Nine Today - Goodbye Mamma Mia

Bitter Sweet. Last day in Croatia and Laine's 9th Birthday...
The dawn broke with mixed emotions

Dad forced everyone out of bed as we headed North toward Mamma Mia's home base and a special anchorage for Laine's 9th Birthday.

Hayden hung out in the cubby under the cockpit table

The Birthday Boy. Himself.

We arrived at Party Central.

Fantastic - all of our new friends got the invitation!

Happy 9th Birthday Laine!


One Well Wisher even painted their house just for the occasion! Bet the neighbours love that yellow!

Hey Mum, if this is the last gelato I am going to make it a good one!

Hayden had a huge day and crashed out in the cubby under the cockpit table... Toss a coin to see who carries him to bed!

Bye Croatia.

Five Weeks on the boat? Nah, no way. That couln't have been five weeks! Hope you enjoyed our Pirate Adventure. See you Soon.

Love from the Crew of Mamma Mia. XOXOXOXO

Wake me up before you Go Go to see famous Marco Polo!

No Sleeping In. No Way. Now that the Pirate Puzzle was solved, our two young travellers were dead keen to get to Korcula to visit the birth place of Great Grandad Robert and their fellow adventurer, Marco Polo. We cruised into the harbour of Racisce where Donna's Grandad was born.

As we arrived there was room to dock on the Pier. Donna declared - 'If any visiting boat is qualified to tie up on that dock - it's the HomeComing Queen - Mamma Mia!" And so it was -

Hey, that's Great Grandad's house, up by the church!

Let's take a walk and pick some wildflowers for Mum!

Yes Yes, Marco Polo house - just follow that road past the harbour, up around the headland, down past the next bay, over the next hill, down again, round the corner .... well, you'll get there eventually........  Korcula Town, where Marco Polo was born!

We made it!

Marco Emilio Polo. Did you know that at the time he was alive there was no word for 'million'. Everyone used the term, 'thousand, thousand'. Marco had so many tales to tell of huge riches in China and the East a new number was needed. So his middle name came to be used  for 'thousand thousand' - Emilio - which then became 'Million'.  How's that for a legacy! We checked out his house:

"Check out those olives, Oil" said Popeye....

Mum and Dad were busy drinking again....

What were we to do but have another Gelato!

Stay tuned for the final instalment - Laine's 9th birthday, 15 Oct 2010.

Love from the motley crew of Mamma Mia.

Mutiny on Mamma Mia...

On a quiet island, not far from Korcula, two little angels are giving their darling Mum a cuddle

When suddenly, they duck around a bend in the bay, break out a pirate ship hidden there, whip out sharp, cruel swords and pitiless pistols and ambush Capt'n Craig who is sleeping off his big lunch under a shady tree. They jump up and down on his tummy, tie him up with big tight ropes, gag him and take him prisoner..

Imprisoned on the Pirate Ship, Capt'n Craig can only guess at his fate...

And wets his sea boots when he lays eyes on the ugliest pirate of them all - the one with a face full of pimples from eating too much sugar - Capt'n  Candy Zit!

 "Don't let them kill me, Capt'n Zit, I'll give you anything you want - how about some lollies!"


"Lollies eh, have you got any sour straps on board Mamma Mia?" asked the scoundrel 'Yes, Yes and Gobstoppers and um Oreo Biscuits. You can even have the Chocolates I have stashed on Korcula Island!" blubbered cowardly Capt'n Craig. The ugly old Pirate Boss ordered the young mutineers to take Mamma Mia and sail it off to Korcula Island to dig up the booty..

But on Korcula, Capt'n Craig the Coward threw off his disguise

- he was the baddest, meanest, nastiest Pirate of them all.

He turned the tables on the two youngsters, ate all the lollies, chopped their swords into pieces, smashed their pistols and put them to work scrubbing the decks and catching up on their Reading, Riting and Rithmatic!

Ha Ha its Hvar!

We were just floating around wondering where to go when a friendly wind came along and blew us straight to Hvar Island.   No one on our boat could pronounce the name 'Hvar' so we just named it Ha Ha! ... It sure turned out to be fun!  For all the keen sailors out there, here's a shot of our yacht instruments on the way  there. The little black speck on the map is Mamma Mia!

 Once we got to Ha Ha, we pulled up in a deserted bay on a mooring. The water was 13 mtrs deep but so clear we could see the ropes leading to the mooring block on the bottom!

In fact it was so clear we could see all of Donna too!

Honey is that a shark down there?? (Just kidding, no maneaters in Croatia... Wow, look at my beautiful wife - not bad for 25 eh?)

OK OK, back to the blog.... the boys turned our bumper bollards into personal water craft:

Laine perfected his rowing

Then passed on his tips to Hayden

Darling - quick - camera - in the dinghy... They are getting along!

Hey - just remembered. We got married ten years ago today! Lets visit Ha Ha Harbour to have lunch and buy some champagne!

After a quick bowl of Calamari Risotto and what we thought was just a small amount of Vino we appear to have trouble identifying out faithful dinghly in the Ha Ha Harbour...

Luckily our kids got us back to the boat in one piece and we headed for the nearby 10th Wedding Anniversary Island for a candlelight dinner...

Made it just before dark

And dinghied in for dinner....

No photos after dinner.....

Big Blow No. 3 and Bubbles the Car

There we were having a lovely time visiting Gordana Russell's Auntie Nada and  her family and feasting on homemade goodies in the beautiful old harbour town of Vodice.



The Harbour at Sunrise...


We're still swimming (Donna got in too)!

Then ... By now you know the drill... up comes this report from the Croatian Marine Forecast:

WARNING

GUSTS OF SE WIND 30-45 KNOTS AND SEA LOCALLY IN THE OPEN UP TO 5, DIMINISHING IN THE NORTH AND TURNING BRIEFLY IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH ADRIATIC IN THE AFTERNOON AND IN THE EVENING TO SW, THEN TO NW 30-40 KNOTS.

South East to North West???  We need a 360 degree harbour! Hmm, sounds like a marina job. We hike quickly back to Sunsail Base at Kremik and tie up with lots of big ropes at our marina berth. Let's hire Bubbles the Car and head off on the wrong side of the road to explore!

Brmm Brmm. Drive North along the coast. Climb to the top of the town at Sibenik.

Brmm Brmm. Drive South along the coast. The Merchants of Venice made lots of money at upmarket Trogir.

Let's wander down the Promenade to mingle with our new friends...


All that money needed lots of protection!

Hey Mum, we're starving. How about pizza, wine and salad in a four hundred year old restaurant in the old town? The single grape vine covers the whole courtyard and is loaded with fruit. Yes boys, the grape vine is the same age as Grandad! $40 takes care of the lot then we finish up with espresso and gelato in the square! Who cares about the windy weather...

Ivan our Restaurant Host takes great care of us and takes a shine to the boys.. Thanks Ivan - you're cool!