Leaving Brač for Hvar

Sunday 29 September

We are just setting sail. The weather has come in and the sea is choppy. I have taken an antihistamine in anticipation - the one I asked Kathryn to send from the UK (these are meant to be good for motion sickness, so we will sea/see!).

We are meant to be staying the night here at the port of Bol on Brač Island but the captain is ‘making tracks’ for a more sheltered berth for the night - we are moving on to the island of Hvar.

We have just come on board from a coffee in Bol (on the other side of the island from Milna where we spent last night). I managed to quickly squeeze out yesterday's blog while at the café where there was wi-fi.

We (the group) rode over to here from Milna (45 kms with all bar 8 kms of it climbing - a total of 880m climbing; a fair day's work). It has been an overcast day that has not improved and gusts of wind have picked up as well.

We rode through Bobovišće where I had ridden to yesterday.

Then uphill all the way from there. Lots of drystone walls dividing the rocky hillsides into plots used for crops or herding. As I arrived at the top, there was a mountain rescue helicopter landing in amongst the trees - I was wondering what My Friend had got up to now! But all was OK - they were just doing some practice exercises. (Mind you, he told me later he had fallen off his bike whilst riding around on the flat back at the port!! - can't take him anywhere!!).

We stopped for lunch at the 35 km mark at Gažul. It was a great setting in the middle of nowhere amongst stone dwellings.

Lunch was very traditional: cooked over hot coals - a roaring fire with all sorts of meats and lots of roasted veggies.

We sat at a long table under pine trees with pots of local wines as well - the red was quite good although I could not have much of this as there were still 10 kms of riding to go.

My Friend got a lift up when the boat moored in Bol (organised by Damir our bike leader - very nice!). So he was able to join us for lunch and ride along the top after lunch (some undulations) then the 8 km descent into Bol. This is his photo:

The ride was very well organised with Damir leading and Ivana at the back, keeping everyone together and with designated spots organised to meet up, if you went ahead. There was good camaraderie, especially noticeable at lunch. Some struggled with the climbing but most made it, with just 2 or 3 getting lifts near the top.

At Bol, before the boat departed, we enjoyed a coffee and caught some wi-fi briefly. My Friend checked out that his washing wasn't being blown away into the sea while we were at the café!

[Big swell happening. Will stop here.]

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We docked safely in the safe harbour at Jelsa on Hvar Island after a rough crossing - but I didn't get sick! We walked around, had a good meal of pasta and fish onboard, walked some more as our tummies were full, and am now in bed. Lightning flashing in the distance.