With Jane, Angus, Morva, Katerina, Neil, Wendy, Janet, Sandy & Karen
Our group was based on the island of Molat, approximately 30 miles west of Zadar, with equipment, food, accomodation and Borna our wonderful local guide, all being provided through Malik Adventures.
After a 3am start which involved cars, planes and a ferry, most of us arrived on the island in the dark that evening rather travel weary but very excited to get in our boats the next morning. Two of our group unfortunately missed missed their flights and arrived the next day instead (no names 🤭).
We used several access/egress points on the island over the 5 days of kayaking to enable us to travel further in all directions.
Day 1 – having got comfortable in our kayaks we headed south west to see a shipwreck which lay just under the surface of the water. Some of the group snorkelled in the warm waters to get a better look and others took the opportunity to practice deep water rescues. As landing spots were not always in abundance, the group became rather adept at deep water re-entries due to us drinking lots to stay hydrated in the sunshine! Lunch was at the lighthouse at Svjetionik Veli Rat followed by a pleasant journey home covering 21km.
Day 2 – we headed south to the Bozava islands through the beautiful open waters of the Seven Gates. En route we stopped at an underground tunnel which was used to hide submarines. Another unusual experience for us and one which provided amazing acoustics for Wendy’s singing! A short paddle took us over to the island of Otok Zverinac where we swam, snorkelled, lunched and even found a shop with ice cream. We finished our day on the east coast of Molat having covered 26km.
Day 3 – our group kayaked through pleasant conditions up the north east coast of Molat and over to the island of Ist where most of us climbed a steep hill to the church of St Mary where there were magnificent views of the archipelago. A shorter day of 17km was followed by one of many fantastic meals which included squid, sea bream, sea bass, tuna, steak and lamb all cooked in a traditional outdoor kitchen in a ‘Croatian style’ Dutch oven over burning coals.
Day 4- setting off from the east of the island we had a wonderful long mornings paddle down the east of Sestrunj and across to the smaller island of Rivanj. We were at this point half way across to Zadar and although one person (?) did suggest paddling all the way over; having snorkelled and swum and practised rolls and rescues, the majority vote won and we opted to load our kayaks onto the next passing ferry and enjoy an ice cream on deck having covered 19km.
Day 5 – the weather surprised us all on what was our longest paddle of over 26km. We headed west into menacing skies and sure enough had to take ourselves onto a handy island to sit out a full blown thunder/lightening storm due to reduced visibility. Most of the group had not anticipated this weather or brought cag tops and thermals so it was a rather chilly group that then went on to kayak past several islands through some rather bouncy conditions. Lesson learnt, always be prepared for Scottish weather!
In summary this was a fantastic 5 days of kayaking over 110km through wide open crossings interspersed with lovely islands. The sun shone most of the time and the sea was warm. Despite not all knowing each other before the trip, we ended with us all having formed a close bond and full intentions to paddle again together, perhaps even somewhere else warm!? Many thanks to our local guide Borna who entertained us with his excellent jokes and freshly brewed coffee each lunchtime. And a massive thank you to Jane who made this trip happen.
Karen (gatecrasher from NESKy)