We traveled today for 35 miles at an average of about 4 knots. I made coffee as we left port in Pula at 1030 in the morning and arrived in Cres eight hours, first day of sun-kissed skin and a dolphin-sighting later. Just before arriving in Cres, we hit a thunderstorm. It started sprinkling and then a light drizzle. The boat was topping 9 knots and keeling big time. Stacia and Christina were below deck napping, while I did some video of our battle with the storm. Our jib sail broke loose right in the middle of it all and I attempted to stop it with the starboard rope, which is an attempt that proved to be completely futile. Stacia came above deck at this moment and was wailed by a loose rope then we pulled it in and went down to about 4 knots. Quite a bit of excitement for the first day. The skipper was very excited and had hoped for this kind of weather. It scared the crap out of me, but also gave me my sea legs. Anyway, we were all ready for a nice hot shower after the rain. The shower facilities there were quite luxurious for a marina. We prepared for a delicious meal at San Lucias. I think this was one of the highlights of our trip. My meal started with a cheese plate and Trubot, a fish that had no bones and was a very generous fillet with the skin on the side. The beer was okay, general American beer. The after dinner toast liquor smelled great but was awful, according to Christina and I, but everyone else seemed to like it. The other dishes ordered at dinner that were table favorites were the prosciutto and cheese stuffed baby squid. It ranged from mussels, and scallops, crab pasta and cold, spider-crab salad. Side dishes of polenta balls, french fries, and a spinach potato mix that was delicious. After dinner, we walked into the small town of Cres as the twilight dwindled, we came across some Roman arches and took pictures and watched all the tourist shops close. Eventually, making it back to the boat through the narrow allies of the neighborhoods only accessible by foot, we passed through and listened as the families settled and prepared for the lull of sleep. Arriving back on the boat, we had a beer on deck and a little conversation before bed.