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restaurants and nice beaches. Punat's pride and
joy are olives and quality olive oil. Alongside the
waterfront, which is the main car park today as
well, there are always a lot of fishing boots tied up.
In summer fishermen's fiestas are organised on
the very waterfront, and they are very frequent
during the time of the traditional sailing regattas
that draw many a local and foreign yachtsman to
Punat.
Leaving Punat, turning our bow to the nearest
capes of Rab, we have to be aware of the fact that
we are arriving in the area exposed to the Senj
bora. The bora of Senj can sometimes reach gale
force in summer, hurricane force in winter. If the
bora is already strong, or merely for the sake of
caution, it is a good idea to sail along the very
coastline of Krk, and when we feel the wind is
starting to come from the beam, head straight for
the nearest coast of Rab. As soon as we get behind
the first capes of Rab we will find a pleasant refuge.
Before passing Senjska Vrata, we will notice a little
settlement located on the very steep coast of Krk,
surrounded by cliffs the town of Stara [Old]
Baška. Several miles before it, following the
direction of our journey, we will come across
several lovely beaches that are inaccessible from
the land and that will very likely change the plan
of our expedition. It is extremely hard to resist the
beauty of them. Although they are quite well-
visited, for they are the frequent destination of
local excursion boats, the austerity of the
surrounding landscape will certainly inculcate a
feeling of loneliness in us. Among them there is
one very unusual beach at the end of a long
canyon that drops all the way down to the sea. The
cobbles it is composed of seem to recall the course
of a once swollen river. The neighbouring beach,
of similar appearance, the last before the shore
above which Stara Baška is situated, belongs to a
camp.
Unluckily, there is no place to tie up in Stara Baška
itself that we can recommend. Although the bora
doesn't create any awkward waves in the bay,
swinging and veering off the high cliffs it blows
from various quarters, hampering anchoring and
mooring. At the very top of a smallish jetty in the
southernmost part of Stara Baška there might
perhaps be room for a single vessel, but if there
were any wind at all, tying up would not be very
easy. But if you do find the time and anchor, and
then go in with a dinghy, don't miss the chance to
stroll around Stara Baška. The street along the
whole of the settlement is so narrow that two
vehicles can pass each other only with difficulty,
and yet every hundred metres or so there is a
pedestrian crossing. Pedestrian crossing? Right
Košljun