When sailing around Hvar, it feels as though you are passing from one world into another. Along the island’s eighty nautical miles of coastline, the scenes and landscapes constantly change. The vibrant and exuberant town of Hvar, with its Pakleni Islands on the southwestern coast — here, everything brims with life, and hundreds of boats crisscross the Pakleni Channel. The sun-drenched coves of Milna and Dubovica, with their white, virgin beaches, await those heading east along the southern shore. Further toward Sućuraj, at the eastern tip of the island, the coastline becomes harsh and inhospitable. It offers no shelter to sailors, but their gaze is rewarded with steep slopes of Sveta Nedilja, Ivan Dolac, and Zavala, where vineyards seem to reach toward the sky. Just like in ancient times, safe harbor can only be found on Hvar’s satellite island — Šćedro. The Hvar hills fade away and descend toward Sućuraj, a village seemingly making its way toward the mainland and the mouth of the Neretva River.
Northern Side
On the northern side, all the way to Jelsa, we find ourselves in an entirely different environment. Instead of the open sea to the south, here our view is closed off by the rugged Biokovo mountain range. If the northeasterly winds descend from Biokovo, it will be difficult to find shelter before reaching Jelsa, 22 miles away. In the solitary coves of Bristova, Pokrvenik, and Stiniva along this route, the inhabitants are more oriented toward the fields that climb up the hills behind them than toward the sea.
Again, a completely different scene unfolds around Jelsa and Vrboska, two charming towns on the northern coast. Both Jelsa with its harbor and Vrboska, with its unique, almost mile-and-a-half-deep inlet, invite sailors to enter. The coves stretching to Cape Kabal resemble the outspread fingers of a human hand when seen from the air — a beautiful example of several such unique formations on our islands. Sailing into the Stari Grad Bay, which reaches four miles inland, feels like entering a northern fjord. But its many coves, lush vegetation, and Hektorović’s small town at the very end of the bay will bring you back to the reality of the Mediterranean. Further on toward Cape Pelegrin, more white beaches and small seaside settlements appear. A glance toward the hilltops reveals that these are the harbors of the once-great inland villages of Grablje and Brusje.
Back towards the town of Hvar
As we sail westward, the ships of the Adriatic passenger fleet — rushing from Split to the Central Dalmatian islands and back — increasingly catch our eye. There is also the old ferry port of Vira, now a welcome mooring spot for fishermen. Then, rounding Cape Pelegrin, we return to the town of Hvar — the circle is complete! The voyage around the island is done.
