Spending the night at anchor has a special magic of its own, even when the weather is not ideal.
So it seems that those of us who enjoy anchoring may be facing hard times, or will have to sail out of season, when the weather is less agreeable, but there are fewer boats around, if we want to find completely empty bays.
There are many bays on the Croatian islands and coastline where you may drop anchor for the night. Many of them are uninhabited and unspoiled, while some have only the odd house on the shore. Others have a few houses, fishing huts, or small fishing villages. Each has its own charm. We hope they will stay this way, at least for the foreseeable future. For even though the islands are being developed, most bays suitable for anchoring have been spared development into commercial marinas. However, some have been turned into organised anchorages, with concessionaires managing the buoys, anchor chains and mooring ropes. It often happens that, just when you have made fast and poured yourself a drink in the cockpit, the concessionaire arrives in a little boat to collect his fee. The placing of buoys has destroyed the charm of some anchorages to some extent, since there are now more boats at anchor and more bays have been made accessible to those who would otherwise not choose to anchor overnight. It used to be the case that only experienced sailors and mariners, who knew the Adriatic archipelago well, would anchor overnight. Now the bays are full of charter boats and inexperienced sailors, so sometimes it is difficult to find the peace and romance we enjoyed in the past. On the other hand, this development has made anchoring safer and provided space for more boats. This is particularly important in the northern Adriatic, where summer squalls are more frequent than in the south. In some places (and this should be regulated properly) the concessionaire is also responsible for rubbish removal in the bay, safety measures, and other small but important services, such as bringing bread and supplies to your boat. It is good to have someone on call.
