Stiniva is a bay, you can easily overlook if sailing too far off the coast.

Solid cliffs on every side, around 15 meters depth in front of the entrance where most boats anchor and a beautiful pebble beach inside.

In the middle of the cliffs there is an entrance through which only smaller boats can sail.

There is a small "konoba" (a small restaurant/bar) right on the beach and you can get a cold beer there and they even grilled lamb and fish when we were there.

When anchoring there a little warning: seabed is rock and it is pretty deep so check your anchor whether it holds or not before swimming to the beach.

When sailing around Vis Island Green Cave is a nice place to see.

It is a cave with two entrances, connected by a stone pillar. There is a hole in the ceiling of the cave, through which sunlight comes in illuminating it bright green.

Green Cave on Ravnik Island is not as well hidden as Blue Cave on Biševo Island and not as famous as the Blue Cave. There is no problem getting in the cave with the dinghy but it is not as fascinating as in Blue Cave.
Still, it is worth stopping by when sailing by.

When we stopped in Vis Caravanstage theatre was giving a performance on their ship Amara Zee.

Caravan Stage is a theatre from Canada and the performers are acrobats from all over the world. They live off donations they collect at their performances though the shows are free of charge.

The performance we saw showed their view on current political and economical situation in the world today.

They had some trouble hanging onto their ropes dangling from the masts when a ferry Petar Hektorović docked in the port and produced a nasty swell so Amara Zee rocked for the next 10 minutes.

Komiška fešta is an event for which the whole Island lives for the whole year!

People come to Komiža from all over Adriatic to party at the fisherman’s night in Komiža. There are even organized trips from Split. If you want to get a berth or a buoy for the fešta, you better arrive at least at 1PM or no berth for you.

They put 60 buoys in front of the pier on N part of the bay last year because anchor didn’t hold to well there.

The party is really worth seeing. Different bands performing on center stage, delicious fish and lamb grilled right on the waterfront, people getting drunk, … very nice 

Blue Cave is situated in Balun Bay on Biševo Island. It is one of the most famous attractions on Adriatic.

Because of the underwater tunnel the cave lights up in magnificent blue color. The sunlight reflects from the white basin some 10 to 12 meters deep. The best part of the day to visit the Blue Cave is from 11AM ‘till 1PM.

The cave is 24 meters long and it has 15 meters ceiling. Just under the surface there is an underwater stone bridge connecting the two walls of the cave.

Blue cave was originally accessible only through its underwater tunnel through which the light comes in. Baron Eugen von Ransonet who first discovered the cave and painted it, suggested that a small tunnel is dug for small boats to te able to get in the cave. It was dug in 1884.

More than 10.000 tourists visit the cave each year through the 1.5 m high and 2.5 m wide tunnel on small dinghies.

If you visit the Blue Cave and anchor your boat in Balun Bay – a fair warning: it is deep and rocky bottom so anchor won’t hold very well. It is best for a part of the crew to stay onboard and see the cave in two groups.

Southern side of Biševo Island offers a magnificent view and there is a cave you can go into with your dingy. The depth falls fast from 25 meters right by the cliffs to 95 and over 100 m only about 50 m or so away from the cliffs.

Under the highest peak of Biševo – Stražbenica (239 m above sea level) there is a large cave you can explore with your dingy but a part of the crew must stay on the boat, because the seabed is rock and it is very deep there so you probably won’t have enough anchor chain to anchor your boat anyway.

We stopped there last year and went to the restaurant Tomić. Simple but ok just a little steep considering we didn’t have exactly first class fish and only a couple portions of fries.

More like brunch really. 1900 kuna which is about 250€, for 6 people no desert, no coffee and not much wine. I don’t know. I’ve had better for such money at Kornati and it’s supposed to be expensive there.

We went there on a recommendation from a friend. The old Tomić used to grill fresh fish on a stone slab and it didn’t cost much. Now times have changed.

Anyway, Porat is interesting for the seal cave as well. It is situated on the northern shore of the bay and you can swim inside or take your dingy if it is not too big and the tide is not high. Inside there is a small pebble beach and the tunnel continues into the rocks.

This is how Hvar looked like 50 years ago. It didn’t change much as you can see from a more recent photo.

There are some new hotels, that lie on the other side of the bay and the town itself grew a bit, but other than that, not much difference.

If you stop by with a boat, there is not much chance you will be able to dock at the main pier or drop anchor in front of the port for that matter. Hvar is very busy during the season so getting a free berth is a matter of luck.

There is ACI marina Palmižana across on Sv. Klement Islands – a part of Pakleni Islands, but it is also quite full during season.

Moli Onte restaurant is where you feel like you’re visiting an old friend, where the food is great, especially grilled fish, and where prices are not as steep as at some places across Adriatic.

Do not ask for a menu. Take what has been caught in the morning and what they grew in their own backyard. They also offer delicious olive oil they produce themselves! We always leave with a couple of bottles.

There are buoys in front of the restaurant and if you are on a charter boat you don’t even have to lower your dinghy because they come and pick you up and deliver you back to your boat.

The bay itself is relatively open so there can be some swells from other boats and ships passing by as well as winds except bora (NE wind).

About a mile and a half SE from Milna on Hvar Island there is an interesting natural port with a breakwater made of rock.

There are buoys in this natural port which belong to a local restaurant. This natural port called Zub oz Zaraća is protected from winds from all sides, except from SW to SE.

It is a good thing that the restaurant owner put those buoys there, otherwise no one would be able to stop there, because the depth is too big to drop anchor.

If there are winds from the South it is better to hide in Malo Zaraće on the West side-towards Milna.