Readers’ favourite Anchorages of the World. Showcasing your favourite anchorages.
Blue Lagoon
From Douglas, Ocean Sailor reader from Scotland
Location: Blue Lagoon (Krknjaši), Split, Croatia
Coordinates: 43°26.35’N 16°10.37’E
Seabed: Good holding in sand and rock
Protection: Well protected from most directions
The crystal clear waters, stunning cities and excellent seafood of the Dalmatian coast cements its place as one of Europe’s top sailing locations. This month we will explore a small anchorage about 12nm from the city, Split in Croatia.
I found this anchorage on my first charter experience leaving Split. I was looking for an anchorage not too far from the city that offered good protection and was a bit quieter than the hustle and bustle of Split harbour. With the wind direction at the time, the Blue Lagoon looked to be a great choice. I arrived at the anchorage and decided to motor around to the western bay due to the wind conditions and the depth was a bit more favourable for our yacht. The middle bay and eastern bay are also good choices depending on the wind but the middle bay is a lot shallower.
The anchorage itself is beautiful. It is a perfect spot to welcome you to sailing in the region. We took a tender to shore and explored the local village. If you have a bike onboard, it is a lovely cycle around the island. There is a great little pub where you can enjoy some excellent seafood and it closes early enough to not be a bother during the night. Back on the boat, we decided to jump into the turquoise waters and were certainly not disappointed. Snorkelling around the anchorage is a must.
One negative is plenty of people had the same idea as myself, so on new charter days, it can get a little busy but generally in the evening it quietens down quite a lot. I would certainly come back to this anchorage if sailing in the area and especially mid week.
I should mention that we visited both Split and Dubrovnik during our time in Croatia and I can thoroughly recommend visiting these incredible cities. Split for its Roman influences and incredible history. Dubrovnik for its outstanding beauty as a walled city and again interesting history. As a Game of Thrones fan also, I found Dubrovnik fascinating. Unfortunately, our chartering holiday was over too soon, we hope to return to Croatia again, hopefully on our own Kraken 50!