A luxury yacht ran aground on the southern coast of the island of Hvar on July 31, 2011, according to a report in national daily Jutarnji List, in the latest incident involving tourists to one of Croatia's hottest destinations.
Running Aground on Hvar
According to the paper, the 40-metre Moon, owned by the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, struck the tiny islet of Pokojni Dol while operating on autopilot, and the ship's captain decided to deliberately run the boat aground in the bay of the same name, since the collision created a large hole in the yacht's side.
The authorities were alerted by the owner of the restaurant Konoba Mustaco, and diners and swimmers have been able to enjoy sharing the beach with the largest boat to ever enter the bay. None of the five people on board, from Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Hercegovina, were injured.
Broken Sink Leads to Emergency Helicopter to Split
The emergency services were also called into action three days before in a freak accident which left a New Zealand tourist's literally hanging by a thread, before she was helicoptered to Split Hospital to undergo emergency surgery.
According to the web portal NZHerald.co.uk, the woman was on a yacht near the Palmizana resort on the Pakleni Islands when she cut her hand on a broken sink in the yacht's bathroom. Having been airlifted to Split (there is no hospital on Hvar), the tourist underwent six hours of surgery and is recovering well.
"When the [woman] arrived in hospital, her [hand] was connected with upper part of skin," said a hospital spokesman. The police are trying to track down a British male who was allegedly with her in the bathroom at the same time.
Organised Manhunt for Drunken Tourist
Not to be left out, Hvar's police force started a manhunt for an Australian tourist who went missing after a night out at the infamous Carpe Diem cocktail bar on Hvar Town's waterfront on July 24. According to 24Sata.hr, thirty-six year old Stephen Atkinson disappeared after a heavy night out and could not be found in his cabin on the Mihovil boat he was cruising along the Croatian coast.
Thinking he had perhaps drunkenly fallen overboard, friends alerted the police and a hunt was organised including a coastguard search. The search was called off the following day after Atkinson called his friends, having recovered from the ill-effects of his drunken excess; he had been fast asleep in a room in one of the town's luxury hotels, Hotel Amfora.
Hvar is one of the most exclusive destinations in the Adriatic and a regular haunt for the rich and famous. It has a reputation as a party island, and revellers' antics no doubt increase the workload of the emergency services in the summer months.
Paul Bradbury - Author of Hvar: An Insider's Guide to Croatia's Premier Island, and Lebanese Nuns Don't Ski
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