Vrboska
From CruisersWiki
Vrboska
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The town and harbour of Vrboska are situated on the N coast of Hvar Island in Croatia, a mile NW of the port of Jelsa. The harbour lies at the W end of a long, winding inlet quayed along most of its length and canalized at its top. The setting is extremely attractive, with an almost Venetian feel to it, and the town contains numerous old Gothic and Renaissance town houses and fine churches, including a remarkable 16th century fortified church of St Mary of Grace.
The harbour offers excellent berthing options for visiting yachts, with a 125 berth ACI-operated marina as well as extensive town quays. Shelter is excellent in all conditions except strong SE gales, which create a dangerous surge in the harbour. The harbour can also be subject to a phenomenon called ‘plima’ in Croatian, a seiche which causes rapid fall and rise of water levels by as much as 2.0 metres. Fortunately this is a relatively rare occurrence (last event in April 2010).
Charts
British Admiralty | 2712 |
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Croatian | MK19 |
Imray | M26 (Split to Dubrovnik) |
Weather
Diurnal winds among the islands are mostly moderate during the summer months, predominantly from NW and rarely exceeding force 4/5, although gusting is common in narrow channels between islands and on the lee side of headlands. At night, katabatic winds off the mountains affect some of the islands close to the mainland coast. During early spring and (especially) autumn conditions can be more unsettled, occasionally accompanied by violent thunderstorms - luckily of short duration - with winds of 30-35 knots or more and vicious, steep seas. In the winter the sudden, violent N wind off the mountains, the bora, is much to be feared, especially along the coast from Rijeka down to Zadar, although its effects can be felt as far south as Split.
Equally prevalent in winter - although not uncommon in summer - is the scirocco, a S/SE wind that blows up from North Africa, usually in advance of a depression moving E across the Mediterranean. Unlike the bora, the scirocco only occasionally exceeds gale force, but is still a phenomenon to be wary of, especially if on a lee coast.
For sources of weather forecasting, see Croatia.
Passages
See Croatia.
Communication
Also see World Cruiser's Nets.
There are no dangers in the immediate approach to Vrboska. It can be hard to spot the inlet, especially if approaching from E, but a white light structure on the N side of the entrance is usually conspicuous from some distance. Depths in the entrance are 6.0 metres, gradually shelving to a depth of 2.0 metres by the small islet just under a mile up the channel. Depths on the quays are mostly 3.0 - 4.0 metres and in the marina 3.0 - 6.0 metres.
Entrance
Stari Grad is the nearest summer port of entry. At other times of year, Split or Korcula are the nearest year-round ports of entry.
Berthing
There are three main berthing options:
Town quay
N quay
- Marinas & Yacht Clubs
- Marina Vrboska | – marina |-- offers 125 berths for yachts up to 20 metres in depths of up to 6.0 metres.
Anchorages
There are good anchorages in two coves on both the N and S sides at the entrance to Vrboska inlet. Anchor in whichever offers better shelter in the prevailing winds in depths of 4.0 - 5.0 metres. The holding is good in sand and weed. It is possible to find shelter in one or other of the coves in most conditions, although in strong SE winds neither is really tenable.
Amenities
Facilities | |
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Water | in the marina |
Electricity | in the marina |
Toilets | in the marina |
Showers | in the marina |
Laundry | none |
Garbage | in the marina and next to the town quay |
Supplies | |
Fuel | INA [[Vrboska#INA|INA]] 43°10.778'N, 016°40.442'E the fuel berth is just W of the marina (depths of 2.0 metres alongside) |
Bottled gas | |
Chandlers | |
Services | |
Repairs | Basic repairs at the marina |
Internet | In some of restaurants |
Mobile connectivity | |
Vehicle rentals | Car, scooter and cycle rental outlet next to the marina |
Health |
Provisioning
Studenac supermarket 100 metres W of quay. Smaller Konzum supermarket 50 metres further on. Butchers and bakers. Fruit and vegetable market.
Eating out
Several restaurants and café/bars ashore.
Transportation
Local buses to island destinations.
Tourism
The old town is a delight to explore, with a rich architectural legacy of Gothic and Renaissance town houses and some fine churches, including the remarkable 16th century fortified church of St Mary of Grace, built for protection against Turkish raids. Also worth visiting is the 15th - 17th century church of St Lovrinac, which contains some superb examples of religious paintings from the Renaissance. The town also boasts a fishermen’s’ museum celebrating the long fishing tradition of the port.
Nearby, at the head of the inlet, in an area inevitably described as ‘Little Venice’, is an area of old stone houses clustered picturesquely around an old stone bridge and a tiny islet bearing a lone palm tree and a war memorial. Finally, there are some excellent walks both through the woods into the mountains and along the coast to Jelsa.
Links
- Vrboska at the Wikipedia
- Vrboska Tourism website
Also see Croatia.
References & Publications
See Croatia.
Comments
We welcome users' contributions to the Wiki. Please click on Comments to view other users' comments, add your own personal experiences or recommend any changes to this page following your visit.
Verified by
Date of member's last visit to Vrboska and this page's details validated:
- July 2014 --Athene of Lymington
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Contributors to this page
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Names: Lighthouse, Athene of Lymington |