A Swell Time

We are settling into a daily pattern now after spending three days on Lopud Island - get up at 8, breakfast at 9, start kayaking at 10.  Beers in the late afternoon, followed by dinner and conversation from 7:30 to 10:30. 

Bruce, Bob, and Vedran (our guide)

On Sunday we took our longest paddle so far, about 12 miles.  It was a fun day, leaving the backside of Lopud Island and paddling across the channel to Kolocep Island, then circumnavigating that island, having lunch, and paddling back to the front side of Lopud Island.  The water is crystal clear, shaded alternately turquoise and sapphire blue.  It was fun paddling along the limestone cliffs and jagged rocks and into little grottos along the route.  The weather report for the day called for rain from noon to six, and it was raining in the morning before we left for our trip.  Luckily, the rain stopped before we finished breakfast.  Over the mainland, we could see and hear thunderstorms and occasional lightning, but they never quite reached us and we ended up with really nice weather all day long. 

We stopped about halfway around Kolocep to jump off the rocks into a sheltered little pool and we ran into another group of kayakers with the same company as ours. 

Max and Bruce at the Pizzeria

We picked up one of their passengers, Max, a strapping young Canadian who was too seasick to continue with his group, and had decided to return to Kolocep harbor with us.  He started out in fairly good shape but after about an hour, he looked horrible. I don't think a person could turn any whiter.  At one point Bob looked over and was wondering how Max could possibly be passing me given that he didn't appear to be paddling, and he realized that Vedran had tied Max's kayak to his and was towing him.  At that point Max was just slumped over and wishing he was anywhere but there.  However, once we reached land and had some lunch, he perked back up, especially knowing he would be taking the ferry home rather than having to paddle back across the channel to Dubrovnik.

Jason and Jan at lunch

After lunch, we had our work cut out for us as the winds picked up a little bit and were blowing slightly against us all the way home.  Paddling along the Lopud coastline was challenging in the wind and swells, but as we rounded the last point, Vedran looked at me as said, "The water is interesting here..."  That is apparently kayak-guide code for "If you thought you were working hard before, you haven't seen anything yet!"  Up to that point, the island had blocked some of the wind and kept the swells down, but now we were paddling straight into it. It reminded me a bit of body-surfing the beaches of Southern California -- with three to five foot swells which would occasionally swish over the bow and side of the kayaks and give us just enough fear of capsizing to keep things interesting.

The day ended with drinks overlooking the harbor, where Jen learned that when you order a gin and tonic, you pay for both the gin and the tonic, making the drink quite expensive.  Another interesting fact:  sodas cost more than beer, providing a good excuse for Bob and Bruce to keep the cold ones coming.