Milna: Sometimes Staying Is the Best Decision

Milna on Brač is more than just a beautiful harbor to me. A weather situation in September 2024 once again showed me why good trip planning sometimes means simply keeping the lines tied.

There are harbors you visit because they happen to be convenient on your route. And then there are harbors where you are happy when the day's leg ends exactly there. Milna on Brač definitely belongs in the second category for me.

The entrance is almost a bit confusing the first time. If you do not know Milna and approach from the sea, you initially wonder where a proper harbor is supposed to be. Then, on the port side, the long bay suddenly opens up and reaches deep into the island. All the way at the end lies Milna.

The town stretches around the bay with its large church, small shops, bars, and restaurants. Milna is not better than other beautiful harbors in Dalmatia. I would not claim that. But for me, the place has something romantic and, above all, something pleasantly relaxed. And Milna is simply very practical.

A Harbor in the Heart of the Region

Coming from Trogir, Milna is ideally located if we then want to continue toward Hvar. Similarly, the town is perfect as a final stop on the way back to Trogir.

Right at the entrance, there is a gas station on the starboard side. If we are on the way back and conditions suggest we can sail the rest of the way to Trogir, we like to fuel up right here.

Usually, we are located a bit further back in the marina. From there, it is a quick walk into town while remaining well protected. And protection can become quite important in Milna. Because sometimes it is not the original trip plan that decides how long you stay, but the weather.

When We Are in Milna, Bago Is Part of the Experience

There is another reason why I like coming to Milna. At the other end of the bay lies the fish restaurant Bago. It is about a 20 to 25 minute walk from the marina. After a day on board, a little exercise is not a bad idea anyway.

The restaurant is run by a fisherman and his wife. She speaks excellent German and often visits the boats during the season, handing out flyers and personally inviting the crews to the restaurant.

For me, an evening at Bago has simply become part of Milna. If you want to go, you should make a reservation in advance. The seats on the terrace with a view over the bay are particularly beautiful. You sit there in the evening, look back across the water to Milna, and enjoy excellent fresh fish. I do not really need much more for a successful evening. The municipality even dedicated a monument to the fisherman Bago. It is said he was the last true professional fisherman in Milna.

But I also associate Milna with a completely different memory.

September 2024

We were traveling in early September 2024 and had been watching the weather development for a while. Two days earlier, we were still in Primošten. it was clear that the weather situation would deteriorate significantly. Staying there would have meant fighting against stormy and rainy weather later on. We had no desire for that.

So we changed our plan, left in good time, headed south behind Šolta, and called at Milna. For us, it was clear: this could get uncomfortable. So: seek cover. Milna. And then, if necessary, the lines stay tied.

The Woman with the Bali

On the second day, the skipper of the Bali catamaran next to us approached me on the pier. She was German and had children on board. I was in the process of putting out an additional aft spring because our boat was being shifted sideways against the dock by the wind.

She wanted my assessment of the weather. I told her quite clearly what I thought. I asked her if she had read the current marine weather warnings and NAVTEX reports from Split Radio. I will probably not forget her answer: "What is NAVTEX?" I initially thought I had misunderstood her, but she really did not know. These are the absolute basics for a responsible skipper and are taught in every serious sailing education. So I explained what it was about and that the current marine weather information for the Adriatic suggested anything but a comfortable sailing day. She then explained her actual problem: she had to get to Dubrovnik. The boat had to be back. Unfortunate trip planning, I thought. But a return deadline does not change the weather.

The Boat Must Go Back

This is a situation that occurs all too often in chartering: crews misjudge distances, travel too far, the return date is fixed, and there is zero reserve if the weather does not cooperate. Perhaps the next crew is already waiting. You are still too far from the base. And suddenly it is said: We must go back, no matter the price.

No. A boat does not have to be back on time at any cost. I strongly advised her against setting out. It is better to arrive a day late, talk to the charter base, and possibly have an unpleasant discussion than to expose your own crew to unnecessary risk. Several emergency calls could already be heard on the radio that day. Due to the geographical location of Milna, we could not see what it actually looked like out toward Splitska Vrata. But we did not need to see it. The information we had was enough for me. I did not want to be there at that time.

They Sailed Anyway

In the afternoon, the Bali departed. I watched them leave and did not have a good feeling about it. I do not know what became of the crew later. And for that reason, I do not want to speculate about it. I only know that I would not have set out under those conditions. For me, exactly this decision is part of a skipper's responsibility. You do not have to prove that you can move a ship in high winds. You must be able to decide when it makes sense and when it does not. This is even more true when there are people on board who rely on the person at the helm knowing what they are doing.

What Happened Outside Milna During Those Days

It became very clear that our caution was not unfounded. In the night between September 5 and 6, 2024, Milna was hit by a storm. Several yachts in the bays around Split and the offshore islands were pushed onto the rocks and heavily damaged. People had to be evacuated from the boats.

A few days later, a previously sunken catamaran was towed into our home marina, Baotić, using flotation devices. I still have a video of it today. Later, the ship was taken to the shipyard across the way to be scrapped.

I personally learned from the base manager at the time that his charter company had lost five ships during this weather situation. I cannot independently verify this number. But if you had seen the damage on site, no one had to explain the forces that had been at work there. That night, every skipper's nightmare came true.

And the next weather deterioration was already being announced. On September 8, Split Radio warned via NAVTEX for the following night and the next day of strong gusts. These are not conditions where I discuss whether we might quickly leave after all because of a return deadline. Then we stay. Period.

Two Wonderful Days in Port

And that is perhaps the strange thing about this story. While the weather raged outside, we spent two really nice harbor days in Milna. We went out to eat. Walked through the town. Sat in bars. Checked on the boat and the lines. Watched the weather. No stress. No battle against wind and waves. No deadline we absolutely had to meet.

Of course, no one travels to Croatia to spend two days of a sailing trip in port waiting for better weather. But weather is part of sailing. And anyone who tries to enforce a previously written weekly plan against reality has, in my view, not understood something fundamental.

Why I Like Milna

Perhaps that is exactly why Milna is more than just a pretty harbor on Brač to me. Of course, I like the large church in the center. The bars. The restaurants. The walk around the bay and our evening at Bago.

I also like this special entrance where the bay only opens up gradually. And the location is nearly ideal for our trips: toward Hvar, on the way back to Trogir, or simply when conditions outside are such that we prefer to have a safe harbor.

But since September 2024, I have associated Milna with something else. With a decision that should be a matter of course in sailing: A trip plan is a plan. Nothing more.

The weather does not care about it. The sea does not care about it. And it certainly does not care about when the charter boat is supposed to be returned.

Sometimes good seamanship does not consist of choosing the right route. But of simply keeping the lines tied for another day.