deposit means that you understand, and agree to the cancellation policy as posted.  If you have not already made a reservation with us, please use the form below to do so.

All payments should be mailed to:
Rob Chichester
487 East Main Street
Somerville, NJ 08876-3129

You should consider making your airline reservations as early as practical.  Economic pressures will make airfares volatile.  The flight information below is for those coming out of Northern New Jersey.  For those of you coming out of different locations, check for flights connecting in Zurich (ZRH), Frankfurt (FRA), or Dusseldorf (DUS).

Given the flight schedules, I recommend reserving a hotel room for the night of the 17th. Similarly, you may want to arrive a day or so early, in which case you will also need land accomodations on the front end.

If you wish to investigate reserving a hotel room or other accommodation during our trip, you may wish to use Booking.com. Some of us have used that site to arrange for housing on the back end of the trip.

The Croatia Tourism website has lots of information. The following brochures were downloaded from there:

• Nautical Croatia (19 MB)
• Croatia by Region (33 MB)

A minimum deposit of $250 will reserve your berth or a place on the wait-list.  Depending on where we are in the payment schedule, the minimum first payment could be more.  Read and understand the payment schedule and cancellation policy above.  If you are wait-listed, the cancellation policy does not apply while you are on the wait-list.  We need at least 14 committed people to make this trip viable.

We will hold a pre-trip meeting approximately one to two months before the trip.  We will give you plenty of notice regarding the time and date for the meeting.

Sunsail has rather strict policies regarding cancellations.  In the event you must cancel, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can try to find a replacement or use the waiting list, if any.  If there is no waiting list, you may suggest your own replacement.  If you are on the wait-list, the cancellation policy does not apply.  If we can find no replacement for someone who must cancel their reservation, the following cancellation fees will be assessed.  We reserve the right to update this policy up until the time that we begin accepting full deposits.

Please bear in mind that a boat and its crew are an autonomous unit. Requests to change to a different boat or crew will only be considered if the berth can be filled on the original boat.

Should you have any questions Rob can be reached via email or call him on his cell phones: