Murter 2011

A little note first: this year we had a small first with our motorhome. On the way home we broke down on the motorway in Croatia and had to be towed. More about that in the report.

As every year, we set off in the middle of the week to avoid all the weekend traffic jams. With the whole rig, our journey began straight after work.

To avoid driving the rig through the Kassel Hills, our route took us from Hanover along the newly built B6n, right along the edge of the Harz, towards the A14 Magdeburg–Leipzig motorway. This road is built like a motorway and is very pleasant to drive. We didn't have a single traffic jam on the whole journey, so we made very good progress. In Bavaria we needed to refuel, but unfortunately there are very few petrol stations on the motorways in this state (my personal impression). So we had to leave the motorway in Bavaria to find somewhere to fill up.

Day 2

We lay down for a few hours, and at 5 a.m. the next morning we set off again in good spirits. A quick drive through Slovenia, and we were in Croatia. As we always travel during the week, we only know the long queues at the Slovenian borders from hearsay. Finally past Zadar, and the weather kept getting better. The outside temperature kept rising: at 10 a.m. the measuring stations on the Croatian motorway were already showing 36 degrees. Our anticipation of summer, sun, warmth, beach and sea grew and grew. At 12.30 p.m. we drove over the bridge in Tisno and arrived at our destination, the Murter peninsula. The view of the bay from the hill always takes our breath away, and then we can hardly wait to finally jump into the water. As soon as you arrive on the site, you meet lots of acquaintances from previous years. The Plitka Vala campsite lives from its regular guests, who like to come back every year. First the boat into the water, then the motorhome parked and unpacked, and the holiday could begin.

We had a great spot right next to a tree that gave lots of shade, with a view of the bay. It has become a little tradition for us to eat at the site restaurant on the first and last day – and you shouldn't break traditions. New in Croatia are the different types of beer, e.g. lemon beer, shandy or apple beer.

Day 3

Unfortunately the weather was very unsettled, with lots of wind and high waves – but that doesn't bother a boater. So we quickly packed the boat and headed out to sea.

All the little islands are always lovely to look at, and we just glided past them in our boat. After about 5 kilometres the engine stopped by itself and gave off a warning tone, so first of all we went back to the harbour. The repair didn't have to be done immediately, so we first helped our friends set up, as they had arrived in the meantime.

Day 4

In the morning we took the boat out of the water again and looked for the fault. The phenomenon on the campsite is that as soon as someone starts tinkering with their engine, lots of men turn up to help. So suddenly there were 6 guys looking for the fault on my engine. But that creates a whole new challenge: 6 men = 6 opinions.

A lot was examined, taken off and put back on. Unfortunately no fault was found, and so the opinion-makers came to the conclusion that there couldn't be anything wrong. So the boat went back into the water for the first test run.

Of course the fault hadn't gone away, and at full throttle the engine cut its thrust. But we were on holiday, so: "We'll carry on tomorrow – today we celebrate."

Day 5

Super weather, pure sunshine at 36 degrees and always a light breeze. Speculation about the engine fault continued. As we didn't want to make a long trip with the engine in this uncertain state, we cancelled the planned trip to Biševo and the Blue Cave, 120 km across the open sea. But we didn't let it spoil our holiday and first just cruised around the area in the boat.

Day 6

A call to my trusted private mechanic (my brother) in Germany slowly put me on the right track. The last change I had made to the engine in Germany was on the choke, so I kept looking for the fault there – and, what can I say, found it. It wasn't the choke, but you could see that at full throttle the entire throttle linkage dropped back to the zero position.

Result: the throttle linkage had come unhooked.

Quickly hooked it back in and did a test run. What else can I say – a small fault with a big effect, and the engine runs at full throttle again. So the first repair was done – but there was more to come.

During a little scuffle over a difference of opinion, two of the three windscreens on an acquaintance's boat broke and had to be replaced. On a campsite full of boaters, the tools you need (cordless screwdriver, jigsaw and so on) are quickly found. Plexiglass was fetched and fitted as a replacement, so the holiday could continue.

Day 7

Our first little boat trip, heading for the Kornati National Park. The Kornati are the densest group of islands in the Mediterranean. The national park consists of a total of 89 islands, islets and rocks. The islands themselves are limestone and are either sparsely vegetated or bare.

Days 8–9

The weather changed and it got windy, cooler and rainier. So we hired a scooter in the neighbouring village for a week – for 2 people with a whole 50 cc. The price of 23 euros per day is OK. The Murter peninsula is very hilly, and cycling is always very strenuous. So we started exploring the island by scooter and rode to Jezera on the other side of the hill.

Days 10–11

Simply relaxing and enjoying the sun.

Day 12

Zadar had long been on our list of places we wanted to visit. So we rode the scooter to Zadar and had a little stroll around town.

The harbour and the adjoining old town are always worth a visit. In the harbour wall itself, small organ pipes have been built in, played by the wind from the sea. It's wonderful to listen to, as the melody always sounds different.

Days 13–14

Simply relaxing and enjoying the sun.

Day 15

With 4 boats we headed towards the Krka waterfalls, to the village of Raslina. The village is on a freshwater lake, and to get there by boat you have to make a long trip through a channel. The views and the landscape are impressive. First we had a lovely swim in the lake. Then we went to the restaurant to eat. I have never eaten so well in Croatia, and the restaurant is really recommendable.

Day 16

We made the most of the scooter and watched the bridge being raised in Tisno.

Days 17–21

We spent the remaining days swimming, boating, barbecuing, lazing around, reading and so on. One night we had a real cloudburst, so that some parts of the site were flooded.

Day 22

In one of the sandy bays near Murter, there is a meetup of Boote-Forum.de every Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the summer months. Altogether there were 10 boats.

Day 24

Departure, setting off at 7 a.m. 200 km later our motorhome simply stopped on the motorway and wouldn't start again. We (travelling back with 2 motorhomes) couldn't find the fault, and 5 minutes later an ADAC tow truck stopped.

A quick call to ADAC Germany, and a few minutes later our motorhome was already being loaded. What was interesting on the motorway was that a road patrol vehicle arrived and cordoned off the breakdown site with cones. We actually thought it would be quick and that we'd soon be back on the motorway. Unfortunately we were a bit wrong. 20 minutes after we arrived at the workshop, a mechanic was supposed to look at our motorhome. What we learned: 20 minutes means 6.5 hours. At 5.45 p.m. the mechanic looked at our vehicle and found the fault: a small solenoid switch for the fuel supply was defective. After a total of 1 hour 45 minutes the fault was fixed, and after paying the bill of 230 euros (cash in hand, of course, without an invoice) we were able to continue our journey home shortly before 8 p.m.