We left Marina Kornati and brought the boat to MCI boatyard in Split
Jane & Darcy Christened
On February the 28th we finally christened the boat with its new name. None of us is superstitious, but we decided to do things as they should.
We sacrificed to Neptune and to the four wind gods. The old name had been erased from the boat completely, a bottle of bubbly was ready for use. We begged Neptune to purge the old name and to accept the new one.
Both pledges were accompanied by pouring bubbly into the drink.Then we sacrificed to Boreas, Zephyrus, Eurus and Notus, each time pouring a good glass of bubbly into the sea. There wasn’t much left for Ale & Ale, but enough for a final toast.
It was finally time to apply the new name to the boat. It was not yet the final lettering, because the boat was going to be polished first at the shipyard.
From Biograd to Kaprije
We left Marina Kornati and brought the boat to MCI boatyard in Split. We decided to take it easy while we familiarized with the boat. Because we were ready to leave at 1430, we chose to start with a short hop, and we made way to the island of Kaprije. It was a short leg of less than 3 hours, with no wind, calm sea, and no traffic at all.
The boat was a pleasure to drive, cruising at 7 kn under engine. Once in Kaprije, there was no trace of a buoy field. After checking the pilot, we found that we had to anchor behind a line extending from the ferry pier. The bottom raised fast to uncomfortable depths. We decided to drop anchor near to the limit. We also decided to use the anchor app.
Download here the waypoints for this trip – Warning, never use waypoints for navigation without previously validating them on your plotter.
We decided against putting the dinghy into the water and stayed onboard for our first night on the boat.
The next day the ferry arrived spot on at their timetable slot, at 0630. We realized that we could have docked the boat at the other side of the pier. Anchor aweigh and we try our first docking alongside.
Jane & Darcy safely docked at the Kaprije pier, still showing the charter company logo. It is something that we have tried hard to remove, unsuccessfully.
The king of Kaprije dominates the empty main square
We disembark, and there is almost no-one, except one tabby using the main square as its toilet. We buy some stuff in a deserted mini market, and walk around for a while. It is fascinating to visit these islands when no tourists are around.
It’s time to get back to Biograd for the last time. The boat must leave the marina the 28th of February. This time I took full advantage of my KLM status. I brought even more items. We brought all the stuff to the boat that we have purchased since November. This was to fix, replace, and finish the boat tool kit.
One suitcase, one duffel bag, one carton crate and one backpack need to fit in an Opel Corsa. I am really willing to take off. However, the guy before me seems to have gotten into some problem.
I finally get the car, and it is a brand new one, so it’s a good start, after all.
After driving 130 Km, I finally arrive in Biograd. I park the car and bump into Marco, Pitter’s crew chief. He is testing terrestrial windsurf. He tells me that all the work has been done (well, it hadn’t) and invites me to try the board. I do a couple of moves. Then I decide to pass. I think that it would not be the best of the starts to break some bones on the first day.
What a relief to see the boat afloat and apparently in good order. The sails have been stored, the safety equipment inspected, the platform is back and the anemometer has been reconnected.
There is water in the bilge, why? We don’t know yet. There is a bunch of wires coming down from the ceiling because the electrician has not finished the job. The Webasto sensor is still disconnected. The radio speakers are still mixed up and there is a ton of humidity inside. I set down priorities. I begin to work, starting from the Webasto. It’s an easy fix to dry up the boat.
I decide that I have to change the kitchen faucet because it is corroded and looks awful. I find the perfect one at Bauhaus in Zadar, only to realise that I bought the wrong type. So I win another trip to Zadar under the rain. It rains cats and dogs all the time, so much of the outside work has to be postponed.
Changing a faucet at home is already something that you not want to do. On a boat, it is even worse. There is no space, and everything hurts. Yet, the result is rewarding. Now, the kitchen looks completely different.
Teletransportation dock cats
Looking for some fun, I buy a packet of Dreamies. I make a lot of new friends. They are really cute, and they keep me company. It’s like pressing the hyperspace button. There is not a single cat around. You fish the Dreamies from your pocket. You shake the bag, and all of a sudden, you are surrounded by purring felines.
All is closed in Biograd and surroundings. Konoba Barba is sadly barricaded. The nice bar at the corner looks like it has never been open. The only choices are the pizzeria Bestek and the restaurant Peperoncino. The finding is that the pizza is really good. The pivo is outstanding, like always in Croatia.
