Hotel Peristil, Split, Croatia: www.hotelperistil.com

In the 15 minutes it took to retrieve my luggage and return to the agency, the owner of the apartment containing my room was already waiting under an umbrella to escort me. She’s in a hurry to show me the accommodations and then board a bus to get to the school where she taught literature. Our walk to the apartment is a comedic scene of me both pulling my wheeled luggage and lugging it over steep stairs, as she maintains a breathless pace.

She is a sweet, elderly woman with sad eyes. Her place is in disrepair, but the bathroom, though small (they all are), is clean and functional. I settle in for a half hour before seeking the exclusive Hotel Peristil where Mike Kilbride and soon-to-be comrades in sailing are staying.

Of course, I get lost, but after wandering for awhile, I’m back on track through the blessed instructions from a Turist Biro (one's in every town). There's a message for me from Mike at his hotel. I will join them in the hotel restaurant at 6:30 PM, which I do, and thereupon meet the my comrades: Mike, gal friend Colleen; George, wife Judy; Stan, and wife Mary.