Meikel comes up to me with an expressionless face and a light sweat on his forehead and says: "It won't fit, it just won't fit. I've just been down to the cabins for the first time and there really isn't much room." He's talking about the pile of surf equipment lying behind me at the harbour entrance. Valentin and I are looking after it while the others look around the boat.
The big packing for Croatia
Today, of all days, a large trade fair is taking place right on Biograd harbour. A hustle and bustle of people - and we try to slowly make our way with over a hundred kilos of surfing luggage towards the narrow dock where our chartered sailing yacht from Zacherl Charter is moored: a 46 Bavaria called Sunshine, with a hull length of 13 metres. But it could get really tight when I see the pile of boards, rigs and foils behind me. So, really, the 200 cm² smaller front wing, the spare boom and three mast extensions? Not really. But what if something breaks? After all, we're planning to stay pretty far away from civilisation.
"We are on our own. We want to go nowhere."
Discovering new remote spots is the aim of our trip. That's why we booked a sailing boat and not a flight plus hotel and hire car. No surf shops, no locals, no sail makers. We are on our own. We want to go to the middle of nowhere. And all we need is water and wind. We are looking for water and wind for windsurfing. And to get there, we move on the water and use the wind as a driving force. A nice thought, I think, and also a little dream of mine that I hope will come true. But you can't just pop into the nearest supermarket, DIY store or surf shop.
So would you rather take everything with you? After all, you turn every piece over twice, but then sort it according to the motto: "That one mast or that one boom won't make any difference now - it will fit in somewhere.
And that's not just the case with surfing equipment: every jacket, boot, water bottle, blanket, hat etc. that is only slightly superfluous will get in the way at some point. The living space on board is very limited and, compared to camping, is usually surrounded by water and not a large meadow. And if there's one thing I've learnt during my time on board: "If you have the sea, you need less." That's the title of a book by Marc Bielefeld, a book I read a few months before I left, and the title couldn't have been more true for me personally.
"The space on board is very limited, everything has to have its fixed place."
The days before leaving for Croatia and the packing were stressful, the whole day was about material things. But once we had everything together and had managed to fit it all on board, and we were finally ready to set off, the whole burden fell away from you with every metre you sailed out. In the morning before casting off, you check the wind and weather forecast three more times with the last LTE network and think about whether you really have the right sail sizes with you. Whether you shouldn't pack a slightly thinner spare jacket after all, and whether the Croatian vegetable mix for the planned second dinner from the supermarket can be prepared properly tomorrow. But once you're out there, the only thing that matters is the basics: Having a sail to surf with in the first place, not freezing and getting something between your teeth in the evening.
You don't really waste much thought on anything else. You are actually much more in the here and now - and somehow always busy keeping the boat afloat in the literal sense of the word and getting it safely to the next destination. Everything has a certain relevance, and you don't really have the time or energy left for trivial things.
On board for the Croatia trip
A great, mixed crew: professional windsurfer Dennis Müller and his girlfriend Kathi, who have created the sailing adventure according to their motto "A journey with the wind" and have been seeking adventure together for several years. After travelling by van, plane, bike and on foot, nothing could be more fitting for them than to set sail and literally travel with the wind.
Valentin Böckler, our long-time friend and trusted cameraman, also joined us. The pleasant contemporaries Meikel Thies and his wife Gani, who accompanied us during the first week, were eventually replaced by our Swiss freestyle colleague and ex-worldcupper Jeremy Plüss. And not to forget: Our experienced captain Marius, an acquaintance of Dennis from Norderney. Although he had the ship well under control, he was still sometimes dependent on active help on deck and involved us all well. As a result, we all learnt something and didn't just let a professional skipper take us to the spots.
When we arrived at the harbour in Biograd, we were given a very good and detailed briefing so that we could all get to know the boat to some extent before setting sail for the first time. Marco from Zacherl Charter, who was enthusiastic about our idea right from the start and supported the trip, provided us with insider tips about the boat and the area over pizza and beer the evening before we set sail. So the crew was well informed and we were ready to go.
Logbook entry from the captain
Day 4, 27.10.2021
- 6:30 am: Wake up, muesli breakfast with fruit. Off to the surf spot of the day. Clear as a star, good visibility, cold: 10 degrees, already a good 20 knots NE (thermal: bora).
