Vis

Excellent view from the gym of the yacht sailing into port. As the French all wake up late, I usually have the gym all to myself

By now, we had settled into a rhythm. Gym, breakfast, first ones off the ship, first ones back, lunch, nap, water activity or pool, afternoon tea, dinner, repeat. It turns out this is an excellent way to live.

Our port today was Vis — one of the most remote of Croatia's inhabited islands, sitting further out into the Adriatic than most, and for much of the twentieth century entirely off-limits to visitors as a Yugoslav military base. It only opened to tourism in 1989, which perhaps explains why it has retained a quiet, unhurried character that the more well-trodden islands have long since lost.

We had no agenda. We strolled, found the nearest patch of "beach" (more pebbles), and got in the water, which was cool and clear and exactly what was required. Nobody was rushing anywhere. There were no crowds, no tour groups, no particular sense that anyone was trying to sell us anything.

This is what we had come to appreciate most about being on a smaller ship — the ability to anchor at places like Vis rather than the obvious destinations. Quieter, less visited, genuinely charming. The Adriatic at its own pace rather than someone else's itinerary.

Vis

It really never got any busier than this