From Solta we went west to the Island of Vis, the closest major island to Italy
Under President Tito the former Yugoslavia restricted access to this island and maintained it as a military outpost against western aggression.
We had a nice lunch here and then things got more interesting as our dinghy, our transport from anchorage to shore, lost its drain plug. OK, it must be said, the Yacht Ile, although only six years old, has not seen the most conscientious maintenance. In answer to the question, where did the drain plug go, one can only surmise, “into the Adriatic.”
The dinghy is an inflatable so took on only a bit of water before Richard and Dan could get it back to the boat. With some duct tape, the plug hole was closed until we could get a replacement, but on the next outing the dinghy motor demonstrated displeasure concerning its poor maintenance. We ended up taking a water taxi back to the town for a nice dinner
We arranged with the charter company to have someone meet us the next day at Vela Luka on the Island of Korcula, where we we had a pleasant stay and a real shower at the marina while the dinghy was properly plugged and the engine’s carburetor serviced.
Below: Seafood at dinner in Vila Luca
So on Wednesday (September 8) we were off. We sailed for a bit but continued to have slow speeds and poor angles to windward due to a worn and misshapen mainsail. That shape had also complicated furling it into the mast after use and this time it jammed rather badly. So after many unsuccessful attempts to coax it home and some rather unhelpful consultations on the Web, we headed (by motor of course) for our target anchorage in Luca Mali Lago on the Island of Lastovo.
To this lovely spot our charter provider dispatched a fine young gent who essentially tried all the things we had already tried and declared that someone would need to deal with it in a lift up the mast. This being what we told the charter provider, it did not surprise us!
(Click to enlarge)
We and our handler agreed this would have to be addressed in Dubrovnik on Saturday. Meanwhile we continued our motoring the next day to the Island of Mljet where we had a good night, anticipating our visit to Dubrovnik.
