SUP Mag UK August 2017 issue 14 | Page 24

Using globally recognized hand gestures I stood in the sea describing what I wanted yet it appeared that he had no rooms. Two ladies appeared. They had no rooms. They made calls on their mobiles and shook their heads. It was 7pm and the horizon was lining up a lovely sunset. Then after a few moments a nod and we were all off walking up the perilously steep hill with Mr. Putrić kindly carrying my paddle and spare water. As we reached the top of the climb a lady arrived and introduced herself in good English as Daniela.

After leaving my board and paddle in Mr. Putrić’ s garden for the night she took me to her beautiful holiday apartments just a few streets away. By this time I was pretty hungry so she generously drove me to a roadside pizzeria in her car to get the most delicious, freshest pizza I had ever tasted. Villa Daniela was just perfect with a killer balcony view of the bay. The cost was just 150 Kuna for the room and 35 Kuna for the pizza which is about £ 20 all in. The locals had been particularly welcoming and expected no tips for their services which pleasantly contrasts other locations where the arrival of a traveller can cause a frantic scramble by the welcome party to make cash and broker deals.

I aimed to leave at 0530 to enjoy flat conditions most of the way back before the forecasted medium winds came in during the afternoon. The Bora – a strong, gusty, katabatic wind from the north that can dominate the Adriatic was forecast to come in the following day yet, when I awoke at 0445 to a storm, I realized with dismay that it had arrived 24 hours early.

Onshore 50-60 knot winds with heavy rain lashed the village as thunder and lightning raged in the mountains. I bolted the shutters and went back to sleep, checking again at 0600, 0700, 0800. Eventually the storm abated and the sun came out and, after collecting my board and water from Mr. Putrić’ s house, I set off at 0930 directly into a gusty 30-35 knot headwind despite warnings from the locals that it was foolish to set out.

Paddling in those Force 7-8 conditions is brutal – like paddling against a tide – and all attempts to stand and make headway failed. The only way was to kneel on the board, choke the paddle close to the blade and hit the full-power button with a steady cadence to avoid early fatigue. The air was warm but the water chilly and every kneeling stroke brought cold spray over the board. Small waves dominated the lee shore yet the water flattened out under the mountains. The saving grace was that the enclosed nature of the bays and waterways kept the water state remarkably flat relative to the wind strength.

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