#1 – Time Out Croatia

We provided numerous pictures to Time Out Croatia for their current magazine issue, in exchange for our contact details being published, and they chose one. But imagine our shock when we opened the new issue to see that they had put our picture (seen above), uncredited as well, right next to a paragraph of text extolling our competitors, Adriatic Kayak Tours.

The saga continues…

#2 – Arista Nautica

The leut, Labud, is finished and ready to be launched. But she still sits in the shed at the Arista Nautica yards in Vranjic.

Why? Because two personal friends of David Hicks (one of the yard’s owners), Tim Jarman and Giles Weston, were doing the wrong thing by us business-wise – so we told them to pull their heads in or we would go to the police. The cowards got worried – as they are unregistered to live in Croatia – and ran to David. He demanded we pay $US20,000 before we can remove our boat from the shed. This was done in the hope we would be scared and leave his friends alone.

We told him to keep the boat and that we will see him and Don Marshall (the other owner) in the criminal and civil courts. There are no contracts between us and I have done in the last 12 months three design projects for David and Don and not asked for a cent.

The saga continues…

#3 – Motovun Elections

Local elections were held across Croatia on May 17. We made the pilgrimage in Motovun to vote. Our friend, Ranko Bon (seen below kissing the obligatory baby (Roklan)), was standing as a candidate for the Green Party in coalition with the Social Democrats. His candidacy was part of a continuing campaign to sustainably improve Motovun (and stop the proposed Jupiter Adria golf development).

The results were not as we had hoped. Firstly, the current mayor and IDS candidate, Slobodan Vugrinec, was returned. Secondly, Ranko didn’t earn a position on the town council.

Across Croatia there was a movement away from the center-right parties (HDZ and IDS) but the center-left party (SDP) didn’t pick up the vote – secondary parties and independents did. So in Motovun it wasn’t all bad news – IDS lost 3 seats (from 9 down to 6), SDP/Greens also lost a seat (from 4 to 3 (Ranko was 4th on their list)) and a new independent party got 4 seats. These Motovun independents, before the election, had voiced their concerns about the golf development – so we have to wait and see.

Mayor Vugrinec has already thrown a tantrum, stating he no longer wants the position if he doesn’t have an absolute majority in the town council!

The saga continues…

( In Split, after earning over 45% of the initial vote, Kerum will be in a run-off this weekend – which he is likely to win – and become our next mayor.)

This week we have been doing a little catching up with various people involved in different types of paddling in Perth.

Firstly we met up with David Stevens who runs Western Paddle Sports. David offers a range of kayaking courses, for everyone from beginners up to instructors. I had to lodge my log books with Australian Canoeing to re-register my Level 1 Kayak Instructor’s ticket, which I gained through David’s course, and needed a little information from him.

Then we dropped in Mainpeak to see Ken Miller. Mainpeak have the best setup in Perth in regards equipment, and they do a lot for the local kayak community through their sponsorship of numerous events including the premier Avon Descent. As well as other manufacturers, they sell Spirit and Finn boats. These two companies have been responsible for the recent explosion in paddling in Perth – they made the first locally-produced plastic surf-skis that allowed the average paddler to get into the sport. The other good outfitter in Perth is Canoeing Down Under – though its a good drive out to their store.

Ken Miller is one of Western Australia’s best paddlers and the big gun down at Perth Canoe Polo Club. Canoe (or kayak) polo is water-polo played in kayaks. The photograph at the top of the post shows why these crazy guys wear helmets. (There is actually a ball in the picture somewhere!) Its hard to believe the blokes in the picture are actually good mates.

Lastly, I contacted Swan Canoe Club about becoming a social member. They have one of the most beautiful club-house settings around in Mosman Park on the Swan River.

Its now just another of the rusting hulks tied to the pier in the North Port in Split. But when she was on top of the water and fully rigged she looked like the picture below and was known as the MY Dalmat.

The 270-ton, 45m-long Dalmat was built at the San Rocco shipyard in Trieste in 1896. At that time Trieste was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Dalmat became a royal yacht in the Hapsburg’s navy.

In June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand arrived off the Dalmatian coast in his flag-ship, the battleship SMS Viribus Unitis. From the battleship he was transferred to the Dalmat, which sailed him up the Neretva River to Metkovic.

In Metkovic Franz Ferdinand boarded a train which took him to Sarajevo. At school we are all taught the events that followed. Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated and as a result World War 1 began.

The bodies were then transported back to Metkovic, where the Dalmat had the proud role of again transferring the Archduke back to the Viribus Unitis. Below is the New York Times article of the day.

So here in the North Port’s polluted waters is one of history’s most important boats.

