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Sailing Around Dugi Otok: Six Days in Northern Croatia
Dugi Otok had been on our sailing list for a while - full of hidden forests, underwater caves and secret bays round every corner – the island speaks to an older and quieter time. So with only six days to explore the region we decided to skip the more famous Kornati and head straight there.
It turned out to be a fantastic mix of dramatic scenery, adventure and excellent food, and the occasional reminder that the wind doesn't necessarily care about your plans.
Leaving Biograd, we headed west towards Dugi Otok and our first overnight stop at Uvala Magrovica, deep inside Telašćica National Park. If you’re feeling confident you can sail rather than motor through the Mala Proversa channel into Telašćica bay but be mindful that the channel is narrow and the wind sometimes shifts as you pass the land.
Sail into Telašćica bay and keep going past the two little islands and you'll find several buoys tucked away near the Northeastern shore. A useful tip: the park authorities do come round to check you've paid the national park entrance fee, which lets you use all the park's mooring buoys, so it's worth buying your ticket online beforehand when it's much cheaper.
Our first dinner also provided a pretty good introduction to what makes this part of Croatia so special. The local restaurant, Konoba Škeba, doesn't really need an elaborate menu. Dinner is whatever they've caught, grilled simply and served with delicious vegetables. Sitting by the water with fresh fish after our first day's sailing was a hard start to beat.
The next morning we made the short hop to Uvala Mir, at the entrance to the Telašćica bay, and went ashore to explore the national park on foot. You can moor your boat either on the buoys or directly to the dock (stern to with lazy lines).
From the bay, we took a short walk to the dramatic cliffs that line much of Dugi Otok's western side, before continuing to the ‘inland sea’, a saltwater lake about 300 metres from Uvala Mir. Getting to the cliffs and the lake is easy, with well-maintained paths and signs. But you may have to share some of the space with mainland tourists, as this is one of the regular boat stops. After this brief visit, we swapped back into our boat shoes and began our sail Northwards.
Like most of Croatia, you can get remarkably close to the shoreline, so sailing up the Eastern side of Dugi Otok we passed the time by peering into the bays and forests that make up much of this area. By around 5pm we arrived in Brbinj and picked up a mooring buoy on the North bay (the south bay has mooring buoys with lines ashore). Brbinj is a particularly useful stop because the island is narrow enough here to explore the wilder Western side of the island on foot.
For the evening, though, our ambitions stretched only as far as dinner. We went ashore, crossed the small strip of land separating the North and South bays and found Restaurant Antonio, where great food and good company rounded off the day.
Tuesday morning was one of the highlights of the trip.
Setting off on foot from Brbinj, we crossed Dugi Otok to find the Dragon's Eye pool and Golubinka sea cave on the island's western coast. The sea cave requires a bit of a scramble down the rocks to get to, but it is well worth the exploration – bring a snorkel and goggles to really get the full perspective. If you're feeling adventurous and the sea is calm enough, then it's possible to swim along the coast between the cave and the pool.
The Dragon’s Eye, whilst fun to visit, is less spectacular than the sea cave (being just a water pool formed in the rock). Very strong and confident freedivers can attempt the underwater passages between the sea and the interior pool – but it is tricky at the best of times and dangerous in the wrong conditions.
Freshly salted, we set off back to Brbinj and found an unexpected bonus along the way. A local farmer was selling a variety of produce from his farm, so we stocked up on homemade cheese, salami and yoghurt, complete with an introduction to some of the goats and chickens responsible for our supplies! You can’t miss the farm; there are plenty of signs on the road from Brbinj to the sea caves.
Back aboard, a strong north-easterly gave us the opportunity for a great sail up and around the northern end of Dugi Otok towards Sakarun Beach.
We had hoped to stop along the way and explore the old submarine pens further up the coast from Brbinj, but sailing plans have a habit of changing. An issue with the jib kept us occupied, so the submarine pens will have to wait for another trip.
By evening, we were settled at Sakarun, where dinner aboard consisted largely of our haul from the farmer that morning. It's difficult to imagine many better ways of ending a day's sailing.
After covering some miles the previous day, Wednesday morning was deliberately less ambitious: beach day.
Sakarun is a great place for it. We ran the dinghy up onto the beach – the only one on Dugi Otok – and spent the morning enjoying the bay. Well, some of us did, others spent the morning fixing the jib…
That afternoon we split up – some of the crew walked across the small isthmus to Veli Rat, whilst the rest of us sailed around and took a berth in the small marina. The village is tiny, but somehow manages to contain a surprisingly well-stocked supermarket and, perhaps more importantly, a boules pitch – not sure if the local residents will let you play, but it’s fun to watch.
After making the most of the supermarket and marina facilities, we headed to Konoba Pantera for dinner.
Sadly, Thursday meant saying goodbye to Dugi Otok and beginning the long journey south. But we just had time for one last surprise. A German couple we’d met on the first day told us that any trip to Dugi Otok would not be complete without stopping off at the shipwreck just North of Veli Rat. I’d been worried that the weather wouldn’t hold long enough for us to visit, but on Thursday morning we woke up to a flat calm sea and barely a breath of wind – our trip to the shipwreck was on.
Finding the wreck is easy, the charts have numerous anchorage and warning signs around the wreck and on a sunny day you can see other boats circling it – understanding why the wreck exists is harder. The official story is that in 1983 the Italian Merchant Ship Michele ran into bad weather and grounded in the shallows, but the locals say that weather wasn’t that bad and the whole thing was for the insurance. Either way – the wreck really is remarkable.
Sitting at about 5 meters, it is one of the easiest wrecks to explore in the whole Adriatic – you just need a snorkel and googles. And with crystal clear waters and a plentiful supply of colourful fish, you’ll have a great time!
Freshly energised from a wreck exploration, we pulled up the anchor and set sail down the western side of Ugljan and Pašman. Nb, unless your yacht is considerably shorter than ours, don't be tempted by the bridge between the isles. You won't fit!
Eventually we rounded Pašman and found an anchorage on its southern side. After a long day's sailing, we made full use of the boat's outdoor grill and settled in for dinner aboard!
At least, that was the plan for a peaceful final night.
The wind subsequently decided not to play fair and unexpectedly came in from the south, turning our carefully chosen anchorage into a rather more hectic place than anticipated. It wasn't quite the restful final evening we'd pictured, but we made it through the night safely and had another sailing story to tell.
Friday was our final run back to Biograd Marina.
Six days after setting off, we'd covered all the Southern, Eastern and Northern sides of Dugi Otok and explored some of the Western parts, squeezed in some fantastic sailing, crisscrossed the island on foot, swum and explored caves, eaten exceptionally fresh local food, spent a morning on one of Croatia's loveliest beaches and discovered that even the smallest Croatian village apparently has room for a boules pitch.
Dugi Otok is a fantastic cruising ground because there is always something worth exploring, whether at sea or on land. The distances are manageable, the anchorages can feel wonderfully remote, and some of the best experiences are only a short walk from wherever you've tied up.
We didn't manage everything. Those submarine pens still need exploring.
Which seems as good an excuse as any to go back.
Some tips from a first-time med skipper:
No one gets med mooring the first time(s)
Sometimes the best days are the ones you do nothing on
Always adapt your itinerary to the weather, it won’t be forgiving.
In Biograd, it’s cheaper and easier to use the marina’s jerry cans to collect fuel from the inland filling station than to moor at the fuel pontoon.
Call our knowledgeable sailing specialists for the latest advice and recommendations on the sailing areas most suited to you.
Arrange a call back from one of our specialists (Mon-Fri: 0900-1730).
