Wake up in the morning and flop out into the sea for a quick bath - that was our routine. Fresh water was sometimes a problem and we had to make sure we had plenty of bottled water with us. The tanks got quite warm as the sea temperature rose which encouaged the furry stuff lurking in the system. Disinfectant prevented it getting bad but then the taste of chlorine was just as off-putting.

This was our favourite anchorage. The church was the only building in the bay. The main village was a 20 minute walk along winding footpaths leading over the low wooded hills.

There are no cars on Silba. The only vehicles allowed are small tractors that tow trailers carrying anything that needs to be moved (occasionally people). Even bicycles and skateboards are banned from the island. Mules were probably common once upon a time but we didn't see any in our stay. We did see cicadas, like strange, fat grasshoppers; and enormous spiders with webs streching between the trees. Snakes sunbathed in the grass by the path but slithered silently into the undergrowth as soon as they sensed our footsteps.

Zadar is the main town on the south-central part of the coast. It has Roman remains that are being excavated. There was heavy fighting here during the war with the Serbs, but life is now pretty much back to normal.