In the 1990s the Dalmat (renamed the Istranka), after being decommissioned from the Yugoslav and Croatian navies, became a floating restaurant in Split Port!

She was then towed to the North Port for the first time, until Gianfranco Cozzi from Genoa, a Christian Democrat member of the Italian parliament, and a naval collector purchased her and began renovations.

His plan was to place her in his museum at Santo Stefano al Mare, near San Remo, on the Italian Riviera. However in 2003, just as he was to move her across the Adriatic, the Croatian government declared the Dalmat a national treasure and didn’t allow her to leave Croatian waters. (See original Times of London article.)

“She had been dumped like a lump of old iron”, Gianfranco said. “I saved her from being scrapped, but now Zagreb is refusing to let the yacht leave out of a nationalistic whim. The Habsburg yacht has nothing to do with Croatia beyond that she happened to end up there. There is no case for blocking her export. It was built in Trieste, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, but is now Italian. I paid €500,000 or her, and I have since spent €5 million restoring her.”

Unfortunately Gianfranco recently died – so he will never see the project completed. The Croatian government doesn’t own the vessel and doesn’t have the funds or nous to renovate her. Again she was left in the North Port, where she will just slowly dissolve – the last remaining vessel of the Austro-Hungarian navy.

(Without the Austro-Hungarian navy Georg von Trapp wouldn’t have become a U-boat hero and we would never have had the Sound of Music!)

Tim sent the latest pictures of the leut renovation.

The planks, ribs and rudder have been repaired, the refurbished engine is back in, the decks sanded, the lanteen and mast completed, the hatch coamings and covers finished, bulkheads installed and the benches begun.

All is looking good for a February launch date – finally! She will then act as a support boat for our kayak tours.

Name? Maybe Crni Labud – which means Black Swan – after Perth’s river.

This is my parents’ view of the Swan River as it runs below their house. The Swan River is to Perth as the Harbour is to Sydney – except our waterway is not as big or well-used but with less sharks and pollution. The River was named for the swans which bob around on it – but since we are in the Antipodes they black instead of white.

A typical summer Sunday when we are at home starts out with a little exercise – usually with the Cottesloe Swanbourne Outrigger Club. (I’m still trying to recapture the glory days paddling with New York Outrigger at the Molokai Hoe!)

Today we decided to try something new – stand-up paddling. Its the ‘new-old’ thing – combining outrigger paddling with surfing! We met with Justin from Stand Up Paddle Sports at Pelican Point. He lent us a board and the extra long paddle that is required. (Above is Aklie having a go with a regular outrigger blade.) Its an excellent all-round sport – working your legs, abs and back. You can paddle on flat water, go surfing or some boards even allow a windsurfer sail to be attached – so all the bases are covered. We are thinking to incorporate it into our tours in Croatia!

The early morning exertion is just an excuse for breakfast at the best place on the river to eat – The Left Bank at East Fremantle. The big beer garden has a view straight up the river to the Fremantle Port, and they have an excellent bacon and eggs with a side of baked beans. Many surf-skiers and bike riders end up here for brunch. (Just don’t get caught here when the sea-breeze blows and a sheep carrier is being loaded.)

Today we partook in our other Sunday tradition – dim sum at the Jade Dynasty Chinese Restaurant – 40 Francis Street, Northbridge (near corner of William Street). You can’t get good dim sum in Croatia!

Then its back to the river for a swim. These pictures were taken on the sand-bar directly in front of our house. We often see schools of dolphin chasing fish in the shallow water here. Not bad for a river with a city of 1.5+ million surrounding it – though it must be said that crab and prawn numbers have dwindled in recent years. The Perth beaches are excellent – but unfortunately on summer days the sea-breeze (Fremantle Doctor) blows in early and strong. The river makes for a top refuge.

If pulling up a mooring in Thomson’s, learning to swim at the Basin, Geordie or Longreach, taking a walk to the Army Jetty, catching the Hydroflyte, eating cream buns, chasing quokkas, having a beer at the Sunday session at the Quokka Arms, playing beach cricket, dropping pots for ‘crays’, going fishing for herring, ‘gardies’ or ‘dhuies’ or recovering from the night before during ‘Schoolies’ Week’ mean something to you then you are one of the lucky ones who spent their summer holidays growing up on Rottnest Island.

Rottnest is a small car-free island about 19kms from the Perth mainland. It was named for the small Quokkas, little marsupials, which hop around it – the early Dutch explorers thought they were large rodents.

For those coping with winter north of the Equator, we uploaded several pictures.

Coincidently, it was the weekend for the 1.6km Swim Thru Rotto, so it was a busy weekend on the island.

