Classic Croatian Boats

Some friends of ours here have taken on an ambitious project - the restoration of an old Croatian wooden boat. Follow progress on their newly created blog -http://blog.lifejacketadventures.com/ which includes a very useful glossary of technical terms for various parts of a boat which could come in handy for anyone else who needs to know the Croatian words for hull, mast, etc!

The team behind the restoration project also run a series of kayak tours in Dalmatia as well as trips on another classic Croatian boat the Gajeta Falkuša. More news on those activities on www.lifejacketadventures.com

We'll be doing another report on the Falkuša in the new year. It's going to be the star attraction in a big exhibition of classic boats in Brest, France, in the summer. Croatia has a big space allocated to it and we'll be reporting further on how it will be filled in due course. Follow this direct link Falkusa and Vis Island to go to an earlier posting with a photo of the Falkuša and more information on Komiža, on Vis, where it was originally used.

Cruising Dalmatia - The Sydney Herald Reports

The Sydney Herald reports today on an organised cruise around Dalmatia on a 28 metre wooden ketch. We've borrowed their photo to illustrate todays posting; the full link is http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/on-a-ketch-with-caruso/2007/12/07/1196812977122.html

It's a great account of some of the more appealing peculiarities of Dalmatia and we learnt something new - that Kurba Vela, one of the Kornati islands, actually means "big whore" and was named in the 19th century by an Austrian Governor who named it on the advice of a brazen local who assured him it was the Croatian name for the island.

Read the full story by following the link above - it will give you a real flavour for the cruising ground. For more detailed information on the various ports in the area make sure you take your copy of the Croatia Cruising Companion with you. See our Home Page for more information on that.

Croatia Cruising Companion - Out Now!

We've seen our first copy of the Croatia Cruising Companion, hot off the press, and you can find it at the Wiley Nautical stand at the Earl's Court Boat Show from 1st to 9th December. Wiley have an enormous range of other nautical books on their stand so pay them a visit on stand 1L58 (Earls Court 1).

There are plenty of other things to see at the show and plenty of events. Today was press day and if you look closely at the photo you'll see the Royal Naval Commando Display Team trying to get in without being seen!

If you can't make the boat show you can find the Croatia Cruising Companion at Amazon and all the best book stores or follow the links on this page.