THE
GOLDEN HORN AND SPLIT
Again,
the captain of the M/S Infinity knew what he was doing and we
left Hvar early to make Zlatni Rat before the crowds descended on this remarkable
beach. It was our last full day of traveling with Unforgettable Croatia, a
small ship luxury cruise line. We had traveled from Dubrovnik and had stops in
Mali Ston, Mljet, Korcula, Vis and Hvar and Split was the end of the line. But
before we would make the very busy port in Split, we had one last swim stop at Zlatni
Rat, or the Golden Horn.
Do an
internet search for Zlatni Rat and you will be amazed at this strikingly
beautiful (and extremely popular) beach. Located on the island of Brac near the
town of Bol, this 2,000-foot spit of white pebble beach extends into the cool clear
waters of a current that runs through here called the Hvar channel. This current and the different winds that grace
this land, like the Jugo, or south wind, and the westerly Maestral can over
time transform the direction of the Golden Horn so it will bend to the west or
east.
I have
wanted to return to Croatia ever since I saw the breathtaking aerial pictures
of this impossibly beautiful beach and when the M/s Infinity anchored offshore
and I took the launch over I had carved another notch on my bucket list. Like
all beaches in Croatia it is comprised of rocks and pebbles and we wore water
shoes to navigate on land and in the shallows, and I have to admit that was
somewhat disappointing, but plenty of people lazed about Zlatni Rat like it was
a fine talcum powder-like sand and negotiated the land barefooted. The swimming
was wonderful, even at the early hour we arrived at the beach. There is a steep
descent into the clear water and it got deep very quickly. Off the very tip of
the Horn the current is swifter than the sides, and there is a grove of pine
trees where early arrivals stake their claim to a shady spot. There are
restaurants and playgrounds deep in the middle of the pine grove and there are
chairs available for rent on the left side of the spit.
We were
told anchoring off shore like we had done with the Infinity was going to be prohibited
next year. As we swam on the right side of the horn there were several other boats
anchored and evidently this traffic was ripping up the sea bottom. Next year
the ships would have to anchor in Bol and then take a tram to Zlatni Rat. I was
glad we didn’t have to do this, because we had finite time on the Horn and we
had to back onboard the Infinity by 11 a.m. Team VFH took the last possible
launch and by that time Zlatni Rat, one of the most popular beaches in Croatia
was filling up. Yeah, that Calendar Captain (see other entries of this blog) has
got his act going in the right direction!
Došao
sam, Vidio sam, Pobijedio
Sadly,
after this stop it was off to Split our last stop. Thankfully we had one last
night on board the M/S Infinity before having to disembark by 9 a.m. the next
day.
 |
| At the tip of Zlatni Rat |
Thanks
for reading…. I know this is a bit late… but there’s a lot of Pobijedio to do
in Croatia. Come back I’ll catch up!
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