The most famous sporting event on the island occurs in February, the Rottnest Channel Swim, where solo swimmers or teams swim the 19km crossing, instead of catching the ferry. Its one of the world’s largest open water swimming events, with 2400 competitors.

If you are visiting the island and need a little paddling time contact Capricorn Sea Kayaking. They have been offering day tours around the island – though their website said they are currently not available. Rottnest is an A-Class Nature Reserve and several Marine Reserve areas have also recently been marked to stop fishing, so the waters are extremely clear and full of fish.

The Quokka Arms, Rottnest’s famous pub, just reopened after a long refurbishment. The old Beer Garden has been spruced-up, with a big glass-fronted shed which will be very enjoyable in the winter.

While we consider the island a little piece of paradise, for the local aboriginals the island has a darker past. Many of the old buildings were built by aboriginal prisoners held in terrible conditions when Rottnest was Perth’s version of Devil’s Island.

For the last 34 years the Venetian authorities have stopped commercial travel on the canals and turned them over to human-powered craft – an event called the Vogalonga. It was simply amazing to paddle in it this year on May 11.

It is one of those transcendental events that must be done – like running the New York Marathon, paddling the Molokai Hoe or scampering along at the Running of the Bulls. So many things come together – great crowds (really enjoying themselves), history, culture and having an attachment to a stunning place (other than just being a tourist).

An estimated 5 000 people were involved this year – paddling or rowing anything that could float – outriggers, dragon boats, dories, rowing shells, traditional Venetian boats and kayaks – all with flags and ribbons flying. The course started in front of the Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Square, wound its way up Burano Island (known for its lace), back to Murano Island (famous for its glasswork) and back down the Grand Canal (under the Rialto and Accademia Bridges) to the finish – 30kms in total.

I was able to convince Morten, a Danish friend from Split, to come. It was all last minute after I saw a post on Paddling Planet. Morten had never been in a kayak before but was keen. I found out later as we were paddling that he had also never been to Venice before – what an introduction to the Serene Empire. There is no better way to discover a maritime culture than in a kayak.

Below are 3 pictures but many more can be found here.

We finished after 5 hours, totally exhausted, but extremely happy! The weather was just right – not too hot, not too cold. At all times the scenery was superb – either the Venetian Gothic palaces of the Grand Canal or the multi-coloured houses of the small canals of Burano.

We are already organizing baby-sitters for next year so the wifes can come!

Over the weekend of 10-12 May we were able to enjoy the hospitality of Giorgio and Maritzia who organized the first seakayaking symposium – Bibione Kayak – of which we know on the Adriatic Sea. The base for the event was Capalonga Camping, about 1 hour from Venice, in northern Italy. The camp is also only 1 hour from Motovun, in Croatia – which was handy for us.

At the event we met many interesting paddlers, including Nigel Foster (seakayak designer and adventurer) and Kristin (potter to the stars), Jen Kleck (a friend of Ray Fusco’s from the US) and Kay (importer for Klepper Folding Kayaks), and others from Serbia, Slovenia, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.

On the Monday night Lifejacket Adventures gave a short, mosquito-plagued talk on kayaking in Croatia, our attempt to cross the Adriatic Sea by kayak unsupported and the old wooden boats of Croatia. The above video was included and shows how to paddle (or row) ‘old-school’.

We made the most of the excellent facilities at the campground – swimming, bbqing and bike riding. We couldn’t get the kids out of the pool as the weather was perfect. Next year we plan to attend for the whole week. Seakayakers in Europe should definitely make the effort to attend, as the festival also ties into the Vogalonga event in Venice. Congratulations to Bibione Kayak!

Tonight our friends Jane Cody and John Nash had the official Croatian launch of their book, Croatia Cruising Companion. Jane also did some writing for the new Timeout Croatia magazine, and she presented it as well to the audience of marina representatives and tourism agencies.

The Cruising Companion took Jane and John several years to research – they visited every bay of significance from Zadar to the south. For each they produced anchorage charts as well as wrote lengthy descriptions on available facilities – such as our laundrette in Split.

The book is perfect for those coming here to rent a yacht and visit the Dalmatian Islands. It is currently ranked #3 for both books on Croatia and those on sailing on Amazon.com.

Timeout Croatia has a thicker guide magazine again this year. More stories and more information are crammed inside. One of our kayaking pictures, taken on a tour around Vis and Hvar Islands, appears in the adventure section.

Warm spring day; the crack of leather on willow followed by polite applause from the crowd; men dressed-up like modern day white knights in helmets and padded armor; picnic blankets and coolers filled with wine, brie and crackers – yesterday anyone would think we were enjoying watching cricket in the English countryside.

