Split, Ferry Boat in Harbor

One year we rode a ferry to Sucuraj and spent a day or two visiting Jelsa, Starigard, and Hvar, on the fascinating Island of Hvar, then for our ferry-boat ride to Split, we were the first vehicle onboard at the harbor in the town of Hvar. The ferryboat went around and past other islands, and arrived in Split on time. The problem was, as we approached the harbor a large passenger ship and two ferryboats were leaving, and three large ferryboats were coming into the harbor, rapidly! There were only two official docks available for ferry boats, so it appeared they were playing “chicken,” and our Captain lost!

The other boats got ahead of us, so our ferry had to go past the “official” dock, then make a very rapid turn-around inside the harbor. At high speed we headed toward a spot that wasn’t a place to dock. I told Emmy to sit down and hold on, since we will be the first vehicle to leave the ferryboat, whether we want to or not. They had lowered the ramp, so if the ferryboat hits the shore, we are going to leave without needing the engine. As you can see, that is the roof, with the roof-vent open, of our RV, in the very front of the ferry.

I started the engine, released the parking brake and put the transmission in neutral, just in case. I would rather we “fly” off the boat, into downtown Split, on our own, rather than be pushed off by the vehicles behind us. They managed to get the ferryboat stopped in time, but we could see the crew members were quite unhappy with the whole situation. There was no place to tie the ferryboat to the shore, so they used the engine to keep it in place. There was a six or eight inch drop-off as we left, but it all ended well. But so dumb and dangerous on the part of the captain.