Man's best friend, indeed
Laura Butterbrodt
Multimedia Journalist
Setting sail / Milna, Brač
July 10 & 11
We got to the marina and immediately met one of our fellow trip-goers, Yota from Greece! She offered for us to sit with her at her table in the shade, then as we got to talking, we realized we were going on the same trip! Not long after, the rest of our fellow sailors showed up. Everyone else was from the Pittsburgh area because the yoga instructor, Marta, is from Pittsburgh and recruited everyone to join her. It was really fun that a lot of people had connections to each other, and it was really easy to get to know everyone.
We headed over to the store to stock up on beverages for the week, and stock up we did! Then we lugged it all over to the (wrong) boat. Once we got everything on OUR sailboat "Nabucco" and our crew was ready for us, we got our introduction to the trip with a nice meat and cheese tray and some prosecco. We met our skipper/captain Geoff and our hostess Vallery, and then it was time to set sail toward the island of Brač with a quick swim stop in Split!
RIP Funboy Barbie
Our boat had five bedrooms - four for guests to share and a bunk room for the crew. There were also three small bathrooms, so Sidney and I got our own room with a bathroom at the bow of the boat on the port side — that's the left-side front for you non-nautical folks. ;) Each day, we would set out on the water mid-morning and tie up to a dock in a harbor, then sleep on the boat while docked at night.
Our boat also had Marta (our yoga instructor), Maura and Andrew. We were the absolute perfect match! We all commenced our trip by breaking out a few bottles of wine because we HAD to Rosé all day. There were likely several factors at play here — getting our sea legs, the heat, going below deck, or *possibly* the wine, but Kristen and I were feeling a bit seasick. Luckily the trip to Milna wasn't long, and we felt much better in no time!
We got to Milna at sunset, and were sent on our way to the restaurant where our group was getting dinner. There were two other boats on the yoga sailing trip with us, and one of them had the rest of the Pittsburgh crew and Yota. After several shufflings around at tables at the restaurant, the flustered waitstaff was able to accommodate our large party. I ordered some grilled chicken and fries — not very exciting, I know, but I get more adventurous as the trip progresses!
After dinner, Sid, Hannah, Kristen and I went for a walk around the harbor and stopped at a bar with live music for a drink. We were joined by John from our trip, and then to our PLEASURE and SURPRISE, were serenaded by a band that seemed to have been made with some extra volunteer singers, including the iconic Mr. Vocals, who was conducting the group even though we weren't sure he was even part of the band. We also met a mysterious man who at one point meowed and ran away. All in all it was an unforgettable evening that really solidified to me that I was back in the Balkans, baby!
(This website won't let me upload the videos of the serenade, sorry!) :(
We did miss the first morning yoga session the next day, but were able to attend both breakfasts. Vallery served two amazing breakfasts every day, which included banana splits today! She also made the BEST lunches. When I saw in the trip itinerary that breakfast and lunch was included, I assumed it would be a light selection of generic snacks or a few fruits, but the food on the boat was just as amazing as what we were buying at the restaurants! Like I said, I was eating good this whole week.
After breakfast, we were off to the next island already!
