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crowd has stopped us halting earlier, in
Martinš ica, we will be grateful for the secure
haven of this bay.
From this bay all the way to Bijar anyone can find
a good bay for swimming in during the day, but
staying overnight is to be avoided. But then Bijar
Bay itself is very suitable for this. It is out of the
way of all the winds. In the northeast part of the
bay there is a small pier with several bollards
built in. The entrance to the bay is signalled by
the red lighthouse on the northern point. Larger
vessels can anchor to the west of the light. Here
the bottom is sandy, which has not so far been the
case sailing along Cres.
FromBijar to Osor there is just a short way. Those
who would like to do sightseeing in Osor, one of
the oldest of the settlements in the Kvarner, can
tie up to the northern shore of the canal that was
dug through between Cres and Lošinj as early as
Roman times, making an appreciable
abridgement of the voyage from the northern
Adriatic to Dalmatia. The canal is bridged with a
swing bridge that opens each day at 9 and 17. But
since we intend to sail on along the western coast
of Lošinj, we will merely say that those who stop
in Osor will have to watch out for the currents. In
this man-made channel they are extremely
powerful (up to 4 knots).
Although the bora is said to blow from the
northeast, actually each large bay or change in
the relief along the western coast of Cres will
affect the direction it blows in. These shifts and
swings come perhaps most to the fore in the part
of the journey that awaits us now.
The reason must be the highest mountain on
Lošinj, called Osor ica. It rises close by Osor to a
height of 589 metres. But if the direction of the
bora has messed us about in our voyage to date,
turning Osor Point, we will feel the wind helping
us more and more. It will blow more and more
from aft, and push us through the Unije straits.
This is a real treat for those under canvas,
although one has to be careful about gusting,
while those using the motor will find the journey
more pleasant here because the bora is not
creating any waves.
Aiming at the straits between Male Srakane and
Kurila Point on Lošinj and sailing along the
shore we will notice a pretty bay behind Tomo in
Point. If we have time, we won't regret stopping
here a while.
Two miles before the straits, one has to take care
of the shoals that rise above the surface of the sea
into the islet called Karbarus. And Kurila Point
should be bypassed at a respectful distance.
Turning Kurila Point, pointing the bow towards
the entrance into Mali Lošinj, we will feel the
power of the bora dropping off. If there is a
sirocco, we have to be aware that now we are
actually coming out into the open sea, and
æ
è
Osor