Saved by the Saffers

No, this is not another story of Kevin rescuing eight Italian damsels in distress or a baby deer trapped in a well. This time it’s about saffers coming to our rescue. But first, it started with a plan. Well a thought really which developed into an idea and then became a plan. And as I have worked out, not all of my plans are practical or make sense.

We’ve had a long and busy season working hard hours. When we left the Balearics at the beginning of May it was with a good level of fitness that rapidly dissipated following the unfortunate dismemberment of our bicycles to be stowed away in four different corners of GypsyDjango. While running delivers great “bang for your buck” we sadly haven’t found many opportunities to sneak away for a quick one (a run!). And with sailing taking up most of our time - and contributing zero to the fitness bank - the situation has become dire.

Our EU residency allows us a max of 90 days, in a 180 day period, in Croatia. And since they are still not formally part of the EU with “soft boarders” it’s strictly enforced - even if you are arriving and leaving by sea. Needing to exit by 3 September we have begun our journey down south to Dubrovnik, which brings me back to my plan. With my current state of couch potatoness I have decided we need a quick stopover in the mainland town of Makarska to climb the 1500m of the magnificent Vosac peak in the Biokovo national park. By all accounts this should take us nine hours and with the current European heatwave (aptly named Lucifer) blazing down on us it seems a fitting way to appease my lack of physical achievements for the past four months.

And so it is that we rushed out of Trogir midday, after stocking up on water and food, for an expected ten hour sail to Makarska. With a steady wind from behind we were averaging a comfortable 6 knots on broad reach and making excellent time. As expected the wind died after sunset and we continued on under engine. Shortly after dark, and literally within the space of five minutes, the forecasted 4 knots of SW breeze became an unforecasted 35 knots of howling NE - welcome to what the locals unafectionately refer to as the Bura.

Even with a third of our jib out for stability, the waves that wipped up in no time jostled everything on the tables down the stairs and around the cabin as we battled the wind. Grabbing life jackets we began making alternate plans where to spend the night. After dark and close to land the conditions had quickly become not only treacherous but also unmanageable, courtesy of the sideways swell. We headed into the closest bay for an emergency mooring, trusting the navigation systems as we rounded the headland in the pitch dark at 10 pm.

Using our 2000 lumen bicycle light to luminate the shore - and our distance from it - we tried to safely drop anchor in the crazy winds. After two failed attempts, and at least 20 minutes, a dinghy with two brave men emerged out of the darkness to assist. The sound of their voices was music to my ears; they were South Africans. Saffers to the rescue! We had been eyeing the line of yellow mooring bouys close to the rocks, but realized under these conditions we couldn’t safely secure to one on our own let alone see it in the dark.

The saffers not only came out in these horrendous conditions to assist but had us successfully tied to the bouy in no time at all. No sooner were we tied off than the Croatian owner of the bouys appeared in his little boat shouting 300 kuna, 300 kuna. No offer of assistance, no hello, just 300 kuna. We paid him in what Euro we had which he gladly took without as much as a thank you or goodbye as he sped off back into the darkness.

This morning, with a bottle of Spanish wine in hand, we dinghied over to the Saffers (Mark, Mitch, Marie and Mom) to say thank you for coming to our rescue. They were the first fellow countrymen that we have seen in such a long time and it was so great connecting over a cup of coffee. There is something to be said about our nationality, that we cannot resist helping another in distress - and boy was I grateful last night.

We tried hard but we couldnt find a single weather tool or model that reflected the winds we were exposed to. I guess that’s just part of this life we need to be prepared for and if we had lived though this two years ago we would have been nervous wrecks this morning. Excuse the wreck reference. As it is we have taken it in our stride, notching up another experience and learning.

Now I sit here under the slopes of mount Vosac looking up to tomorrow’s adventure before we continue on our way to Dubrovnik, the Greek Ionians and finally Spain.

I know it’s been a quiet few months in blogging... but I have a feeling that’s all about to change 🙌 🔱✨💛

#jacioutthere