Pizza and Pivo
Monday, at 0800 I am at the harbourmaster office. The lady puts up a face because I was actually there at 0758. Then she changes mood and gets to work. She examines the zeebrief. His majesty Willelm Alexander, the King of the Netherlands, awards us the right to fly the dutch flag through this document. She does this with a mixture of horror and suspicion. She asks me many things that are written on the document. After paying something north of 100 Euro, we gain the right to sail in Croatia for the whole of 2025.
Funny Working Hours at the Harbormaster
I get some respite from the rain. With effort, I bring the dinghy aft. I manage to remove the large stickers from the charter company. Now there are two left on the bow, but they are out of my reach for the moment. The next job is to cut out the old emergency stair, now a tangle of red line and plastic. I replace it with a new one.
Getting rid of the charter legacy
Because it is now raining once again, I go back inside and I start the installation of the AIS transponder. The task is not difficult, but there are issues. The first issue is finding the right place. I need to be very creative because that compartment is already fully stuffed with motherboards, switches, and other devices. The second issue is finding the NMEA2000 backbone.
I have to chase Pitter’s electrician, which is not an easy task, as they are equipping 15 new boats. Finally, I track him and he points me to a NMEA2000 backbone. It is located right behind the Fusion radio and the Webasto controls. It seems to work, and after a while I see Jane & Darcy on the Marine Traffic screen. But it doesn’t: the plotter does not see the device and AIS traffic does not show on the map. After much more work and swearing, I find a second hidden NMEA2000 backbone hidden behind a bunch of cables. I reconnect the transponder and… Eureka! Now it works swimmingly.
AIS goes live
Now it is possible to find Jane & Darcy on Marine Traffic
Because the gas stove needs to be replaced, I can’t cook food. The freezer does not get cold enough to buy food that can be cooked in the microwave. I’m stuck on borek for three days. I decide to try a filet at Guste that has just reopened.
Part of the work is to inspect and clean everything. The goal is to make sure that everything is clean. Debris must not move around the boat and damage things. I spend half an hour in the lazarette. This rewards me with two plastic toys and the cover of the swimming platform winch. I also find beer caps, weird stuff, and plenty of dirt.
A tough week, but now the boat is almost ready to go!
The boat was out of charter season, so the first thing was to clean it down to the last bilge recess, dry up everything and remove any trace of dirt, mold or likes
This is the day when we made the final decision. A professional survey gave us a clear picture of the boat’s status, and we could only move on and buy or back up and let it go (spoiler: we moved on).
Neo Star II motoring to the traveler for hauling out
It was a gorgeous day this November in Biograd, when we met with Jure, representing the owner, Sinisa, from Maritimus Consultant and Bruna, his daughter. We had chosen Sinisa and Bruna as surveyors, recommended by Nick Hathaway, from 45 Degrees Sailing. Nick was very helpful at the very beginning, a few weeks earlier, when we had to make a quick decision about this boat and make an initial offer without having seen it already. He visited the boat on our behalf and sent us a video with his comments.
Jure had shown up first. He was so nice, making it easy to quickly let go of the little anxiety. This anxiety often comes when you move your first steps onto uncertain ground, or, better, in uncharted waters.
We quickly untied the boat. We moved to the most remote corner of the marina. There, a giant blue traveler was waiting for us. In a few minutes the boat was hauled out for us to inspect the hull. It had been a charter boat. It was the end of the season. The first look was not so encouraging. There were plenty of barnacles on the keel. Many rust strikes were coming from the exhausts and the through hulls. The sides were non-polished.
Back to the boat, we find a clean hull, with all the barnacles gone. We focus on issues, but there aren’t many. The boat needs more love after being handled by too many charter captains. The hull, the rudders, the saildrive, and the thru-hulls are all in good condition. We will need to sandblast the bottom and repaint it due to too many layers. The sides will need polishing after removing all the charter stickers. However, there is absolutely no sign of collisions or osmosis.
It is now time to send the boat back into the water, and go out for testing it. The conditions could not be better, 4bf, calm sea and plenty of sun with summer-like temperatures.
Under sail outside Biograd
The sails are as new. The boat with a clean hull is doing greatly. We are really enjoying the day and the company. We are so excited because everything looks great. Bruna and Sinisa are testing and photographing everything. Jure is skipping. We resist the temptation to be at the wheel, just in case something happened …
And yes! everything checked out, only minor issues, the Neo Star II will definitely become Jane & Darcy! Thank you to Nick, Bruna, Sinisa, Jure, Marco, and Zelinska. The rest of the Pitter team have been so nice and helpful!
S/YJane & Darcy 