world of charter

This month we hear from Ryan Foland, who shares memorable moments aboard the 'Mooch' during a Croatian charter adventure.

Invited on the Trip of a Lifetime

My wife Cyn and I sat anchored at Big Geiger Cove, Catalina Island, off Southern California's coast. We were in the cockpit of Bingo, our 1977 Cal 34, visiting with our good friends Dave Binder and Daniele Newerth, whom we were sponsoring to be members of the Blue Water Cruising Club. Dave asked, "Do you guys have any plans in July?" With a smile, I said, "It depends." Dave told us that he and Daniele were joining another couple on a bareboat charter in Croatia, and they needed a third couple to fill out the boat. Cyn and I looked at each other and instantly had the same thought. We had always wanted to charter in international waters, and here was our chance to do it. "We are in!" I said.

We flew into Split and met up with Grayson, Lara, Dave, and Daniele at a small, swanky hotel. We oriented ourselves with the Roman ruins of Diocletian's Palace and the hotel rooftop pool and bar, as we prepared for our bareboat adventure. From the pool, I marveled at the megayachts dotting the panoramic views of the Adriatic Sea and anticipated sailing to a handful of the 718 Croatian islands over the coming week. would visit had markets, we kept our provisions light.

Franco explained that Moocher was a true reflection of its name since it was a boat that is "a giver." We looked at each other, knowing the definition of the word "moocher." Then he told us the owner named it after his ex-wife. We all laughed and shared the definition of "moocher" with him, and instantly fell in love with Moocher, dubbed "the Mooch." She was a Jeanneau 47, equipped with a fridge, freezer, solar panels, sound system, Wi-Fi, AC (that we never used), and three staterooms.

We left the dock around 6:30 p.m. on Friday and sailed to Krknjaš Veli, a small island near Marina Agana, for our first night's anchorage. We approached from the east, entering Blue Lagoon from the south, and anchored among 20 or so boats. We swam a bit before turning in.

We woke on our first day at sea, swam and had breakfast, and then set sail for Maslinica. We motored up in the dinghy and went ashore for our first excursion. The town was very quaint, the water impossibly clear. We decided to have lunch on the boat, so we walked the horseshoe shoreline, had a quick swim, and bought some food, including our first jar of truffles.

Meeting the Moocher

Chartering with Sunsail out of Marina Agana, we taxied from Split to take ownership of Moocher, our floating home for the week. We completed our orientation of the North and South Dalmatian Island chains and did a full boat checkout with Franco from Sunsail. Learning that most small towns we

Cyn, Lara, and Daniele enjoying the good life in Vis Harbor.

Dinner in Paradise

We sailed along the south coast of Šolta Island, and after checking out the Google reviews of a small restaurant called Lonely Paradise on an otherwise untouched bay, we settled on anchoring there for our second night. Tatinja Bay is shaped like two ears, and we stayed in the western ear, away from the moorings near the restaurant. We emailed the restaurant to see if they had a mooring for us, but they were full. We learned that many restaurants around the Dalmatian Islands offer a free mooring or dock tie overnight, but we never took advantage of this on our trip. We set a bow anchor and tied our stern line to a rock on the shore. Once again, we found

RYAN FOLAND ourselves in postcard-worthy waters swimming, snorkeling, and cliff jumping. We had a dinner reservation for 7:30 p.m. and all six of us

Spread: 'Moocher' in Tatinja Bay, Šolta, with Ryan, Cyn, Dave, Daniele and Lara aboard. Inset: The gang snags a selfie after hiking to Vela Spila on Korcula Island. ˇ

SPREAD GRAYSON FISHER; INSET RYAN FOLAND

piled into the dinghy, which we named the Mini Mooch. We were fixated on the cove's coastline looking for evidence of Lonely Paradise, and first found the dock. As I left the dinghy, I saw the sun set over the far side of the cove, the rich orange and red blended together. As I blinked hard, I could still see the brightness of the sun burnt into my eyes. I pointed to the horizon and everyone turned to look. We all had a moment, then headed up the hill for one of the most memorable nights and meals. Boaters flocked to the restaurant and the energy was high. We took shots with a group of Austrians, ate, drank, and were merry. After dinner, we went back to the boat for nightcaps and swimming.

A Devastating Lesson Learned

The next morning, a little hungover from the house-made wine, Cyn and I decided that we would go for a snorkel

before everyone else got up. The waters were clear as the rooftop pool from five days prior, and as we sat on the swim step, we smiled and took it all in. Cyn nudged herself off and into the water first, and before I could follow, she popped up frantically gasping for air, trying to say something to me. "The cross, the cross, it broke off!" As soon as I understood what she'd said, I took a massive breath and torpedoed straight down.

