Krka National Park

On the 1st of June we set off from Zadar Marina and sailed south to anchor at Otok Vrgada.  Our intention was to reach Kornati national park the next day but realised we were within reach of Krka national park as well.  Krka is known for being accesable by yacht despite being several kilometres up a river.  You have to pass under bridges and across a lake to be rewarded with the most spectacular network of waterfalls. So we set to work researching a visit to Krka.

Otok Vrgada was a perfect stop over for the night -a wonderful sandy beach for Zefi and Dor to enjoy and another motionless night on anchor.  We are noticing and increase in the number of boats in anchorages as the season approaches. The charter boats often take the mooring buoys whereas we prefer to anchor so we've had no trouble yet finding space.

The next morning Julia led a yoga session as we made our approach to the Krka national park and the impressive fortifications guarding the estuary.

We had a pulse raising moment as a police boat, siren blaring raced towards us. Thankfully it sped on past, leaving us and others flailing around in it's huge wake.

We were making our approach to Šibenik Bridge when there was scream from below deck.  Zefi had managed to close a door with Theodore's thumb in the hinge.  The poor boy was in agony and the thumb looked well crushed.  Having had a similar incidence with Zefi that required surgery last year we were taking no changes so swung the boat around and headed to the town of ​Šibenik that we had just passed.

We tied up on the town quay and Julia took Theodore in a taxi to find a doctor.  She was turned away from a walk in clinic then failed to find anyone willing to help at the hospital. I was busy calling around private clinics and also failed to find help.  Deciding that his wound wasn't life threatening and seeing that he wasn't really that bothered by it we decided to give up and press on.

Our track as we approach the bridge again -hoping nothing goes wrong this time.

Passing under the bridge was exciting. I think our mast is 17m high, the bridge is 27m, yet it still looks like you are going to make contact as you approach!

We motored up the river, across a lake, up more river, under another bridge and reached the pretty little town of Skradin. This is as far as you can go before taking the Krka park ferry another 30 minutes under a low bridge and up to the falls.  We were ushered into a berth at the ACI marina -the most expensive so far at 175 Euro for the night!

Theodore with the mornings' drama well behind him!

We woke early on Tuesday the 2nd of June to catch the first ferry up the river to the national park.  The ferry was almost empty and we had the park to ourselves.

The waterfalls -Slapovi Krke did not disappoint! 
With its travertine waterfalls the Krka River is a natural phenomenon.
Travertine is a common feature of the surface waters of the Dinaric karst; only the most extraordinary travertine creates significant layers, which build the waterfalls seen on the Krka River.

Close to the falls is The Jaruga Hydroelectric Power Plant.  It was built  in 1895 and started operating just two days after Tesla’s hydroelectric plant at Niagara Falls

The park's clear water was brimming with life -the longer you look the more you see. The frogs vary in colour but give their presence away with their loud croaking.  The green pond turtle was a rarer spot by Julia and the children found the snake swimming in the marina.

After a memorable morning exploring the waterfalls we hopped on the ferry back down to the marina. By 2pm we had slipped our mooring and were making our way back down the river.  Thunderstorms were forecast for the following day so we needed to find a safe anchorage to weather potential gusts of 47 knots.

We found a shallow bay protected from most angles and set the anchor with plenty of chain for the night.  The next morning, safe and snug inside Dragonfly we hunkered down with a film, food and some admin to ride out the storm.  The wind peaked at 32 knots which is exciting but nothing to worry about. The rain was also dramatic but soon pasted, leaving a calm evening.