The Island of Vis

On a winding Adriatic sailing odyssey we stumbled on Vis.  A 35 sq mile island on the Western edge of the Croatian archipelago Vis boasted a gorgeous town and a seemingly unending collection of bays & inlets. The coast was the most beautiful of all the Croatian islands with steep limestone cliffs plunging to the waters edge and then straight down allowing us to sail extremely close to the shoreline.

 

The Vis Harbour featured a small “old town” to the South where labyrinthian streets threaded amongst Romanesque churches and Venetian villas.  The quay was chocker-block full of charter boats and everyone enjoyed a late afternoon swim followed by dinner ashore.  Vis reminded us of an island in the BVI.  At anchor I squinted my eyes and looked above the church spires of the two and could have been in Great Harbour, Jost Van Dyke.  We spent a morning anchored in the idyllic cove that featured one of the several submarine pens hollowed out of the limestone by the Yugoslavian navy.  This Cold War relic afforded awesome cliff jumping into the clear cool water.  

 

For meals we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Konoba Stoncica in the eponymously named bay on there Northeast corner of the island.  Tables were laid on the beach and the fresh grilled fish & vegetables were complimented by wine from the adjacent vineyard.  All the patrons were off yachts and we felt right at home.    Another cool fact about Vis is its where they filmed the sequel to Mamma Mia.