- 7:00 am: Anchor up! 2nM under sail out of the sheltered area, downwind course to the other side of the large bay. The plan is to surf here today.
- 7:30 am: Anchor directly at the spot, in 13m water depth. (43 42.061 N 15 40.002 E). 50 metres of anchor chain outside. Sunrise, the wind is still picking up slightly. The boys rig 4.8. Action!
- 10:30 am: Wind starts to decrease, 14 knots NE.
- 11:00 am: Break. A small, second breakfast. Stow the surf equipment. Prepare the deck. Ready to cast off.
- 12:30 pm: Anchor up! Cruising under full sail, heading east. Destination: Krka waterfalls (22.4 metres away).
- 14:00: Sails down, entrance to Sveti Ante channel.
- 15:30: Moored at a mooring buoy in Skradin. We will stay here until tomorrow. We take the dinghy ashore to visit the waterfalls in the nature reserve.
- 19:00: Dinner. No wind. We are safely moored. Anchor light on.
And my short diary entry that evening:
"What a day : - ) Windsurfing at sunrise, marvelling at waterfalls at sunset. The latter after an awkward discussion in broken English at the entrance to the nature reserve: is a good hour before closing time really too late to go? And do we actually get the promised discount as overnight guests at the buoy?
Both unclear, well, in between we travelled 22 nautical miles completely under sail during the day and set a new high speed of 7.6 knots. In the evening, the rest of the bottle of Captain Morgan even went round. Luckily Kathi and Gani started cooking in the meantime. Otherwise one more would have been knocked out. Thank you for this marvellous day and good night."
Route, Sail & Surf Croatia
Yes, many of our days off the coast of Croatia in the first week are actually like this or similar. Initially, we set off from the small harbour town of Biograd - with a fresh, morning bora (thermal downdraught winds of the Adriatic) in our sails - a long way south. We stay there for a few days, catch two beautiful windsurfing days and sail through the nature-protected Kornati archipelago. It's a desolate, rather bleak landscape that allows you to feel for a brief moment like a sailor on a voyage of discovery in the 15th century. Because at this time of year, outside of the season (from the end of October), there are hardly any other sailors.
"Magical moments that always put a big grin on my face when I look back."
And if you then happen to find a really good windsurfing spot the next day where everything is just right (wind direction and strength, water depth for anchoring, distance to land, leeward space and so on), then you feel like a Christopher Columbus of windsurfing spots. And then there's that moment when everything comes together perfectly - and you're jibing with your friends at sunrise with the 4.8 around your bedroom, which is anchored in the middle of the spot. These are the moments that we all dreamed of before we left and that you want to experience on a surf and sail adventure. Magical moments that still put a big smile on my face today - and hopefully in twenty years' time. Moments in which I am truly in the here and now, in which I am extremely grateful. For everything, but for a brief moment most of all for windsurfing. This overall situation, in whose constellation windsurfing plays a decisive role. I have found myself in this situation from time to time over the years when travelling, but here, in front of the sailing boat at sunrise, the feeling was somehow even more intense.
Strong southerly winds, also known as jugo, are forecast for our second week, often in combination with milder temperatures but also rain. A change in the weather like this means a lot of planning on board. We sit below deck for hours in the evening and check wind forecasts, Google Earth and nautical charts. It's all part of the job and can become quite exhausting at some point. Because a decision has to be made and the crew has to be reasonably unanimous. But in the end, the captain will decide how to let the crew (consisting of windsurfers) get their money's worth in such strong winds, but at the same time not take too much risk with the boat - not an easy job. Of course, we want to get to the windiest spot and find the biggest swell, but the boat doesn't necessarily want to go there at forty knots. Clear weather, predictable thermals in the morning, a short foil session and then breakfast in the sun with absolutely no wind on deck are something completely different and of course generally much easier to deal with on board than a bad weather front with strong winds from the south.
