Friday: Truffles and Dalmatia’s IT girl.

Yes, the captain is crucial on any boat. Sure, the deckhands keep the lines coiled. But the whole thing falls apart without the cook. In Croatia, ours is Matea. This woman is a Jane of All Trades; a business owner, chef, model, boat captain, sailing instructor, and a lot more. It is rumored that she can drive a car in reverse at high speeds through the narrow streets of Šibenik. She’s Dalmatia’s IT girl who can whip out a truffle pasta using only 3 ingredients while negotiating a business deal and raising an anchor. She can stay awake for 3 straight days then walk down the runway in the latest fashions. She’s 6 feet tall. She can freedive to 50 feet in dangerous waters. Matea fed us in style all week, and we’re so grateful and enamored by this dynamo. 

We just had to swim along one more cliff on our last morning in Kornati National Park. This one on Lavsa Island didn’t disappoint, impossibly deep blue water, octopus, little caves, jumping rocks, dancing sunbeams. For these swims we’ve mostly been doing “live” drops and pickups, where we jump off and climb back on the yacht while the engines are running, but in neutral. This is necessary because the water is so deep here, we can’t anchor. We dawdled a bit at the end of the last cliff, laughing and diving underwater. 

We pulled into a little cove for lunch: squeaky cheese, fried chicken with parmesan crisps, and slaw. Guest Kathy and I took off for a 35 minute swim while Heather gathered the rest of the gang for a photo session. Kathy and I joined in time to see Kevin and Jane and Dana and Kendra looking elegant underwater. We did some group action shots, then dawdled yet again, not wanting to leave the water. 

Back at the marina, I made whatever cocktail each guest enjoyed the most during the week, Dalmatian 75s (Gin Orancello, lemon juice, prosecco) Kornati sunsets (Mariskino liqueur, Prosecco), and Gina and tonics with a rosemary garnish. Matea’s famous truffle pasta appeared and disappeared. A party ensued. Heather’s slideshow capped it all off. It featured the speedo wearing goat herder we saw earlier in the trip but somehow I forgot to mention. 

We’ve fallen in love with this place. The people, the history, the Adriatic, her Islands, the food, the wines, the weather. We want more. Thank goodness we have another week here. 

Heather and I hand-picked these guests for our first trip here, and were often reminded why we chose these particular people to make our first discoveries here. Kathy, Dana, Kendra, Jane, and Kevin - Hvala from the bottom of our hearts. 

Love,

Hopper