#31: Chartering in Croatia - Packing, Food & Boat Woes

Alright so I made it to Croatia in one piece and now the adventure begins!! But how did the trip go compared to what I was expecting? Let's just say, I was kept on my toes! Why did I pack that and not this?! Alright so like I mentioned last week, I packed for carryon only and packed light. In the end I think I did a pretty good job. The weather was much cooler than expected so another sweatshirt would have been nice. I somehow lost half of my underwear when we did our laundry so that was an adventure, but otherwise I did pretty well with the packing. As for boat gear, I would have liked to have had my binoculars and inflatable PFD. Only because the weather turned out to be a little sporty a couple of times. The charter company PFDs were purchased from a Titanic auction I think. I would have also liked to have had a set of flippers, goggles and a snorkel. They could have been purchased, but I'm a cheap Scot and have about 5 sets for 4 of us at home. It was challenging to find some medications, so bringing more would have been beneficial (allergy relief, polysporin, etc.). It was also really difficult to find decent sunscreen! The highest we were able to find at UV protection 30, and it was called sun milk. It definitely went on like milk. I'm sorry, that costs how much!!? Overall things were very affordable. You could buy towels, beer, food, clothes, etc., for very reasonable prices (bought a ball cap for $4 CND). The food was unbelievable! I was not expecting to have so many amazing meals. Again, at a very reasonable price. The octopus is a must try, especially when cooked traditionally by peka (try Rokis restaurant on the Island of Vis!). I think it will take years for that craving to go away... unbelievable. The other favourite thing we ate: PIZZA!! Wow they make amazing pizzas there! Loved the food scene... Beer and wines were also very affordable. I did find it hard to find a red wine that I really liked. I tend to prefer dark, leathery, smoky, red wines, and the Croatian reds were a bit lighter for me. But I kept trying ;-) The marinas also had great facilities and were quite reasonable in my opinion. Our 42' boat would be about $50/night which included fresh water and hydro, along with shower and washroom facilities. Now it was VERY busy when we were there, so the hot water in the marina showers was pretty much non-existent. But with water and power at your slip, a hot shower on the boat was a breeze. Marina staff were pleasant overall and Mediterranean mooring is much easier than most people think. Apparently in January 2023 Croatia will be adopting the Euro, so I anticipate that between the new currency, and the increase in tourism to the area, things are going to go up in price quite a bit.