But the captain has decided: We make our way north in good time, including a crew change in Biograd. We say goodbye to Gani and Meikel and load up Jeremy, top up the water tanks, buy provisions for the entire second week and set sail for Dugi Otok: one of the longest islands off the coast of Zadar, which is being battered by the predicted southerly gale in the far north. There is a small harbour there, on the leeward side of the island, where we would be safe for a few days during the storm. We didn't realise at the time that we would be windsurfing there in two days at one of the best wave spots in Croatia. We simply found Sakarun Bay on Google Earth and had no other information about the spot. We don't want to withhold from you what exactly we finally found there. Because you can really call it a stroke of luck: six great spots in a very small area that could hardly be more different. You can find a complete spot guide to the area in surf 3-2022 and on surf-magazine.com .
Organisation and seamanship
Organisation is very important on board - especially if you have a lot of windsurfing equipment with you. For example, the deck must always be clear in case the anchor drifts at the spot and the captain suddenly has to start the engine to head into the wind. There can't be a mast in the way of the steering wheel, for example. Space is very limited, everything has to have its fixed place - and as already mentioned, less is often more when it comes to material things. We kept the aft starboard cabin completely free for surf equipment, removed the double bed mattress and stacked the equipment. From there, we were able to pass the equipment needed for the upcoming session upwards in a chain consisting of three people. We attached Dennis' large board and two SUPs to the railing at the top. The crew has to stick together and help each other. For example, you rarely set up your sail alone on deck due to a lack of space in the wind. In addition, you should always put together a like-minded crew. You spend days together in a confined space - you should get on well and have the same overall idea of the trip so that there are no fundamental differences of opinion.
It is very important to make decisions together, sail the ship together and distribute tasks on board. Nevertheless, you should have a person with real sailing experience on board who takes on the role of captain and only this person makes decisions in the event of an emergency.
End of our Croatia tour in sight
On the penultimate evening, after a few days on the island of Dugi Otok, we decide to leave the safe harbour and spend the night just half a nautical mile away in a sheltered bay on a mooring buoy. The end of the trip is suddenly in sight - we have to be back in Biograd the day after tomorrow. And we want to spend the night on the open sea again before then. It's simply a completely different feeling than lying in the harbour. When we arrive in the bay, the captain sends me into the water with diving goggles: I'm supposed to check the condition of the line that connects the buoy to the chain of the concrete block under water. After all, the ship is moored to this structure - our insurance for the night. It's getting dark and it's difficult to see underwater. The rope has definitely been around for a few days, but I can't see any major cracks or anything similar. So I give the go-ahead to make fast.
"We are rocking. There's creaking in every corner, clanging crockery in the kitchen and the rope is tugging. I wake up."
Nobody could have predicted that the wind would suddenly pick up to over 40 knots again during the night and swirl around almost 180 degrees in both directions in the narrow bay.
We are rocking. There's creaking from every corner, clinking crockery in the kitchen and the rope is tightening. I wake up. It feels as if the rope keeps stretching a few metres in the strong gusts and then abruptly flickers back. I sit upright in bed, the old, slightly chafed rope in my mind's eye. Are we drifting? Towards land? I look out of the hatch at the top: it doesn't look like it. Marius also has the anchor warning app on, which sends a signal as soon as we move out of a certain radius around the anchor - or the buoy in this case. So, keep calm. Just under an hour later, the wind slowly starts to drop and calm returns. Everything went well. According to the forecast, there will be no more wind tomorrow and we may even have to start the engine to get the good Sunshine back to her home harbour. It's getting quieter and quieter on board now, my thoughts stop spinning and I fall asleep.
Conclusion
If you enjoy going on windsurfing road trips, sleeping in a campervan or tent in the great outdoors and at the same time like the elements of wind and water, you will love sailing with windsurfing equipment on board. I would almost describe it as the next level of windsurfing road trips. A little freer, a little closer to nature, and you can manage to barely burn any diesel if you sail ambitiously. Seasickness is, of course, an issue that you can't avoid when it comes to sailing. "Everyone gets seasick, but the threshold is different for everyone," said Captain Marius at the beginning. Everyone has to find out for themselves where the threshold is. You can't really know beforehand. Fortunately, none of us got seasick and we experienced the magic moments, survived stormy nights, sailed almost two hundred nautical miles, discovered new spots and all stuck together very well.
A new and unique experience for us: dreamed-up moments that we experienced and, looking back, make us dream again with a smile on our faces. I'm already looking forward to the next turn.
