Useful Information

MIDDLE ADRIATIC ISLANDS

ISLAND OF MOLAT

ZAPUNTEL (44° 15'N; 14° 49'E), cove and village (pop. 52 in 1991) in the passage of the same name (between the islands of Ist and Molat).

Approach: From Virsko more: the conical white tower with a gallery (white light) on Vranac point (on the island of Molat) and Vrh Gore and Straza hills (on the island of Ist); when approaching from the open sea take care of the islets, reefs and shoals off Ist and Molat.

In the strait (depth at midpoint 2040 m) there is a strong current (up to 3 knots) coming from the open sea; with a strong bora and the current fom the opposite direction there is a strong chop.

Mooring: A good all-round shelter. Yachts can moor along the mole in the harbour (alongside it or using the four-point moor); depth 3.5 m. The head of the mole is reserved for passenger ships.

It is prohibited to anchor in the middle of the passage and in its narrow W part (an underwater cable).

Facilites. Very limited provisions and water available in the coastal part of the village.

Local passenger lines: see Zadar.

JAZI (44° 13'N; 14° 53'E), cove on the SE coast of the island.

Approach: The islet of Tovarnjak off the cove and the church on the hill in the village of Molat (pop. 109 in 1991) can be easily identified.

Mooring: The cove is exposed to NE winds; with a strong wind blowing, anchor in Lucina cove (Brguljski zaljev). Smaller yachts can anchor some 300m off the small pier bearing NNE (depth 58 m) or in Przina cove (some 0.6M northwest of the harbour, depth 46 m), where they can also moor (four-point moor). A good anchorage for larger yachts (depth 820 m) is on the alignment of the centre of Tovarnjak island and the church in the village.

Facilities: Limited provisions and water available in the village of Molat.

BRGULJSKI ZALJEV, small bay on the SW coast of Molat island between Bonaster and Golubinjka points; with its eastern Lucina, Podgarbe and Luka coves, it is the best natural shelter in this part of the Adriatic for vessels of all sizes.

Approach: Landmarks: the pyramidal stone tower (white light) on Bonaster point; the white tower with a column and gallery (white light) on the islet of Golac; the belfry and several houses in the village of Molat; the round red tower with a column and gallery (red sector light) in Lucina cove; the conical white tower with a gallery (white-green sector light) on Tun Veli islet; the red tower with a column and gallery (red light) on Tun Mali. When navigating through Maknare passage, larger yachts should keep in the white sector of the light on the islet of Tun Veli. Approaching from Zadar, keep in the second white sector of the light on Tun Veli; turn towards the bay after you have passed the light on Bonaster point.

Warning: About 1M north of the light on Bonaster point is a buoy (no light) used by warships.

Mooring: Small yachts can moor at the mole in Lucina cove. The best anchorage is NW of the islet of Brguljski in Studena cove (depth to 4.5 m) nearer the NE shore; there is good anchorage in the SE part of Podgarbe cove (sheltered from S winds) and in the Luka cove at the NW end of the bay.

Facilities: Provisions and water in Lucina.

Local passenger line: Ist Molat Zadar.

SEDMOVRACE, sea area bounded by the islands of Molat, Tun Mali, Tun Veli, Zverinac and Dugi Otok. Access through the following straits: Maknare, between Bonaster point on Molat and Borji point on Dugi Otok; Velo Zaplo, between Tun Mali and Tun Veli; Malo Zaplo between Zaplo point on Molat and Tun Mali (see Brguljski zaljev). In the Velo Zaplo straits and Sestrunjski kanal, the tidal stream sets eastwards and northwards respectively at a rate of 2.5 knots. The two streams meet at the islet of Vrtlac and form eddies. The ebb tide setting in the opposite direction attains a rate of up to 1.5 knots.

Warning: Approaching from the open sea from NW, care should be taken of Bacvica reef (some 0.5M southeast of the islet of Tramerka); approaching from S, care should be taken of the islets of Lagnjici (about 0.7M northwest of Veli rat point), which are fringed by submerged reefs. In the passage of Maknare, between the islets of Golac and Brscak is a 3 m deep shoal. By night, the passage of Maknare, between the light on Bonaster point (white flashes) and the islet of Golac (white flashes), is indicated by the white sector of the light on Tun Veli island.

Vessels approaching from Zadarski kanal and Virsko more should take care to avoid Sajda shoal, situated about 1.5M north of Rivanj island. It is marked by a quadrangular masonry tower with black and red bands (white flashing light) surmounted by two black spheres. About 700m NW of the group of islands Tri sestrice is a reef marked by a black-red-black spar on a concrete base surmounted by two black spheres. E of the NW extremity of Sestrunj island is a shoal (5.8 m), which is dangerous only for deep drawing yachts. By night, keep within the white sector of the light on Tun Veli (conical white tower with a gallery), which leads between Trata islet (red tower with a column and gallery, red flashes) and Vrtlac islet (white tower with a column and gallery, white flashes); Sedmovrace is entered between the islet of Tun Mali (red flashes) and the NW point of Tun Veli (green flashes).

The best course from Sedmovrace to Srednji kanal is through Tunski kanal, where there are no obstacles for navigation.

A high-tension overhead transmission line, with a vertical clearance of 10.5 m, spans the Malo Zaplo straits.