Polace

Our Mahina reunion concluded, it was now just the two of us as we tacked up the Mljetski Kanal, the four nautical-mile-wide body of water that separates the Peljesac peninsula from the island of Mljet. About 15 knots of wind straight out of the west made for four hours of closed hauled sailing. Her new 130% genoa working smoothly, Windleblo made seven knots of boat speed look easy as her crew absorbed her graceful power.

Our destination was the delightful anchorage of Luka Polace (pronounced loo-ka po-la-chee) at the west end of Mljet.

This well protected anchorage made an attractive haven for Illyrian pirates who would ravage Roman transports in nearby waters. Eventually, the Romans cast the pirates out, and by the 2nd century Polace had evolved into a Roman retreat complete with an extensive palace and two Christian basilicas. All now in ruins, today the town serves as a jumping off point for tourists exploring the western end of Mljet, which has been designated a national park and nature preserve.


Leaving Windleblo at anchor, we dinghied ashore and joined in the touristing. Ninety kuna (about $15) bought us a ticket to explore the national park for the day, including a bus ride to the salt water lakes just three kilometers from Polace.

The lakes are not truly lakes, but an unusual bay originating from flooding of three karst depressions due to the sea level rising after the last glacial period. The lakes are home to different endangered and protected species, like the endemic Aurelia jellyfish and Croatia's biggest bivalve, the pen shell.

Within Great Lake lies St. Mary's Island and an old Benedictine monastery. A small ferry boat now took us there. Though it was still early in the season, the boat was full, leading us to wonder how crowded the boat would be during high season, still more than a month away. We could hear Croatian, Slovenian, French, German, and, of course, English spoken among those on board.

We spent a couple of hours taking in the monastery and the little island. A tourist brochure informed us that since the 12th century the monastery served as a center for artists, poets, architects, and composers. While impressive, we could not help notice the disrepair of much of the structure and grounds, despite evidence of renovation work. It seems keeping the place neat and clean was not on the priority list for national park staff. Here, though, the natural beauty more than made up for mankind's neglect.