all good things come to a (temporary) end

The boat has now been decommissioned for a while and we have returned to the UK. The last week we sailed around Dugi Otok (the Long Island) with our daughters and then returned the boat to Ugljan. We are now back in the UK. 

Croatia has been a delight (despite some dodgy weather). The people are welcoming and speak good English, the food is quite varied and well prepared and the landscapes are just stunning with beautifully clear seas. Liveaboard sailors complain about the cost of the keeping a boat in Croatia, and whilst its not cheap with overnight moorings costing about €20-24, the cost of living is generally much lower than the UK and the markets especially good value if you want to eat lots of really fresh and local vegetables. Marinas typically worked out at about €50 per night. German and Austrian sailors dominate the sailing scene, along with lots of charter boats from the major marinas along the mainland coast. We experienced lots of flat calms and gentle breezes and 30 knot days where we were well reefed down. We are lucky in having a fast boat that sails in 6-8 knots of breeze but we were surprised by the number of boats  who just stick their engine on when speed drops anything below 5 knots.