Passage to Venice

You’d be hard pressed to meet a sailor who hasn’t dreamt of sailing their own boat into Venice. This floating city is a place unlike any other. It is the ultimate maritime destination; a watery maze of timeless architecture and romantic charm.

Setting off from Croatia at sunset we took a straight shot across the Adriatic from Rovinj to Venice. And the Earth kindly put on an evening performance to keep us entertained along the way. A 4-hour lightning show somewhere over Austria illuminated the sky with crackled flashes for the first part of our nighttime crossing. Once the reddish semi-globe of the moon had set, the stars took over for their dazzling nightly ritual. We smelt the wind change direction as it started to blow off the land. And somewhere along the coast of Veneto - still out of sight - we were pleasantly surprised with a 20 minute fireworks display! It was the end of Ferragosto, the Italian festival which marks the peak of August summer holidays.

At 2am, with Croatia faintly in the distance, the glow of northern Italy beckoned us. By daybreak we were navigating the lagoon inlet through the shiny new MOSE Gates that help protect this ancient citadel from flooding. It is here that the famed symbol of the city, the winged lion, welcomed us to the capital of the maritime republic of La Serenissima.