Trip report: Sailing from Trogir
A TRIP REPORT FROM ELKE AND GERHARD
We are Elke & Gerhard from Munich and since 2024 proud owners and investors of the brand new Bavaria C46 “ESTINELLA” with berth in Trogir.
I have been chartering with “Pitter Yachtcharter” for around 15 years and so the purchase-charter model with “Pitter” was, so to speak, a logical consequence and – since I have only driven Bavarias from the beginning – also the choice of the new C46. Within our two-week “owner’s time”, I describe here the first week from 31.08.-07.09.2024.
Texts, videos and photos provided by Gerhard – many thanks!
Our sailing trip from Trogir
Day 1
Taking over the boat is always the same in principle – by the time all the shopping is on board, the boat is explained to my fellow travelers and all the luggage is stowed away, it is often no longer worth setting sail and so we go to the old town of “Trogir” to get to know each other a little over a nice dinner. In addition to my wife and often family members, we usually have “foreign guests” on board, as I also like to offer my trips on appropriate platforms.
Day 2
We cast off at around 10:00 a.m. and the first miles with “ESTINELLA” are definitely something very special…
Apart from the transport from Giebelstadt in Bavaria to Pula – which I accompanied and made a movie about – we have never seen her finished and so I have to shed a few tears of joy. Even though we don’t own ESTINELLA in the traditional sense, we have given her the name and chosen all the fittings and furnishings. This has created a bond with the ship that I could never have imagined before.
We spend the first night on the island of “Sveti Klement” – in the bay of Palmizana Beach. Palmizana Beach is a relatively pretty bay on the south side, but it is sometimes somewhat spoiled by monstrous motor yachts and/or catamarans. On top of that, I think that paying just under €100 for a mooring buoy (15m boat) without any form of Service is relatively excessive at this location, so I have decided to avoid this bay in future.
Day 3
On our way to the eastern end of the island of “Hvar ” – unfortunately we have virtually no wind – we stop for a quick refreshment on the island of “Scedro”. We then continue to the end of the island to the very pretty little town ofSucuraj. There we meet up with former fellow sailors who have since become friends and are currently vacationing in the area. The port of “Sucuraj” is rather small, but very cozy and pretty and, above all, can be described as rather cheap compared to many others.
We pay €77 for our 15m boat and a very determined but funny harbour master welcomes us after we have booked in advance. The smaller yachts are moored at the back of the harbor basin, while the “harbor supervisor” delegates all slightly larger ships to the very front alongside the quay wall. There are various konobas and restaurants around the harbor.
Day 4
We leave “Sucuraj” and our destination today is the bay “Gradina” on the western edge of “Korcula”.
This bay is a very popular spot on my cruises here in the south, as it is open to the west and offers an incredibly kitschy sunset. Because of this, you shouldn’t take too long to get an anchorage or buoyage here during the season.
The bay is relatively cheap at around €45 for our boat. The Konoba “Siloko” on the shore with a wonderful view is also highly recommended.
Day 5
Off we go to our highlight on most of the trips here around Split and Trogir. The island of VIS lies approx. 35/40 nm ahead of us and we are particularly taken with the small town of “Komiza” in the west. As real ABBA fans, we always visit the “Jastozera” restaurant right by the buoy field in front of the harbor entrance. Some scenes from the musical “Abbas Mamma Mia – here we go again” were filmed here.
With your own dinghy you can moor directly under the restaurant in a small “garage” and then step out of the dinghy directly into the restaurant…
If you ask the waiters for some Abba music after your meal, the place is rocked every year, at least by us. There are hardly any references to the filming in the restaurant… but once you ask the waiters about it, but then… 🙂
Day 6
A great day! – Our destination today is not far, once around the island of VIS and moored in the harbor of the town of the same name. On the way there I see for the first time these days what our C46 is capable of. Just under 30kts. wind against and a very decent wave of 2-3m, ESTINELLA copes very well and we never have the feeling of crossing any limits. Well, – as I haven’t known her that long, I approach the boat defensively anyway and have the main well reefed. The headsail – a self-tacking jib – can remain fully standing due to the resulting rather small size. After a “great ride” of around 4 hours from Komiza to Vis town, we moor here in the harbor today to replenish our fresh water supplies.
Day 7
The penultimate day is coming up. Straight north to moor in the west of “Soltau” in a small bay called “Sesula” at a prepared land mooring belonging to the restaurant. The costs are covered by the meal there. With a beautiful view of the bay from above, the “Sismis” is a great place to dine – mainly fish dishes.
After I have clarified with the base in Trogir that there are no problems with our boat and also promise to be at the jetty on Saturday at 8:00 at the latest, we can spend the last night here and have our last evening here together.
Day 8
The alarm clock rings at 5:00 a.m. and we cast off in complete darkness. Illuminated by flashlights and searchlights, my “deckhand” at the bow guides me through the very small but also very narrow buoy field out into the dark. We have chosen the time according to the sunrise and the journey time to Trogir.
As a real highlight at the end, I have already been able to really enchant my guests with it several times. At 8:00 a.m. sharp, we dock at the quay wall of jetty “D” at Pitter Yachtcharter, fully fueled.
Being a “yacht owner” yourself…
Even though I have chartered around 45 trips in Croatia and Greece with “Pitter” over the last 15 years , there is a certain difference in coming to the jetty as an owner for the first time. The contact with “Pitter Crew” at the base is more personal, you are asked to consciously pay attention to any details on the boat that may be inadequate and to report these, and then to write a kind of trip report, etc.
As mentioned at the beginning, we do not see ourselves as owners in the traditional sense, but rather as investors. This makes it all the more important to maintain good communication with the ship’s supervisors on site and to cultivate this personal relationship.
Bavaria C46 “Estinella”
The sailing yacht Bavaria C46 “Estinella”, built in 2024, is moored at the Pitter Yachtcharter base in Marina Trogir, Croatia. With its 4 cabins, the yacht offers space for 9 people and has 4 toilets and 4 showers.
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Sailing trip Biograd-Trogir