Amazingly the game was being played right here in Split between the local Split Sir Oliver Cricket Club and the Further Friars Cricket Club, a traveling team from England consisting of gents in the wine industry.

Cricket is a game you must grow up with – or the rules will never make sense. We attempted to explain them to the French expats – they just got bored and went home. But there is an historical connection between the French and cricket in this area.

Cricket is not so alien to Dalmatia as could be expected. On Vis Island there is the Sir William Hoste Cricket Club. It is run by Nik Roki and his son Oliver (Oliver was born in Perth before they moved back to the island in the 70′s).

The club’s namesake was an English naval officer stationed on Vis Island for several years at the start of the 19th Century – the English had just kicked the Napoleonic French garrison off the island. (The English called Vis Island the ‘Gibraltar of the Adriatic’ because of its excellent strategic location.)

William decided that the wild Dalmatian island on which he found himself needed a touch of civility – so he started a cricket club. A couple of years back Nik and Oliver re-established it. Oliver usually cooks us an awesome baked lamb ispod peke on their winery whenever we visit Vis with our tour’s guests.

Unfortunately for the visitors yesterday they ended their innings 3 runs shy of the local team. Their next match is to be on Vis this week.

For another perspective on the day’s proceedings visit Jane Cody’s Croatia Online. Jane’s the lovely lady in the picture above, making sure the batsman’s box was properly adjusted!

Today’s picture comes from the set of Bella Biondina. The movie, based a true story of a young Split girl who falls in love with an Italian Fascist soldier at the end of the Second World War, is being shot on the streets of Split at the moment. It is being directed Danijela Marušić, who also made the locally famous mini-series Malo Misto. It was interesting to see the reactions of the locals to actors in Partisan uniforms. Many were indifferent, but some reacted with strong negative feelings.

Whilst I was in Trogir the other day I saw the replica of the 16th Century galleon Tirena, a typical trading vessel of the period from Ragusa (i.e. the Dubrovnik Republic), which is used for excursions outside the walls of Dubrovnik in the summer. Its 30m long and 7.7m wide. The drawings for the replica, completed according to old plans from the Dubrovnik Maritime museum, were done by Velimir Salamon, the man responsible for the falkuša.

The ship was constructed in Omiš, at a cost of about 1 000 000€.

Speaking of old boats, work continues on the leut. Mate, the Dalmatian carpenter, is replacing a certain number of planks. Roger, the English mechanic, will start work soon on renovating the motor. The crew will be an Aussie and a Frenchman – its becoming a true UN project.

Looking across the leut’s shed, for the last week the USS Mount Whitney has been tied up. The Whitney is the flagship of the United States Navy’s 6th Fleet (the Mediterranean Fleet) – it flies the pennant of Vice Admiral James A. Winnefeld.

It is considered to be the most sophisticated Command, Control, Communications, Computer, and Intelligence ship ever commissioned. It can receive and transmit large amounts of secure data from any point on earth through the multitude of HF, UHF, VHF, SHF and EHF antennae on its decks.

The Sixth Fleet has both US and NATO responsibilities, and is based in Naples.

So why is it in Split?

President Bush is on his way to Eastern Europe. He will stop in Ukraine before going to Bucharest, Romania, for the opening of NATO’s largest summit ever on Wednesday.

NATO leaders will meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon as well as officials from the European Union and World Bank. They will also vote on expanding the alliance to include Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia, as well as vote on accepting applications from Georgia and Ukraine to join the alliance, a move that is opposed by Russia. On Friday Bush will then come to visit us in Croatia.

President Bush will wrap up his trip in the Black Sea resort of Sochi for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing the U.S. missile defense system.

Joining the EU (hopefully by 2011) and NATO are the biggest issues in Croatia at the moment. Some people are against the moves – a new organisation has been formed in Croatia called the Anti-Imperialist Coalition, which has announced protests against President Bush at Franjo Tudjman Square in Zagreb on Friday at 5pm.

Though we are not happy with Americans at the moment – one competitor, American-owned Adriatic Kayak Tours, has been stealing our photographs to use on their website (we are fighting to have them taken down) as well as copying our Vis Tour- we see definite benefits in Croatia being an EU and NATO member. For instance we could take AKT to the European Court and not have to wait for the slow Croatian courts to deal with their infringement of our copyright.

So, things are heating up here and in the rest of Eastern Europe, with the West moving East. On top of all these meetings there have been the problems in Kosovo for the last month. That’s why the most important American ship in the Mediterranean is docked in Split.

Today was an example of that though Dubrovnik is definitely a beautiful town, it is quite superficial – Split has a tougher, yet richer, life.