43 09.7 N 16 27.3 E

Hvar Island – Pokonji Dol Bay

We had a pleasant motor sail up to Hvar and soon found the tiny bay we had selected and called earlier to reserve a buoy. On our arrival we found the whole bay to be miniscule and the 3 buoys to be so close together there was really only room for us and the one other boat already moored. We picked up the mooring buoy (an old fender) and were pleased to find very sturdy lines with a fore and aft system which we duly deployed. This meant we were held facing out of the bay into any waves or swell.  Later we mentioned to the other boat that it would be a good idea for them to do the same thing as they were swinging free and would quite definitely have hit us if the wind changed direction! Jacky swam the 100m ashore to suss out the restaurant and explain we were the folk that had ‘booked’ the buoy! On examination she discovered the house speciality was the dish cooked ‘under the plate’ so she ordered this for supper. The rest of the day was spent snoozing and swimming and after showers we went ashore in the dinghy (just rowed as it was so close) for supper. The meal was delicious we had opted for the Octopus plate and it was surely the most tender and succulent we had ever eaten! It came on a large platter set over a hot plate. The base was lined with potatoes carrot and onions and piled on top were 3 meduim sized octopus.There were two halves of courgette and some other green bits for decoration. We consumed a litre of the family house wine and thoroughly enjoyed our leisurely supper as we watched the sun setting out to the west behind the silhouette of Arwen gently bobbing in the breeze. The bill was just under £50 but with the mooring factored in we were very happy!

The following morning we headed off for Stari Grad on the western end of Hvar. Our route took us close to the main town of Hvar where we lingered to take some close-up pictures then onwards passing through the channel that divides Hvar from the archipelago of the Pakleni Islands with their numerous anchorages.