CROATIA CALLING

PART 2 OPATIJA TO SIMUNI ON THE ISLE OF PAG

Iagain, we set off from Opatija on the Croatian Riviera for Marina Punat on the island of Krk. Instead of taking the direct route to the southeast past the island of Cres, we choose a detour that leads us through the northern part of the Velebit Canal. Despite the name, the Velebit Canal is actually a strait in the upper Adriatic Sea separating mainland Croatia from the offshore islands and is about 130km long. Due to the prevailing Bora wind, combined with a local jet effect through the Velebit Mountains, it is one of the most dangerous stretches of water in the world. In winter, peak wind speeds of up to 150mph have been recorded – that’s more than twice the speed of hurricane Force 12 on the Beaufort scale and even the notorious Cape Horn rarely sees winds of more than 100mph!

Thankfully, the conditions during our passage are nowhere near as life-threatening. However, after passing under the double bridge to the island of Krk, the previous calm does quickly pick up into a gusty Force 5-6 wind. The wave reflections from the near vertical