She was referring to her grandma's cross. Before the trip, we talked about whether to bring it with us, because it was irreplaceable. We both know not to bring anything on a boat that we aren't willing to lose overboard, but we made an exception. Grandma always wanted to travel, yet couldn't. We decided to bring Grandma's cross so she could travel with us in spirit. I kept diving the 20 feet to the rocky floor, over and over with no luck. Soon, the rest of the crew woke up, jumped in, and joined in the search. I even borrowed scuba gear from a megayacht, but no one could find it. The cross lay deep between a pile of rocks 20 feet below the crystalclear waters off Lonely Paradise. It was devastating, but there couldn't have been a more perfect place to leave the cross.

After recording our coordinates, untying our stern line from the cliff, and pulling in the bow anchor, we decided to follow the lead of our Austrian friends and head to Vis Island. Cyn and I had a good cry as Šolta faded away with the reality of Grandma's cross setting in. We learned the most valuable lesson from the entire trip that day. It's one that we won't ever forget, nor should you. Material things can and will be misplaced but special memories remain forever.

CYN McKEE FOLAND Beam Reaching to Beach Bumming

After a nice walk around Vis, we weighed anchor around noon and decided to check out Stiniva as a possible stopping point before heading to another bay to anchor. The winds were strong from the start and we voted to round Vis Island to the north, which meant beating upwind. We tacked a few times, heeling and sipping our Aperol spritzes, doing our best not to spill. By the time we could round the northwest point of Vis Island near the end of Komiza Bay, the wind was in the high teens. The wind reached 30 knots at times, and with the apparent wind letting us sail a beam reach, we hit 9.4 knots. The Mooch and her 26,455 pounds kept launching forward, splitting the surprisingly flat Adriatic Sea like a hot knife into a block of fresh Croatian butter. Here we were, six friends, four days into our bareboat charter, 8,000 miles from home, having the time of our lives.

Then, as if to burst our bubble, a storm threatened to spoil our fun as the sky turned gray, but the storm front passed us to the east, and by the time we were entering Vis Bay, the skies were clearing.

Beaming from our record-breaking time around Vis, we made it to our destination of Stiniva Bay, another must-see beach that was a massive

Dave, Ryan, and Grayson also in Vis Harbor.

ALL PHOTOS RYAN FOLAND

Left: Sunset in Tatinja Cove from Lonely Paradise. Above: Charter boats can turn it on. Sailing around Vis Island with GPS showing our record speed of 9.4 knots.

cave thousands of years ago. To our surprise, the bay was larger than we'd thought and had about eight mooring balls, all taken when we arrived. But as luck would have it and thanks to Daniele's keen eye, a mooring opened up for us closest to the smaller bay and in the most prime position to enjoy the dramatic landscape. The mooring was, as all moorings we encountered, tied only to the bow. We followed the lead of some boats next to us and tied a stern line to the rocks to keep straight and snuggle up to the cliffs. We swam and drank as the sun set once again. Dave and Grayson cooked gnocchi in truffles, and spaghetti and meatballs, for dinner. Daniele and Lara made a great salad.

We woke in Stiniva and decided to hike uphill to get a better look at the bay and surroundings. It was a steep and somewhat challenging hike, but worth it for the view. We cooled off on shore with a swim and a beer from a cute, shabby hut on the rocky beach and watched as our little corner of paradise turned into a crazy, touristinfested wonder — dozens of tour boats arrived from the sea, and hikers appeared in our view. Feeling cramped, we set sail to Korcula Island. ˇ Cave Crusading to Barhopping

We picked up a mooring, and the next day hiked to a 10,000-year-old limestone cave called Vela Spila, one of the country's richest archaeological sites, known for early human habitation

since the Stone Age. It was a humbling moment to stand there in awe of civilization. Then with a feast that included community plates and blue lobsters, we painted the small town red.

Our final stop was Hvar, an island known for notorious parties. With the slips full, we opted to anchor along the coast, in the clear sightline of the terracotta stone houses, 13th century walls, a hilltop fortress, and plenty of beachside bars. We grabbed our dry bags and swam ashore, where we drank our fair share of margaritas and ate more than one bucket of fries. The scene was energetic and eclectic with bassfilled music, skimpy bathing suits, adults on floaties, and did I mention the margaritas?

A little rough around the edges the next morning, we struggled on our way to visit the fortress, Fortica, then set sail for Marina Agana where it all had begun. We ate our remaining food in a big smorgasbord meal, and did our best to polish off the remaining provisions of rum while recounting all the memorable moments on the Mooch.

Our Croatian adventure had all the elements you'd expect from a charter of a lifetime. I can still picture the cascading coastlines, friendly villages, cobblestone streets, the Mooch at anchor, and all the memories made with friends. I will be back, I guarantee it. Next time I hope to see you there! — ryan foland

Group cheers partying with mojitos and Aperol

Spritz in Hvar.

The 'Mooch' moored in Stiniva Bay, Vis Island, with Stiniva's limestone beach seen on right side.