David's Diary: Thursday, July 25, 2002

Luka Polace, Croatia

After almost a week in Dubrovnik we were ready to move on and explore more of Croatia. Yesterday, we left the ACI Marina in Dubrovnik and then passed the nearby islands of Kolocep, Lopud, and Sipan before working our way along the island of Mljet. We threaded our way through the small group of islands protecting the national park of Luka Polace before we were able to find an empty place and set our anchor.

Roadside stop on our walk

After a day off swimming, reading, and relaxing we were ready to do more exploring. We are anchored in the middle of a national park, yet we have not had to pay any fees for anchoring out for the last night or two. When we reached shore and started out to cross the island, we did have to buy a pass to the park, although the fee was reasonable. After a half-hour of walking we reached the salt-water inlets that the park is famous for. We stopped for a short rest, before continuing to explore the island.

Saltwater Lake

It was getting late in the afternoon as we continued along our walk and we soon found ourselves in a deserted part of the inlet. The hot day and cool water attracted all of us. While we hadn't come prepared for swimming, we put caution to the wind and peeling off our clothes we skinny-dipped in the aquamarine water (i.e., swam without our bathing suits). Jocelyn, Kevin, and I swam across the inlet, while Karalee and Allen had fun close to shore. Skinny-dipping with the entire family may not have quite the illicit feeling of doing it with friends when you are a teenager, but it still was a special change to swim together without any clothes on.