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that this northerly brings from the mountains,
getting all the way down to the northern shores of
Krk and Cres.
If it is true that the northern part of Cres got its
name from the wind that reaches it every day
(Tramontana), then Cres certainly does not fit into
the usual manner of assigning names, for winds
have always carried the name of the land. And it is
understandable that the mainland, so solid and so
lasting, cannot bear the name of something as
unpredictable and fickle as a wind.
Although there are many stories that tell what the
winds are named after, there is often mention of the
time when Corfu was an important trading centre,
and the winds had the names of the mainland from
which they blew towards that island. The bora was
called Grecco, because it blew from the hills of
Greece; the Libecco from Libya, and the Sirocco
fromSyria.
Whatever the frequency and strength of these winds,
when sailors talk of Kvarner, they most often
mention the storms. Those who have experienced
them tend to remember them, and talk about them
long after.
The exposure of Kvarner to powerful north-easterly
or southerly winds and the frequency of summer
storms will pose each yachtsman with the question
of what course to sail to his destination or on what
basis to plan the journey. Planning a route, you
have to know in advance in which places to find
refuge, if need be, or simply distraction.
Mariners have been crossing the Kvarner for
centuries, and although it is hard to pick out their
tracks upon the surface of the sea, their experience
will nevertheless be the basis for this guide to
sailors. There are five itineraries that seafarers most
often use sailing across the Bay, or Gulf, of Kvarner.