Day Two: Sipan to Mljet
Croatia Yacht Week 2020
- Planning
- Day One: Dubrovnik to Sudurad (Sipan)
- Day Two: Sudurad (Sipan) to Polace (Mljet)
- Day Three: Polace (Mljet) to Korcula
- Day Four: Korcula to Loviste (Peljesac)
- Day Five: Loviste (Peljesac) to Vrboska (Hvar)
- Day Six: Vrboska (Hvar) to Supetar (Brac)
- Day Seven: Supetar (Brac) to Trogir (Split)
- Day Eight: The Summary
Here is the full list via Google Maps of all the cities and restaurants that we visited during Croatia Yacht Week 2020.
Sipan Peaceful Morning
Because this was our first morning in Croatia and Yacht Week, we woke up early and headed out to explore our little village. With the peaceful sunrise glistening on the water, the village is amazing. We managed to walk for 30 minutes, but we quickly ran out of landmarks! Unsurprisingly, it does not take long but we gave it our best shot! We still enjoyed being the only people awake at this hour!
When we arrived at the boat, Helen welcomed us with our first breakfast of fried eggs with mushrooms and a typical continental! It was so yummy! I am also so happy that I did not have to search for breakfast or lunch and then clean up after ourselves. It was terrific!
Sail Away on Adriatic
Finally, our great sailing journey began to Mljet! While we would not be sailing for that long today, we had a fantastic sail! When we approached Mljet, we began to see some great super yachts. One super yacht had another super yacht for its helicopter and other boat. I wonder what they say about our tiny 42ft long catamaran…
Outside the village of Polace, we stopped for another great swim and lunch! For 30+ minutes, we hopped into the “pool” and swam in the cool turquoise waters. Then, Helen made another great meal of chicken fingers, potato salad, and couscous salad! This meal was perfect for our day as it wasn’t too heavy, yet prepared us for this afternoon’s activities!
Mljet National Park
One of the most stunning islands in Croatia is Mljet! Known for being an entire national park, the waters are pristine and the land is covered in green trees - a rarity in the Mediterranean! From our boat docking in Polace, we were a quick 15 minute bike ride away into the official entrance into the national park.
Travel Tip: In Croatia, there are a million vendors renting bikes, scooters, cars, and boats! Don’t be afraid to haggle for the best price!
As we biked off on our electric bikes, we were dazzled by the scenery! The lake is just surreal! Rather than a dark blue turquoise like the ocean, the waters are a perfect light blue-green mix. We could also see straight into the lake as the water was extremely clear. Rather than biking, we should be swimming around the lake! The pictures really don’t do it justice!
Ancient Monastery on an Island
Sitting in the middle of the lake is a monastery dating back to the 1151! Similar to the popular Lake Bled in Slovenia, the monastery is only accessible by boat to the island. The boat ride is included in the national park prices, but we forgot our masks on the boat so we had to find another way - did anyone say swimming?!
Thankfully, the girls found a sign that advertised a free boat ride if you purchase from the restaurant - and you didnt have to wear masks onboard! We waved the flag to the island and were greeted by the “skipper.” Because we weren’t hungry and Freddie bragged about the incredible ice cream, we all ordered ice cream - except they ran out of my favorite chocolate! Oh well, it was a nice break!
Cycling Away in the National Park
Before heading back to the “mainland” we decided to explore this tiny island within an island. In addition to the Benedictine monastery, there are Roman ruins! It is crazy how far the Roman reach was at the height of the empire. While it is a pile of rubble now, the stones are an unique reminder of who has been here. By far, the coolest Roman ruin were these stairs to “nowhere” although I am sure that they led to something earlier! The stairs also made for a great picture.
We also could not resist a quick dip! The water was too inviting! With the cool, clear water, it felt great after a long and hot bike ride. Plus, it is so relaxing to be swimming in an island within an island!
All Natural Lazy River
Before we departed the boat, Freddie and Helen touted the lazy river within the park. Dreaming of a typical water park lazy river, we had very high expectations especially as we entered the park and marveled at the natural beauty. Once we reached the lazy river bridge, we were slightly taken back with the length…
Beginning on one side, once I entered the water, the current is very fast so it pulls you through the canal very quickly! All I did was lay back and float and let the current do the rest! Unfortunately, it was about a 30 second lazy river, but I still had fun. By far, the funniest video was this small dog who was following his owners and literally flew down the river.
A True Local Dinner
Because we docked at a restaurant, we also had dinner at this family owned and run restaurant. Compared to last night, there was more activity, but there still was not a lot of boats or people in this town. I just feel so bad for the local communities who depend on tourism… Anyways, we did our best to support them! Despite the very rural location on a national park, the Ogigija Restaurant had higher prices than I expected so I went with one of the cheaper options - although in my defense, the pizza looked really good at other tables!
For our main, MF had a Croatian salami pizza and I had the unusual Hawaiian pizza! Our pizzas were quite tasty, although I wish we tried the seafood because all meats and seafood were grilled on an open flame right in front of us. Plus, it looked extremely tasty - even if we don’t like octopus!
The UnChartered Summary
Mljet National Park is one of the best parts of the Croatian sailing tour. Between our lovely (electric) bike ride and the surreal beauty of the park, we enjoyed every minute of our stay here!
- When in doubt, rent an electric bike to tour the park! We loved our bike ride and it was really easy. We opted for electric bikes because we didnt want to face the hills without some extra juice.
- Try the fresh meat and seafood - we’ve learned that all of it is usually cooked right in front of you and over an open flame grill rather than on a stovetop. More importantly, the seafood is caught that day!