There is nothing better than a friend with a boat

This was what I like to call the impossible trip. We were trying to plan a vacation where my parents could be with all four grandkids at the same time, and we wanted it to be absolutely epic, and it was.

Our family is spread all over the world — Perth in Australia, São Paulo in Brazil, and Washington, DC in the US — so we had to pick a destination that would be equally inconvenient for everyone to fly to:

In the end, we landed on Croatia.

We rented Vi La Ut, a Lagoon 50 catamaran, for this adventure.

The plan was simple: spend an unforgettable week sailing through the Croatian islands together.

This beauty is Vi La Ut, our Lagoon 50 rented from Navigare and our floating home for the week. She has 6 cabins, 4 heads, and plenty of space to comfortably fit 12 people.

Come take a little tour of the boat with us.

Our Trip, Day by Day

Day 1 – Boarding the boat

As is standard in the Mediterranean, we boarded around 5 p.m. in Trogir, did a quick walkthrough, and set off right away for a nearby bay to spend our first night at anchor, making the most of those long early July days.

It was a calm and peaceful anchorage. We swam, watched the sunset from the water, and ended the day with a relaxed dinner on board.

Day 2 – Sailing to the island of Vis

Vis is about 30 miles (50 km) from where we spent the first night, and since the forecast called for great wind, we took full advantage and had a fantastic sail across.

When we arrived, we made a quick stop in the town of Komiža on the west side of the island, then found a quiet little bay about 1.5 miles south of town, which we had almost to ourselves for the night.

Before the day was over, we loaded some of us into the dinghy and headed back into Komiža for a well-deserved round of ice cream.

Day 3 – Exploring Vis

We had a slow, lazy morning with breakfast by the beach, and decided to linger there for a while before sailing in the afternoon.

Later in the day we set off to circle the island and moved to a well-protected bay on the east side of Vis for the night. The forecast called for strong overnight winds, and it was absolutely the right call — the gusts climbed over 35 knots even inside our supposedly sheltered anchorage.

Day 4 – Blue Lagoon in the morning, then sailing to the Pakleni Islands

We kicked off the day at the famous Blue Lagoon for some swimming and snorkeling in that unreal turquoise water. Then we set sail and enjoyed an incredible downwind leg, riding the last of the strong winds from the night before. With a steady 20-knot breeze, our six-cabin floating apartment was happily cruising along at about 9 knots — pretty impressive for such a big, heavy boat!

When we reached the Pakleni Islands, we picked a pretty little bay for the night and tried our first Mediterranean mooring: dropping the anchor at the bow and tying the stern lines to rocks on shore. It’s not exactly a beginner-friendly maneuver, especially with Croatia’s rocky seabed that makes it hard to get the anchor to really bite, but after a bit of effort we got set and were rewarded with another magical evening.

Day 5 – Hvar and refilling our water tanks

One of the few downsides of Vi La Ut was the lack of a watermaker. With 12 people on board, even being careful with water use, our tanks dropped faster than we’d hoped and we needed to make a stop to refill.

After topping up the water, we sailed to the western end of Hvar and found a small bay where we dropped anchor for a few hours. We swam, snacked, and soaked in the scenery before moving on to another quiet, empty bay to spend the night.

Day 6 – Visiting Stari Grad and sailing to Brač

We started the day sailing to Stari Grad, still on the island of Hvar, a charming, beautifully preserved little town. We docked for a couple of hours to stretch our legs, pick up a few groceries, enjoy some ice cream and espresso, and then set off again toward Brač, where we anchored for the night near Milna.

That evening I left the rest of the family on the boat and took Ale ashore for a dinner date in town, then we rode the dinghy back under the stars.

Day 7 – Refueling in Milna and sailing back to Trogir

We decided to refill the diesel tanks in Milna, which turned into quite an experience. We spent about an hour waiting our turn in a line of boats, all drifting around in the wind, wakes, and current — not exactly a relaxed situation, and definitely a good test of the captain’s boat-handling skills. In the end it was just a long, uneventful wait, and once we were fueled up, we pointed the bow back toward Trogir. The day started with very light wind, but it picked up steadily, and by the time we reached the marina we had a solid 25-knot breeze. Docking a 50-foot catamaran in those conditions was another challenge, but the crew did an amazing job and we nailed it on the first attempt without any drama.

That wrapped up our sailing week. To celebrate, we went out for a final dinner in Trogir — the perfect ending to an already unforgettable trip.