This morning we were awakened to sunshine, and surrounded by the beautiful scenery of various small Croatian islands. After we dropped anchor near one of the best known islands, which is called Hvar, we left for a short guided walk that started in the Franciscan monastery with its impressive “Last Supper” painting and its beautiful setting. We then walked the waterfront past the impressive 16th-century arsenal, passing the city Loggia with the famous bell tower, and finishing at the Sevti Stjepan cathedral on the main square of this small charming town with the same name as the island. Everywhere we were followed by the wonderful smell of lavender coming from many small stands selling lavender in a lot of different forms, as the island is a major producer of this product. The town enticed some of us for a quick swim in crystal clear water before coming back to the ship for lunch.
While we still were enjoying the delicious buffet the crew got prepared for setting sails. Because it was the first time on the voyage everyone wanted to see every step of the complicated process. It was a very pleasant and relaxing afternoon with a little breeze perfectly fine for setting up a lot of sails. Now we had some time to rest in the famous blue lagoon or take a nap before Rebecca Ingram’s talk about the Fourth Crusade where, hard to believe but Christians attacked Christians! The Venetians played one of the main roles and ended up getting all good ports and islands for shipping and trade, which is why sailing down the Dalmatian Coast we see a lot of beautiful Venetian-style towns and cities.
With the sun going down Captain Komakin invited everyone to his welcome party and dinner while Sea Cloud was quietly sailing into the night waiting for the full moon to rise.
