Supetar - the final stop before we really must go.

I thought I'd drop a map in to give you an idea of our Croatian playground so far. We have now 'done' these islands, so next season we can head north without feeling we've missed something, although of course we will have missed heaps.

Supetar is on the northern shores of Brac, we arrived at 3:10pm on Thursday the 29th and there was only one spot in the harbour we were interested in. 

It was just the way it was shaped and open to the north that nagged. Mr Wavey Arms indicated where we should moor.... probably the worst spot on the wall. I waved back and indicated I was not happy and pointed to where we would be happy and he simply obliged. I'll say that again... He simply obliged! That never happens. These guys wear a uniform you know. We ended up alongside just out of the way of any wash from the frequent ferries. 

Kids on skate boards, jobs piling up for the folks, more in our minds than in reality so we hired a car and asked what was worth seeing. 

Beaches were off the menu, it was too cold. A visit to the Olive Oil museum? Ho hum... it was on the way to the must do lunch venue, Konoba Kopacina so why not. 

It was worth the visit. Olive oil was very hard yakka back in the day and the museum owner is a descendant of the people who used this very equipment. A snack and welcome drink before we got going, it is 15 Kuna per head but only if we thought it was worth it.

The olives are poured into the wooden shoot on the left. It has a small hole at the bottom so that as this very heavy stone wheel is pushed around it crushes the olives that role out of the hole into its path and the paste drops into the stone trough.

The paste is then shoved into these circular hemp netting bags, placed one on top of the other and squashed in this ancient Italian press. One again requiring an enormous amount of strength and endurance. When the pressing was happening, they worked in shifts and slept on platforms above.

That oil is known as the first press or cold press and it went to the priest and the teacher, both held in similar esteem back then.

Water is boiled in this purpose built stove. The hot water is then poured over the netting bags which helps to release the remaining oil known as second or hot press and is for the rest of the population.

The oil and water separate in the vat. The oil, being lighter than water floats and is scooped into goat or sheep skins like this one for transportation by donkey. 

The water, a scarce commodity on Brac is released via a stopper and simply runs out into the veggie garden.

End of lesson folks. Cherry Brandy was produced with home made cake or fresh bread to dip into cold pressed olive oil. We were happy to donate, the guide was so engaged it felt as if we were his very first visitors.... he'd been at it every day for months.

Then lunch at Kanoba Kopacina, famous for their lamb on a spit. Our favourite. A lovely spot high in the hills, an inside table in the warm September sun right next to the kitchen where everything is cooked over coals. 

Lamb on a spit with roasted vegetables and house red. Bliss. 

After they'd eaten the kids found a cozy spot inside with wifi while Sal and I really enjoyed a sumptuous long lunch.

Home. Nanna nap. Woke at 8:00pm still stuffed, fed the kids and watched a movie. The kids to bed by 10:30 but having had such a great nap we were wide awake so we watched another movie. At 1:00am we decided to take a walk... as you do. Not a soul anywhere as if the whole place had been abandoned. Eerie.

After half an hour or so we were returning to the boat when we noticed the boat parked behind us had started its motors, crew members pacing the quay?  Waiting for somebody at 1:30am?Drug deal going down?

We ensconced in the shadows of the car hire park to observe. An ambulance turned up. 

This boat was about to take a patient across to Split at this time of night. Old, young, injury, heart attack? We speculated.

The patient finally emerged from the Ambulance and so many tubes. 'Old man, heart attack' was our selection. Accompanied by an elderly lady with suitcase and shopping bags. Sally swears they covered his face but I didn't see that. The boat left very slowly and headed out. 

Exciting place is Supetar but the next day we really amped it up. Yes, the semi submerged submarine! 

You now know we are flat out of imagination. We'd seen so many of these in the Adriatic and would not be seen dead in one, but there it was, we'd not tried it and the kids might like it... and what the hell else is there to do here?

Descend the stairway into the hull which has large underwater windows. There were swarms of small fish as we entered and then realised they were being fed bits of bread from above...






Once we got going it was a moonscape. We counted seven tires, innumerable sea slugs, two jelly fish and nothing else at all. As Will's body language reveals, it was utterly riveting.

That's it family, we're done here. We contacted Baotic Marina to see if we could arrive a day early and miss the looming southerly. They obliged and so at 11:40 on Saturday the 1st October we embarked on the final voyage for 2016